Q & A With Olympic Gold Medalist Shawn Johnson

KETV.com

Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson spent the day in Council Bluffs Sunday to speak at the Hy-Vee Whole Health Experience. Thousands greeted Johnson in Iowa, her home state, for the event.

Johnson, 17, sat down with KETV Newswatch 7's Brandi Petersen to talk about her Olympic success, her future plans and her advice for Midwest families.

Petersen:

Tell me a little about yourself: who is Shawn Johnson?

Johnson:

I am an Olympic gymnast. I am just a girl who has seen her dreams come true. I don't consider myself a celebrity or anything like that, that feels weird to me. I'm just a normal teenager who tries to help other people and kind of lead them towards fulfilling their dreams.

Petersen:

Do you ever get used to the travel, speaking, everything that comes along with being Shawn Johnson?

Johnson:

I'm getting used to it. I'm getting used to the traveling, going to events and things, but it's still something that's hard to get used to. Every once in a while, I like to take a few weeks off and be a normal person in Des Moines, Iowa.

Petersen:

What do you do when you're just a "normal person"?

Johnson:

Hang out with friends. Right now go to football games, just enjoy my free time.

Petersen:

Are you an Iowa State fan?

Johnson:

Oh no, I'm Hawkeyes.

Petersen:

So yesterday [Iowa's loss] had to be tough.

Johnson:

Yesterday, yeah, it was really hard. I was upset, I was upset.

Johnson:

My favorite music is country. I love any type of country music. Taylor Swift, I'm a huge fan. Favorite foods, I love sushi. I love fruit, pizza, pancakes, anything.

Petersen:

Let's talk Olympics. You got into gymnastics young. Did you always know that was what you were always going to do?

Johnson:

Never. My parents put me in gymnastics when I was three just because I was so energetic, but we never thought I would stick with it. Never thought I would become anything of a gymnast, I just loved it. I kept going back every year and succeeding to the next level. But I never imagined even competing in gymnastics, let alone competing in the Olympics.

Petersen:

What was the point a coach or someone said "you've got what it takes?"

Johnson:

Your coaches can always tell that when you're young, but I would say they really started to see a possibility, and I began to see it too, when I was probably about 12 years old. When I finally got to the top level. I was competing internationally and kind of making a name for myself.

Petersen:

Beijing. You know you're going, you're working towards it, what was your favorite memory going into it? Once there, what do you remember the most?

Johnson:

The best and my favorite part about it was knowing I was representing my country. Thousands and thousands of girls and boys fight for that one spot to wear the red white and blue and have that team name, but, to know I was chosen out of everybody to go and represent in the most prestigious competition in the world, it gives me goose bumps. It was a dream come true.

Petersen:

I remember watching everything leading up to the games. You were the princess, the queen going into the Olympics. In all sports. Did that ever get to you?

Johnson:

I tried to never let any of that get to me. There's a lot of things that went into promotions and commercials and I loved it, because it pushed me even more because I wanted to prove to them that I ws that girl and I loved it. I loved the pressure, I loved all the attention, because I wanted people to see my hard work get recognized.

Petersen:

How did you fight through that pressure, on the beam, on the floor, thinking 'this is it'. How did you fight through that to make it happen?

Johnson:

Competing at the Olympics, doing things like that, you never think 'this is it', because when you think that, then it's over. You crack under the pressure. So you think of it as just another competition, a state competition or a practice and you wait to think about the importance of it afterwards.

Petersen:

You get the gold. In all-around you were so close. Did you come home feeling complete accomplishment or did you come home thinking 'I'm going to go back and do everything better next time?'

Johnson:

I left the Olympics with no regrets. I left feeling completely accomplished. I accomplished every dream I ever had. My biggest dream was to get to the Olympics. I did that and I came home with four medals. A lot of people, it's their life goal to get one medal and I succeeded that. There's nothing in me that feels I have any unfinished business. If I went back, it would be because I want to go for another one and set new goals, but I was 100-percent proud of what I did.

Petersen:

You come back, Olympic hero. Then 'Dancing With the Stars.' How did that happen?

Johnson:

I was quoted in a magazine saying 'Dancing With the Stars' was my favorite show. I got a call a few weeks later from them saying 'do you want to come watch the show live?' I went out, I sat in the front row, I got to see how it worked. Then about two weeks later I got a call, they said, 'do you want to be on it?' And within a second I was like, 'definitely.'

Petersen:

You're an athlete, but how difficult was the training for the show?

Johnson:

It was really hard but it was an experience. It was my first time away from gymnastics. It was kind of a breakaway from the pressures of Olympic movement and the elite level. I could just go out there and have fun and not worry about anything. It was just a new experience and a new challenge.

Petersen:

In gymnastics, it's just you. In dancing, it was you and a partner. Was that weird?

Johnson:

Definitely. With gymnastics, you're in complete control of everything you do. With dancing, you have to learn to work with somebody. That was one of the hardest parts. But I became really good friends with my partner and it made it easier. Knowing each other made it that much better.

Petersen:

So you win. Was it as sweet as the Olympics?

Johnson:

I would say it was just as sweet as the Olympics but in a different way. I worked my entire life for the Olympics and the Olympics is what got me to dancing, so I was proud that I accomplished something I never thought I could do and took on a completely new challenge, but the Olympics, by far, is something that defines me. It's who I am.

Johnson:

I'm not sure what's next for me. I'm taking it one day at a time, doing events like this, finishing school, kind of seeing where the road takes me. I'm just trying to figure out what my new goals and dreams are and if it's another Olympics or going to college.

Petersen:

So you're undecided on [another] Olympics?

Johnson:

Yes, undecided

Petersen:

How often are you in the gym now?

Johnson:

I'm in a fitness center everyday. I still work out, I still run and try to stay in shape. I'm an athlete, I have to. But as far as a gymnastics facility, I haven't been to one of those for a while. I'm still trying to take a break, just to clear my mind of everything. But every once in a while I'll go in and play around and have fun.

Petersen:

There are girls downstairs, in their leotards, brimming with excitement to see you. What do you tell them to reach their dreams or goals?

Johnson:

The main thing I try to tell young girls or boys when they get into gymnastics or when they get into anything is just make sure you love it. Find something you truly have passion for. It could be gymnastics or tennis or playing the piano or school. Just find something you love, because if you don't love what you do, you're being pushed in the wrong direction. For me, I fell in love with gymnastics and it took me further than I could have ever imagined.

Petersen:

Hy-Vee is sponsoring this, childhood obesity is such a big issue. What do you tell parents of kids who are sitting for hours playing video games?

Johnson:

Get your kids active. Something as easy as taking them to a playground. Just find something that they enjoy and try to do it everyday because it turns into habits. It turns into lifestyle that will carry them through their life. I started when I was three so I think that's what got me onto the right path. If you start your kids young, there really won't ever be that problem.

Petersen:

Any other message to anyone here or at home?

Johnson:

Love life. That's what I do.

Petersen:

Is it good being home?

Johnson:

It is. I love the Midwest. I love being home. Every chance I get to be in Des Moines is amazing. It's where I grew up, where I'm from. Everyone's so nice here. I love it.

Petersen:

Do you think the fame has changed Shawn Johnson?

Johnson:

No, I don't think so. I don't think any of this has really changed me. It's made me who I am, but I just feel like the same Shawn Johnson I've always been.

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