Shannon Miller Online - Ask Shannon

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Q: Do you do alot of charity work, and if so, what are some of your favorite charities?

SM: I contribute to a number of different charities including Make-a-Wish, Cystic Firbosis, Alzheimers, Special Olympics, March of Dimes, and and many others. I am currently the official spokesperson for the St. Jude "Heroes" program. I love being able to help in a lot of different areas but i tend to do a lot with children and animals (Humane Society, etc.)


Q: During your career did you ever have any problems with eating disorders, or pressure from your coach to be thin? Why do you think so many young female gymnasts struggle with eating habits?

SM: I never really had any trouble staying thin while i was competing. We were working out so many hours that every thing i ate came right off. Plus my mother and sister are pretty thin so i wasn't going to be huge. But it did come into play when i retired from the sport. I kept eating like i had for 10 or 15 years (5 or 6 meals a day) but i was no longer working out 45 hours a week. I was hardly working out at all. So of course i gained weight. So i started working out a little more and eating a little less. I still have a major sweet tooth but i try my best to eat things in moderation. But if i want a cookie i'm going to havea cookie and I don't stress too much about an extra pound or two.

I also went through puberty when i was about 20 years old. That completely changed my body. All of a sudden i had hips and a chest. But it wasn't something that i though too much about. I knew it was going to happen at some point and it was just a matter of getting used to it. It's tough when you have to go through all of these changes wearing a leotard in front of millions of people. But it was basically our whole team going through it at the same time so at least we could keep a sense of humor about all of it.

I have never had any kind of eating disorder and I am thankful to my parents for helping me keep a level head about wieght. The bottom line is that you just have to be healthy about your eating habits and exercise and be the best "you" that you can be.


Q: Do you ever go check out your statue when you are home in Edmond?

SM: I love the area where the statue is in Edmond. It's in a park right beside the Edmond Public Library. It's a great area for kids to go and play and read and even hold classes sometimes. When i am in town we pass it on the way to church but I don't really make a point of going to see it unless we have friends or relatives in town that really want to see it. I am so proud of the statue and thankful to my community for all they have done for me and it's definitely something i will be able to show my children one day.

1. What is your new show Gymnastics USA all about?

Gymnastics USA is a weekly 1 hour show on CN8, The Comcast Network. It will be 13 shows that will each run twice. We cover everything from World Championship highlights to JO Nationals, including both men’s and women’s NCAA competitions, Elite International competitions and Junior Olympic competitions. We also interview many of the athletes, coaches and officials. It’s our first year doing a show like this but it’s been really great.

The best thing about the show is that it will give viewers an overall look at the sport. We include tips on specific skills and what to look for during a competition. I love that we’re getting more gymnastics on television and hopefully the show will just get better and better.

2. What has been the biggest setback for you (outside of gymnastics) and how has it made you the person you are today?

I guess my biggest set back has been a very personal one. Obviously my divorce was a very difficult time. But I think I am a much stronger person now than I was before. I also know more about myself and what I want out of life. I had kind of lost who I was and had to find that again. I realized that I could continue to dwell on all the negative things but that wasn’t the answer. It wasn’t the answer in gymnastics and it’s not the answer in life. I had to just put it behind me, be grateful all of the wonderful people in my life that were there to support me and continue to live my life. I know that I’ll continue to make mistakes but I also know that that’s just part of life. We all make mistakes and then we pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off and keep on going.

3. What's the hardest part about being a celebrity?

I guess I could probably take this question as a time to gripe about the constant false rumors or lack of privacy but frankly I’m not all that disturbed by those things. I understand that it comes with the territory.

I am just thankful that I get to continue to be involved in a sport that I have such a passion for. I am grateful to all of the fans that watched over the years and continue to be interested in what I am doing now. And if someone wants a photo or an autograph it really isn’t a big deal. I remember being that little girl and asking for my first autograph. So I know what it feels like.

I am no where near as shy as I once was but I still tend to keep to myself around people I don’t know. I think sometimes people take that as being stuck up. But if you ever see me out feel free to come over and say hi. We’re all just people who love the sport.

4. What's the worst thing you've heard about yourself through the media, and how did you deal with it?

I guess I hear things from time to time that are so completely ridiculous that I just have to laugh. And that’s just how I handle these things, I just laugh. I learned very early on not to pay attention to what people who don’t know me say about me, good or bad. If it’s good I don’t want to get a big head and if it’s bad I don’t want to feel bad about myself. My parents never let me read the newspaper clippings or watch gymnastics commentary and I never felt the need to hear what other people thought of me. I knew that I just had to go about my business and keep working hard to achieve my goals.

I guess I still feel the same way today. I am fine take criticism, just like I was in gymnastics, if it’s going to help me do better at something. But I don’t think it’s that important for me to listen to someone talk about me who has never met me and doesn’t take the time to get to know me.

5. Growing up, did it ever bother you that you never really had a chance to do everyday things as a kid because of gymnastics?

I started gymnastics when I was 5 years old so I never really understood what these “everyday things” were. I almost feel guilty because everyone asks me about the sacrifices I had to make and the “normal” life I had to give up, but I never felt like I did.

I loved being in the gym. That’s where I was the most comfortable. I was very shy in school so it wasn’t like I missed out on the dances or the dating because I was too shy for that anyway. But I did go to public school and lived at home with my parents. I went to the mall, to hockey games or the movies on the weekends.

So I guess to answer the question, no, it never bothered me because doing gymnastics was what I wanted. I got to travel around the world making friends and seeing things that most of my friends only saw in their school books. I got to compete on a world stage doing something I absolutely loved.

6. What was going through your mind when Kerri Strug landed her vault at the 1996 Olympic Games?

Well, the first think that went through my mind was “Oh my gosh, is she okay? What’s wrong?” It was difficult from where we were sitting to see what was going on at the end of the runway. I saw her hands being raised and then it looked like she squatted down. But I couldn’t tell what happened. We already knew we had won the gold medal so we were in this confused state of wanting to jump for joy but concerned with what happened to Kerri. So many people rushed over that I couldn’t really see anything. It was pretty much chaos. We were kept down at our seating area and didn’t actually get to see her until right before the award ceremony.

It was such a crazy time. This is the year of our 10 year reunion of those Olympics and we have all been talking and kind of reliving some of the best moments.

Q: In 1996, there was a big speculation about you competing in the Atlanta Olympic Games because of your age. However, you managed to astound us all by taking two gold medals home for the USA. After proving this, do you think people's attitudes have changed towards gymnasts who want to continue competing in their 20's and so on?
SM: I hope so. I remember finishing up at the Olympics in 1992 and a few days later I was back in the gym. I never questioned whether or not I would continue because I still loved the sport and still enjoyed learning new skills and competing. I was actually surprised when many of my teammates decided to retire. But I also had gymnasts, like Svetlana Boguinskaia, who showed me that it was possible to be a beautiful and competitive “older” gymnast. I always felt that if you were passionate about what you are doing you should keep doing it. So I stayed with it. I hope that me competing and winning gold medals at 10 years old had something to do with the number of older athletes we have competing today. Gymnastics isn’t just for 16 year olds it’s for those that are passionate about it and have the ability to do it, regardless of there age.

Q: Growing up you were a very quiet and shy individual. It seemed like you didn't really like to be in the limelight much, but as you got older, we seemed to see a difference in your personality. For a person to be so shy how were you able to handle the media when they were around, and what brought you out of your shell to open up to people more?
SM: I was extremely shy growing up, especially in school and in social situations. But gymnastics was a comfort to me. I had no problem performing in front of thousands of people. It was a way for me to show my personality without having to do any talking or look anyone in the eye. I was forced to start overcoming that shyness because of the media attention I received. But it was a good thing for me. I got to talk about something I was knowledgably about… me and gymnastics. I think my shyness stemmed from not wanting to make mistakes or be embarrassed. I didn’t raise my hand in class because I knew I would be mortified if I said the wrong thing. But one of the lessons I learned through gymnastics was that everyone makes mistakes and everyone does embarrassing things at some point. It took me a while but I finally started realizing that I could live in fear of making mistakes or I could just move forward and learn from any mistakes that happened. I guess I finally began to view the rest of my life the same way I did my gymnastics career, you have to make mistakes to improve. You have to do things that your scared to do in order to get better. And I found out that I really enjoy a lot of the things I would have missed out on. I love public speaking and broadcasting. I love to try new sports, see new places and meet new people. Life is so interesting and I want to enjoy it. So if I do something embarrassing I try to remember the big picture. Life is all about new experiences and sometimes I am going to fall short. But that’s okay because at least I went for it.

Q: Growing up, did you ever have any trouble with making friends because of your involvement with gymnastics, or if you did have friends, were they supportive of you, or did they turn their backs on you because of jealousy?
I had a small group of friends at school but we never talked about gymnastics. I tried to keep school and gym separate so that I had a mental break during the day. I just couldn’t handle gymnastics 24/7. Most of my friends were at the gym. They were my teammates. Although I had some very good friends at the gym and many that are still my best friends, I did have a few that liked to play games and try to get under your skin. It’s easy to be jealous of someone but if you really put yourself in their shoes and see how hard they work and the blood, sweat and tears that go into their accomplishments then you probably won’t be jealous for too long. I guess this was one area that I was always pretty good at handling. I may have cried a lot and gotten frustrated when I couldn’t get a skill. But I was pretty tough mentally. I was never into the games that many girls would play. Some girls would try to get you to go against the coach or would talk to you nonstop before your routines so that you couldn’t really concentrate. Other times they would decide that the way to get under your skin was to make friends with your friends and “steal” them away. I don’t know why but I always thought it was funny the way these girls worked. If they spent half the time training as they did playing games maybe they would have been on the medal stand, too. I know that’s harsh but I continue to see this happen when I go into gyms to do beam clinics or help coach and it really bothers me. I always made a game out of it. The harder they tried to get me upset or to lose concentration the harder I worked. But for the most part, other girls didn’t mess with me too much. I was “Switzerland.” I don’t remember ever not being able to get along with a teammate. I don’t play games I just do the best I can and move on. I don’t apologize for my accomplishments because worked very hard for them..

Q: Throughout your career there have been times when you felt like quitting. Why did you want to quit the sport, and what motivated you to continue?
SM: In 1993 I wanted to quit. I didn’t really understand why at the time. And when my coach forced me to explain why I really didn’t have a clue. We backed off of training and worked some new skills only a couple hours a day for a few weeks and just talked about where my career was headed. After that I had a renewed spark. I just needed to set a few goals so that I had something to work towards. I don’t do very well when I don’t have something to reach for. I needed that challenge to be there.

Q: How did you meet Steve Nunno?
SM: I first met Steve Nunno at a clinic in Moscow, Russia when I was 8 years old. He was there as a coach and I was there as one of the gymnasts that got to be at the clinic. I don’t really remember much about meeting him there but when I returned home from that trip I begged my mom to let e start competing. My gym did not have a competitive team at the time so she took me to Steve’s gym which was about 45 minutes away from where I lived. I have worked with him ever since.

Q: In the year 2000, you tried to make your third olympic team for Sydney. Was it disapointing for you considering that four years before Sydney you showed that you could still compete inspite of your age? Did you stay in Sydney to see the rest of the games, and did you watch the gymnastics competiton and cheer on your former team mate Dominque Dawes?
SM: Certainly it was disappointing to not make the team. But it didn’t really have anything to do with 1996. I had been retired from 1996 to December of 1999. And I’m talking very retired. In 1998 and 1999 I wasn’t even working out at all (no gymnastics, no nothing). In December of 1999 I went in to talk to Steve about trying to make the team. I thought I could be useful on Bars and Beam. But at that time you still had to compete in the all-around even if you were only going to be useful on two events. The most disappointing part was that I wasn’t healthy at national or trials. I broke my knee at the Classic meet during training and just wasn’t 100% by trial. I needed about 2 more weeks. But the best part is that I went for it. I went all out. I have the satisfaction of never wonder “what if?” I know I gave it my all and it just wasn’t my time. I did go to Sydney. I was an analyst for MSNBC during those games and got to watch and cheer for all of the Americans competing as well as many of my international friends.

Q: Since you now enjoy figure skating, will you be in Torino this month to see the Winter Olympic Games?
SM: I think somewhere along the line the figure skating got blown out of proportion. Yes I enjoy skating but I’ve only been able to get on the ice about 5 or 6 times since I took a few lessons back in 1997. But hopefully when I get out of school and have a little more time I will be able to do it more often. As for Torino, I am unfortunately watching from home. But I have a lot of friends competing so I am staying up with everything. Watchin is much worse than actually competing!

Q: Even though you no longer compete, you still love performing. The last show we saw you in was the Hilton Skating Spectacular. For the shows that you perform in, do you still train with Steve, or do you practice the gymnastics skills on your own time?
SM: You’re right, I still love to perform. Probably more now than ever because I get to do only the skills and moves I really enjoy. I really only do balance beam and floor exercise and on floor I do mainly dance with a little bit of tumbling. I haven’t lived in Oklahoma for some time now so I do not train with Steve for these shows. I don’t really need a coach for these shows. Most of the time we come in a couple days early with a basic idea of the skills we will do and then we will work with a choreographer to put routines together. I learned my floor routine for the Hilton show in 30 minutes the day before the show! But it was probably one if my favorite routines ever. I do go into a gym, Massachusetts Gymnastics Center in Shrewsbury, MA to train. They are really great. And if I need help with something or a quick spot they are always able to help me out.

Q: Congratulations on being inducted into the US Olympic Hall of Fame we're very proud of you. What was it like standing before your peers and your parents accepting your award, and what advice would you give to future gymnasts wbo hope to achieve the same things you have in the sport of gymnastics?
SM: It was incredible to stand up there and receive such an honor. But what I really liked about it was that I got to thank my parents, sister, coaches and fans for all the support they have given me over the years. Most people don’t know this but they actually but my speech down a little bit. I had also thanked my sister for getting me started in the sport and I also thank all of my fans that had cheered for me and stood by me through the good times and the really rough times in my career. I guess I talked a little too long and they had to cut some of it out for television. I guess what I would tell people that want to achieve the same types of things that I have in the sport would be to Go For It! I think everyone should find what their passion is in life and pursue it with everything you have. You have to do what makes you happy. Yes, you’ll have to work hard and make sacrifices but it’s worth it if you can allow yourself to enjoy the journey as much as, if not more than, the destination.

Q: Are you a spiritual person?
SM: Yes, I consider myself a spiritual person.

Q: You are now studying the law. Is it difficult to balance studying the law and staying actively involved with gymnastics at the same time? After you finish school and start your career, will you still be involved with gymnastics, or will you stop gymnastics all together, and focus on your career?
SM: Yes, it’s always difficult to balance school work and regular work. It’s even tougher with law school and a job where I travel almost every weekend and many times during the week as well. I get very used to studying on planes, in cars and on buses. But I want to stay involved with the sport because that is my passion and I want to finish law school because I know that my education will eventually help me do even more for the sport. I guess I have always considered gymnastics to be my career. Maybe not always competing, but between performing, making appearances, talking to kids, being an athlete representative an analyst and broadcaster and now working on opening a gymnastics camp in Plattsburg, NY. Even corporate speaking and writing books, everything I do really stems from being a gymnast. I don’t think I would ever want to change that, it’s who I am. My career my move into other areas and other sports but I would never completely give up who I am.

To submit a question, please send me an email including your name and the question you would like to ask.

Submit a Question: Ask Shannon

Q: Ok, I feel really stupid asking you this question, but I'm gonna ask it anyway. First, I have to say that you're very pretty. I've seen many photos of you smiling, and you have a very pretty smile. So, have you ever had any cavities?
SM: Thank you. Unfortunately growing up I was somewhat prone to cavities. I think I have had three or four.

Q: If you could change anything about your life (past or the present) what would it be and why?
SM: don’t think that I would change anything. The most difficult times in my life were the experiences that made me stronger and helped me to realize who I am as a person and the type of person I really want to be. I don’t think I would be a strong a person without those tough times. It’s when you hit these times that you realize what is truly important in life. I have been very blessed in my life and all of the petty things that we worry about from day-to-day don’t seem to be as problematic when you take a step back and think about all of the things for which you can be truly be grateful. And of course I certainly wouldn’t change the really good times in my life. I think life is just about experiences, learning and enjoying every day.

Q: You've won 7 olympic medals, 59 international medals, 49 national, and 9 championship medals. Bela Karolyi has called you a legend in the sport of gymnastics, and you have been offically named "Americas Most Decorated Gymnast" with fans all over the globe. It must be nice to have that kind of impact on people's lives. You're now in your late 20's, so my question to you is when you're gone what do you want people to remember about you, your career, and why?
SM: Wow, that’s a tough question. I think I would want people to remember my love of the sport. I want people to understand and realize that my career in gymnastics was never about winning gold medals. It was about enjoying the physical aspect of doing gymnastics. I loved learning new skills, trying new things and learning new routines. I loved being able to express myself through actions instead of words. And it was always amazing to me that doing something that made me smile was also gave me the chance to make other smile. So I guess in the end I want people to remember that my career was about expressing joy for something that I had a true passion for.