Page 63 - Demo

www.MOSTmag.com || MOST FITNESS || 63By: Elizabeth PriceShawn%u2019s parents enrolled her in gymnastics at the age of three and she soon after fell in love with the sport. Gymnastics gave Johnson a sense of pride and selfworth, %u201cSuccess in gymnastics is something you genuinely have to earn and fight for. It is not about what clothes you wear or what you look like.%u201d Johnson thrived off of gymnastics, and her internalized drive took her further toward success. Johnson%u2019s coaches saw the passion she had for the sport, rather than her raw ability. With the many aspects that go into making an Olympic athlete Johnson admits that she never believed going to the Olympics was a possibility. %u201cNever in a million years would I have thought I had the capabilities to become an Olympian. In fact, I didn%u2019t get my first gold medal until I was twelve or thirteen years old while I was qualifying for the USA national team%u2014I was always the kid that came in last. But every year my passion for the sport grew and my perfectionist quality would kick in stronger.%u201d Gymnastics requires an athlete to hurl themselves through the air and miraculously find the ground to stick a landing. If gymnasts put their bodies on the line, how can they not be scared of getting hurt? Johnson admits that they are! %u201cBeing afraid is a very big aspect of our sport. However, from the time that you start training you begin the process of learning to trust yourself, your abilities, and your coach.%u201d Learning to push the fear aside is a long process that happens over years of training. With this constant fear, it is hard to believe that Johnson went to the Olympics when she was only sixteen years old. %u201cIn this sport, sixteen is a perfect age. At sixteen, you are still na%u00efve but your body is strong. It is what they call the tipping scale in gymnastics%u2014where you are young enough to be na%u00efve but you are old enough not to have a more fearful understanding of your abilities.%u201d At the same time, these young Olympians are forced into the limelight after winning. %u201cNobody can prepare you for what comes after winning.%u201d However, Shawn does say that these girls are built to handle it because it is mentally drilled into gymnasts to have such strong character and personality. After winning gold in balance beam and silver in the all-around, floor exercise and team at the 2008 Olympics, Johnson had no intention of returning to gymnastics. She was thrown into the media circuit, and with all the opportunities that are presented to Olympians, Shawn did not have the chance to take a breath and think about her future. However, when she was injured while skiing on her eighteenth birthday her life took a turn. %u201cAfter I stopped rolling down the hill, I distinctly remember %u2018What if I can never do gymnastics again?%u2019 After I figured out what was wrong, I decided I was going to go back to the sport.%u201d In that instant, it became apparent to Johnson how much gymnastics meant to her.