Devastating Retirements: Shawn Johnson

    Shawn Johnson......... She was amazing. She was the first girl to do the Amanar since Simona Amanar. She was an amazing athlete. We know Shawn not only because of her stunning gymnastics, not just because she won every competition she entered until 2008 all-around, not just because of her beam win in China, but because of her million-dollar smile. Even non-gymnastics fans knew Shawn because of her smile, when they see Shawn J. They are all like "Look at that beautiful smile!!" But in 2011, Shawn Johnson competed for the last time, at Nationals, after not making the Worlds team, Shawn gave it up. She performed her last dismount. She didn't try for the Olympics the next year, partly because of the injury she acquired in a skiing accident, but mostly because she decided she wanted to be a normal girl. "The old Shawn is gone, I am no longer that 16 year old girl, I am now 20, my gymnastics won't be the same, but neither will my love for it, I just wanted to see if I can try again, make the World Team, but now that is not possible, I will be retiring" Shawn said to NBC. I watched that interview, and my mother had to comfort me went that interview ended, I was enticed by Shawn's beam work, and I am sure I am not alone when I would say, "I miss you Shawn!" but, no matter how much time passes, none of us who were around in Beijing, will never forget her 2 1/2 vault, her floor work, her bars work, and her explicit beam work, and most importantly, none of us will ever ever ever ever forget her million dollar smile.