So, yesterday was basically one of the most exciting days I’ve ever had. As you know, Julie is headed to the Olympics in London in August, but I got the chance to attend the gymnastics Olympic trials this week in San Jose on behalf of P&G Beauty. For three hours, I had the opportunity to watch, up close, the country’s best gymnasts practice for competition. It was, quite simply, awe-inspiring. I’ll be posting photos and videos in the next week.
But equally as exciting was sitting down to talk with an incredible athlete who is not competing this year – Shawn Johnson, who won the gold medal on balance beam, and the silver all-around individual medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Earlier this month, despite prior intentions to compete for a slot on the 2012 Olympic team, Johnson announced her retirement due to recurring problems with her knee following an injury. Instead, her new role at the Olympic Games will be as a P&G correspondent, interviewing athletes and cheering them on from the stands. After the jump, read my interview with Shawn, who talks about what she learned from being surrounded by so many other women, how she feels about being a role model, and what question she’s dying to ask the Olympic athletes in London. Oh yeah, and we also obviously talked about gross beauty tips, Ryan Gosling, tall guys, and “Magic Mike.” Because duh. Keep reading »
