Shannon Miller: My Child, My Hero by Claudia Miller

[hmmmm]

Miller is on of those gymnasts that I consider to be successful despite the coach. Physically talented and driven enough to overcome the lack of coaching talent and poor choices.

 

[QuietColours]

Chapter Eighteen: Refusal to Sideline

• Championships
  • Claudia received a phone call from Shannon while at work. Shannon's legs hurt and felt weak from the long workouts. She had taken a bad fall off beam and landed on her head, dazing her enough to worry Steve. He had ended beam and taken her to bars, but she temporarily could not remember her bar routine. Steve sent her back to her room to nap and was trying to decide if he should pull her from the competition and petition her to World Trials
  • It was easy to see Steve as the cause of Shannon's problems right now, but Shannon knew he wanted what was best for her
  • In the evening, Steve had her warm up her Optional routines to see how things were going. It wasn't her best, but it was better than the morning. He also knew she was a real competitor, and she made it clear she was fully recovered and planned to finish Championships. He let her compete
  • Optionals were a struggle. Shannon fell on beam on her third LOSO. Floor and vault went well. Out of her reverse hecht on bars, she landed her handstand on the low bar off and had to arch to save it
  • Shannon's errors on bars and beam put her in second behind Dominique Moceanu.Shannon was disappointed but not disillusioned. She would have won without her major errors, she was still number two in the country, and she was in a great position to make the Worlds team
  • EF were just floor and vault because of her errors on bars and beam. She hit the Yurchenko arabian and a tsuk arabian for vault gold and had a great floor with an OOB for bronze.
• Steve was upset Shannon had missed being national champion again. He had two other elites qualified for Trials, Heather Brink and Alecia Ingram. Steve wanted more than one gymnast on the Worlds team and pushed them hard. When Shannon did not warm up her clear hip to handstands well, he had her do fifty in a row. The next day she was so sore she couldn't do the compulsory bars dismount well and he realized he was pushing too hard
• World Trials
  • Heather injured her ankle shortly after arriving and had to be scratched from the meet. She had been tenth at Championships, and at least one gymnast had declined Trials, so Steve thought he had had a good chance
  • Shannon was first after compulsories. But overall, with the combination of compulsories and optionals and scores carried over from championships, Moceanu had the edge
  • In Optionals, Shannon had slightly rough but okay vaults, had the highest score of the meet on bars, and excellent beam and floors. She had the high scores for the meet, but Moceanu had the higher combined scores
  • During her floor warm up, Shannon turned her ankle and landed awkwardly on her FTDB. The pain was immediate and intense. She walked over to the side and prayed. If she needed to get through the floor routine to assist her team at World Championships, nothing would stop her
• Worlds
  • Shannon didn't complain much about her ankle, but Steve could tell she was in a lot of pain and he had to be careful
  • The ankle responded quickly to treatment and in a few days she was hitting solid routines on all events.
  • At Worlds, did very well in compulsories. Steve and Peggy questioned some of her scores. The Americans had to compete in an early round, and Steve thought it cost them some tenths. Shannon was first in the Americans and third in the world after compulsories
  • During warm ups before Optionals, Shannon landed hard on the sore ankle and twisted it slightly. Beam dismounts weren't going well, and Steve wasn't pleased. He had her do a few more, and by the time she was done the ankle hurt a lot. Shannon tried to pray silently to manage the pain. The completed the workout, but the next morning she could hardly walk. Steve knew she could not compete up to par
  • This was bad on an individual level and the team needed her. Dawes, Borden, and Chow were home with injuries and Phelps had just had knee surgery and couldn't compete all events. Strug and Shannon were the only members of the team with Worlds experience
  • Steve and Shannon thought she could compete bars. She hit a solid routine. She was not scheduled do to beam, but as the rotation drew to a close Steve thought that even with the ankle she could do a solid routine, and told her to do a full twist instead of a double if her ankle hurt too much. She hit a good routine and did the double–she wasn't going to end it with a full twist. She was limping severely afterward
  • Shannon wasn't supposed to do floor. However, Steve and Peggy decided she could manage it if they rearranged her floor routine. They took out the whip back, leaving just a full in for her opening pass, and added a more difficulty leap to make up for the lack of series bonus. Shannon agreed. She didn't get the score she would have liked, but it was the highest American score
  • Vault was America's weakest event. The team was in contention for bronze, but Steve didn't think they could get it without Shannon. Since the better of the two vaults scores was taken, Shannon could do just one vault. She agreed. It wasn't good enough to guarantee bronze, so she vaulted a second time and got a better score. The US got the bronze by .16.
  • Shannon was ecstatic that the team had won bronze and that she had contributed so much, but her ankle wasn't doing well. Steve planned to withdraw her from the AA, but she wasn't sure it was necessary.
  • At home Worlds was taped and being shown over several weeks. They didn't hear from Shannon again while on the trip, so they didn't know what was happening. The newspapers did describe her injury in great detail, and they saw her name in the list of AA competitors in the Sports section
  • They weren't surprised, because Shannon felt a duty to her coaches, her family, her fans, and herself, and she was the reigning world champion going into what was probably her last worlds
  • Shannon finished 12th in the AA and never regretted her decision to compete
  • Steve convinced her there was no point in doing all four event finals. She didn't have the vaults for the vault final (she was struggling with just the Yurchenko arabian), and he didn't want her to tumble and damage her ankle more
  • On bars, Shannon hit a good but not great set and finished out of the medals. In beam she was fourth. She was proud her performance, even though she finished with just the team bronze
• With Championships, Trials, and Worlds all in the fall, Shannon needed rest. Workouts were lighter for a while, but not shorter
• She registered for two classes at the University of Oklahoma and now had homework and tests to make up. Steve had wanted her to take the year off from school, but Shannon was insistent–school was important to her. She didn't plan to give up gymnastics completely after the Olympics, but she did want a real career
• She had a few appearances after Worlds
• Shannon's ankle was doing better after Christmas and she began to train aggressively. Steve and Laurie had married in November and been away for almost two weeks for their wedding and honeymoon; Shannon had been hoping to go to Hawaii for the wedding but couldn't make it with school and other commitments
• Worlds had motivated Shannon to train harder than ever. She had seen everyone else's level increasing and wanted to keep up. She wanted a new skill on beam, a new dismount on bars, a new tumbling pass on floor, and a new vault. She wanted to lead the American team, not just be part of it. And she wanted an Olympic gold.
• Vault–she needed more difficult vault. Her tsuk was out of a 10.0, but it never seemed to score well for anyone. Steve wanted her to learn a Yurchenko 1.5; Shannon wanted to relearn the DTY (better this time) that she had tried in 1993. Rick Newman had begun training her on it while Steve was gone. Shannon was nervous when Steve returned, because she knew he'd wanted her to learn the 1.5. He was unpleasantly surprised and let them know in no uncertain terms that he made the coaching decisions. He let Shannon continue, but pounced on every mistake, slowing her progress and hurting her confidence. But December he gave her an ultimatum: Either get it on competition height by the end of the month or start the 1.5. Shannon was distressed, and the vault very uneven. She thought she could learn it by Nationals, but she needed Steve's support. She asked her parents to talk to Steve
• Steve wasn't happy to hear from them. They told him that if Shannon was really interested in working on a skill, she was much more likely to acquire it and that she would progress better if he was less critical. The time frame also felt unnecessarily rigid, since it didn't need to be competition ready until June. She was prepared to switch to the 1.5 if she wasn't making real progress by mid-January. Steve disagreed, saying they were wasting valuable time. The time frame stood (unclear if she still had to get it to competition height). The week before Christmas it was getting much better and Steve was easing up on the criticism
• That Christmas, Troy (15) got a drum set. They soon discovered the downside of living with a drummer (the electric guitar had been bad enough). Shannon and Troy agreed on an 11 o'clock curfew for drumming.
• Shannon again flew into their San Antonio vacation so she could get a couple extra workouts. On vacation, Shannon told them her wrist was very sore–bad enough that Steve had decided not to have her vault. They hoped a few days off would help it. Since Shannon had often trained injured, they weren't alarmed.

 

[RedBirdie]

Reading Shannon's 1995 world experience was brutal. Like watching someone get tortured. Why would you do that to someone?

And clearly, at the time she wrote this, Claudia didn't see much wrong with it. I wonder if she sees things differently now. Somehow, I doubt it.

 

[IratePanda]

I usually hesitate to use clinical labels, but it sounds like Claudia had a bit of Stockholm Syndrome. I also think that her Christian Science beliefs made it easier for her to ignore or downplay Steve's abuse. After all, Shannon could always just pray the pain away.

 

[cftmoonlight79]

Nothing like sending a clearly concussed athlete to go nap. What a dumbass

 

[IratePanda]

Oh, yeah. I wanted to mention something about that. Concussion protocols weren't as well-developed thirty years ago, but everyone was supposed to know that sleep was a no-no for the first 24 hours (IIRC). And Claudia just reports this calmly and unironically. SMH.

 

[RAFIKI]

When Shannon did not warm up her clear hip to handstands well, he had her do fifty in a row. The next day she was so sore she couldn't do the compulsory bars dismount well and he realized he was pushing too hard

 

[Kittentoes]

I think she has a concussion, so hard seem like a great choice. Geez. I wonder what that smeghead I'd up to now?

Glorious lack of any self reflection on anyone's part.

I am glad for my mother. I ran cross country in school. I was awful. I'm a short limbed, stocky diabetic. But I was stubborn enough to finish,which meant that the good runners' scores counted. I got horrible shin splints, and the trainer taped my feet. After that meet, when I took my socks off, my shoes were full of blood.
My mother forbade me to run for several days. I protested, because I learned from gymnastics that heroic girls just keep going through pain, injury, abuse, and starvation. I had to get the team score to count! My mom said I was significantly more important than that, and we went to go get some dinner and bandages. I was miffed then, but my older, wiser self is deeply grateful.

 

[Peridot]

Interesting how well Peggy is coming off in this saga considering how her recent career has gone. Guess the stuff she saw was so normalized, it carried over to her career in Australia. And probably if you study at the School of Karyoli and Nunno, your perspective is going to be skewed.

I was thinking the same thing. It’s odd to hear her described as the reasonable and kind one

 

[Peridot]

To coach competitive gymnasts, USAG requires coach do the following:

• Pass US Center for SafeSport Core Course annually
• Pass Safety & Risk Management every 4 years
• Pass Tough Coaching or Emotional Abuse: Knowing When The Line Has Been Crossed (not sure how frequently you have to take this)
• Pass Fundamentals of Gymnastics Instruction (again, not sure how frequently this must be taken)
• Plus background check and concussion safety protocol

Those are all online. Not a single hands-on course is required to be a coach in the US. No continuing education is required, just passing the same online courses as required.

Back in the very late 1990s when I started coaching, all we had to do was pass Safety & Risk Management once every 4 years. Although back then we at least had to find a live course and pretend to pay attention. No idea when that was implemented, but I imagine back in the day, one just paid the USGF coach member fee and was credentialed to be on the competition floor, with no other barriers to entry.

Background checks weren't mandated until 2018, iirc. That's also when USAG required all staff at member gyms to be background checked and pass the Safe Sport course. Previously, rec coaches didn't have to be USAG members, no background check, no education at all.

That is absolutely wild. A completely different world to what I know

 

[RichardL]

That is absolutely wild. A completely different world to what I know

I was fully credentialed as a teenager and I remember nothing about being tested to do anything really. The other coaches at my gym were stupid and basically illiterate though, and of course they all had full credentials, so I'm sure I wasn't surprised at the time that I basically had to prove no knowledge or skills in order to take a group of level 10s to States.

 

[MaryClare]

That is absolutely wild. A completely different world to what I know

Yep. My Mag colleagues, who all have masters degrees in gymnastics coaching, recently attended a full day seminar on how to coach Y stands and arabesques, due to the new requirements. I’m not making this up. Compulsory attendance. Multiple tutors including ballet teachers, rg coaches and brevet judges.

 

[QuietColours]

Sorry, I'm at a work conference and it's been a little crazy!

Chapter Nineteen: 1996: A Dream in Doubt (Part 1)

• On the way home from vacation, Shannon told her mother Steve had made an appointment for her to see Dr. Holden, the physician who had treated her elbow in 1992. Dr. Holden didn't believe it was serious, but recommended a week of rest and intensive physical therapy
• With Dynamo Classic coming up, neither she nor Steve thought she could completely rest the wrist. The gym trainer was out of town, so she couldn't start PT right away. A week later, the wrist was worse, not better
• Shannon had agreed to do a special promotional meet the day after the Dynamo Classic, which would be televised; she was supposed to do beam, floor, and bars. A few weeks later she had the Peachtree Classic; followed closely by the American Cup, the qualifying meet for the individual worlds. There was no time to ease up on workouts, but the arm was inflamed up to the elbow and vaulting and tumbling were out of the question; beam and bars were getting more difficulty each day. Shannon worked closely with her practitioner and prayed
• Therapy on the wrist intensified. She was able to do a modified floor and bar routine in exhibition at the Dynamo Classic. She could only do the bar routine at the televised meet the next day. It was becoming apparent the wrist could stop Shannon even trying for the 1996 Olympics. Steve had decided to ignore the situation and assume the pain would go away. He was no longer urging medical assistance, instead just pushing her to get meet ready–especially for the American Cup, which he desperately wanted to win
• Shannon was ready to place her complete trust in God, since two therapists, a sports doctor, and Dr. Harlan hadn't been able to help (my note: She also had absolutely not been listening to their prescription, rest). The sports doctor recommended they take her to a hand and wrist specialist, Dr. Kenneth Hieke, and her father convinced her to go
• Dr. Hieke told her she needed to stop working on the severely inflamed wrist and arm for 2-3 weeks and then be examined again. Shannon wouldn't let her mother tell Steve until several days later when she realized she desperately needed relief. Steve was resistant and continued to train Shannon for several more days until she could do basically nothing–no tumbling on beam, no handstands, no release moves, no vaulting, little tumbling. Steve and Shannon finally agreed she'd stay off the wrist completely for at least two weeks and maybe she'd have enough time to get ready for American Cup. Peachtree had already been skipped; American Classic would have to be too
• The wrist was soon feeling better, and with the help of the practitioner and her family Shannon was too. Steve wanted Shannon to attend Classic even though she couldn't compete. He wanted to keep her feeling competitive by watching other gymnasts, a tactic that had been successful in the past. This time Shannon returned to the gym feeling dismayed. She was wondering whether she was meant to be on another Olympic team. The other competitors had been so prepared, and she hadn't been able to train full-out for more than six weeks
• Did God have a different plan for her? Was she strong enough to accept a path different from what she would have chosen? They decided to take things one day at a time and listen to God's direction no matter where it lead
• Shannon has a very logical mind–favorite subject was always math. But this problem wasn't amiable to a logical solution. No one could find a reason for how or why it had occurred (my note: overuse?) and how long she would need to be patient. The only suggestion was to stay off it and see if it got better with time, which was hard for Shannon to accept. She did not think of quitting or even of skipping a day at the gym
• After two weeks, Steve began easing her back into training. Bars first, then a little on beam, then front tumbling on floor, a little back tumbling (she used a fist, not her wrist), and finally compulsory vaulting. In late February, Shannon improvised every way to work her skills while avoiding using her arm. The overcompensation resulted in a pulled hamstring
• During this time Shannon was scheduled to give a talk about how she applied Christian Science to her everyday life. Shannon had been hesitant–she felt she could be a better Christian Scientist, because she went to the doctor sometimes and always seemed to be having some kind of therapy. But she did believe strongly God was taking care of her and in giving back to her church community
• When preparing the speech, Shannon remembered many times during stressful periods, including the most recent, where she had felt God's presence and the many times God had guided her in the right direction whether the problem was fear, physical, or tension in her relationship with her coaches. She decided she needed to express her gratitude for God's guidance to her fellow Christian Scientists
• Shannon relaxed when they got to the gathering, finding she fit in and had no trouble giving her speech and fielding questions
• Recovery was slow–if she vaulted one day, she had to limit beam and forgo tumbling; if she tumbled, she couldn't vault. By the end of the first week of April, she still couldn't do Yurchenkos. With National Championships only 7 weeks away, she was getting afraid.
• Claudia was looking for another way to help her. She made an inspirational note card that said, " Face each day with the expectancy of achieving good, rather than dread of falling short."
• Shannon had been hesitant to return to Dr. Hieke. She felt her answer was in Christian Science. But time was slipping by and Steve was counting on her. The practitioner told her visiting the doctor was not turning her back on God. In the end God was also directing Dr. Hieke
• This time Dr. Hieke was pleasantly surprised–her arm was virtually healed, and her wrist was much better. He recommended a cortisone shot, a procedure he wasn't willing to do when the tendon was severely inflamed. Shannon knew her prayers were doing some good and decided not to ignore a doctor who was trying his best to help her. She got the shot and was instructed to rest the wrist for a few days until it took affect
• Shannon was gradually able to add skills back in. Her wrist continued to improve and she was able to start beginning to train the yurchenko 1.5. She was finding real joy in the gym again
• Steve had given up on the DLO–they'd make do with the passes she had. But now as she was starting to do full workouts, the pulled hamstring from February started hurting. Piking was extremely painful, so she had trouble working the full twisting double pike, her usual opening pass. In desperation, Shannon asked to do the DLO. Steve was doubtful–learning it could easily take a year, and Shannon had less than a month until Championships. But he decided to let her try
• He spotted the first few and was astonished how good they were. Shannon came home excited–she had actually done a few by herself, and Steve had called Peggy over to watch, a sign he was impressed
• Getting her timing back on vault was hard, especially while trying to learn a new, more difficult vault. But as May went on, both the arabian and the 1.5 were starting to look good.
• Less than two weeks before Championships, her wrist flared up again. Each day it was more sore, but it was too close to Championships to ease off practices
• Shannon clung to the principles she worked on with the practitioner and tried to work through the pain while Steve stressed the important of the upcoming meet. Tempers flared.
• Vaulting was almost impossible. A few days before they needed to leave for Championships, Shannon couldn't take the pressure any longer. Steve was so angry at her he wouldn't even move the springboard. She headed for the door. Steve's voice stopped her. "Don't even think about it!" He took her to the locker area, and she was surprised that he was calm. He told her, "Peggy and I still believe in you. We know that you can make the team." Shannon was determined not to let them down.
• For a few days she skipped vault and did only essential tumbling, using her fist.
• At the end of compulsories at Championships, Shannon was in first. Compulsories counted for 60% of the result, so that was a good start. Shannon started optionals on beam. Her wrist gave on a BHS, throwing off the following LOSO LOSO and she fell. She realized then winning Nationals was out of the question, but she needed to finish high in the standings to pave the way for Olympic Trials. She finished with a decent score. Steve and Peggy handled the mishap well.
• Shannon hadn't warmed up the DLO without a spot, and she had another new pass, the front full into the FLO. She hit for a 9.9
• Since the episode in the gym several days prior, Shannon hadn't vaulted. Steve's strategy was to have her do the familiar yurchenko arabian, and try the 1.5 if that went well. The arabian started at a 9.9 and she got a 9.8; she followed it with the 1.5 with a slight hop for a 9.9 and moved into second place.
• Because of her wrist, she had trouble gripping the bars for long periods, so they had rearranged her routine. It was uncertain if she could do a full routine–she'd only practiced partials. She got through the routine fairly smoothly with just a low dismount for a 9.85. She'd won the meet even with a fall

 

[QuietColours]

Chapter Nineteen: A Dream in Doubt (Part 2)

• Shannon did events with Make-A-Wish and the Pediatric AIDS benefit even with her tight schedule
• USAG usually holds meetings for gymnasts and coaches on the day after Championships; Steve thought Shannon could miss it because she had attended so many of them in the past, she'd done Olympic Trials before, he and Peggy would be there, and Ron would sit in on her behalf. Federation officials insisted she attend the majority of meetings or lose a chance at the Olympic team–they wanted to foster team spirit. The Millers found this odd because gymnasts had often missed the meetings and Shannon hadn't made the team yet. They let Make-A-Wish and Pediatric AIDS know about the scheduling issue. The Make-A-Wish child really wanted to meet Shannon, so they asked if she could come at a later time? The federation agreed that if Shannon attended the morning meetings, her dad could sit in on the afternoon sessions.
• Shannon did the Make-A-Wish; Steve expected her in the gym in the morning. They looked for their limo to the airport, but it wasn't there. 15 minutes later, they contacted the federation, who said it was on its way. 15 minutes after that, they realized they would have trouble making their flight. A benefit volunteer drove them to the airport. Shannon knew Steve wouldn't tolerate her missing a workout
• Arrived at the airport with 10 minutes to spare and were trapped in a long line of cars. Claudia ran to ask them to hold the gate while Shannon followed with the luggage and learned there was a bomb threat; no traffic would be allowed through. When she got to the gate, the plane was gone. There were no other flights to Oklahoma City that night. The best would be to fly to Denver, overnight there, and catch an early flight. They did that and called home. Ron also wasn't home to pass the message to Steve; his own flight had been delayed.
• Troy (15) hadn't relished the idea of being home alone all night, but then realized this was a great opportunity to show he could prove anything. He brought Shannon's dog Dusty inside and the house was still standing when they got home
• Shannon had briefly mentioned her wrist was still sore, and she didn't tell them about the day she almost walked out of the gym until after Championships. Her parents had no idea how severe her wrist problem had become. Shannon had felt the need to communicate privately with God to shut out other pressure.
• They hadn't seen her working out in pain for years because as the number of elite students increased, Steve had instituted a policy of locking all parents out of the gym, even the viewing area, for two weeks prior to what he deemed an important meet. With the wide range of levels of students at the gym, this meant parents were locked out a lot. They complained but couldn't do much. Steve insisted that coaches, parents, and gymnasts work as a team since before 1992, but then Shannon had been his only elite; now he had as many as 11.
• He'd also begun cracking down on gymnasts' wight more. He began to weigh the girls regularly, which most parents objected too. He and Peggy admonished the girls to watch what they ate and indicated that a slim gymnast could perform better and would be judged more favorably. He didn't punish them for gaining weight, but he "let his displeasure be known." From time to time the gymnasts (including Shannon) smuggled extra good on trips, but Shannon always took foods like dried fruit, crackers, and canned chicken. Shannon didn't complain about this–her only complaints were when Steve forgot to schedule time for meals when they were traveling or Peggy ordered for the gymnasts without considering their tastes.
• Shannon was not feeling good. Her parents finally realized how serious her wrist still was when Steve pulled her out of event finals. She returned home with instructions from Steve to go to the hand specialist immediately. He understood the solution would probably be 1-2 weeks of rest. In that case, he would need to petition Shannon to Trials, and he would need a doctor's note for the petition.
• Previously, the doctor and parents assumed that something Shannon had done had caused the inflammation and continued use had aggravated it. When it improved in February, the doctor credited rest and Shannon credited prayer. Now the doctor was concerned it was more serious. After examining it, he told them he was concerned that continuing work on it would result in a snapped tendon. Depending on what she was doing, that could cause a traumatic or fatal injury. He recommended she stop gymnastics
• Shannon looked calm at the news. The doctor excused himself to schedule an MRI. Shannon told her mom, "God and Mind got me through Nationals; they will get me through the next meet." Her mom was happy her faith was in the right place. Shannon called the practitioner for an extra session that night, and Shannon and her mom read from Sentinel, a weekly Christian Science periodical that Shannon never traveled without. The comforting messages alone brought some relief
• The day after the MRI, Ron, Shannon, and Claudia met with Dr. Hieke to discuss his observations. Mark Cranston, who still did Shannon's daily wrist and hamstring therapy, also asked to be there. Mark and Dr. Hieki examined the MRIs and couldn't find the severe complications Dr. Hieki had anticipated. There was a buildup of fluid causing pain, but the tendon looked good. He told Shannon there was a chance she could still compete. He would do another cortisone shot outside the tendon to ease the swelling. "Shannon knew that no matter what he said she was going to pursue making the team. She had resources other than medical on which she would rely."
• The doctor left the room to let them discuss the shot; Ron and Claudia believed the decision should be Shannon's. Shannon did agree–she didn't strongly believe it would help, but she also didn't believe it would cause harm and it would please Mark, Steve, and the doctor.
• It was a week between Nationals and the shot, and then she had to rest the wrist for a few more days for it to take effect. Steve was working on her petition to Trials–he knew he had to re-add skills gradually, and she would not be in top form at Trials; she also might not score highly enough to be able to compete AA–only four of the seven girls selected for the team could compete all four events in the team competition. Steve shared bits of this information with Shannon, who passed it on to her parents.
• Usually USAG would send their own doctor to examine a petitioning gymnast, but the doctor knew Dr. Holden and accepted his evaluation. Steve had taken Shannon to Dr. Holden for a second opinion without telling Ron and Claudia. They objected and he apologized and explained time was of the essence. They recognized his good intentions and let it drop
• The gym had been locked to parents for almost a month. Only Jennie and Shannon were working towards a meet now, and they worked out primarily during the day so Jennie's mom and Claudia could only watch on weekends. Jennie was only 15, but Shannon would probably not continue after the Olympics. Steve said he wanted to keep out everyone until Shannon's petition was approved. He didn't want reporters coming in and harassing Shannon. They understood, but they wanted to watch their daughter. Steve said, "Sure" at the time
• If the petition was accepted, Shannon wouldn't compete at Trials–her Nationals scores would be used. Dominique Moceanu was also petitioning due to a stress fracture. If their scores ranked in the top 7, they would make the team. Dominique was the only one of the gymnasts who could have bested Shannon, but she was locked in just under Shannon. But scores also tended to escalate at Trials, and Shannon had had a fall at Nationals.
• Claudia was scheduled to give a talk on behalf of USAG gymnastics at a wellness clinic, so she traveled with Shannon to Trials. Shannon was restless. She wanted to be competing, and she wanted to be in Atlanta. Shannon's scores held in first, and she made the team.
• Just as in 1992, there was criticism of the rankings. There were complaints that Shannon and Dominique had made the team without competing. Steve answered that criticism in an interview with Debbie Decker of USA Today: Why should the Olympic Team hinge on one competition when you've been building up to it for years? If we want healthy kids on the team, why should we beat them up? Why would you want to keep star athletes off the team?
• There were some worries. Shannon's wrist was a concern. Steve wouldn't be one of the two official coaches–Martha Karoyli and Mary Lee Tracy were the coaches, meaning Steve and Peggy wouldn't be spotting Shannon during warmups or on the floor for last minute advice, and Shannon was used to Steve and would miss his presence during the team competition.

 

[RedBirdie]

Abuse. That's the only word for what Nunno and the Millers did to Shannon.

 

[IratePanda]

Yeah.

The religious element really upsets me. I had an elementary school friend who lost a younger brother to meningitis because her parents opted for prayer circles instead of antibiotics. They weren't Christian Scientists, but that doesn't really matter.

 

[CameliasFingerpaint]

Shannon has a very logical mind

This statement is depressing in light of the family forcing her to pray away a very serious injury.

I can’t believe how much abuse Shannon was surrounded by. How the fuck does Peggy come off as the only sane person around her?

 

[makam]

I realize this was the era of "if you stop training for even a minute, you will lose every single skill" but damn. Insanity from every side.

 

[Hatsumomo]

The adults around her are insanely lucky that nothing serious happened to Shannon. The fact that Claudia could write this book and reveal the absolutely unhinged environment instead of being under intense scrutiny.

 

[cftmoonlight79]

I'm amazed at how well she competed given the amount of injuries she constantly had.