Why Did So Many Greats Retire After Worlds 2011, and Olympic Trials 2012?

  We saw some greats retire in 2011, and 2012. But we must ask ourselves. Why?





Shawn Johnson (Retired 2011): Gymnastics sweetheart, Shawn Johnson retired after failing to make the Worlds Team in 2011. It was not a "I didn't make the team, I am so depressed" Kinda retirement, we saw at the Secret Classic that Shawn blew out her knee in a skiing accident, and she guaranteed us at Nationals that if she returned and contended for another Olympics, she would be a different Shawn, but we saw traces of the Shawn we all know and love. But after becoming the 3rd alternate "The Stay at Home Alternate" Shawn realized it was a waste of time, she was really done with the sport and did not want to risk her knee running towards what she thought was a dead dream, I was sad to see her retirement, because it wasn't a dead dream. She could've done it. She could've been in contention to defend her beam title.



Chellsie Memmel (Retired 2011)- Chellsie Memmel had the intention to return to the Olympic stage. She had the best performance on night one of the Visas. She was in 3rd place behind Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber. She had some great potential and we all knew that she was going to be at the Trials. Going into Night 2, we said "See you at the Trials process Chells. We knew that she was a contender. But all went awry night two, final rotation: Bars. I watched in horror as Chellsie fell off the bar on a EASY skill. The handstand. We watched as Chellsie's father and coach lifted her back to the high bar, and she went again. We watched as she transitioned with a near perfect Pak Salto. But then, she transitioned back up, hit handstand and fell once again. We then discovered after she saluted, routine half done, that her shoulder injury flared up, and she retired.


Nastia Liukin (Came back Late 2011, Retired after missing the Team)- Nastia Liukin, 2008 Olympic Champion. She was the gymnastics queen. But She wanted more. She wanted to succeed with her team rather than by herself. She told us early on in her comeback that she wasnt all around Nastia anymore she was Specialist Nastia, beam and bars. But after falling too many times to count in the process of selecting the Olympic Team, Nastia was ousted.  She retired out of disappointment that her Olympic Chances were really gone.


Rebecca Bross (Recovery Retired Because of Injury 2011, Came Back With Nastia 2012)- We all remember Rebecca's injury on the double twisting Yurchenko. We remembered that day. But Rebecca was so determined to go to London. She came back. But she struggled on bars and beam, her only two events, and it did not pan out, just like Nastia, she realized her dreams wouldn't come true, and walked away from the sport.


Alicia Sacramone (Retired after Trials) Alicia was the 2010 Vaulting Champion and the 2011 World Team Member. She was a great gymnast, but she, with the rest of  her Olympian buddies, didn't make the team



Bridget Sloan: Bridget never retired, she went to Worlds, won the all around in 2009. She won it ahead of teammate, Rebecca Bross. Bridget had all the intention to go back to the Olympic Scene, but she injured her shoulder when warming up a Tkatchev and had to scratch the Trials. We said goodbye to Bridge as she decided to stop her elite career and go down to the collegiate level.

Judging Her Gymnastics: Shawn Johnson

Shawn Johnson.............One of the most smily gymnasts in the hall of fame, she was also on that 2007 gold winning team, that team that got into the hall of fame. Now, for your favorite part of this segment....... The judging!


What I liked: Shawn was an amazing power athlete, her floor exercise was chock-full of great tumbling passes, her vault the Amanar, a walloping 16.5 difficulty, she averaged a 15.9. And she had and artistry on beam, using her power for the tumbling runs.


What I didn't Like:  Even though she was a great all-arounder, Shawn Johnson was a power athlete, she didn't pay attention to grace, handstands, she was all power. Unlike Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson had a low difficulty on bars. She never made it into finals on this apparatus, and that could have made her a better all-around gymnast, but Shawn always ignored the artistry aspect of gymnastics, just like Nastia did with the power aspect. She could have used a lot more artistry than she had.



     Even though she was lacking grace and artistry, we won't remember Shawn for the things she did badly, we will remember Shawn Johnson for the things she was great at. We will remember Shawn as that girl who got into the gymnastics hall-of-fame, we will remember Shawn as a winner.

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.

Shawn Johnson vs. Nastia Liukin: Fighting For First

    Nastia Liukin, at the top for so so so long, winning every event she entered, from the WOGA Championships to the American Cup, she won. But in 2007, in come Shawn Johnson, a fresh senior, just out of the junior league, and Shawn certainly came in with a bang, beating Nastia in every competition both of them entered, there was kind of a subtle rivalry between them.
                                                                                                                                                                                 
 

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The competition between these girls was insane, Shawn beat Nastia at the 2007 Nationals, the 2007 World Championships, and Nastia had to deal with second place in both competitions, not to mention the 2008 Nationals, and not to mention Shawn grabbing the first spot to the 2008 team, but Liukin made the team, and flew to Beijing with Johnson. And a few days later, Liukin bested Shawn, winning the All-Around, and Nastia finally won again. But it wasn't the same in beam finals, where it was reversed, and Shawn bested Nastia in that final.