Shawn Johnson – Olympic and World Gold Medalist . . . Oh and she dances too ;-)

Back in late July I once again had the pleasure of photographing another Olympic Gold Medalist. This time it was the delightful ball of energy, Shawn Johnson. Shawn was the 2008 Olympic Balance Beam Gold Medalist, Silver Medalist in the Individual All-around, and the 2007 All-Around World Champion in gymnastics. She also recently won the very popular TV show, Dancing with the Stars. She visited town to appear at John Macready and John Roethlisberger’s Flip Fest Gymnastics Camp which is located in nearby Crossville, TN. It is always fun to visit John and John and see the incredible camp they have put together. It is one of the finest gymnastics camps in the world and people come form all over the country to train and attend camp there in the summer. I spent my day largely covering Shawn working with the campers and then followed her through the 75′ high ropes course with three cameras strapped around my neck. Shawn was a great sport and easy to work with. In person, her personality is exactly as you would imagine seeing her on TV. The highlight for me was watching her attempt back-flips on a damp log suspended 75′ in the air. She summoned up the courage to try this in the first place, which is no small feat I can tell you. However, the best part was that she missed and fell off the log at first. She would not be denied however. She tried again and again, making small adjustments each time until she finally nailed it. It was quite apparent why she has been and will always be so successful.

Here are some more images of Shawn and many other elite gymnasts from years past.

Also, here are more photos from Shawn’s recent visit.

And now, here are a few favorites from the day . . .