House Resolution 101 - Introduced PAG LIN H.R. ________ S.R. ________ 1 1 HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 1 2 BY JACOBS 1 3 A Resolution honoring the remarkable achievements of 1 4 Iowa's own Shawn Johnson. 1 5 WHEREAS, the life and career of Iowa high school 1 6 student Shawn Johnson is a testament to the value of 1 7 hard work and a dedication to excellence; and 1 8 WHEREAS, Ms. Johnson began a career in gymnastics 1 9 at the age of three and through more than a decade of 1 10 perseverance and hard work is now an elite 1 11 international gymnast at the age of 15, already being 1 12 compared to the United States' first female all=around 1 13 world champion gymnast, Kim Zmeskal; and 1 14 WHEREAS, under the guidance of coaches Liang Qiao 1 15 and Liwen Zhuang, Ms. Johnson first appeared on the 1 16 national scene in 2005, placing third in the junior 1 17 division at the 2005 U.S. Classic and in 2006 was the 1 18 2006 U.S. Junior National All=Around Champion; and 1 19 WHEREAS, in 2007, Ms. Johnson's fiery combination 1 20 of power and skills catapulted her to world attention, 1 21 winning the all=around at the 2007 Tyson American Cup, 1 22 winning four gold medals and one silver medal at the 1 23 2007 Pan American Games, and winning the 2007 Visa 1 24 National Championships; and 1 25 WHEREAS, in September 2007, along with teammates 1 26 Nastia Liukin, Shayla Worley, Alicia Sacramone, Ivana 1 27 Hong, and Samantha Peszek, Ms. Johnson placed first in 1 28 the team competition in the 40th World Artistic 1 29 Gymnastics Championships held in Stuttgart, Germany, 1 30 and individually placed first in the all=around and 2 1 the floor competition; and 2 2 WHEREAS, as the 2007 World All=Around Champion, Ms. 2 3 Johnson is now training in the hope of joining the 2 4 United States women's gymnastic team at the 2008 2 5 Beijing Olympics; NOW THEREFORE, 2 6 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 2 7 That on behalf of all Iowans, the House of 2 8 Representatives honors Shawn Johnson, a remarkable 2 9 young athlete whose dedication, skill, poise, and 2 10 grace have taken her to the world stage and will take 2 11 her farther still in the future. 2 12 LSB 5127HH 82 2 13 jr/rj/5.1