Yet another former Olympic Gymnast is to release a memoir as the 2012 London Olympic Games rapidly approaches. At the beginning of the month it was announced that 1996 Olympian Dominique Moceanu would release her memoir on June 5th, which also happens to be the day that Shawn Johnson will release hers. The memoir will be titled “Winning Balance: What I’ve Learned So Far about Love, Faith, and Living Your Dreams”.

Carol Stream, IL – Four-time Olympic medalist and Dancing with the Stars winner Shawn Johnson will
release a memoir, Winning Balance: What I’ve Learned So Far about Love, Faith, and Living Your
Dreams, with Tyndale House Publishers, the Illinois-based publisher announced today. The book, which
is scheduled to release June 5, 2012, comes as Johnson is attempting an Olympic comeback after a
potentially career-ending ski injury in 2010. The book will provide an intimate look into Johnson’s life,
including her remarkably balanced upbringing in Iowa, her quest for gold at the 2008 Olympic Games,
her hard work and determination in the face of adversity after the Olympics, her turn on Dancing with the
Stars, and what she is learning as she prepares for a possible comeback at the 2012 Olympics in London.
The book will feature a comprehensive marketing and publicity campaign.  

“My skiing accident was a challenge, but also a blessing,” said Johnson. “I had been so busy with work
and travel, struggling to figure out what to do with my life, but now I finally had time to reflect and figure
out who I was.”

As a member of the 2008 USA Women’s Gymnastics Team, Johnson won four medals, one gold and
three silver. In 2009, she captured the national spotlight again by winning the widely popular Dancing
with the Stars competition. Johnson also won the 2009 ESPY (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly
Award) for female Olympian and the Teen Choice Award for female athlete in 2009 and 2011. In the
midst of these successes, Johnson suffered the potentially career-ending injury that forced her life to a halt
and made her rethink what was really important. She has made a comeback on the international
gymnastics scene and hopes to be a member of the 2012 Olympic team in London, England, this summer.
“There’s an incredible depth to Shawn that many people want to know more about,” said Jan Long Harris,
Tyndale Associate Publisher. “She’s an amazing athlete and role model who displays a humility and
maturity well beyond her years. We’re delighted to be working with her.”

Winning Balance reveals the amazing against-the-odds journey of a young woman from an ordinary
family who won an Olympic gold medal on the balance beam and became even more balanced in life.
The book will be available nationwide, wherever books are sold. 

Shawn’s memoir can be pre-ordered from Amazon.com here for $13.59.

So with the VISA Championships coming up next week, lets have a look back at the past National Champions of the last 30 years.

Above is the AA podium from 2008 as taken by  Elsa/Getty Images North America.Can Chellsie Memmel make it onto the podium again? Click through to USAG to view all past National AA and Event Champions here.

Who do you think will be this 2011′s National AA Champion? Leave a comment with your prediction below

Many people have been asking on Twitter, Facebook and discussion forums what the criteria is for petitioning at Classics to be allowed compete at the VISA Championships in four weeks time. You can find this information in the 2010 – 2011 USAG Women’s Program Rules & Policies;

IX. PROCEDURES FOR PETITIONING Petitioning procedures are for use when the athlete is unable to compete due to illness, injury or extenuating circumstances; they are not intended to replace the qualification system.

A. USA Championships

1. No petitions will be considered for athletes obtaining an all-around score at a Classic competition.

2. Any athlete who has attended one or more Open, Developmental, Pre-Elite, or National Team training camp in the current year is eligible to submit a petition for consideration.

3. All athletes who are not able to compete in the All-Around at a Classic meet due to a previous injury and are planning to petition to Championships will be required to attend the US Classic and perform on a minimum of one event, unless the athlete has competed in a USAG international competition during the current competitive year or verified at a national team training camp within the month prior to the US Classic Meet.

4. The petition must be sent to the USA Gymnastics Women’s Program Director prior to the Classic competition, unless the athlete is injured during the Classic competition. The petitions must include: a. a written request from her coach, and/or her parent or guardian stating the reason for petition. b. a photocopy of the gymnast’s All-Around results from her most current Elite Meet(s).

5. A physician’s written verification of the illness or injury and the date of release for return to activity must be included with all injury petitions. 93 6. The Athlete Selection Committee (NTC, IECC, AR) will make all decisions regarding petitions for Classics/Championships.

a. Decisions will be evaluated on an individual basis and made in the best interest of the USA National Team.

b. The submission of a petition is not a guarantee of acceptance. c. The committee will consider the following areas when evaluating the petition:

1) Results from recent international and national championships.

2) D (Difficulty) and E (Execution) Scores in comparison to the current Elite qualification chart. Note that, per event, the three event score is higher than a four-event score.

3) World Class presentation

4) Readiness to compete

5) Physical capability to fulfill training plan as listed in the Women’s Responsibility Manual.

7. The National Office will notify the gymnast and her coach of the approval or denial of the petition.

8. There will be no other avenue for admittance to Championships outside of these petitioning procedures (i.e. video or pre-meet verification).

 

 

B. Classics/Challenge Petitions:

1. All current or former Elite athletes are eligible to submit a petition to a Classic Meet.

2. All athletes who attended a Zone training camp/clinic or have competed in a National Qualifying competition are eligible to petition.

3. Petitions should be sent, according to the above guidelines, to the Women’s Program Director for review by the Athlete Selection Committee.

 

Shawn’s petition was accepted just after the competition ended. Given that Martha has seen her at the National Training Camps that has helped her petition. It turns out that Shawn only had to compete on a minimum of one event to be eligible to petition.

She wasn’t at her best on Saturday, in fact Chow said she was only at about 30% ( I read this in an interview / article on Sunday but to be honest, I read so many about Shawn since the competition that I can’t remember where I saw it!) but it she didn’t look too shabby at all. She still has it, by it, I mean the wow factor. Sure, she popped off the beam on her first line of connections but I still thought she was great. However, I didn’t love the mount, I’m not a fan of it… or the leotard.

Best of luck to Shawn in the next four weeks in the run up to the VISA’s, her nerves really showed on Saturday night but she often looked better than some of the newer seniors. View Shawn’s bars and beam routines here.

So, in your opinion, should Shawn’s petition  have been accepted? Should it have been accepted so soon? Leave a comment below.

Photo: AP Photo/Paul Beaty

It’s been quite a while since we’ve had any news on the USA girls. The MAG gymnasts have been competing at different events so we have seen and heard about them but very little from the WAG side.

Dwight Normile writes for International Gymnast ahead of the Visa Championships in August. He gives insight into the elite girls as discussed with their coaches. Here is the low down:

• Shawn Johnson will compete at both Classics and VISA’s but is not yet ready to compete All Around.
• Gabrielle Douglas will compete an Amanar on vault and has upgraded quite some bit in the last year.
• Bridget Sloan is still recovering from surgery on her biceps. Dwight thinks it is unlikely that we will see her before 2012.
• Rebecca Bross had ankle surgery in November and is slowly recovering.
• Alicia Sacramone will compete on beam, floor and vault. She is in good health.
• Alexandra Raisman is in good health and will compete an Amanar on vault.
• Chelsea Davis has retired from elite gymnastics.
• Mattie Larson has upgraded her uneven bars and balance beam routines.
• McKayla Maroney has just developed a back problem and it’s severity was not known by coach Galina Marinova last week
• Nastia Liukin… oh, erm… still no word there. I’m really thinking it’s all for publicity now at this stage.

Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images North America

An elite training camp is currently taking place at the Karolyi Ranch. You can view a discussion on the camp on the International Gymnast forum.

There’s a great new article on the BBC Sport website as part of the World Olympic Dreams series on Shawn Johnson. It follows Shawn at the Nike HQ in Portland, Oregon. There is an accompanying video which I just love, it shows Shawn inside the Nike laboratory doing moves and covered in body movement receptors. She looks like she is in fantastic shape. We also get to see a short little clip of her on bars where she really shows that she hasn’t lost it!

The article is great, it discusses Shawns recent sponsorship deal with Nike and how that impacts on her comeback. It also points out that Nike are in fact taking a chance on endorsing her as it is still not known if she will in fact make it onto the USA team for London 2012. Branding expert Andy Milligan says:

“She is glamorous, she is wholesome, healthy, she has a real winner’s attitude … and there’s a story to follow about just going for it – which is exactly what Nike is about”

For some reason I’ve never become irritated about Shawns business woman ways as I have with Nastia Liukins. I’m glad that Shawn can do both, train for a comeback and still have her sponsorship deals. After all, she seems like a really great kid, very genuine and she deserves opportunities to further her life after gymnastics.

USA Today published a new article on the comebacks of 2008 Olympians  Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin. The article covers the usual for Shawn that she is training again and is still not sure how her knee will hold up but has vowed to move on from her injury.

“I’ve accepted the fact it’s never going to be 100%,” she said. “I can’t constantly worry about it. It would tear me down.”

Marta Karolyi is quoted as saying that Nastia is “still delaying” her decision and apparently might not decide whether or not to return to competition until next year. How late can Nastia leave it to decide that she will make a comeback?

The article also discusses Nastia’s other activities and goings on in her life, including being involved in the FIG’s decision on where to stage the 2011 World Gymnastics Championships.

In her role with the FIG, she is a liaison between athletes and the federation. She said she votes on the technical committee that helps establish rules.

This weekend she will head to California for a meeting where the FIG will discuss moving the world championships in the fall from Tokyo because of the effects of the earthquake and tsunami on Japan. She plans to attend a conference in Seoul this summer.

Liukin also was named an athlete representative for USA Gymnastics and will help select its teams. If she returns to competitions, she will step away from that role, she said.

Her duties with USAG require her to attend national camps, and that’s when a desire to compete tugs at her.

 

Busy girl, but come on already!

Yesterday the BBC posted a video diary update from Shawn Johnson. I had said how it would be great if she did more of these. Then last night Nastia posted this video on her Facebook and Twitter pages. She seems to still be doing a hell of a lot of appearances, promotions but says that she is in the gym everyday – now is that the gym or the gymnastics gym? Shawn on the other hand has cut these out and is working away in the gym.

She says that she won’t be competing any time soon but the same goes for Shawn. Come on Nastia, put everything you have back into the gym for an amazing comeback!

Shawn Johnson is part of the BBC’s Olympic Dreams which follows athletes in the run up to London 2012.  They’ve posted a new video diary entry from Shawn. Check it out here on the BBC website.

Since she seriously injured her knee in a skiing accident, Shawn Johnson has endured a long road to recovery, but she has now been welcomed back into the US gymnastics team.

In her latest video diary, she tells World Olympic Dreams how thrilled she feels about her Olympic comeback.

Would love to see some of these videos on her own website also.

Matthias Fahrig out of European Championships 2011 – surprisingly, not an achilles injury! (Via The All Around)

GymNiceTic posts about the FIG World Cup in Paris

Double Front links to the training video of Shawn Johnson at the National Team Training camp

Oz Gym Blog gives us a round up of all of the Aussie gymnastics news

Gymnastics Examiner names the 21 WAG gymnasts to watch in 2011

Shawn Johnson posted her latest blog post upon her return from the National Team Training at the Karolyi Ranch last week.

She says that her knee is still causing some problems, leaving her unable to do everything she wanted to. She’s not quite back in shape and at the standard she’d like to be but she’s getting there. It appears that Shawn is aware that she has a lot more work to do as even since Beijing 2008, the gymnastics world has changed a lot. She is very impressed with the new girls on the National Team.

I learned a lot at this camp and got some great insight as to how the world of gymnastics has evolved in the past couple of years…. And let me just tell you… THESE NEW GIRLS ARE AMAZING! Go team USA! Its exciting to get back into the system and see the hope for a fantastic future team. The girls are working so well with each other and the potential strength of what our team is capable of is incredible!  We sure will be the team to beat 

Now, don’t get me wrong, I still have a LONG way to go to be in contention for making any kind of team, but coming out of camp I feel motivated and excited to push myself into my first competition. The next camp we have is in 5 weeks and I plan on working my booty off so I can show up and prove to Martha that I am just as deserving for a spot on a team as anyone!

I really wish Shawn the best of luck and am delighted that she is keeping us in the loop. I’d love to see her make the 2012 team and do well in London.

It’s been relatively quiet in the gymnastics world lately. I seem to have missed out on some news while I was at the gym last night so here goes:

Double Front reported that the AP reporter Nancy Armour tweeted that Shawn Johnson has been listed as a member of the USA National Team – great news. Gymnastics Coaching and Gym Truth Teller also had some opinions on this

The British Men are off to Cancun training with the Japanese Men’s team. I’m delighted to hear than Dan Keatings is training with them. Love that guy!

Christine at I Gym reports that Tweddle, Cairns, Purvis and Smith are to compete in the Paris World Cup in March

The latest discussion in between the members of the Gymnastics McLaughlin Group is the following:

Which 2008 U.S. Olympian has the best shot at making 2012?

Without knowing Nastia Liukin’s status, is she training with the aim of 2012 or not, I decided I can’t include her in my decision. Ultimately if she was and is on top form I would have chosen her for my answer. I was a little pushed for time thinking of answers so I felt without knowing where Johnson is at (she’s been quiet which is a good thing!) I didn’t want to pick her either. From what I’ve seen of each of the gymnasts in recent months, it would make me say Sacramone. As I’ve said before, in this sport of gymnastics you never know, there’s always surprises that you weren’t expecting.

Check the discussion out over on the Gymnastics Examiner.

Shawn Johnson has finally updated her blog!

On life without gymnastics:

Don’t get me wrong, these past two years have been absolutely amazing and have given me the opportunity to experience so many wonderful things, but I’ve missed who I was with gymnastics. I missed being the “athlete” and having that drive and day-to-day goal of bettering myself and making myself stronger. Gymnastics made me feel invincible and proud of the person I was and I noticed I’d lost that.

On the Karolyi Camp:

WOW, was I a nervous wreck going into that one! It had been more than two years since I’d been there and I felt like a complete outsider. I wasn’t sure what to expect…if I was going to be up to par, where I would stand, or if I’d still be accepted and fit in!!  Hahaha, I guess I’m just a little worry wart because it was actually an amazing experience

On the future:

“I’m slowly working my way through skills and routines, piecing together what I, hopefully, will be competing in the next two years as I set my sights on 2012.”

“As the New Year approaches and I begin to set my sights on bigger dreams and goals, I encourage you to follow me on my journey”

Read it all here from Shawn herself on her blog.

I’m really delighted for her. She says that today she landed her first double layout on the hard floor for the first time which is a huge step for her considering her previous knee injury. Great to see some news from her, hopefully there’ll be more videos soon too!

Shawn Johnson’s video game will be released in the USA on November 16th. She recently did an interview with USA Today Game Hunters about the game. We previously posted screen shots of the new game but a video is now available to watch .Read the full interview and view the video here.

What got you interested in a video game based on gymnastics?
(Developer Zoo Games) talked about this idea of a realistic gymnastics game. (Others) have done gymnastics games before, (but) they were kind of cartoonish and they didn’t focus on the athleticism of gymnastics. They kept telling me about the idea. As it started to expand I got really excited about it. I signed on, and it’s been so much fun since then.

What other features should we mention that the game has?
Gymnastics is so complex. There are so many aspects to it and this game does an amazing job of covering everything — from competing and getting trophies. You have your own trophy room and locker room where you can connect them. You have the details of picking out your own competition uniform. You can do the vault bar, beam and floor. The more you train, the more you progress, the (more) skills are unlocked that you can add into your routines. There is so much it keeps you going and keeps you interested. It gives you a little more insight into the gymnastics world with each step you make.

We posted previously that the BBC World Olympic Dreams Team are featuring Shawn as one of the athletes being tracked for World Class 2012 in partnership with the British Sports Council. They have posted a new video and article with Shawn, where she discusses her come back and the possibility of winning gold in 2012. Shawns parents, Doug and Teri also talk to the BBC about her come back. Shawn is apparently postponing college, cancelling all the events on her celebrity schedule and staying at home where she will spend almost every day of the next two years in the gym.

“A comeback in gymnastics is almost impossible in itself. Add to it an injury, why would you even try? It will take even longer, but I like the challenge.”

Read the interview and watch the video here.