Olympic Gold Medalist Inspires Huntley Gymnastics School Girls

The question made Shannon Miller laugh.

“Are you famous?” a young boy asked from the crowd at Huntley Unlimited Gymnastics School in Huntley.

A humble Miller didn’t brag, but yes, she is famous.

Miller is the most decorated gymnast in U.S. history, having won medals in the 1992 Barcelona, Spain summer Olympics and the 1996 Atlanta, Ga., summer games where she was part of the team dubbed the Magnificent 7.

Her appearance Monday at HUGS — owned by Jerry and Dawn Leonard — was as an ambassador for the Secret U.S. Classic, slated May 26 at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago.

The Secret U.S. Classic is one of three qualifying meets for male and female gymnasts vying for the Olympic 2012 team. Many of the country’s top gymnasts will be competing in the classic.

Miller first went to the Olympics at age 15, competing in the Barcelona Olympic Games, where she won five medals. In 1993 and 1994, she was World All-Around Champion. In 1996, she won two gold medals with her team and as an individual on the balance beam.

She recalled the feeling of walking into the Olympic village in Barcelona.

“It’s really cool. It’s not just other gymnasts but a lot of other sports,” she said. Among the first athletes she saw that year were members of the U.S. basketball team, dubbed the Dream Team — Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and other basketball greats.

The 1996 Olympics were “amazing” because the games were held in America, she said.

HUGS gymnasts got the chance to ask Miller questions during the 45-minute appearance. The questions ranged from “What’s your favorite routine?” to “When did you start gymnastics?”

Her favorite gymnastic competition was the balance beam. But she wasn’t always good at it, she said.

“I don’t think I stayed up on the balance bean for the first four years I did it,” Miller said. “For me it was a lot of mistakes, a lot of falling off, a lot of learning to get back up.”

She used the mistakes to her advantage. Coming in second was a good lesson, too. It is harder winning first place all the time, while coming in second keeps you hungry, she said.

The young gymnasts wanted to know what her gold medal felt like. She said it is pretty and heavy. Every city that hosts designs the gold medal so they are different every four years. The summer Olympics must have the Goddess Athena on it.

“It’s fun to see the different take a city has,” Miller said.

Miller retired from gymnastics a while back but she is planning on being in London this summer as an analyst with Yahoo! Sports. She recently returned from a trip to London where she got a sneak preview of the venues.

The Secret U.S. Classic is one of three highly visible competitions “on the road to London,” said Justin Hirnisey, director of marketing for USA Gymnastics.

Competitions follow in St. Louis, Mo., and San Jose, Calif. The members of the Olympic team will be announced at the San Jose meet, he said. It is a big deal and an exciting event for gymnastics fans, Hirnisey said.

Interest in gymnastics typically increases before and after the summer games, he said. There are 4 million youth in gymnastics clubs across the United States today, he said.

This year, there are only five spots on each team, Miller said. A majority of the best gymnasts in the country will be at the competition in Chicago.

“Back when I was competing, there were seven people in my Olympic team. That’s why we were called the Magnificent 7,” Miller said.

“The friends you are making now through gymnastics will be your friends” forever, she said.

Taylor Wentz stood in line with a photograph of Miller during the 1996 games. The 10-year-old from Huntley liked hearing what Miller had to say.

“It was really motivating and really cool she came here,” Wentz said.

Lauren Marikina, 8, of Hampshire, had Miller sign her trophy from the 2011 Thanksgiving Classic.

Miller’s message about falling and getting back up fit Marckini, who broke her foot after the Thanksgiving competition. Then she sprained her ankle. She had been off for three months and just recently returned.

“She’s really nice, inspirational,” Marckini. “She’s just really fun.”