Laptop Television Mom

Shawn Johnson and David Letterman

In case you missed it, here is a clip from Shawn Johnson's appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman.  Other appearances this week: leading the pledge of allegiance at the DNC and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno!

Shawn Johnson wins GOLD on balance beam!

I loved watching the Olympics this year.  I wrote about Shawn Johnson multiple times, and she made her country so proud.  She is an Olympic medalist who won with grace, style and humility.  The United States, and her hometown of West Des Moines, are very proud of her performance and sportsmanship.

If you are a fellow Shawn Johnson Fan and do not read the Des Moines Register, I am happy to share some links:

- Shawn Johnson beams after getting her gold
- Tickets on sale Monday for Shawn Johnson post-Olympic appearance in D.M.
- Shawn Johnson balances fame with everyday school life

- Interactive: Olympic picture scrambles

- Interactive: Shawn Johnson coloring book

* AP Photo

Olympics: Women's Gymnastics team is named

We have our US Women's Gymnastics team for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. 

We already knew Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin were going to Bejing, and now we know Chellsie Memmel, Alicia Sacramone, Samantha Peszek and Bridget Sloan round out the team. (Read AP story HERE.) I feel really good about the team and the prospects for gold. 

Here is more news and happenings on the gymnastics front as we prepare for the Olympics starting 08-08-08:

• Shawn Johnson's coach Liang Chow was named Head Coach for the US Women's gymnastics team!  (Read story from the Des Moines Register HERE.)
• Shayla Worley, one of my favorite gymnasts today, broke her leg at training camp. (AP story HERE.)
• Paul Hamm is in good shape, his hand is healed, and he has a ticket to China.  (AP story HERE.)
• Here are some great photos from the Gymnastics camp, courtesy of Live.Breath.Love Gymnastics. (Thanks to the Gymblog for the pointer.)
• Is this really the Olympic leotard?  (Again, thanks to Live.Breath.Love Gymnastics.)

Olympics TV Schedule

Thanks to The Gymblog for sharing the NBC schedule for Olympics coverage; found HERE. 

Also want to point to Yahoo! Summer Sports Games site that will provide up-to-date analysis of the events. Former Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes writes about it HERE, and you can find it HERE.

Shawn Johnson: the next Mary Lou?

I heard about this commercial for the upcoming Olympic games, and I finally saw in on television last night.  It's especially touching if you remember watching Mary Lou Retton win GOLD in Los Angeles in 1984!

Shawn Johnson Wins Second US Title (FX VIDEO)

Earlier today, I wrote about Shawn Johnson's success at the US Gymnastics Championships.  I was happy to see support for Shawn Johnson (and all of the US gymnasts) across the blogosphere.  Special thanks (and hat-tip) to The Gymblog for sharing Shawn's new Floor Exercise (FX) video:

Shawn Johnson Wins Second US Title

Great news for gymnast Shawn Johnson and her fans.  The teenager from West Des Moines, Iowa won the US gymnastics championship and is in a good position for the upcoming Olympic trials.  Read the AP story HERE.

Of course, we are concerned for current Olympic All-Around champion Paul Hamm, who broke his hand during the championship meet.  I have never seen him as strong and solid as he was during this meet, until the fateful bar routine. Hamm is hoping to compete in Beijing, but only time will tell.  Read the AP story HERE.

The US Olympic team trials will be held in Philadelphia on June 19-22.

Shawn Johnson's Hy-Vee Commercial

I just got back from a week-long trip to Iowa to see my mom, sisters, kids and brand-new nephew.  (Happily, everyone is well.)  As expected, Shawn Johnson-Mania is in full-force as we all wait for our hometown hero to be named to the Olympic gymnastics team.  I happened to catch a television commercial for a local grocery store chain (the same grocery store where NFL star Kurt Warner bagged groceries!), and I wanted to share with you:

Shawn Johnson in USA Today

Saturday, March 1 is a big day for the world of gymnastics.  Tune into NBC at 10 a.m. PST (or check your local listings) to watch the American Cup Gymnastics competition.  The super-stars of gymnastics are competing for the title, and equally important, laying the foundation for competing at the Beijing Olympics this summer.

Yesterday, USA Today wrote about my favorite up-and-comer, and hometown hero, Shawn Johnson.  Click here to find the article! (It's hard to find online, so just click HERE.)

Report back to LTV this weekend to read about the results of the competition. 

GOOD LUCK to all the gymnasts!

Shawn Johnson on Yahoo!

Early this morning, I was trying to get some work done before my daughter woke up for the day.  (Oh yes, laptop television with the Today show... and coffee.)  My husband came rushing into the room and told me to click on yahoo.com to look at today's "featured" section.  To my delight, I found Shawn Johnson's smiley face on the front page of Yahoo! 

Click here to read the associated story on Rivals.com.  There's also a great photo gallery of Shawn on the site (click here).  The site also pays tribute to the "great gymnasts of the past," including Mary Lou, Nadia, Olga, and Kim (click here).