I Got This: To Gold and Beyond

[Aizheng]

But "my second event in the team finals" just doesn't have near narrative tension!

Did she maybe just mix up team final and qualification? The US, I seem to remember, started on floor and ended on beam in 2016. Laurie did the same events on both occasions, so that seems an easy mistake to me.

 

[QuietColours]

Abra-Cadaver
Chapter 8

• Right after surgery, her leg felt awful even when she was motionless, and she wondered how bad it would be to tumble on. She was in pain even when she slept. Her legs twitch at night, and when the twitching started in the very stiff leg, it would wake her up
• She was also sad, because she wasn't sure if she'd be able to return to gymnastics. Her mom was worried too. She had prove to herself and the people around her she could come back. She gave herself a few days to wallow, then came up with a plan. To start, she'd follow the therapy process perfectly and not rush anything so she would be stronger than ever
• The next day she started doing her usual stretches against the wall in her room. Her mom was concerned and confused. She told her mom that it wasn't over, that this is what she wanted. She wanted to get back to gymnastics because she's happiest and most comfortable when her body is in motion. She's sassy, loves to talk, loves to write, but her body has a lot to say too
• She couldn't explain her feelings like that at the time, but her mom understood. Laurie keeps a picture that her mom took of her doing those stretches in her scrapbook
• Worked her arms since she couldn't work her legs
• That year her teammate Jazzy Foberg won junior nationals–Laurie was glued to the TV watching her compete. Laurie was cheering her on, but she also wanted to get out there herself. Knew she had to be patient, positive, motivated, and resourceful
• Fully recovering from an injury is something you can only decide for yourself. It helps to have a strong community, but you have to be ready to push for it.
• The person who understood the best was her brother, Marcus. Marcus just sat with her when she was tired and just told her he understood. He'd been around some resilient athletes in his track days and saw even the toughest athletes have fragile moments around injuries
• Talked about her nerves with her PT, Malvin Torralba. He told her not to go back until he released her–he wouldn't release her until she was really strong enough to get out there again
• When she did return in November she was still scared to do things she thought might hurt. Everyone reassured her they wouldn't let her do anything she couldn't do. They did push her hard, but they never pushed her beyond her abilities.
• Also worked with Dr. Jidong Sun, who had been trained in Beijing and used the same rehab techniques they used with the elite gymnasts there. Got acupuncture from Dr. Sunny Shen to help her body heal itself, to make sure the wear-and-tear from the day-to-day is addressed before small problems turn into big ones
• Got so much support from friends, family, doctors, coaches, and teammates
• Ligament was restored by a piece from a cadaver. She is grateful to her donor and his family
• Had many struggles in 2014, but felt much stronger mentally, physically, and emotionally by the end of the year, and everyone around her could feel it.
• Still approached the sport with the pent-up, hyperactive energy of a 14 year old. She had to be serious for much of that year, but she was still a kid and didn't want togive up that part of her yet. She wanted to have fun

Bring It On!
Chapter 9

• March 2015 competed at Jesolo
  • Usually arrive a few days early to adjust to the time difference, food, and equipment
  • Teammates were Jazzy and Norah Flately
  • Met Norah at TOPS, then reconnected as juniors. Would bunk together, making shadow puppets on the wall and telling stories all night
  • At camp before, Laurie had to verify bars and beam to earn her spot. She had a rip on her wrist, which was infected. But she also really wanted to go to Jesolo. She figured she'd try and if it didn't work out, it wasn't meant to be
  • Marcus would remind her after her surgery that she could try and if it didn't work out, God would redirect her to the path she was meant to be on
  • The rip was getting worse, and her mom told her she didn't have to do this, offering to come to Texas to pick her up. But Laurie was determined to try
  • She pushed through and qualified for beam, but Marta made it very clear she had to heal by the time they left, and she did
  • Ended up junior AA champion, with golds on bars and floor
• Italy positively influenced her for the next few competitions as well. In the lead up to 2016, meets were different. They competed less, because coaches didn't want them to overexert themselves. Winter and spring were for working skills and basics and upgrades.
• She had a lot of doctors appointments and found herself working in the gym with just her coaches a lot. That's when she started giving herself the pep talks that her teammates used to give her
• Hit everything at the Secret Classic and won the junior AA title, as well as vault and bars and placing third on beam and floor
• Championships
  • Hit all her routines at Championships for the junior AA title, bars gold, silver on floor, and bronze on beam and vault.
  • But that competition had a rough start, where she kept getting lost in her twist for vault and landing on her back. When she competed, her coach told her not to think about it, just go, and by a miracle she landed it. Her coach said, "You can't give me a heart attack like that. Next time, don't do that. It scared me."
  • Jazzy was in the lead after day one, but Laurie tried not to think about it. After floor on day two, she thought they were tied, but she ended up in the lead by .1
  • Jazzy is an amazing person, really focused and doesn't stop pushing until the job is done. Laurie is more likely to freak out at times. They balance.
  • When you're close like that, you can't feel bad about placing in front of or behind them for any given competition. Always tries to congratulate teammates who place ahead of her, to acknowledge how hard they work and that they deserve their success
• Next event was in Japan.
  • Was a lot more comfortable than her first international competition, and it was fun to be there with Jazzy.
  • Got to tour Tokyo and talks about how beautiful it was
  • Made Japanese friends and traded pins
  • The culture was completely new, even the equipment felt different. The vault runway didn't have a platform under it, so it felt harder
  • Won the AA, floor, and vault and got silver on bars and beam
  • Happy that it was such a consistent meet
  • People were saying she was unstoppable, but she knew she still had to grow. Had to just say "Thank you" and ignore the complement when she got them, because she couldn't let herself think she could stop pushing

 

[CameliasFingerpaint]

I always forget that Laurie really wasn’t a notable Beamer until 2016. It was kind of hard to picture how she would fit into that Rio team until she randomly started stacking hit cold beam sets for mid 15s.

 

[QuietColours]

A Far Cry From Over
Chapter 10

• Has always known gymnastics is something she is supposed to be doing
• Woke up on January 1, 2016 knowing that it was going to be her year. She told her family she was going to be there, and they just smiled and said, "We know, baby."
• All her family members will tell you they always sensed she was destined for something special. She loves putting herself out there and entertaining others. She doesn't get embarrassed easily, and she picks herself up when she makes mistakes
• Marcus was the one who predicted she'd go to the Olympics, when he was in 7th grade. He has the social media statements to prove it.
• Jesolo
  • Debut competition as a senior elite
  • Roomed with Emily Gaskins, who she really likes. When they woke up, Emily was jumping around raising shades shouting, "Meet Day! Meet Day! Get up, it's Meet Day!"
  • Got bronze in the AA behind Ragan Smith and Gabby Douglas, silver on vault, and gold on beam ahead of Ragan and Aly Raisman
• Pacific Rim Championships
  • Was put on the team to get more experience
  • Team was Laurie, Aly, Ragan, Simone Biles, Ashton Locklear, and Brenna Dowell
  • Goal was to hit as many routines as possible and she did, and so did everyone else. Had the third highest AA score, behind Simone and Aly, but was 2per'ed
  • She and Simone were pulled from event finals to rest them for Olympic Trials
• Injury
  • Time between Pac Rim and Trials was stressful - she had a strained muscle in her leg. She took the advice to rest it for a week, and it hurt more. The muscle wasn't firing properly, and she knew she'd have to work around the strain for Secret Classic and P&Gs
  • She's a mentally strong individual and had handled previous injuries well, but she was very frustrated that this one wasn't getting better.
  • Had a meltdown one night when out at dinner with her family after Pac Rims. Cried that she didn't know if she could do it anymore, if her body could take it. Everyone was shocked–it was very not-Laurie behavior and sentiments. They gave her a lot of encouragement and promised to be there for her. Jelsya told her that what she was doing was beyond what any of them had done, and Jelsya would have quit by now, but that's not who Laurie was
  • The waitress kept giving her tissues the whole time. Jelsya grabbed the pile, stuck them in her pocket, ad said she'd give them back to Laurie when she made the Olympic team as a reminder of her struggle.
  • Used the family's pep talk to get her through the next few competitions.
  • Injuries usually occur as a signal from your body that you're doing something wrong.
  • Got therapy and acupuncture for the leg, and then when that didn't work saw Dr. Scott Greenberg who told them the VMO muscle (above and to the inside of the knee) was badly damaged. He treated it using a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) treatment. In seven weeks, she went from unable to bend her knee to beating the doctor in a high jump competition on the clinic's beds.

Trails and Tribulations
Chapter 11

• Secret Classic
  • Only did bars to avoid stressing her knee too much
  • Team management needed to see if she could compete
  • Qualified for Championships a month later
• P&G Championships
  • At the end of Day One, she was tied for second with Aly behind Simone.
  • By the end of Day Two, she ended up in third behind Simone and Aly, and tied for third with Mykayla Skinner on floor.
  • Was ultimately content, because she met her goal of making Trials
• Trials
  • Goal was to show Marta and the Olympic staff that they could trust her enough to put her up in Rio, so her goal was to hit all of her routines
  • During practice, she'd think of every possible thing that could mess her up and had to go back to early training to remember how to quiet those thoughts and focus on technique, technique, technique
  • All the girls were crying on Trials day. She thinks Aly started it. Amelia Hundley said, "No matter what happens, we all love each other. Just because one of us doesn't get named to the team doesn't mean we're bad students, it just means it wasn't our time."
  • Brenna Dowell suggested a prayer circle and they all held hands and prayed together–asking to be safe, have a good time, and be there for each other
  • Hit almost all her routines at Trials. Stepped out of bounds on her floor on the second day, but it was a small mistake
  • Ended up second in the AA behind Simone and made the team
  • Named team: Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Madison Kocian, Laurie Hernandez
  • Remembers stripping off her club warm ups and putting on the Olympic ones
• Going away party
  • Night before leaving for Texas to begin team practices
  • Jelsya was the one who got emotional this time. Gave Laurie a cute little purse with all the tissues from a few months ago
  • Had a delicious quesadilla and came home early so she could sleep
  • Talked about the adversity she'd faced to get this far
  • That three month period was the only time she'd really had deep doubts
  • Had to deal with fans thinking she wasn't ready for the Olympics. She thinks a lot of people just didn't know enough about her yet, because she was a new senior and there were so many established seniors aiming for the team
  • Mentions how Maggie Nichols had been on track for the team but just didn't have enough time to come back after her meniscus surgery
  • She was probably too focused on the speculation
  • Making the team was also a victory for her coach, Maggie Haney, who had never gone to the Olympics either. Laurie was her first elite, her first athlete to compete internationally, and now her first Olympian

 

[KristyJ]

Does anyone know/remember how she injured her VMO muscle? She's the second athlete I've heard of recently having real issues with an injury causing that muscle not to fire well.

 

[QuietColours]

Rio!
Chapter 12

• Because the media hadn't considered her a favorite to make the team, her family hadn't allowed themselves to consider the possibility of a trip to Rio–they had no travel preparations
• Only her parents went–because of the Zika virus, the three adults of child-bearing age were advised to stay home (Laurie hadn't considered Zika in regard to herself–this was a once or twice in a lifetime opportunity she wouldn't miss). Jelsya was 27 and Marcus was 20, and someone had to stay home to take care of their elderly grandmother
• She was disappointed, but they'd been watching her competitions from a distance all these years and she always felt their presence
• Parents ended up staying in a hotel an hour away from the Village. Her parents thought Brazil was a beautiful country
• Didn't get to see her parents until after the Olympics were over because the team rules were strict. It was okay with her and enabled them to enjoy the festivities on their own. She was busy practicing and bonding with her teammates
• Arrived in Rio a week before the games. They stayed in the apartments in the village, on the third floor. She thinks Michael Phelps was on one of the top floors. The apartment was nice–a living room, two tables for PT and treatment, and three bedrooms. She roomed with Simone, Maddy and Aly roomed, and Gabby got the single. It was nice that trainers and nurses could travel with them
• Didn't really travel outside of the Olympic Village. Team management wanted them to remain extremely focused, so they set up a structure to help guarantee their attention remained solely on the Olympics and their job
• Didn't go to Opening Ceremonies because they're distracting and exhausting
• Whenever they went to practice or lunch, they all walked together, including coaches and staff. She liked it.
• It was cool seeing all the athletes in so many sports from all the different countries.
• Spent a lot of time in the cafeteria. Brazil was clearly trying to accommodate everyone's needs and tastes. There were lots of types of foods, including special meals for allergies or dietary restrictions
• Everyone was very friendly
• Athletes came in every shape and size. Some were extremely muscular weight lifters, some extremely lean distance runners, volleyball players over seven feet tall
• Liked trading pins with athletes from other countries
• Her parents are fluent in Spanish. She's studying it, but she didn't have the skill to hold a conversation with the Spanish-speaking athletes. She thinks it was a missed opportunity to practice with them
• Didn't mind staying in the Village–got to see and meet people from around the would coming together for the love of sport

Striking Gold
Chapter 13

• How Qualifications work
  • Qualifications/Prelims determine who moves on to team, AA, and EF
  • For team finals, four team members from each country compete on each event. One person on the team sits out each event. The three top scores count. The eight top scoring teams move on
  • For AA, it's the top 24 scoring athletes who compete on all of the apparatuses. Only two people per country can advance
  • EF is the top eight on the event, two per country
  • Team came to the conclusion that no one can do it alone–the weight and enormity of it will mess with you. They didn't one-up each other in practice and always cheered for each other
  • Part of you is competing against your previous performances
• Qualifications Competition
  • Went well
  • Aly, Simone, Gabby, and Laurie competed floor. Laurie was first up, which she hates. She hates going first or last.
    Aly and Gabby's main piece of advice was to enjoy the experience, because when you're performing your body goes on auto pilot–muscle memory naturally takes over
  • Simone had their highest floor score, then Aly, then Laurie, and Gabby
  • Same four did vault, which helped loosen them up because it was more an event they just had to get out of the way. Only Simone was trying to qualify for vault finals
  • Maddy, Aly, Simone, and Gabby did bars
    • It was either Laurie or Aly who would have to sit out bars
    • Aly had a solid performance in podium training
    • Laurie had a small stomach muscle strain. They'd hoped it would improve quickly, but it proved unpredictable–one day it was fine, the next it hurt badly. It wasn't an injury to risk aggravating
    • Was initially very disappointed not to be chosen to compete AA–she could score well on bars and in the AA. But she calmed herself down and remembered to celebrate she was at the Olympics at all. Who knows–if she'd done bars, maybe her stomach would have gotten worse and she wouldn't have been able to do beam finals
    • Maddy was excellent on bars, Gabby was close behind. Both qualified for bars final
  • Simone, Gabby, Aly, and Laurie competed on beam. Simone had the highest score, then Laurie, and Aly and Gabby tied for 7th. Simone and Laurie made it into beam finals
  • US qualified into team finals in first, and every member of the team had at least one individual final. Aly explained to them how rare that was
  • Even when you're expected to succeed, it's still surprising and thrilling and unbelievable
• Team Finals
  • It was nice to have one playful moment in all the intensity, and hers came when she spontaneously winked at a judge during her team finals floor routine. She doesn't know what came over her–she'd been so nervous about messing up their last event.
  • The other girls reassured her
  • Felt good when she was in the warm up area, just tried to soak up everything around her
  • Heard the beep telling her to go. She saluted and could see one of the out-of-bounds judges in her field of vision, and she had a surge of confidence to wink. Went on to have an amazing routine
  • The judge later told her that when she winked at her, it worked
  • The most exciting moment was standing on the podium with their gold medals
  • Searched the crowd for her parents and could see everyone around them congratulating them
  • Her dad said in the moment he felt everything and nothing
  • Her parents had never gotten to go to her international competitions
• AA finals
  • Simone and Aly killed it, earning gold and silver. Russia's Aliya Mustafina took bronze
  • If Aly hadn't competed on bars, the US might not have had a 1-2 finish
• EF
  • Six more medals: Simone won gold on vault and floor and bronze on beam; Maddy won silver on bars; Aly won silver on floor; Laurie won silver on beam
  • Thrilled she hit every skill in her routine
  • Especially proud of how she had a high chest on her front pike
  • The routine went very quickly
  • Thinks it was one of the best routines she showed in Rio
• Only two times she was anxious
  • In her beam routine, she's always a little nervous on her triple series
  • Aly's first tumbling pass, because she does so much. She doesn't think Aly's ever worried about it, but the pass is insane
• Won 9 medals, breaking the record shared by the 1984 and 2008 teams. They were on the top of the world and ready for a pizza party

 

[QuietColours]

The Final Five ()
Chapter 14

• Naming the team
  • Loves the tradition and thinks each team picked names that fit their personalities
  • Mag 7 were magnificent, thinks they came up with the name because they really thought they'd be the first US women's team to win gold
  • 2012 were a very sassy, glamorous group and were dubbed the Fab Five by the media, but they didn't like it because there was already a men's basketball group from the 90s with that name, so they picked the Fierce Five for themselves
  • Final Five reflected being the last team of five for the Olympics and their admiration for Marta Karolyi. All their careers were affected by Marta, and her legacy is huge
    • Mentored and developed some of the most talented gymnasts ever
    • Training formula was three routines on beam, one on floor, three on vault, and two on bars. They followed that every single workout, every day, creating the consistency they needed to succeed
    • Tailored workouts to individual strengths and weaknesses to develop teammates who complemented each other
    • Workouts were exhausting and it was hard to get a day off, but they didn't mind because they knew she wanted what was best for them, and they respected her for being very strict
    • Picked the name via text right after Trials, but kept it secret. She thinks Simone's the one who came up with it. They announced it when it was confirmed they'd won gold
    • The team name made Marta tear up
• Teammates
  • Madison Kocian
    • Didn't know Maddy well before the Olympics–she was shy and quiet, and they were both focused on workouts
    • Got to know each other after making the team and the spark of friendship grew
    • Maddy became less reserved and a total jokester. She was always the one to say something funny or break the tension when they were all nervous
  • Aly Raisman
    • Call her Grams because she's always sleeping. Takes a nap after breakfast.
    • Biggest heart, team captain because she's very motherly (also called Mama Aly)
    • Has tucked Laurie into bed and kissed her goodnight. Makes sure they all were taking care of themselves and that everyone was up and ready when necessary
  • Gabby Douglas
    • Gabby is actually the quiet one, but she's hilarious
    • When they're in a situation where they can't say what they're feeling, she'll look at them with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, telling the funniest jokes without using a word
    • One of the nicest people she knows
  • Simone Biles
    • Simone and Laurie get along really well. Roomed during the Olympics and caused lots of trouble. Aly would have to bang on their door to tell them to quiet down so she could sleep
    • Stayed up late playing music, jumping on beds, dancing, and ordering room service
    • Think so much alike they're like twins
    • There was a fire drill one night during the Olympics and they both were running around trying to get their medals
    • Simone makes everyone laugh–her giggle makes everyone giggle
  • Came home with four more sisters

On Parade ()
Chapter 15

• Hometown held a parade when she came home
  • Didn't think thousands of people would come out to cheer for her
  • Sat on a black mustang smiling and waving
  • There was a carnival at the school with games, foods, and activities. All the school's gymnasts were there as well, plus some little girls from her gym and Shannon, Paloma, and Emily Liszewski. Riley McCusker also drove down from Connecticut to celebrate
  • Was blown away by all the people she didn't know who were so happy for her. Hopes some were thinking, "Someday this could happen to me, too."
• Family
  • Since they had stayed home, Jelysa and Marcus had already experienced some of the local excitement and appreciation
  • They actually watched at home by themselves because they didn't want people to see their emotional reactions if they disagreed with the judges
  • They hang on her every move and know exactly how she's supposed to hit her routines. They look at every nanosecond, not just the overall outcome
  • Watched beam finals from Joe's restaurant, where ESPN was covering the event. Had so much fun and pride being with all the other people who were supporting Laurie
  • Grandmother couldn't stay up late enough to watch live, so they would show her clips on their phones. Laurie's the baby of the family and she was very proud, but the accomplishment didn't fully register for her until she saw it on Spanish TV
• Media Affection
  • Media likes Laurie's playfulness, confidence, and sass.
  • Started calling her the Human Emoji and revived the "Baby Shakira" nickname Jessica from Gymcastic had coined. She loved it
  • She is proud of her Puerto Rican heritage but wasn't sure why everyone was talking about it until she realized she hadn't had any Latina role models growing up
  • She asked her parents to help her research some, and they learned about Tracee Talavera (who didn't go to the Olympics because of the 1980 boycott). She was aware of Annia Hatch, who won the World Championships for Cuba in 1996
  • In their generation, it was just her and Kyla Ross, who is ¼ Puerto Rican.
  • Less than 4% of girls participating in gymnastics in the US are Hispanic. She speaks directly to them, that it's possible for them to go to the Olympics
  • One of the Final Five's accomplishments is their diversity as a team
  • Takes being a role model seriously, and when you participate in something as important and global as the Olympics, you are choosing to represent yourself, your family, your heritage, your community, and your country–and you have to act accordingly
• The whole experience was humbling and gratifying

 

[QuietColours]

On Parade ()
Chapter 15

• Hometown held a parade when she came home
  • Didn't think thousands of people would come out to cheer for her
  • Sat on a black mustang smiling and waving
  • There was a carnival at the school with games, foods, and activities. All the school's gymnasts were there as well, plus some little girls from her gym and Shannon, Paloma, and Emily Liszewski. Riley McCusker also drove down from Connecticut to celebrate
  • Was blown away by all the people she didn't know who were so happy for her. Hopes some were thinking, "Someday this could happen to me, too."
• Family
  • Since they had stayed home, Jelysa and Marcus had already experienced some of the local excitement and appreciation
  • They actually watched at home by themselves because they didn't want people to see their emotional reactions if they disagreed with the judges
  • They hang on her every move and know exactly how she's supposed to hit her routines. They look at every nanosecond, not just the overall outcome
  • Watched beam finals from Joe's restaurant, where ESPN was covering the event. Had so much fun and pride being with all the other people who were supporting Laurie
  • Grandmother couldn't stay up late enough to watch live, so they would show her clips on their phones. Laurie's the baby of the family and she was very proud, but the accomplishment didn't fully register for her until she saw it on Spanish TV
• Media Affection
  • Media likes Laurie's playfulness, confidence, and sass.
  • Started calling her the Human Emoji and revived the "Baby Shakira" nickname Jessica from Gymcastic had coined. She loved it
  • She is proud of her Puerto Rican heritage but wasn't sure why everyone was talking about it until she realized she hadn't had any Latina role models growing up
  • She asked her parents to help her research some, and they learned about Tracee Talavera (who didn't go to the Olympics because of the 1980 boycott). She was aware of Annia Hatch, who won the World Championships for Cuba in 1996
  • In their generation, it was just her and Kyla Ross, who is ¼ Puerto Rican.
  • Less than 4% of girls participating in gymnastics in the US are Hispanic. She speaks directly to them, that it's possible for them to go to the Olympics
  • One of the Final Five's accomplishments is their diversity as a team
  • Takes being a role model seriously, and when you participate in something as important and global as the Olympics, you are choosing to represent yourself, your family, your heritage, your community, and your country–and you have to act accordingly
• The whole experience was humbling and gratifying

The Final Stretch ()
Chapter 16

• The Olympics are so important, you have to tune out everything else–you can't even embrace the fact you're a part of such an incredible event. You put your feelings on a time delay
• After the Olympics, you're hyperaware of everything that's happening, constantly having "Is this real?" moments
• Got to meet the president and First Lady
  • They were very humble and she really enjoyed meeting them
  • Had to put their phones down outside the room–no selfies with the First Family
  • Staff told them Mrs. Obama always looks for her mark on the floor telling her where to stand before they take videos, even though she's done it so many times. Laurie had to laugh when she did it–it reminded her of checking the out of bounds lines before starting on floor
  • President wasn't supposed to join them, but he and VP Biden were big fans who had to stop by to say hello. He pretended to do splits with the team and they jokingly asked him to adopt them
• Tonight Show with Jimmy Kimmel
  • They were very excited about it and knew it was a big deal
  • Played "Hungry Hungry Humans", a riff on Hungry Hungry Hippos, where they had to lie on boards and grab basketballs. They were very competitive and aggressive!
• VMAs
  • They got to present an award to Beyonce. At first they thought she wasn't there, but then they saw her coming up the stairs. It was the coolest thing, and they all got to hug her. She was very starstruck
  • Also got to see Kim and Kanye–both she and Marcus are fans of Kanye's music. She made Kanye smile, which was an accomplishment and he let her take a picture with him
• Gabby couldn't join them for Hamilton, but the rest of them loved it. It was Laurie's first time seeing a musical, so she had nothing to compare it too, but she loved it

 

[QuietColours]

Tour de Force
Chapter 17

• Tour Cast
  • Time to stop being fangirls and start entertaining their fans
  • 36 stops; also had members of the 2016 men's Olympic Team and stars: Chris Brooks, Jake Dalton, Danell Leyva, Donothan Bailey, Marvin Kimble, CJ Maestas, Sam Mikulak, Alex Naddour, Eddie Penev, Donnenll Wittenburg, and Brandon Wynn
  • Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, and Jordyn Wieber also participated
    • When she was going through a rough patch before the Olympics, she had a call with Shawn. Shawn told her she'd had the same feelings and had just had to work hard to push through. Knowing she'd had the same experience helped Laurie
    • Shawn, Nastia, and Aly emboldened her to do Dancing with the Stars, too
  • Also got to meet rhythmic and trampoline gymnasts, including Logan Dooley, Nicole Ahsinger, Laura Zeng, Alisa Kano, Natalie McGiffert, Jennifer Rokhman, Monica Rokhman, Kristie Shalydbin, Tiffani Williams, and Axl Osborne
  • Occasionally MyKayla Skinner, Ragan Smith, or Ashton Locklear would fill in for Laurie or another gymnast when there were scheduling conflicts. Mary Sanders, former Olympic rhythmic gymnast and one of the creative directors, would also sub in
• Tour felt like a big welcome home party
  • Audience was filled with kids who ate, drank, and slept gymnastics as much as they did, plus people who'd never done gymnastics but love watching it
  • There were even some kids who were competing at the elite level in the audience
  • Were joined by moms and coaches–it's a major community effort to raise an athlete. Reminded her of herself and her MG Elite teammates when they got to unwind
  • Musician Tori Kelly came to one of the shows–Laurie is a huge fan and sees her as a role model, and the visit was surprise
• Kellogg's Fitness and Nutrition Zone
  • Kids could learn about strength, flexibility, and cardio and the importance of eating healthy foods
  • Handed out cereal boxes with the team's pictures on it
  • As an elite, you have to eat to curb inflammation and feed your muscles to recover from pounding workouts
  • Learning to make healthy choices now will be important for them later on
  • Also important to hydrate well and get good sleep
• Only regret is that she didn't get to see much of the places they went too–they kept moving so fast, it was all a blur
• Traveling
  • One of the best parts was the antics on the bus between cities. At the end of October they watched lots of scary movies huddled together under a blanket and screaming
  • Simone and Laurie were on one bus, Maddy, Aly, and Gabby were on another, but the fun would continue in the hotels and at the venues. With the other girls as well, it was like one big family
  • You'd think they'd get sick of each other, but they didn't
  • The bond they have will last a lifetime, it won't fade with time. Knows she's right when she looks at Shawn and Nastia's friendship, or Aly and Jordyn
• Lessons Learned
  • She was lucky to have friends who had known her her whole life, that she's close with because they had the early years together
  • At Monmouth and Karolyi's, they had a special common experience that brought them together. The girls in her gym were the only ones who realized the challenges and stresses she faced, because they faced them too
  • Friendships are built on understanding, and common experiences provided that understanding. They existed in a unique world, and the way they pushed themselves through their childhoods made those childhoods different from everyone else's. Her friendship with Jazzy is special because of this understanding
  • Realized how small a world gymnastics is too. Hopes the kids who saw the tour get the kinds of friendships she's enjoyed.

Dancing on Air
Chapter 18

• Dad's the reason she did Dancing with the Stars (DwtS)
  • Biggest music lover in the family, always dances with her mother. Says she inherited her sense of rhythm from him
  • 8 years ago they started watching DwtS together. Dad wasn't sure about joining them because it conflicted with Monday Night Football, but he puts his kids first and was quickly addicted
  • One day he told Laurie she'd be on the show one day. She said, "Whatever you say," but the seed had been planted
• Val
  • Ecstatic to be asked
  • Never had any real dance experience–just the childhood dance classes and a few ballet classes at the ranch
  • It was a very different kind of training from elite gymnastics–people don't see all the footwork and passion that go into making the dances look easy, natural, elegant, and organic
  • The first week was mind blowing, and she only did so well because Val Chmerkovkiy is a generous partner.
  • Val walked into the gym when she was practicing for the tour and surprised her (she didn't know who her partner would be). He wanted to see what she could do, so he grabbed her hand and started dancing with her. She couldn't concentrate on the dance because there was a grown man touching her hand and swinging her around. It felt weird, which she couldn't say to him or anyone at the time
  • Val emphasized in their time together the value of feeling your emotions and communicating them–the single biggest skill she gained from doing the show. She struggled with communication for the first few episodes, as discussed in the video packages
  • She thought she was a good communicator because she was close to her family, but she didn't know much about professional communication
  • Communication in gymnastics: If your coach tells you to land on your neck, you land on your neck
  • Val's style of communication was very give-and-take. You have to tell the other person when something is off or it will show in the final dance. He encouraged her to tell him when she was uncomfortable with something. If she got upset and didn't share the reason, he'd insist she express what was going on in her head. In dance you have to actually address the challenge and work through it or change the steps
  • Exercising her voice with Val was like training a muscle
• Coordination
  • Was doing the tour and DwtS at the same time. She traveled by bus with her teammates and Val would fly to the city
  • She had the arrival day off from DtwS practice because travel is exhausting and she usually had to perform the same night. The next morning they would rehearse, that night she'd do gymnastics again.
  • Sometimes he flew back to LA and she'd meet him there
  • Val was very observant. In Seattle he took her to Pike Place. She was moved he took the time to do that, because he could see she didn't get out much

 

[QuietColours]

Triple 10s
Chapter 19

• Acting
  • Joked around more
  • Getting her first 10 was great because it meant she was starting to master the techniques and reflecting the heart of the dance
  • Gettings 10s was satisfying because it meant she'd stirred real emotions in the audience
  • Dancing is as much about acting as it is rhythm and physical ability
  • It was easy to get into character the first few weeks: Cha-cha she brought in her Latin heritage; Duck Tales she made her movements animated and big; but she struggled with the tango
  • She'd never had a boyfriend or a breakup, never felt the emotions in the dance, so she had to act them instead of channeling them. She ended up imagining smelling a quesadilla
  • Channeling the emotions for the jazz dance was easier than getting the steps right
  • There were other weeks she had to act instead of channel, but by then she and Val were communicating better
  • When they had a dance inspired by the 1960s, they spent the first rehersal researching the decade. That was when Val found out she'd never had a prom and decided to create one for her
  • Enjoyed watching James Hinchcliffe and Sharna Burgess dance
• Judges
  • Had to process the judges critiques in a meaningful way
  • Because you do a different style of dance each week, it can be hard to show them you understood and applied their comments
  • Didn't want to squander the opportunity to learn to dance by relying on her gymnastics background
  • Laughed to herself when she was told to open up her hips, because she always heard she couldn't move her hips like that as a gymnast. It was uncomfortable at first because she'd put her hips away for so long
  • Wished her gymnastics story was better understood when she did the paso-doble. It was an intense dance, and she focused on how she'd felt coming back from injury two years before the Olympics. She lays out all the symbolism they put into the dance from the clausterphobia of the injury to exploding to the freedom of the return from Rio and being on DtwS. Judges didn't think the end was a necessary part of the dance, but she very much did
• Show ramps up
  • Took a break from the tour to focus on the show
  • Val being proud of her meant more than winning straight 10s
  • He wanted to teach her how to dance, not just win the show
  • Wave of renewed energy going into the last two nights
  • The freestyle to Ben Rector's Brand New was the most fun–she could really let loose
  • Winning was an awesome achievement because of how far she had to go and how tough the competition was
• Win contests when you take on and commit to the challenge
  • Heard one of the other dancers say he decided to do the show because his sister said on tv that she didn't think he had rhythm or could dance
  • Realized everyone came on the show for reasons beyond just winning the competition
  • Felt she grew as a person every week of the show
  • Pushed herself to feel a new range of emotions she didn't know she had
  • Since then she's acted on Sesame Street and played herself on Stuck in the Middle
  • Being on Ellen's show was insane–she's as funny off camera as she is on

Beyond the Mirror Ball Trophy
Chapter 20

• You win whenever you commit to something, because you can't experience growth without even trying
• Can't imagine what her life would be like if she hadn't kept going through the challenges of gymnastics
• After the Olympics, she had to set new goals
  • College or Pro? The tour? DtwS?
  • Setting goals and making choices can be overwhelming, so she takes them one at a time and takes time to weigh the pros and cons
  • Went pro because the opportunities offered were too exciting to pass up, that might never come up again. Knew she could return and do college later
  • Decided to do the tour despite the separation from her family and had a great time
  • Did DwtS and their national tour as well
  • The more success she had, the more offers she had. Making an effort helps make things good things happen
  • Not all her goals will be this big, but she likes having expectations and meeting them
  • Encourages others to think about, reach for, and achieve their dreams

Includes several lined pages as "Possibility Pages" for the readers

 

[QuietColours]

One of the biggest notes about this book is that she barely talks about her coach at all. There are only two mentions that really stood out, where Haney was having her do a pressure set (which she hated, but admits was effective), and talking about how she was Haney's first athlete to do things like compete internationally, and they were learning together there. The book is copyright 2017, which is after the Hernandezes had reported Haney for abusive coaching but before the trial, so it makes sense Laurie wouldn't say much about her.

They also come off as one of the saner gymnastics families so far, which I'd say is somewhat backed up by the fact they did report Haney for abuse and pulled Laurie. Now, would they have done that if her mom had over heard her talking about abusive practices before the Olympics? Not a question we can pretend to answer.

 

[makam]

Yeah, the book does seem quite superficial and definitely feels aimed at a younger audience. "Dream big + work hard = good things" I mean, I'm glad she didn't have major additional trauma other than Haney and has a loving and supportive family, but a quick google shows that she really glossed over her training/coaching situation and the "everyone is best friends/sisters for life" feels a bit pat as well because we know there was at least some drama there--even if she wasn't the focus, she had to have been aware.

I know they write these books quickly to cash in on the fame and I don't blame them, but I remember Aly's book being a bit more raw and useful to a younger gymnast who needs perspective on if her experiences are "normal."

 

[QuietColours]

Aly was older for hers--it was written at 23 after two Olympics and the fallout of Nassar's abuse. Laurie's is 'written' by a 16 year old right after her only really major competition, before Nassar and before Haney's investigation was even really started so she couldn't talk about it. It really is pure fluff.

For context--my notes for this book are 23 pages. Dominique's 1995 book was 15 pages; Dominique's 2012 book was 54; Sey's was 58; Strug's was 43; Claudia Miller's was 63. This was definitely pretty much fluff. I picked it for December with the hope I'd be able to get through it quickly and post consistently. That unfortunately didn't happen, but hey, January should be better. Golden Lilia starts tomorrow.

ETA: Aly also had Blythe Lawrence as her ghost writer. A high quality ghost writer very familiar with the subject matter helps considerably.