ROUND LAKE BEACH – America's most decorated gymnast stands barely taller than 5 feet – even in 3-inch heels.
It makes her the perfect height to take pictures with children who dream the same dream she had – winning Olympic gold.
And with her soft-spoken, southwestern accent, the Oklahoma-bred star captured the hearts of a few more fans on Jan. 26 during a stop at American Eagles Gymnastics in Round Lake Beach.
"As far as I'm concerned, in American gymnastics there are two women who shaped the American athlete – Mary Lou Retton and the other was Shannon Miller," said Steve Cacchione, who co-owns American Eagles Gymnastics with his wife, Jenny. "With her [59] medals, she dominated the sport for years. [She was] just the trend and design for the current American athlete."
Miller's stop at American Eagles was intended to plug the Tyson American Cup – one of the most prestigious international gymnastics competitions that take place on U.S. soil – and an event Miller won in 1993.
The Cacchiones and their gymnasts sold more than 140 tickets to the Cup, which will take place on Feb. 21 at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, earning them a visit from Miller.
"I wouldn't do this if I wasn't enjoying it," Miller said of her visit. "[I do this] as a thank you to the clubs.
Cacchione was ecstatic leading up to the visit from the famous gymnast.
"I'm probably the most thrilled person in this gym that she's coming," the 45-year-old said, noting that Miller was one of his personal heroes. But his excitement was driven more by the chance that his gymnasts would be able to interact with the medalist.
"I'm thrilled about our kids having the opportunity to meet an athlete of Shannon's ability and caliber and prestige," Cacchione said. "And if there's a 7-, 8-year-old girl who buys a ticket to the cup and likes it and gets involved [in gymnastics], I guess that's all we can ask for."
The stop at American Eagles was one of four for Miller that day. She also traveled to gyms in Ringwood, Mundelein and Palatine.
Lessons learned
Shannon Miller won 59 international and 49 national competition medals in the nearly 14 years she competed in gymnastics, which included seven Olympic medals – two gold, two silver and three bronze. She is the only American to rank among the top 10 all-time gymnasts and is the only female athlete to be inducted into the U.S. Olympics Hall of Fame – twice.
But her message Monday night wasn't about the medals she had won. In fact, when asked how many trophies she had won, she struggled to come up with the correct number. Cacchione actually stepped in and corrected the Olympian.
"I believe you had 59 international and 49 national [medals]," he said somewhat sheepishly, as Miller laughed.
"I know I had seven Olympic medals!" she said.
Instead of the glory, Miller spoke of falling and getting back up, of overcoming obstacles and working toward individual goals.
"When I was 19 years old ... in Atlanta ... I fell on my rear in front of the world on a vault I never miss," the 31-year-old said to the young crowd of gymnasts. "It can happen to anyone at any time."
"When you fall, [you] gotta get back up again," she said later. "Falls are OK. They're actually a good thing. I had a lot of falls, but it made me such a better gymnast."
She shared some of her "systems" for a variety of things, including getting rid of calluses and coping with nerves, saying the best thing to do was compete as much as possible.
"I take a deep breath, and I picture all these butterflies in my tummy; and I imagine them all flying out my fingertips," she said, spreading her arms wide to illustrate the effect.
As almost an afterthought, she nonchalantly pulled out one of her Olympic gold medals from her right jacket pocket for the gymnasts to see when the lined up for autographs.
For Miller, speaking at American Eagles was just another way to share her story and spread a message of hope with potential Olympic stars.
"We all start out at the bottom, but you can make it to the top," Miller said after signing autographs for her fans. "I see myself in them. For me, [when I was] 6 or 8 years old, to hear an Olympian come and say what it was like to be nervous ... hopefully it'll resonate with them."
