Word: liddick
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...coaches and athletes alike say the prospect of competing in '96 as the home team has been a huge incentive to stay in the sport. The old-timers, says Peggy Liddick, one of Miller's Oklahoma City coaches, "have a special bond. They're like sisters. They were very young in '92. They really do appreciate each other." Given the coach hopping that is endemic in gymnastics, many of these young women have trained together, and all, of course, have competed countless times against one another. "I think it's great we've all stayed in this long," says Miller...
Miller, by contrast, has had to make her peace with the attention that attends world-class competition. "Shannon's always had the talent, but would never take her eyes off the floor," says her balance-beam coach, Peggy Liddick. "She's had to overcome her shyness and learn to play to a crowd." Miller masks well the ego that helped get her to this point. She does not read her own press clips and refuses to watch videotapes of her performances, except for training purposes. "I would rather do gymnastics than watch it," she says...
American coaches who have watched Miller at competitions describe her as a "machine" because of the methodical way she practices her moves over and over and over. "What I respect most is her work ethic," says Liddick. "If I say do something 20 times, she does 30 and asks what's next." That discipline enabled Miller to recover from elbow surgery in five weeks' time, where a minimum of eight is usual. During the downtime, she was able to give other injuries a rest and develop strength and new skills. What could have been a career stopper has worked...
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