Jessa Hansen from Chow's Gymnastics, same as Shawn Johnson, got full college scholarship in Iowa:
[quote]For nine years, the 17-year-old senior from Clive has trained day in and day out in the gymnasium she shares with world champion Shawn Johnson. But as Johnson moves forward to the Olympics, Hansen will take another route: one that is taking her to Iowa City and the University of Iowa.
This month, Hansen signed to compete with the women's gymnastics team on a full scholarship. She is women's coach Larissa Libby's first in-state recruit and Chow's first student to move on to the college level.
"We feel like she has the opportunity to resurrect Iowans' love for gymnastics," Libby said. "She's that total package. Academically she's stellar. ... But she also brings a poise and artistry in gymnastics. We couldn't be more excited about bringing Jessa here."[/quote]
All the way to 2007 JO Naionals:
[quote]Hansen said she had no idea gymnastics would become such a large part of her life when she started training at Chow's in third grade. Her routine then consisted of cartwheels, somersaults and handstands.
"I just went there and fell in love with it, I guess," Hansen said.
That love, along with hundreds of hours of practice, later materialized into 13 state championships, six Region IV wins and 13th place in beam and 26th all-around at the 2007 Junior Olympics Nationals.
It wasn't until high school that Hansen realized gymnastics could be her door into college. As she approached her senior year as an honor student at Waukee High School, scouts began to make offers.[/quote]
Lots of directions you can take with gymnastics:
[quote]While Johnson is a role model for many of the girls at the gym who dream of going to the Olympics, Hansen is a role model for those who want to go to college, Coach Liang Chow said.
"They both have different abilities physically, but they are both great leaders," Chow said. "Regardless how many gold medals (Jessa) took in the past in her gymnastics career, she's a gold medal in life."
Hansen plans to study pre-med at Iowa in hopes of someday pursuing a career in sports medicine.
"It's nice for the younger girls to see there's other directions you can take with the sport," Hansen said.[/quote]
http://www.altoonaherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071123/NEWS/711230322
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