HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Olympic Gold Medalist Shawn Johnson East was the final speaker as part of the Dillon Lecture Series at Hutchinson Community College this morning.
Since she was a little girl, Johnson East dreamed of competing for the United States in the Olympics. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she helped establish the United States as one of the most talented teams in the world, winning the individual gold medal in the balance beam and three silver medals in the individual all-around, floor exercise, and team categories.
She talked with the media before her speech about what it was like to be at the Olympics. “Being at the Olympics is like being on top of the world,” Johnson East said. She added, “I started with gymnastics when I was 3-years-old, devoted 13 years of my life to it, 30 hours a week from the time I was 8, and when I was at the Olympics, it was like this breath of fresh air, that I could relax because I had committed so much time and sacrificed so much of my childhood for this dream that I had and it was reassurance that it paid off.”
She also won season eight of Dancing with the Stars and earned second place on the all-star show. In 2012, she published her book, “Winning Balance,” and announced her retirement from competitive gymnastics following a knee injury. In 2014, she competed on the seventh installment of the hit show Celebrity Apprentice.
She talked about getting on those two shows and how she enjoyed it. As you would expect, she was also asked about her impression of now-President Donald Trump when she was on Celebrity Apprentice. She said Trump and his family members were the nicest people and says he wanted to know about her husband and her family. She adds that he even offered to let her dad play on any of his golf courses, saying her dad likes to play golf.
In addition to gymnastics, Johnson East is known for her charitable endeavors, including work with many cancer-related and animal charities. But, she talked about one in particular that involves ex-athletes going to Mexico to help build homes. It’s called “Homes for Hopes.” It’s based in Tijuana, Mexico, and brings ex-athletes there to build homes for impoverished families. Athletes work side-by-side with the families they’re helping. She says her brother-in-law heads up that program.
She now makes her home in Nashville, Tennessee, but says she grew up in Iowa and loves the people of the Midwest, commenting on how nice they are everywhere she goes.