Olympic champion: More to life than winning

Heidelberg hosted Olympic gymnastics champion Shawn Johnson West on Wednesday for HYPE Day #2. During her keynote address, Shawn shared her rise to Olympic glory that began with her first gymnastics competition at age 5. Although she finished dead last in that competition, she was ecstatic. That was the first of many times in her competitive career when she realized that effort, hard work and doing what you love are more important than winning. Despite outside pressure to be the best, she said she learned at a very young age that there's more to life than winning. “Ultimately, it’s not about medals and scores,” Shawn told students. “It’s about how you feel.” She encouraged students to find what they love and work hard at it.

Mark your calendars for the next HYPE Day, Tuesday, Nov. 14, when we will welcome documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock.