Shawn trains with the focus and intensity of an international gymnastics star

Spend a day with Shawn, and you’ll see that support and trust play a huge role in her life, no matter the relationship. And she works hard, not wanting to let anyone down, including herself. Her parents, who enrolled her in gymnastics classes at a very young age; her cousins, who are like sisters and rarely miss a competition she’s in; her coaches; her boyfriend—these are her closest people, and for them, she strives. And they support her in staying grounded. Because they champion her efforts and believe in her, Shawn is always free to move forward. And when she moves forward, no one is left behind. Everyone is by her side.

Shawn trains six days a week, sometimes twice a day—which may seem like a lot, but it’s still half of what many gymnasts at her level do. Having time is very important to her, so she always trains with maximum effort in the most efficient way possible to balance her life outside of work and training.

Shawn wakes up around 6 AM and goes to bed at 10 PM. Her mornings begin with a trip to her favorite cafe each day. Except for Sundays, her coffee is followed by gymnastics training. When she’s not training with her coach, she’s on the cross-trainer at the local gym, watching morning talk shows, or taking a Pilates class. Like most women, she’s very body-conscious, and she uses classes like these to fine-tune her physique, which can become bulky from gymnastics training.

For Shawn, it’s not about competition, but the drive to succeed at anything she does

She has a boyfriend who is a former football player, loves getting pedicures, enjoys live country music, loves to read, watch football games, and eat sushi. She cherishes time with her parents and loves interior design. When she goes shopping at the local mall, she visits the large sporting goods and hunting stores that carry all her favorite Nike apparel. She prefers to train in Nike Pro Compression and Tempo shorts, Victory Adjust sports bras, and ID and Free TR trainers. She collects them in every color and pattern, and she’s all about Nike. She’s incredibly proud and honored to be part of the Nike team and hopes that one day Nike will launch a gymnastics line.

For Shawn, it’s not about competition, but the drive to succeed at anything she does. Even when she’s at the local mall, Shawn is gracious with all the fans who line up to see her. These people are like family to her, her hometown family. One young gymnast says, “Shawn is a normal person who is kind and helpful. She understands our situation, so she tries to help and encourage us.”

She’s not just preparing for upcoming competitions, either. She’s involved in many projects, one of which is her popular leotard collection. She’s been designing this line—five seasons a year, eight styles per season—along with her own competition leotards for the past four years. She loves sketching and experimenting with different fabrics and trims, and she dreams of eventually launching a general apparel line, starting with sportswear.

She has turned her world into a small kingdom

She has won numerous medals. Her cousin says, “Shawn is smart, physically fit, and loves a challenge. If she sets her mind to it, she can do anything.—She’ll win this time, just as she’s won so many times before.”

Shawn wants to attend college once her gymnastics career settles down. Since she was homeschooled her junior year of high school, Shawn longs for a normal life with her peers. Her biggest hope is to earn a business degree from an Ivy League school in Palo Alto. The college campus and the relaxed scenery of California are conducive to balancing academics and a normal college life. It’s no surprise that she’s interested in studying business—through the endorsement deals and projects she’s involved in, she has turned her world into a small kingdom. The only place to go from here is up.

As Shawn soars higher and farther, she plans to return to Iowa in the end. While she craves new experiences, she also needs the comfort of home, her oasis. She is, after all, Iowa’s beloved hero, and she takes that responsibility as seriously as everything else she does.

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