Stripping athletes? Shawn Johnson’s 6 Olympic secrets
By Shawn Johnson, TODAY.com special correspondent.
Millions watch the Olympics from home, but only a select few experience the Games the way I did in Beijing. Here are six secrets from an athlete’s perspective:
1. Meeting Team USA is a revealing affair.
Every U.S. athlete heads to the same connecting city for a “process” day before shipping off to the Games. That’s where competitors are credentialed, drug-tested, provided Team USA apparel and debriefed about the dos and don’ts in representing America.
The best part is going from room to room filling up a HUGE shopping cart with free gear. It’s quite a way to meet the other Team USA members; athletes strip to their skivvies for a mad dash to find the best-fitting sizes. Gymnasts are lucky: We’re left with the extra-smalls.
2. Olympians don’t fly first class.
Oh yes, Olympians sit in the back by the toilets just like everyone else. But it’s not all fun and games: Halfway through the flight some gymnasts actually do small workouts down the aisles. It’s a fun ride as the majority of the passengers are sporting the red, white and blue.
3. Athletes can be tested for drugs at ANY time.
You could be sleeping, eating, competing or chatting with Matt Lauer — and the World Anti-Doping Agency officials will just show up for a drug test. It’s all chosen by a random draw, but I swear some people’s names — like mine! — seem to pop up a few more times than others. It’s quite a process, too. You have NO privacy during the testing process, and stage fright is the worst (I speak from experience). You can be stuck in the testing process for hours.
4. Dorms are nice, if a little plain.
Olympian housing is divided by countries. There’s a cool tradition that you hang your nation’s flag outside your room, making the village a neat place as everywhere you look there are different colors flying high. It’s a different story inside the dorms, which are stark white when you arrive. Many athletes decorate them so they feel more like home. The apartments also include game rooms, salons and massage tables. There’s also a media center to keep you connected to loved ones.
5. Cultures mix in the cafeteria.
Country barriers break down in the commissary. It’s an awesome place. Picture an eatery that’s as big as a football field with catered food that can accommodate every athlete. The most popular place in Beijing? McDonald’s. The line spanned the entire cafeteria front to back every single day!
6. Gold isn’t the only metal you compete to win.
Forget the events! There’s a more prestigious competition happening between athletes and spectators: pin trading. You are constantly bargaining, bartering and begging for these coveted metals. And the stakes are high: Your rank among international athletes seemingly has nothing to do with your medal haul — but by your pins! And you’re treated like royalty if you have a rare one.
Gymnast Shawn Johnson, TODAY.com’s special correspondent, won a gold and a silver medal in Beijing.
Shawn Johnson takes on Apolo, gives Bruce Jenner dish
Shawn Johnson gets to know the athlete side of fellow Olympian Bruce Jenner.
By Shawn Johnson, TODAY.com special correspondent
I’ve had a lot of awesome experiences in London, from live-blogging the women’s gymnastics final to joining TODAY.com as a special Olympic correspondent. I’ve also gotten to hang with some really cool people along the way. Here’s a little name-drop of some of my favorites so far:
Bruce Jenner: I never thought I would meet Kim Kardashian’s dad, least of all at the Olympics! I was talking to a true athlete. And that’s not what I expected: He’s put on such a Hollywood pedestal. I always saw him as an entertainer in the tabloids, not an athlete. Talking to him, he’s incredibly humble, and respects athletes more than anybody. He gained my respect, hearing about his story and where the games took him.
Who’ll win at a “Dancing with the Stars” rematch? Shawn smack-talks Apolo Anton Ohno.
Apolo Anton Ohno: I haven’t seen Apolo since Vancouver. The first thing I said to him was, “I’m going to beat you on ‘Dancing with the Stars.’” He said, “I have to get to the gym.” I told him I’ve been training here every day in London, and he got super motivated, and competitive, almost mad. He’s a phenomenal athlete.
Venus Williams: Before meeting her, I was intimidated. She and her sister Serena seem so intense, especially on TV and in their sport. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but she was very quiet, almost reserved and extremely sweet. She couldn’t be prouder of her sister and everything she’d accomplished. It was shocking to meet someone who has a competitive demeanor, comes off as very aggressive and see that in person, her personality and character is so quiet.
Shawn with Ryan Lochte, who she says is “very humble” in person.
The Lochte family: I first met the Lochtes on TODAY a couple of months ago. I love Ryan’s family. Ike is the mom everybody wants. She never stops smiling and giggling; she’s adorable. They are extremely supportive and proud and not afraid to show it. It comes across in his performance. He’s showy on TV but he’s very humble in person. His style is…very different. He’s very sweet. He’s worked really hard for what he’s done. He’s devoted a lot of time and effort, and he’s got true class the way he does everything.
Shawn Johnson tweeted this pic with Shaun White, at the women’s gymnastics finals.
Shaun White: He’s one of the biggest athletes in the world. And still, he walked into the women’s gymnastics all-around competition, wearing a suit, walked straight into my aisle, hugged me, and sat down like he belonged there. He had a sincere interest in the sport and wanted to know about the scoring. He knew the girls from watching the 2008 team, and he was jumping up and down screaming when Gabby won. He related his sport to ours; we talked about how we warmed up.
Michelle Obama: She remembers every face, everyone she meets. At the Let’s Move events, she spends time with every kid, makes a point to engage people. What surprised me the first time I met her is how tall she is! She had watched me in 2008, and was honored to have me as part of the campaign. She was so proud of me — sad that I had retired, but happy that I was doing something that loved and not beating myself up anymore. That’s crazy, because it meant the first lady of the United States followed my story. (At the last Let’s Move event), she beat me at tennis. If I had to play her again, I would win at arm wrestling. I’ve got guns.
Healthy Hollywood: Fab Food Friday – Shawn Johnson’s Recipe For Success!
CaptionNEW YORK, N.Y. — Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson set the sports world abuzz with news of her retirement from gymnastics.
The 20-year-old had her sights on London 2012, but a knee injury prevented her Olympic dream and forced her to say good-bye to competitive gymnastics.
“I still have the heart, drive and desire to compete. Unfortunately my road has been cut a little short,” Johnson said.
But, like a true champion, Johnson bounced back from disappointment and reinvented herself as a member of the media in London. She’s working as a correspondent for Procter & Gamble’s Thank You Mom program, which set up a family home for parents of athletes to gather and experience their child’s Olympic journey.
“It’s a lot of fun reporting for P & G at the Olympic games, in the middle of all the action! It makes the transition easier, because I’m still a part of it all. However, it’s definitely bittersweet because I’m not in there with the girls,” Shawn reveals to Healthy Hollywood.
P & G’s Thank You Mom campaign celebrates the important role moms play in raising superstars. “My mom has always been my biggest cheerleader, so this campaign is close to my heart. My support system is the strongest part of my life – it’s my family and friends. I couldn’t have made it to level 2 [gymnastics], let alone the Olympics if it wasn’t for them,” adds Shawn.
Besides reporting, Shawn’s also been an on-site cheerleader for Team USA’s golden girls in gymnastics. She remembers vividly the mentally preparation it takes to be a contender, adding, “I always visualized exactly how I was going to compete. From the warm up, to the slope, to the routine, to the landing, hugging my coaches, EVERYTHING! It made me feel ready and prepared.”
As for staying in shape, Shawn still works out every day for an hour and watches her diet. “I’d have to or I’d be going crazy. I do a lot of cardio, circuit training, Pilates, yoga, and kickboxing. I like to switch it up. In 2008 my diet for the games was very strict. After the games, I went CRAZY! I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, as much as I wanted. Now, my diet is the same as it was when I was training. If not more regimented – just because I’m more conscious,” exclaims Shawn!
So, what’s the next world for Shawn to conquer? She plans on fulfilling of her dream of going to college in the fall of 2013. But first, she will appear on “Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars,” which returns on Monday September 24 on ABC at 8 PM. As for anything else, she heeds to her parents advice, “Everything happens for a reason I live by it. It was told to me a lot growing up.”
To check out Shawn’s coverage of the P & G’s Thank You Mom campaign, check out www.facebook.com/thankyoumom. {accesshollywood.com}
Shawn Johnson calls USA Women’s Gymnastics Gold “Surreal”
Shawn Johnson has several Olympic Medals but called yesterdays performance by Team USA, a fairy tale.
Johnson, who was forced to retire from the sport she loves in June, covered Team USA as a special correspondent for The Today Show. “The moment they walked into the arena I thought, ‘I’d love to be down there.’ There’s no better feeling than being part of a team,” Johnson wrote for NBC. “But I couldn’t have been happier to watch them and support them and see their joy.”
Like the rest of the nation, who already knew the outcome, we all watched with pride as the Fab Five held hands and waited, Johnson said, “and all five of them lined up holding hands, waiting for the score. It gave me chills. I was holding my breath. Then, the scores came up. There was crying, flags waving, and people on their feet, chanting “USA.” It was a fairy tale.”
You can catch Shawn starting on the next chapter of her life, reappearing on Dancing With the Stars: All-Stars beginning this September. {popcrunch.com}
Olympic Gold Medalist Shawn Johnson Tells TheGloss About Wedgies
I want you all to realize how many natural impulses I had to fight down to ask an Olympic gymnast about wedgies, but I did it. BECAUSE I LOVE YOU. (For those unfamiliar with Shawn Johnson, she’s a recently retired Olympic balance beam gold medalist, a floor exercise silver medalist, and a world champion. Oh. And she won Dancing with the Stars. And she’s only 20. We interviewed her at the P&G Family home in London.)
TheGloss: Do you have any tricks you use before you compete that you use to keep calm? It must be really nerve-racking before you go out there.
Shawn Johnson: I always used to talk to my dad. That’s kind of a must. I’d do that before every competition, whether it was in the morning or right before, I had to hear from him. And he always gave me reassurance that “we don’t care how you do! We just want you to have fun, and go out there. But I listen to music a lot. I know a lot of athletes listen to hard-core, get the adrenaline going stuff, and I never did. I always listened to very soothing music, just to keep myself calm.
TheGloss: Do you have any favorite songs?
SJ: I always listened to “Have a Little Faith in Me” by Mandy Moore. It was something about it. It got to me. I always listened to it before a competition.
TG: Was there a time in your life when your life that you realized this was going to be a career? I did gymnastics growing up and it was pretty clear that it was not going to be one for me early on.
SJ: I think that’s only become apparent to me more recently. In 2008 I knew that I was being given so many opportunities to do stuff with gymnastics, but taking it in as a career and seeing it as my job only became something when I was doing during my comeback [in 2010, after tearing her ACL]. Earlier on, it was just for fun. I never thought it was going to take my anywhere. I just thought it was, you know, an after school activity.
TG: I know you’ve had some injuries, and you mentioned your body needed a rest. I’ve heard a lot about joint damage that gymnasts end up with. Is there anything you can do to prevent that? Do you worry about it?
SJ: It’s just a part of sports. It’s a very high impact sport you’re doing, and at such a young age when you’re growing and developing. So, it’s bound to happen. I don’t know that there’s any way to prevent it except for eating healthy, living healthy, doing rehab, doing physical therapy, taking care of yourself. But, again, that’s just part of the sport.
TG: You’re going on Dancing with the Stars again after this, but do you have plans for what you want to do after that?
SJ: I can’t even think about Dancing With the Stars now. I have no idea what I’m going to do afterwards. College is a big things for me, though. I’m sure as soon as Dancing With the Stars is over I’ll be doing SATs, and getting scores, and taking tours and really getting that plan down because it’s something I want to do.
TG: Do you know what you’d like to study?
SJ: I have a few ideas. I feel like I’ll come out with two different majors and minors. I have interests in all different fields. But I’ve always wanted to go into business to help what I do now. But also, just being in the sport I am, I’d love to study exercise physiology, and nutrition and health, and see how I could relate it back to all of this, and help my teammates .
TG: Do you end up making friends with a lot of people from different teams? What are the dynamics of that like? Do you tend to see them as competition?
SJ: Honestly, we see each other as friends and family. It’s almost like as soon as you see [other athletes], you almost have a common connection. When you get to such an elite level you’re kind of alienated from everybody around you, because you’re on such a different platform. Or people put you on a different platform. But when I’m with all the other Olympians we connect that way, so it doesn’t matter what country or what sport, we all get along and fall under the same umbrella. I’ve had friends that I’ve had since 2008 that I think I’ll have for the rest of my life.
TG: Do you ever miss having a normal teenage experience? You’re doing this at such a young age, and are forced to be professional at an age when as a lot of people are being encouraged to make their mistakes.
SJ: It is a different lifestyle growing up in the public eye and not having that so-called freedom to make mistakes, and learn things the hard way, and be a normal teenager. But it also is a blessing. I get to be with a community of very strong individuals and growing up faster I kind of realize things that others don’t. And I’ve been blessed with a really good opportunity. I do miss it, though. I wish I had a little more. But I’d say it’s a pretty decent trade.
TG: In terms of that trade, what part of this experience have you loved most? What have been the most amazing experiences?
SJ: Being able to travel the world. To meet so many phenomenally interesting people, and be a part of things like this. It’s a dream job.
TG: I know our readers wanted to know if you get any say in the way you’re styled during the competition.
SJ: People kind of pick which outfits we wear on a daily basis, but we have a say in our hair and make-up. I mean they don’t want you to come out in braided pigtails or something, but you can be creative and unique in that way.
TG: How do you feel about the uniforms?
I loved the leotards this year. I feel like they’ve taken a more simplistic route. It’s just gorgeous fabric and gorgeous design of jewels and I think the more simply they are the more comfortable they are, and easier to compete in.
TG: Do they give you wedgies?
SJ: Wedgies! Yes, they’re bound to happen. But they kind of are leotard’s design is supposed to be kind of a second skin, so they’ve kind of perfected that. {thegloss.com}
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