Describes the hardships and challenges Shannon Miller overcame to become an Olympic gold medalist
Shannon Miller has truly lived the American Dream-its drama and disappointment, its hope and joy. Written by her mother, this profusely illustrated story of Shannons journey to Olympic fame is also the portrait of a family working together to help a child achieve a difficult, challenging goal.
The ultimate thrill for an athlete is to stand on a podium and, with the world as witness, to accept an Olympic medal. In Shannon Miller: My Child, My Hero, Claudia Miller helps us understand the dedication and hard work preceding that moment of Olympic glory. Claudia presents intimate details of Shannons life, her triumphs and her crushing defeats. She also shares the ways she and her husband, Ron, handled both the tears and the happiness, as well as how they dealt with Shannons siblings, Tessa and Troy, and her teachers and coaches.
We journey with the Miller family through Shannons training and achievements, struggles and injuries, to her dramatic comeback. In the 1992 Olympics, she won five medals. An in 1996, despite media declarations that she was no longer competitive, Shannon performed brilliantly-leading the womens gymnastics team to first place and winning a gold medal for her performance on the balance beam.
List of Illustrations ix(4) Foreword xiii Shannon Miller Prologue 3(4) 1. In the Beginning 7(6) 2. Trampoline Tricks 13(17) 3. Competition Kickoff 30(18) 4. Infiltrating the Six-Pack 48(8) 5. Going National 56(11) 6. Taking on the Big Guns 67(13) 7. 1992: Olympic Countdown 80(17) 8. Barcelona Bounty 97(21) 9. Oklahoma--OK and More 118(13) 10. Sweet Sixteen 131(16) 11. 1993: Miller Time 147(15) 12. Battling Burnout 162(14) 13. Victory Down Under 176(13) 14. Mountains to Climb 189(10) 15. Competition Controversy 199(7) 16. Argentina Adventure 206(14) 17. Charity Begins at Home 220(12) 18. Refusal to Sideline 232(12) 19. 1996: A Dream in Doubt 244(21) 20. Team Triumph 265(14) 21. A Sense of Balance 279(11) Epilogue 290
Claudia Miller, who has been a gymnastics judge and coach, is Vice President of Operations and Marketing for First National Bank of Edmond, Oklahoma. This loving portrait of her daughter is her first book.
