UTICA —
When Shannon Miller was at her best in gymnastics, she was among the very best the world has ever seen.
Her seven Olympic medals are the most of any American gymnast ever.
That’s the Shannon Miller everyone knows.
During her speech Saturday at the Radisson Centre in Utica, she spoke about personal struggles beyond the uneven bars and the balance beam.
Miller talked about her insecurities as a teenager in high school having to wear a leotard and she spoke about gaining weight after she retired from competitive gymnastics.
“When I say I gained weight, I mean at least four sizes in six to eight months,” Miller told the nearly all-female audience. “I don’t care who you are, that’s tough for a woman. Especially when each time you make an appearance or walk into a room people expect that you’re going to be in Olympic shape.”
Miller was speaking as part of the “Makeover My Heart” day-long event hosted by Slocum-Dickson Medical Group to raise awareness among women about heart disease.
Miller said she had to re-dedicate herself to staying in shape and being healthy, and she encouraged the women in the audience to instill that same discipline in themselves.
“If we want to be healthy, we have to make a conscious decision that we can do it,” she said. “A healthy lifestyle is a lifestyle of personal empowerment.”
Since she was part of the “Magnificent 7” Olympic gold medal team in Atlanta back in 1996, Miller has been appointed to the Governor’s Fitness Council in the state of Florida, founded a charity to fight childhood obesity and has run the New York City Marathon.
Her stories resonated with the people in the audience.
“It was touching to see how willing she was to share her personal experience,” said Odette Lajeunesse of New York Mills. “You don’t see that side of celebrities too often.”
Chantal Pianka of Yorkville said she will remember the speech for its lessons.
“It was real,” she said. “It was a reminder that a healthy lifestyle is important to everyone from Olympic athletes to regular everyday people.”
Brittany Pagoda, a sophomore gymnast at Whitesboro High School, looked up to Miller during those famous ’96 Olympics. Pagoda said she’s familiar with some of the pressures, work schedules and insecurities that Miller spoke about.
“I definitely can relate to what she was talking about,” Pagoda said. “I know what it’s like to train and be in competition and to try to stay healthy.”
In the end, Miller’s speech was about perseverance as much as health.
It was about a steadfast desire to meet the goals each person should lay for themselves.
“When you watch the Olympics you only see the final product,” Miller said. “For most of those girls that minute-and-a-half routine or that 10 second vault took 10 years to perfect. Nothing comes easy.”
Source - http://www.uticaod.com
