Shawn Johnson

by Sarah Mills from San Diego

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"Hard times don't create heroes. It is during the hard times when the 'hero' within us is revealed," (Bob Riley). Shawn Johnson, a young and talented Olympic gymnast, has had many extraordinary accomplishments in her short life. She has won all around in the American Cup and many other gymnastics competitions. Her accomplishments have given her many wonderful and unique opportunities that most other young adults do not experience. Understandably, Shawn Johnson is best known for her incredible gymnastics abilities and her participation in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. She received a silver medal in the team, all around, and floor competitions, and she also earned the gold medal with her beam routine. Because of this experience, Beijing, China is the most important place in Shawn's life. Texas is also very important to her, as that is where she trained monthly and developed into an elite gymnast. The years 2007 and 2008 were, by far, the biggest years for Shawn Johnson, as she had more achievements in that time than most people could ever imagine having. What most people do not know is that Shawn's success came after overcoming many obstacles. Her bravery, dedication, and determination while dealing with these obstacles reveal her heroism. For a hero to be brave, they must go beyond their fears to do what's best. When a hero shows dedication, they make a huge commitment to something and stick to it, no matter how hard it becomes. When a hero is determined, they will do anything in their power to obtain their goal. Shawn Johnson's bravery, dedication and determination make her a true hero.

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During Shawn's gymnastics career, she had to overcome many fears, and she learned that bravery is key to succeeding in gymnastics. In Shawn's career, she earned many achievements as a gymnast. "In 2006, Johnson competed at the U.S. Nationals, or Visa Championships, in the junior division, earning first places in the all-around, vault, balance beam, and floor exercise competitions," ("Shawn Johnson"). Shawn Johnson was very brave for her young age, and had to trust her abilities as a gymnast while competing against highly ranked gymnasts. Knowing that she could easily ruin her score with a sudden fall on a event, she had to stay focused so that her fears would not get in the way of her performance. During the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Shawn had to overcome the fear of having the world watching her every move in each event. "Hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide watched as a 16 year old Johnson won four medals including gold on the balance beam at the 2008 Summer Olympics," ("About Shawn Johnson"). Shawn knew that being watched by people all over the world on the computer, television, or even in real life, could have caused her enormous stress. Shawn had to put aside any fears of stage fright so that she could step out in front of the crowds in the Olympic stadiums and compete. During Shawn's bar routine, she had a close call and could have fallen and hurt herself, but was able to push past her fears. "As I performed, I caught the bar a little close, which scared me a bit," (Johnson). The Bars are one of the scariest events in gymnastics, because if you let go too soon, you can be badly injured from a bad landing. However, Shawn pushed past that moment, and did one of her best bars routines yet. Overall, throughout Shawn Johnson's life, she has shown incredible bravery and this helps explains why she is a hero.Shawn Johnson's talent in gymnastics relied on her dedication to the sport. A great example of this dedication was during the 2008 Olympics when she was competing in the floor event. Nastia Liukin, another U.S. gymnast, performed her floor routine for the all around and as soon as she finished, Shawn knew that Nastia had solidified the gold. "My head began to spin with disbelief, because in that instant my dream died," (Johnson). Shawn realized she wasn't going to win, and thought that her dreams were over. However, her dedication to the sport and her team drove her to complete the best floor routine ever, because she was determined to get the next best award the silver medal. Another example of Shawn's dedication was her ability to push past injuries to stay committed to gymnastics. "Johnson injured her knee during a skiing trip and had to undergo reconstructive surgery. The injury prevented her from training for several months. In 2011, the athlete participated in the Visa Championships, one of her first major competitions since the 2008 Olympics," ("Shawn Johnson"). Shawn was dedicated to doing gymnastics. Even after tearing her ACL, MCL, meniscus, and her hamstring, she still wanted to train in gymnastics to hopefully join the 2012 Olympic Gymnastics Team. Her dedication motivated her to recover from the injuries, and return to practicing right away. "After a two-year hiatus from competitive gymnastics, Shawn returned to training in 2010 in an effort to make the 2012 Olympic Team. Just weeks before Olympic Trials, she was forced to withdraw due to injury and retired from the sport," ("About Shawn Johnson"). Shawn Johnson was dedicated to go back to the Olympics and compete again. If she hadn't had an injury, she would have probably competed in the 2012 Olympics. Shawn's dedication to gymnastics is yet another quality that made her a hero.

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Shawn Johnson was determined to do her best whenever she could, and she impressed her coaches and teachers with her enthusiasm. Amazingly, Shawn opted to go to public school along with training in elite gymnastics. "Skipping study hall, physical education and lunch, Johnson was able to attend school and get to the gym by 2:30 every afternoon," ("Shawn Johnson"). Rather than home school like many elite athletes, Shawn Johnson was determined to do both gymnastics and attend public school, just like other girls her own age. She was committed to maintaining a "normal" person's life, and while that choice sometimes meant that put more pressure on her academically, she felt that the pressure helped build her determination to win. "'It might put a little more pressure, but honestly, I love it,' Johnson said," ("Shawn Johnson"). Shawn's coach even knew her determination would lead her towards great things. "Now Martha Karolyi was giving me the chance to take my gymnastics to the next level... the very highest," (Johnson). Martha Karolyi then chose her to join the USA elite gymnastics team and this accomplishment helped her achieve success in the Olympics. Without a doubt, Shawn's determination is a key part of her becoming a hero.

Shawn Johnson's bravery, dedication, and determination show us that beyond her label as an Olympic medalist, she is a true hero. And, it has been in her post-gymnastics career that her heroism has really stood out. "In 2014, Johnson co-founded TheBodyDepartment.com, a site dedicated to offering an outlet where people can talk about body image, wellness, and fitness in a healthy way," ("About Shawn Johnson"). After Shawn competed in the Olympics, she started to live the normal teenage life that her friends did, and as she did, she realized that she was gaining weight, and started having body image problems. Her bravery, dedication and determination helped her to create this website to help people deal with these types of problems and improve their self images. As with her overcoming her fears on the bars or staying dedicated to public schooling during elite training, this was just another example of how a challenge in Shawn's life ended up revealing her as a true hero.

Works Cited

"About Shawn Johnson - Shawn Johnson." Shawn Johnson RSS. Shawn Johnson, 2016. Web. 29 Apr. 2016. <http://shawnjohnson.com/about/>

Johnson, Shawn, and Nancy French. Winning Balance: What I've Learned so Far about Love, Faith, and Living Your Dreams. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale Momentum, 2012. Print.

"Shawn Johnson." Gale Biography in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2007. Biography in Context. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.

"Shawn Johnson." Newsmakers. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Biography in Context. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.

"USA Gymnastics | Shawn Johnson." USA Gymnastics | Shawn Johnson. USA Gymnastics, 29 Apr. 2016. Web. 29 Apr. 2016. <https://usagym.org/pages/athletes/athleteListDetail.html?id=330449>.

Page created on 5/22/2016 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 5/22/2016 12:00:00 AM

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Shawn Johnson

by Sarah Mills from San Diego

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