Iowa Flooding Forces Shawn Johnson From Gym

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WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — With the Olympic trials only days away, rising floodwaters forced world gymnastics champion Shawn Johnson from her gym.

There was a foot of water inside Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute on Friday, with fish swimming in the parking lot. So Johnson moved to Iowa State, about 30 miles north of her hometown, until she leaves Monday for the trials.

Iowa State allows the gold medal contender to stay at home, but it's still a disruption in her training.

The Olympic trials are set for June 19-22 in Philadelphia. The top two — expected to be Johnson and Nastia Liukin — automatically qualify for the Beijing squad, with the remaining four members named after a July 20 selection camp.


I know that this pales in comparison, but this is still sad.

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1. Also in the article...

It states that Iowa State has different equipment than will be in Bejing and that she has trained on for years.

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2. Hmmm

Last shameless self-kick, I guess.

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3. What the hell

Last one.

Promise

:evilgrin:

[Kool Kitty]

4. Why are we getting wall-to-wall Tim Russert for the past

three days (and I think his funeral is Wednesday, so we have three more days to go) and no mention of this? It is sad. K & R. :kick:

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5. Thanks. I know it isn't the NBA Playoffs or the US Open,

But the Olympic Trials are this week, and the best hope for the US to win an all-around gold medal in August had to switch to strange and different equipment and witness the tragedy that is Iowa and Wisconsin right now.

[Kool Kitty]

6. I don't get the lack of coverage this is getting.

The pictures are horrifying-looks like the Gulf Coast after Katrina. I know Bush doesn't give a shit, but geez-only CNN has anything about it, and not all that much, either.

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7. It is a disgrace

The national media needs to get its collective-head out of its ass and cover this tragedy.