Olympic gold medalist Johnson helps inspire young hopefuls at Southeast Missouri State gymnastics clinic

Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson observes area gymnastics students during a clinic Monday at Southeast Missouri State University.

Fred Lynch

Far from the bright lights of the Olympic gymnastics arena -- or even the Dancing with the Stars stage -- where she made her name, 2008 Olympic gold medalist gymnast Shawn Johnson pulled on a Southeast Missouri State gymnastics T-shirt Monday afternoon and got to work doing something that might be just as important -- influencing the next generation of gymnasts.

In a room filled with approximately 50 young gymnastics hopefuls ages 6 through 14 at Parker Hall on the Southeast campus, Johnson spent about an hour helping young girls through the process of improving their technique and approach as they worked on the floor, vault, beam and bars.

She then spent half an hour answering hard-hitting questions like, "What's your favorite event?" (not surprisingly the beam, on which she earned her individual Olympic gold), "What's your favorite food?" (sushi), and "Do you have any pets?" (a dog named Nash).

Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson observes area gymnastics students during a clinic Monday, Feb. 6, 2017 at Southeast Missouri State University.

Fred Lynch

Still just 25 years old, Johnson is young enough to remember her own childhood in the gym, but in a sport that moves on quickly, also old enough to be retired for nearly five years and living on the fringe of the young girls' realities. When Johnson asked the group who was even born by the time she was at the height of her career in 2008, only about a third of the group raised its hand.

Perhaps most tellingly, the question that garnered the most astonishment from the young girls was when one of them asked, "Do you know (2016 Olympics star) Simone Biles?" When Johnson said the two do know each other and have toured together, it elicited a chorus of "oos" and "ahhs" from those assembled.

Yet Johnson still carries enough cache, and certainly enough wisdom, to make an impact on girls currently chasing their gymnastics dreams or even just figuring out if they like the sport.

"[Clinics] are super important to us," Southeast gymnastics assistant coach Brittney Emmons said. "Being a sport that's well recognized when the Olympics come around but the rest of the time it's a small community. It's nice to be able to reach out to help develop and grow the sport, whether you do gymnastics or are just a fan. It's good to have that ability to reach a lot of people.

"I hope [the girls] take away a little bit of spark and even more interest in gymnastics. It's a tough sport and there are going to be a lot of up-and-down battles, but [they can] see to not give up on your dreams and to push and keep going and keep that fire lit -- that passion for gymnastics -- as long as you can."

Emmons said that the response from the community was tremendous when the opportunity arose to bring Johnson in to participate with the clinic. The session swiftly sold out before it was expanded to allow a few more people to sign up.

Emma Horrell was one of the lucky ones to get a spot. A 12-year-old gymnast and Cape Girardeau resident, Horrell was just 4 years old when Johnson was the sport's biggest star, but even she was anxious to interact with the Olympian.

"I was super excited and nervous, because I was afraid to fail in front of her," Horrell said.

Horrell said she knew a little bit about Johnson prior to the event and kept tabs on her through her Instagram account.

SEMO sophomore gymnast McKinzie Jones is old enough to have a much clearer understanding of Johnson's stature. For Jones, who represented the Redhawks at the Tuscaloosa Regional a year ago and was a Midwest Independent Conference champion on the floor, Johnson was a critical part of her gymnastics dreams. On Monday, she got to work alongside her as the Redhawks led the clinic.

Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson observes area gymnastics students during a clinic Monday, Feb. 6, 2017 at Southeast Missouri State University.

Fred Lynch

"I was 11 or 12 and, to me, that was the time I wanted to quit gymnastics," Jones said, reminiscing about Johnson's 2008 Olympics showing. "So when I was watching her it really inspired me and kept me going. Seeing her now, it's just crazy to think she was my role model."

Jones said she hopes the young gymnasts in attendance Monday take away that same sort of inspiration from being able to rub shoulders with someone who has reached the highest of the sport's heights.

"I definitely think it gives you that drive, that motivation," Jones said. "Gymnastics is not just a sport you can do without loving it and having that inspiration, so it's really nice to have Olympians do stuff like this."

And who knows? Maybe one day one of the girls on that floor in Parker Hall will be the one overshadowing Simone Biles.

"You know, you never know," Emmons said. "It would be awesome to see that it touched one little kid more than anything else and that's her goal and she continues to push and excel in the sport."