By now, you’ve all heard the story. Gabby Douglas moved from Virginia Beach to West Des Moines to train with the same coach that took Shawn Johnson to the 2008 Olympics. I had the honor of going to that Olympic Training Center and watching Liang Chow work with his crew while I was helping Shawn with her memoir. (Ahem, her New York Times best selling memoir!) That’s where I first saw Gabby Douglas, who lived with a family there in West Des Moines.
ABC has a very touching story of how her mom, Natalie Hawkins, worked with another mom in West Des Moines, Missy Parton, to make her Olympic dreams possible.
You might also enjoy:
- Attacking Gabby Douglas’s Faith? Really?
- Is Your Daughter Now Interested in the Olympics? Shawn Johnson’s New Book is a Great Read
- Shawn Johnson’s Video about “A Winning Balance”
- Black Hair 101
- I’m a White Republican Raising a Black Child: Deal with It
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