Why has Shawn Johnson not had a post-competitive career within the sport of gymnastics?

[KathySantoni]

Was she the one that had the stalker right after 2008? I want to say the case went to court.

 

[Hatsumomo]

It could be multiple different reasons. Like others have said, she may not have been passionate about the sport. She just had crazy natural talent and a gaggle of people behind her that believed she could go far, so she kept with it. Or she just didn’t want to. I don’t mind seeing former gymnasts make their careers and lives outside of gymnastics, like Amy Chow.

Or it could be that her competitive career fell short of what she and her supporters expected and she wanted to distance herself. She went pro before Beijing, partially because it was believed that she was going to be the star of the Olympics and be very marketable (she was heavily touted to be the new Mary Lou Retton). She’s nowhere near Kim Kelly’s level of bitterness, but not getting the expected AA gold clearly stings, let alone not getting the multiple golds she and her personal team expected. Had her Olympics gone as expected, I’m sure she’d be more involved with the sport in some way now. If nothing else, her life as a former Olympic gymnast being more in the forefront of her YouTube career.

 

[MensGym]

I was going to mention Amy Chow earlier. I guess she’s not successful because she became a doctor. Haha!! I kid…

 

[ruby]

I’m not sure I would call what Nastia is doing a career. One competition a year she lends her name to and designs the leotards for and the commentating gigs do not exactly make a career. She probably makes all her money influencing, which, looking at her IG, has very little to do with gymnastics.

And as for Shawn - she probably isn’t that interested in gymnastics. I wonder if all the other ex gymnasts are that interested in gymnastics or rather chose their career because they had no idea what else to do.

 

[JaJa]

That’s interesting, because I remember at the time she certainly seemed to have a much more normal teenage life and had lots of friends outside of the gym, some of whom, when interviewed, weren’t really aware of just how high level a gymnast she was.

Wasn’t a lot of that attributable to Chow though?

 

[JaJa]

I guess she’s not successful because she became a doctor. Haha!! I kid…

zero comparison. Shawn is not exactly a doctor.

 

[JaJa]

I wonder if all the other ex gymnasts . . . chose their career because they had no idea what else to do.

And that is exactly the problem. A sport where you peak as a little girl basically (after forgoing normal lives and social interactions to train) and then people are left having no clue what to do. For people who had the drive and ambition to become elite gymnasts, careers beyond being “influencers” should be on the table. I think it would be a great idea for a not for profit to focus on career guidance post elite gymnastics.

 

[MaryClare]

Was it? Were Gabby and Norah the same? I think it was maybe more of a case of Chow being perceptive and able to tailor his methods to keep his gymnast motivated. He was in a situation where by he had 1 elite, who had a crazy amount of natural ability and competitive drive but wasn’t really all that in love with the sport. She isn’t going to do, and didn’t need to do 35 hours a week and homeschooling. She’d probably have quit elite as a junior in that sort of environment.

 

[JaJa]

If I remember correctly Shawn used to say that Chow insisted she have a more normal life outside the gym. Gabby was not with Chow that long and I do not think they had a great relationship or one where Gabby would follow his guidance the way Shawn did.

 

[RedBirdie]

For people who had the drive and ambition to become elite gymnasts, careers beyond being “influencers” should be on the table.

I’m not sure how much the drive and ambition are internal. Some, sure (Chellsie Memmel says hi). But these are people who as very young children were identified as being exceptionally talented and had pretty much every choice in their lives by adults in pursuit of Olympic glory. By their early teens, they know no other life, quitting elite is a terrifying prospect (never mind deeply seated fears of disappointing your parents, coaches, etc.). In some ways, its easier to continue on the path that was chosen for you. Once they turn 18, its still easier just to stay elite for some.

 

[MaryClare]

Sounds like Konnor…

 

[ruby]

I don’t think Shawn trained only 24 h/week leading up to Beijing. She did until she was a very successful junior but for 2007/2008 she definitely upped her hours. I remember hearing about that somewhere but the media kept repeating the story and neither Shawn nor Chow ever did anything to correct it.

 

[QuietColours]

There were definitely interviews, which I can no longer find, where she talked about increasing her training hours to more standard elite levels and doing essentially half days at school even though she stayed in public school. If you don’t take a lunch, are excused from gym, and condense your classes, you can usually get through core subjects in four or five periods

 

[MensGym]

That’s not the point, though. No one is wondering why Amy didn’t continue in the gymnastics field. Or Kerry Strug.

 

[Caligym]

“Why is Shawn Johnson extraordinarily unsuccessful?”

Is she living in a van…down by the river?

 

[Denn]

I changed the thread title to reflect the question actually being asked.

 

[onodian]

I was just thinking, if you change the criteria, is shawn actually the model for healthy success in the sport? She seems not to have had to give up so much and had a great career. Lyssenko also sounds like that from her interviews, although I’m sure round Lake was pretty hell like at that time

 

[MaryClare]

It depends what you determine a healthy career. She retired aged 16, then tried to come back aged 19 and has since required multiple surgeries.

Whereas at least 20 of the women competing at euros this week competed at euros in 2017, plus others such as Derwael, MDJDS etc who are training but absent.

 

[onodian]

sure i meant mentally healthy, maybe balanced would be a better word

 

[RedBirdie]

I wonder how much the narrative would have changed if Shawn won AA gold. Would it be the Shawn Cup? Would Shawn be on NBC doing commentating? Would we be asking why Nastia has been so unsuccessful?