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Shawn Johnson's coach permits mistakes, leading to success Posted Thursday, August 7, 2008 10:09 AM ET Shawn Johnson candidly acknowledges that she can feel nervous when the spotlight turns to her at major gymnastics events. As she says, who wouldn't feel nerves when everyone's watching? But you wouldn't know it watching the 16-year-old from West Des Moines, Iowa, who is widely considered a favorite to win the women's individual all-around competition at the Beijing Games. And here's why: Shawn has the express permission of her coach, Liang Chow, to make mistakes. And, in one of those great twists, it's precisely because she feels the freedom to make mistakes that she rarely makes big ones. Before the U.S. Olympic Trials, in June in Philadelphia, for instance, Chow told Shawn, as her mother, Teri recalled, just two things:... [read full story]
