As an owner of a gymnastics academy and the father of three female gymnasts, it was the best voicemail someone could receive, according to Chris Rogers.


"I checked the voicemail for the gymnastics academy on July 7 and there was a message from Shawn Johnson's agent (Sheryl Shade)," said Rogers, who owns Action Gymnastics in Howell along with his wife Michele. "I returned the phone call later that day. Later that evening, (Olympic gold medalist) Shawn Johnson was at our facility training for 2 1/2 hours."

Apparently, Johnson, who won a gold and three silver medals at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, was looking for a gym where she could train and also shoot her commercial for her self-titled video game "Shawn Johnson Gymnastics" for Nintendo's Wii gaming system, according to Rogers.

The next day, Johnson, 18, returned and her camera crew joined her at Action Gymnastics early in the morning. Johnson shot 4 1/2 hours of footage for the commercial of her upcoming video game, which will be released on Nov. 2 by game producer Zoo Games for $29.99.

"She was doing a video shoot for her video game in New York City and didn't like the studio arrangement," Rogers said. "She then went on the Internet and was looking at New Jersey Gymnastics facilities. It was all luck that she ended up at Action Gymnastics. It is like Derek Jeter calling and asking to play catch with your son."

But with three daughters this was the gender equivalent and something Rogers, his wife and three children will never forget. After shooting the commercial, Johnson posed for photos with several young girls that train at Action Gymnastics, Rogers said. It was a poignant memory of how far Action Gymnastics had come in such a short time.

"It was a vacant building in August of 2007 when we bought it. When we first started we had somewhere between 30 and 40 kids," Rogers said. "Now, we have well over 100 local kids that come from Jackson, Howell, Freehold and Marlboro. I just open and close the building, but my wife Michele and our head coach Kris King work with the girls."

In just three years, Action Gymnastics had made a name for itself even before the visit of the famous gymnast.

"(During the first weekend in July) we won two team national championships, and along with that we've won several state championships over the past three years," Rogers said. "We have over a 100 competitive gymnasts that compete in both state and national competitions."

Source: app.com

The photo gallery is currently is having some issues. Trying to resolve the problem. Will let you all know when it's back up and working.

From Olympic Gold Medalist, to Dancing With The Stars champ to ... Wii Games Ambassador?

If nothing else, 18-year-old phenom Shawn Johnson has had an interesting career. Now she's teaming up with Nintendo for a bash at Liberty State Park for the Wii Games: Summer 2010 event, which is happening all weekend until 6pm, where NYC moms, dads, and kids are all encouraged to get up and move.
Johnson had a few minutes to spare, and we had a few questions.

First, and probably most importantly, are you a gamer?
Definitely! I grew up playing the original Nintendo and now I own the Wii, which is a lot of fun. It’s a great way to get friends and family together and have a good time.


Do you have a favorite game?
Physical activity is a big part of my life, so it’s no surprise that I like any games that get me up and moving. But if I had to choose just one game… I’d have to say Wii Sports Bowling. I’m a huge bowler so it’s a lot of fun for me.

Is there any chance you'll be competing in the Wii Games? Your status as a gold-medal-winning Olympian should give you a pretty good edge.
I wish I was. I’m a pretty good bowler! As the Wii Games Ambassador, I’m really excited to cheer on everyone else and see who will make it to the national championships in Los Angeles.

What do you think of the idea of a Wii Olympics?
I think it’s a great idea. I love how anyone can get the chance to take part in this competition. That’s one of the great things about Wii – anyone can play, whether you’re an athlete or just looking for a fun way to be active.

As an athlete, do you think that video games are contributing to the obesity epidemic?
I don’t think there’s any one cause of obesity. Video games like Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort can actually help people get up and moving, which is a great step to leading a healthy lifestyle

Do you think the Wii -- since it basically forces folks up off the couch -- can help fight it?
It’s a complex issue and I don’t think there’s any one simple solution to fight obesity. However, I do think that Wii games can help people of all ages and athletic abilities have fun while being active.

I think it's fair to say that you're a well-known name, and people surely recognize you from the Olympics and television, so when will we see Shawn Johnson in a video game?
As you can probably tell from my involvement with the Wii Games, I’m a big Nintendo fan. So it makes sense that my upcoming Shawn Johnson Gymnastics video games will be available for both Wii and Nintendo DS.

Source: nypost.com/nintendoShawnJohnson

Virtual Shawn Johnson is on the horizon

There’s a Shawn Johnson gymnastics video game set to debut on the Nintendo’s Wii playing system.

How do we know? Well, Johnson Tweeted about it on Thursday: “Just played my new Shawn Johnson Gymnastics Wii Game and WOW I’m in LOVE!!!! I’m officially a video game junkie!!! So excited! AHHHHH!!”

It must be exciting, with that many capital letters.

Johnson, of West Des Moines, won multiple medals — including a gold — at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

The company releasing the game, called “Shawn Johnson Gymnastics,” said it will hit stores in October. Start limbering up now.

Source: desmoinesregister.com

I have always wanted to get Shawn's autograph. Yes I have written to Chows gymnastics right after the Olympics of 2008 and sent in a self addressed envelope, but I never received anything back. However I know many people who have gotten an autograph from that address.

Shawn has been a huge inspiration to me. When I was going through chemo and radiation two years ago, her smile and ambition made me want to continue pushing on, no matter how hard or difficult some of the times were. Yes I had 3 relapses meaning I had to go through "heck" and back... But Shawn's smile, and everything she ever has done to push herself to get into the Olympics pretty much gave me the insight.. come on Tyler you can do it, don't let this drag you down. Shawn may never know how much she has helped me. But many do know why. This is one reason why I have this website dedicated to her. One to show her my support, but two to THANK her for everything. She pretty much helped me not to give up and to keep fighting. Though the form of cancer I had was not life threatening, it still made me deeply depressed.

So today I received one of my wishes, getting an official Shawn AUTOGRAPH. Everyone who knows me know how much this means to me. Of course I wish I was there when Shawn signed the shirt. But you know what, it is what the thoughts of my good family friends and relatives were thinking. They knew how much this would mean to me and look what they did.

Shawn if you read this, thank you for everything. You will always receive my continued support. You rock, and thank you for the autograph and the birthday wishes. You truly made my day, thank you!

here is the autograph from Shawn:

Shawn Johnson, Olympic Gold Medalist and from Dancing with the Stars was on hand today at Camp Woodward to hang out with some kids, sign autographs and check out the Cheer and Tumble demo at 1:00. Check out a few pictures from this morning's meet and greet.

Check out the photos here!

Click image to see larger version

Source: AllenGrinterBaseballCards