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After the Olympics
In the year following the Olympics, she became a sweetheart of
the sports world and snagged a long list of corporate endorsement
deals. Her win also led to awards from ESPN, Teen Choice Awards,
American Athletic Union and the Associated Press.
She joined the Tour of Gymnastics Superstars, which traveled the
country putting on performances. It was pure enjoyment for the
athletes—finally free from training.
“All of us had watched everything we ate for four years, and
the tour finally gave us a chance to eat what we wanted. We must
have stopped at every drive-in restaurant and ice cream shop in
the country,” she says, laughing.
At most stops, Shawn and her cohorts visited children in
hospitals. She fondly recalls visiting a boy with cancer who was
depressed and rarely spoke. Shawn got him to talk and smile.
“But it wasn’t about me. He had watched the Olympics and
loved the swimming events. So when he found out that I had met
Michael Phelps [who won eight gold medals in 2008 for swimming]
and talked to him, the little boy just broke out in this big smile. It
was great,” she says.
Surprisingly, her most recognized triumph may have been her
2009 victory on Dancing with the Stars on ABC television.
“It’s kind of funny that more people know me from Dancing with
the Stars than from the Olympics,” Shawn says. “I was on NBC with
the Olympics for a few hours on a few days, but with Dancing, I
appeared over and over for the entire season, and then there was
all the coverage after winning. It’s kind of goofy.”
She’s been back home for months now after her surgeries,
recovery and therapy. Now she is getting focused on the next goal:
the London Olympics. That’s less than a year away.
Six to eight hours a day go into her current training regimen.
“I won’t finish until 10 o’clock tonight. Things change with
the days, but I’m always putting in time on something,” she says.
“Some mornings I do conditioning and in the afternoon I work on
skills or events. Mondays after practice, I do an hour of dance and
then go to the fitness center and do cardio.”
Though she isn’t where she wants to be, she does see a road
from here to London.
“I don’t have to win every event, but I have to show up. I’m
getting stronger. I’m starting to get focused.
“But I’m learning that it’s not easy to come back from two knee
surgeries. I’m learning a lot. I’m adapting," says the 19-year-old
Olympic veteran. "When the time comes, I’ll be ready."
44 seasons back to school 2011