Olympic gymnasts Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles are fierce competitors: they’ve won medals for team USA at the Olympics, broken countless records, and scored in the NCAA for their respective college teams. Yet they’re always seen championing each other on the sidelines and online. “I don’t think either one of us would be here today without the friendship that we’ve had,” Carey says.
We’re obviously very serious and fierce competitors, but we also want to be happy and have fun because we know gymnastics isn’t going to last our entire lives.
They became fast friends in 2017 when Carey attended her first national team training camp. But what crystallized their bond in recent years was their shared desire to “bring the fun into elite gymnastics.” Carey, who’s competing at Oregon State University, and Chiles, who’s at UCLA, learned how fun gymnastics could be from their college experiences. “Both of us got to experience a more relaxed energy and fun atmosphere on our college teams, so we wanted to be able to do that together in elite the past four years,” Carey says. “We’re obviously very serious and fierce competitors, but we also want to be happy and have fun because we know gymnastics isn’t going to last our entire lives.”
Chiles recalls a particularly special moment at their first championships: “We were standing in the back before we had to get our names called, and I said, ‘I don’t know who is with me on this, but let’s have fun today. I went to college, there are people here who went to college, and we were able to have fun. If anybody wants to join me, you can.’ I remember Jade turning around and shaking her head, like, ‘Yes, I’m there with you. Let’s have fun.'”
Ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, Chiles and Carey teamed up with Barbie, which will release role model Barbie dolls made in their likeness. In honor of their partnership, the duo recently chatted with PS about their unique bond, how they support each other, and what it means to have their own Barbies.
Image Source: Mattel
On How They Became Friends
Jade Carey: We became friends pretty fast. I was very new and Jordan had been around for a while, so she was there to help me get used to elite gymnastics and going to camps and tell me how everything works. That’s probably when our friendship really began.
Jordan Chiles: Being the people we are, we wanted to make sure she was comfortable and understood what was happening throughout national team camp. It can get very confusing and stressful, and it’s a different chapter of your life. Being able to be there for her, I think that was the biggest thing. We’re all girls and trying to understand one another. We had different stories, but at the end of the chapter, we ended up still making an Olympic team, and two at that rate.
I’d been the youngest one on the national team at 12 years old. I had the opportunity to learn from Aly [Raisman], Kyla [Ross], and all those idols that we look up to. Jade is one year older than me, so she came in a little later in a different mentality, but I was able to give her the layout of what national team is like and how things can be stressful. Giving that perspective and the ability to understand that, “Look, friend, I’ve been there, I’ve done that. This is how it’s going to go, but just have fun with it.”
On Supporting Each Other On and Off the Mat
Jade Carey: We’ve been through so much together on and off the gymnastics floor. We always have that trust in each other that no matter what’s going on in life, we’re going to be there for each other, celebrate each other, and be excited for the other’s accomplishments. I know we are always watching and cheering each other on, and that’s something that’s just really special. To be able to now be on different college teams, but it still feels like we’re teammates on the same team. We always want the best for each other and are going to hype each other up and lift each other up when things go wrong. It’s really special that we’ve been able to be around each other for so long and in so many different environments.
Jordan Chiles: I can say the exact same thing Jade said, knowing that you have somebody that you can relate to, whether we’re on two different college teams or we’re on the same team. Being a part of Team USA, it’s really cool to get the understanding that you’re not in it alone and the support that you’re going to get. Yes, I’m part of UCLA; she’s part of Oregon, and we still get to support each other from afar. But it still feels like we’re close no matter what we’re doing, whether it’s inside or outside the gym, we get to enjoy each other’s bond and accomplishments.
On Being Immortalized as Barbie Dolls
Jordan Chiles: I’m a girl’s girl, so I’m going to give everybody their flowers when they’re needed. We have this opportunity to have a Barbie out, and little girls get to be inspired and see us. I remember when I would play with Barbies and change their leos or their hair. Being able to have that of ourselves and put it out into the world, that’s just amazing. We’re Barbies! I have my own Barbie. It’s a dream come true.
Being these unapologetically talented, independent, beautiful, encouraging idols to the younger generation is the best thing any girl could ask for. I think them being able to see that will encourage them to continue to push for their talent and let their story be told in ways that maybe they didn’t think could be possible for us.
Jade Carey: I am really honored to be able to have a Barbie, especially in honor of International Women’s Day. Jordan and I have really experienced what friendship means and what it looks like to lift each other up in women’s sports. I’m really grateful to be able to have these opportunities and to see not only for myself, but for both me and Jordan, where we’ve grown and how far we’ve come from the time that we first met. If you would’ve asked us if we’d have Barbies when we were younger about eight years ago, we would’ve been like, “No way.” It’s really cool that what we’ve been able to do and the friendship that we’ve been able to have to lead us to where we are today.
Yerin Kim (she/her) is the features editor at PS, where she writes, assigns, and edits feature stories and helps shape the vision for special projects and identity content across the network. Originally from Seoul and currently based in New York City, she’s passionate about elevating diverse perspectives and spreading cultural sensitivity through the lenses of lifestyle, style, wellness, and pop culture. A graduate of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School, she has over six years of experience in the women’s lifestyle space.
