Shannon Miller: My Child, My Hero by Claudia Miller

[RichardL]

And offered personal consultations--one session free with the class, extra sessions by the hour.

I also think coaches should be showing them historic and interesting routines of the past. Let them see what is possible and what interesting skills might have fallen out of fashion but would enhance a roitine.

When you get to know a few elite gymnasts, it's very telling which ones have watched gymnastics from previous eras and which ones haven't.

 

[QuietColours]

Chapter Fifteen: Competition Controversy

• Shannon was still mentally and physically tired; Steve had offered a competition break and she was looking forward to it even though it meant missing Worlds
• Since she was injured, she could miss World Trials, and her Championship scores still qualified her to the World Team in second place
• Steve had told USAG that she wouldn't be attending. Someone in the USAG hierarchy told Ron this could affect Shannon's scores at Championships
• Jackie Fie, the highest-ranked US judge, contacted Steve to discuss Shannon's participation. Steve explained that even if he wanted her to go, she wouldn't be the best person because she hadn't been training Optional routines since Nationals (about two months), and had not been training dismounts or other skills that were hard on her legs. Even if he felt she was physically ready to start hard training again (he didn't, and she wasn't), she wouldn't be ready
• Jackie offered a compromise–Shannon would compete only in compulsories. The team could use her scores. Steve said he'd talk to Shannon. Jackie also called the Millers and talked to Ron, who made no commitment. Jackie made it clear she thought it was important for Shannon to be a part of the team. Steve was concerned–he didn't want Shannon to get a reputation for not being a team player, and he didn't want to displease USAG, but he also didn't want to put Shannon in a situation she was unprepared for or break his promise
• They laid everything out for Shannon and let her decide. She said she would join the team but just do compulsories. Federation officials were pleased. Steve also explained Shannon, as a senior in high school, needed to be in school as much as possible and continue therapy for her shin splints–he and Shannon would probably come home after compulsories, and Peggy could stay for the team
• Steve told the family that if the team was desperate, there was a remote possibility he'd ask Shannon to do beam in Optionals. They thought it was unlikely–Strug, Dawes, Amanda Borden, Larissa Fontaine, Amy Chow, and Jaycie Phelps made up the rest of a strong team
• Just before they left, Shannon pulled her Achilles. They had declined the meet so she could heal, done it anyway, and got a new injury on top of the unhealed ones. Shannon studied her Sunday School lessons and remembered "trials are proof of God's care."
• Shannon had an excellent beam routine, a good vault, and a beautiful floor. The US was struggling on bars and Shannon was last as the strongest bar worker. Steve reminded her not to put her feet on the bar too soon before the dismount; some gymnasts put their feet on the bar when they were still almost over the top of the bar, curtailing the height of their dismount. In response, Shannon delayed too long and her feet slipped off the bar. She kipped up and repeated the action for the dismount and ended up with a respectable 9.525. The most the judge could take off for the routine was .3 for the extra swing and a little in execution for the mishap–the routine had otherwise been pretty much flawless.
• As the Americans left the arena, they were booed. Claudia explained to Shannon that her score had been correct, but it seemed like they were being booed for overscoring
• Steve was dismayed by this and disturbed US officials didn't do much to explain and justify her score. He had already explained they had planned to leave after compulsories, and Shannon was limping worse than ever. Steve's mistake, they realized later, was slipping away quickly and quietly. If they'd let reporters know their plans, the backlash would have been less.
• Reporters didn't know they'd left until they were gone. When they caught up with her in Chicago, she didn't know there was a problem, didn't realize they'd left without telling anyone their immediate plans, and didn't understand why anyone would mind.
• In the weeks that followed, the press was very harsh on Shannon. Her missed foot on her routine (and injuries) gave them the theory that she was too old for gymnastics, and her decision to leave the competition made them think she didn't care about the team. No one cared that if she hadn't cared about the team she wouldn't have gone to Worlds in the first place, or that even with the mistake on bars she was the top scorer for the Americans and had been 4th in the world in compulsories
• Criticisms of 17-year-old Shannon also seemed unfair when Steve, the coach, made the decision to leave, and Steve had made it clear to officials she would only do compulsories. It would have been rude and unsportsmanlike for her to take another team member's place so she could do subpar optional routines
• Steve wrote to USAG's president Kathy Scanlan asking them for a show of support. She responded she understood Shannon's feelings, but they didn't do anything
• The rest of the year was fairly quiet gymnastically
• The bank Claudia worked for was bought; there was uncertainty if Claudia and her colleagues would keep their jobs. Ultimately, she and five of the six others did–the sixth was already planning to retire
• Shannon had an easier gym schedule to heal and was able to do more appearances. Tessa came home for Christmas with her boyfriend Morgan (Mo), and accompanied them on vacation. They wouldn't have all fit in the car, but Steve suggested Shannon workout in the morning (she had American Cup and Pan Ams coming up) and fly into San Antonio around when her family would arrive. When they left San Antonio, she could fly back and he'd pick her up and take her to the gym for her workout. Shannon agreed with Steve it was a good idea, even though going directly from vacation to the gym was tough on her

 

[QuietColours]

Fluff piece from the 1992 American Cup has a few lines about of Steve studied under Bela at one point. He says that what he learned from Bela was how to motivate gymnasts.

Steve: I believe that he [Bela] is probably the best coach in the world. I think he could take a basketball team and coach a basketball team to a championship.

Relevant part of the fluff is here, followed by a joint Bela/Steve interview:

 

[RedBirdie]

I feel like Claudia is letting Steve Nunno off really easy. He so badly mismanaged Shannon in 1994, even with her winning worlds.

 

[QuietColours]

I'm a little ahead in my reading, and it feels like everything was downhill after 1993 in terms of how Steve managed Shannon and her injuries (with a helping of delayed and refused medical intervention not helping). All her later accomplishments seem to be heavy testimonies of how well Shannon can compete in significant pain.

It also would have been nice for USAG to have released a statement about their arrangement with Steve and Shannon about her competition schedule and how they support teenage athletes managing injuries and prioritizing their studies along with competition though

 

[QuietColours]

And I know part of the issue is the number of judges scoring each routine, but watching the '92 American Cup makes me want to shake the NCAA judges and point to how judges USED to be able to differentiate between routines in the 10.0 system and it still made for an exciting competition

 

[eanda]

And offered personal consultations--one session free with the class, extra sessions by the hour.

I also think coaches should be showing them historic and interesting routines of the past. Let them see what is possible and what interesting skills might have fallen out of fashion but would enhance a roitine.

In my judging days, one of the things I enjoyed most was going into gyms and working with coaches and gymnasts on what we were looking for and explaining why they were getting some deductions. We didn't have many gymnasts past Level 8, so it wasn't as much about strategically choosing elements and routine construction, but still beneficial.

 

[irichluck21]

USAG did Shannon dirty. Even in the ABC broadcast it made it seem like Shannon was "giving up on the team". USAG should have made it clear to media and commentators that Shannon was only doing compulsories to help the team as requested by USAG. She could have declined to rest up. Shame on USAG for wanting Shannon to compete injured and also not support her.

That said, I thought it was in bad taste for Steve and Shannon to leave early (not Shannon's fault). She should have stayed there and cheered the team on in optionals and team finals. After all she was part of the team.

 

[QuietColours]

If she had stayed, how likely do think it would have been that she would have ended up competing multiple more routines, between USAG pushing and Nunno's tendency to have her try just one more event?

 

[irichluck21]

That's true. It might have happened. Especially since IIRC Chow was a mess in optionals (but bounced back for finals) they might have pushed Shannon to do more.

I still think she should have stayed but been firm on her decision to do compulsories only. Of USAG released a statement regarding Shannon helping the team out by doing just compulsories, it would have been less of a chance they would ask of her to do more.

 

[KristyJ]

If she had stayed, how likely do think it would have been that she would have ended up competing multiple more routines, between USAG pushing and Nunno's tendency to have her try just one more event?

I couldn't help but wonder if that is part of why Steve wanted them to leave. He may have been aware of that about himself.