It’s All Over….Finally
August 21, 2008
Andy Ireland – KCCI, Des Moines
At Shawn Johnson’s press conference the day after her last competition, she was as relaxed as I have ever seen her. And she should be. She won 4 medals, including the gold that seemed like it wouldn’t come. But after it did, she got to do what only 0.0001% of people in this world get to do…..stand on top of the medal stand, wear a gold medal, and have a whole nation smile along with you through the national anthem.
So after my day’s work was done, I was hanging out in the hotel resaraunt with my fellow Hearst-Argylians. I looked up at the tv and saw Shawn, Chow and Li all together on CCTV (the Chinese version of NBC).
She got a few presents from the show, put her hand print in a star like the Hollywood Walk of Fame and hung it up with the rest of the world’s best. It really pounded home the fact that this girl is big-time. All over the world.
And because she’s all over the media…her parents are as well. They are so used to it that they even hold the microphone now.
Now I hope, for their sake, Shawn and her parents get left alone to explore the city. And so Teri and Doug can squeeze Shawn tight. And so Shawn can sqeeze those medals even tighter.
AI
Congratulations to Shawn and her parents and to Andy for ALL making it through another long, tiring Olympic games. Congratulations to the entire Team U.S. and to America for always backing their athletes. Every country should be as proud of their athletes as we are of ours, and I am sure they are. The Olympics…bringing the world together every 4 years (if only for a short time).
Congratulations Shawn, like Mr. Ireland, I think you and your parents have alot of catching up to do! ENJOY :]
Hi Andy, I’m really proud of you. You did such a great job in China. I’m sure that you had a good time with ALL the athletes from the U.S. and hopefully some from abroad.
Will be glad to see you when you get safely home.
Kate (mom)
Sean Johnson has handled her sixteen year old self with nothing but dignity and the utmost of humility. I have seen nothing but good sportsmanship from her, and that is exactly how it should be. It is good to see an Iowan participate in an event that includes people all over the globe where you see people from all different nations getting along. I think the rest of the world can take a lesson from this because we have had too much war and other conflicts going on in other countries. Shawn may not even be five foot tall, but I think she should stand ten feet tall or even as tall as Michael Phelps, who has carried just as much poise, grace, and humility as Shawn. I heard that the Chinese even did something unethical in the women’s gymnastics area, and that just simply digusts me. If they have cost Shawn a madel, I want Shawn to have it, because she did everything honestly. Shawn has been nothing short of phenomenal. In fact, I will compare the Olympics to the Presidential election, and Shawn has clearly behaved behaved more like an adult than inviduals who are just about three times her age. Shawn has been so mature, that if I didn’t know any better, I’d double this person’s age.
It is so nice to see something here on television that has actually unified people, and it makes you forget all of the world’s problems. I could compare this to Neal Armstrong landing on the moon. For one day in 1969, even with all the turmoil in the United States at that time, all you could do was just stare on television at the planet and see what God created; not any of the conflicts and problems that we faced then
I was happy just to watch something that two weeks ago, 115 million other Americans were watching. No matter where we were, we came together. We forgot differences, most importantly. Nobody cared about anything. We just took in something that allowed us to witness history.
On this website, I read that Shawn might appear on a Wheaties box. I think Sean, Michael, Nastia, and Lolo should all appear together for all the courage they exemplified. May God bless them all.