Inside Team USA Camps at the Ranch, and much more, by Shawn Johnson!
Inside Team USA Camps at the Ranch, and much more, by Shawn Johnson!
Shawn Johnson at the 2011 Visa Championships
In the latest installment of her blog for espnW, 2008 Olympic beam gold and team and floor silver medalist, Shawn Johnson provides an inside look at National Team training camps at the Karolyi ranch in Texas. Shawn, who began attending camps in 2004 when she was just 12 years old, shares her insights into training, the girls' daily schedule, and how camps have changed for her over the years. She also dishes on her favorite snacks and reveals how she likes to spend her down time between workouts (hint: lots of naps and catching up on favorite shows with fellow 2008 Olympians Alicia Sacramone and Bridget Sloan). Click here for the full article or see a snipet below.
In prior blog entries, Shawn writes about her ongoing comeback, training schedule, relationship with coach Chow now that she's an adult, her knee injury and rehab, and much more. Click here and here for those entries.
Inside a training session at the Karolyi Ranch
Below is an excerpt from Johnson's blog, explaining a typical day at a training camp.
Below is an excerpt from Johnson's blog, explaining a typical day at a training camp.
"We wake up around 6:45 a.m. and head straight for breakfast. Most of the girls grab eggs and coffee before we go back to our cabins and get ready to hit the gym. National team coordinator Martha Karolyi has an unwritten rule: If you're not 30 minutes early to practice, you're late. So although practice starts at 8:30, we all get there at 8. We get heat packs, get taped and do whatever we need to get ready, then sit in a loose circle on the floor and wait. At 8:30 on the dot, Martha walks out of the office. It's a signal -- we stand up, line up and address her. She gives our assignments for the day, and we start practice.
My last camp, three weeks ago, was just a check-in for me. I'm not competition-ready yet, but it was good to be in the gym, working alongside all of the other girls. I'm impressed by them all, but I try not to watch too much because it makes me nervous. I don't want to compare myself to them yet; because of my knee injury and rehab, I'm not where they are right now."