IN AN UNPRECEDENTED MOVE JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER BAY AND THE INTERNATIONAL
OLYMPIC COMMITTEE AGREED TO
POSTPONE THE TOKYO OLYMPICS
UNTIL THE SUMMER OF
2021. IT IS CERTAINLY A
HERCULEAN EFFORT AND BY FAR THE
MOST SIGNIFICANT SPORTING EVENT
TO FALL VICTIM TO THE NOVEL
CORONAVIRUS SHANNON MILLER, THE
MOST DECORATED US GYMNAST IN US
HISTORY WITH A TOTAL OF
7 OLYMPIC MEDALS. A MEMBER OF
THE GOLD MEDAL-WINNING
MAGNIFICENT 7 TEAM AT THE
1996 OLYMPICS AND A
JACKSONVILLE RESIDENT MIGHT.
JOINING ME VIA SKYPE SHANNON
MILLER. SHANNON, THIS IS THE
ULTIMATE DREAM FOR ATHLETES,
BUT THEY DON’T WANT TO
JEOPARDIZE THEIR HEALTH AND
OBVIOUSLY THE RIGHT CALL A.
>>LAUREN VERNO: YOU KNOW I
THINK IT IS I THINK THE HAVE
REFLECTED THAT ENOUGH WHAT I
HEARD AND WHAT THEY SHARE
IT IS YOU THE OVERALL GOAL IS
TO KEEP EVERYONE SAFE AND AS
HEALTHY AS POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT
THE WORLD, NOT JUST
ATHLETES BUT YOU KNOW WE DON’T
DO THIS ALONE. WE DON’T DO THIS
IN A VACUUM, SO WHEN YOU’RE
TALKING ABOUT ATHLETES WHO
TALKING ABOUT COACHES AND
TRAINERS AND YOU KNOW THE
REALLY THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE
THAT ALLOW US TO GO OUT THERE
AND SHINE AND WE WANT TO KEEP
EVERYONE IS PROTECTED. I THINK
THE ATHLETES HAVE DONE A REALLY
GOOD JOB OF.
KEEPING THAT IN PERSPECTIVE
WHILE
HAVING TOO REALLY RE THIS IS
DEVASTATING FOR SOME THIS
YOU KIND OF JUST ANOTHER PIECE
OF ADVERSITY FOR OTHERS BUT
THAT’S WHAT ATHLETES ARE BUILT
TO DEAN THEY ARE BUILT OR
ADVERSITY AT COMPETITION AT
WITH INJURIES AND SO NOW IS THE
TIME FOR ALL OF THE ATHLETES TO
TO GO BACK
AND JUST TAKEN BE ARE TO RE
EVALUATE LEAH SAYS LOOK AT
THEIR GAME PLAN THEIR TRAINING
PLAN AND AT LEAST NOW THEY KNOW
OK IT IS A SPONSOR
NOW WHAT CAN I DO WEAR MY WE’RE
NOT GOING TO BE WHEN IT IS TIME
TO KIND OF ERUPT AGAIN SO THEY
CAN START TO MAKE THOSE
DECISIONS IF THAT GOAL SETTING
AND REALLY GET IN THAT MINDSET
WHAT IT’S GOING TO TAKE THE
KIND
OF COMEBACK.
>> AND YOU KNOW IF THE I O C
HAD GONE AHEAD
AND SAID, LET’S WAIT A LITTLE
LONGER THERE WAS A PROBLEM
BECAUSE YOU KNOW
THESE TEAMS. THEY COULDN’T
TRAIN TOGETHER AND THAT WAS
ANOTHER ISSUE.
>>LAUREN VERNO: WELL IT IT’S A
TRAINING, IT’S IT’S NOT ABOUT
WHAT HAPPENS TO LIE 24, IT’S
THE TRAINING THAT
HAPPENS NOW, OR JULY 24TH, YOU
DON’T JUST SHOW UP ON
GAME THE WORK STARTS NOW UP THE
WORK STARTED YEARS AGO, BUT THE
WORK IS NOW AND IF YOU ARE IN
QUARANTINE IF YOU ARE
SHELTERING
IN PLACE. YOU CAN’T GET OUT AND
DO THE THINGS THAT YOU NEED TO
DO TO BE HEALTHY TO BE SAFE
TO WORK WITH YOUR TEAM, YOU
KNOW YOU THINK ABOUT GYMNAST
YOU THINK ABOUT MAYBE BEING ON
THE BOUNCY
MALONE, BUT YOUR COACHES ARE
SPOTTING YOU I’VE GOT YOUR
BASKETBALL ON THESE OTHER TEAM
SPORTS WHERE YOU HAVE TO HAVE
THAT CONTACT GIVE JUDO AND
TAEKWONDO HOW DO YOU TRAIN FOR
THAT WITHOUT THAT CLOSE CONTACT
WITH SOMEONE IN THE 60 AWAY IT
DOESN’T WORK SO
THE ATHLETES UNDERSTAND THAT
THAT THE TRAINING IS GOING ON
NOW AND IF WE CAN’T DO THAT AND
WE CAN’T DO THAT SAFELY AND
SUCCESSFULLY BEEN. LET’S GO
AHEAD AND JUST MAKE
THAT DECISION AND THEN WE’LL BE
ABLE TO RE EVALUATE PREPARE.
SO
NEXT YEAR.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: LOOK I’VE
KNOWN YOU FOR A LOT OF YEARS
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT’S
IMPORTANT
TO YOU IS SETTING AN EXAMPLE
AND BEING RESPONSIBLE AND WE’VE
HEARD FROM A LOT OF THE
ATHLETES WHO ARE READY TO TAKE
PART IN THESE GAMES AND THEY
SAID THAT’S IMPORTANT TO THEM
AS WELL.
>>LAUREN VERNO: IT IS AND IT’S A TOUGH ONE AND THIS IS A VERY
DIFFICULT DECISION. IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT SPORTS WE’RE TALKING YOU SOMETIMES YOU THINK OF THAT
HANDFUL OF ATHLETES THAT HAVE
BIG ENDORSEMENTS. FOR THE MET
VAST MAJORITY OF OLYMPIANS THEY
ARE WORKING 1, 2, 3, JOBS
TAKING CARE OF THEIR FAMILY
UNIT ABOUT 5 MINUTES. THEY’RE
GOING START HOME SCHOOLING
THEIR KIDS LIKE THE REST
OF US. SO THIS IS SOMETHING
THAT’S A LABOR OF LOVE FOR
THEM, BUT THEY UNDERSTAND THE
BIGGER PICTURE. IT’S NOT EASY
OF THEIR SON TO BE A LOT OF OF
SOUL SEARCHING A
LOT OF THE MY IN THIS FOR
ANOTHER YEAR I CAN I
DO THIS. BUT THEY SEE THE
BIGGER PICTURE, THEY KNOW THAT
THEY WANT TO KEEP THEIR FAMILY
AND THEIR LOVED ONE STATES
AS WELL.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: AND HOW ABOUT
FOR THE ATHLETES WHO THOUGHT
THAT THIS WAS GOING TO BE THEIR
ONLY OPPORTUNITY.
>> IT’S IT’S TOUGH AND IT.
THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST OF
SOME REALLY TOUGH
TOUGH CHOICES. IT’S IT’S
LIKELY. THE BEST CHOICE A MUCH
BETTER
THAN CANCELING BUT AT THE SAME
TIME THERE ARE ATHLETES IT IS
GOING TO BE EXTREMELY OF
EFFECTIVE FOR THEM
AND THAT’S ONE OF THOSE
POSITIONS WHERE YOU SOMETIMES
JUST DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING TO
HAPPEN AND THAT’S WHEN I TALK
ABOUT ADVERSITY ATHLETES ARE
BUILT FOR DIVERSITY FOR
CHALLENGES, YOU DON’T KNOW IF
YOU’RE GOING TO A TURNKEY LEAST
2 DAYS BEFORE THE GAMES, YOU
DON’T KNOW IF
SOMETHING ELSE IS GOING TO BE
REAL YOUR TRAINING SO THIS IS
JUST SOMETHING THAT’S DERAIL
YOUR TRAINING. IT’S A BIG ONE.
BUT YOU JUST HAVE TO KIND OF
REASSESS RE EVALUATE TALK YOUR
TRAINERS
AND COACHES FIGURE OUT WHERE
YOU ARE IN YOUR LIFE AND WHAT
YOU WANT TO DO AND THEN THERE’S
JUST GOING TO HAVE TO BE SOME
DECISIONS MADE BUT
I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT
THING WE CAN ALL DO IS JUST
KEEPS HEARING FOR THESE
ATHLETES KEEP RALLYING
BEHIND THEM, I’M NOT NEXT YEAR
WHEN THE OLYMPICS COME AROUND.
BUT NOW YOU KNOW CHAIR
FOR THEM. YOU KNOW OR SECOND HOME GET OUT OF ALL ONE BIG VIDEO THIS TIME OR WATCH AND
SHARE THAT WITH YOUR IS SHARE
THOSE MOMENTS. I’M REALLY YOU
KNOW HELP THESE ATHLETES
UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVEN’T
FORGOTTEN ALL THE WORK THAT
THEY’VE PUT IN THE STAR.
WE ARE HERE FOR THEM.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: AT A PERSONAL
QUESTION YOU’RE JUST ACROSS THE
RIVER FROM US HERE IN OUR
STUDIOS WHEN WHEN YOU AND I
WERE TEXTING YESTERDAY YOU’RE
TALKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE
KIDS ARE HOME IN THEY’RE DOING
SOME GOOD LEARNING, HOW’S THAT
GOING.
>>LAUREN VERNO: AND SO FAR SO
GOOD I THINK IT’S HARDER AND BE
JUST WITH THE TECHNOLOGY BUT
BUT MY 10 YEAR-OLD HELPING ME
THROUGH THE TECH
ISSUES. AND IT’S BEEN REALLY
GREAT THEY TAKEN IT
IN STRIDE. I’M VERY FORTUNATE
THAT THE KIDS LOVE SCHOOL, THE
TEACHERS HAVE DONE AN AMAZING
JOB HELPING US PARENTS THROUGH
IT BY KEEPING THE KIDS EXCITED
GIVING THEM VIRTUAL
OPPORTUNITIES TO SEE EACH OTHER
SO IT, IT’S BEEN A
REALLY WONDERFUL. IT’S HARD
FOR EVERYONE TRYING TO DO YOUR
JOB AND ALSO THE TEASER AND
IT’S
A LOT. BUT I THINK YOU KNOW
WHAT KIND OF AGAIN ALL IN THIS
TOGETHER OR JUST MAKE IT
THROUGH ONE DAY AT A TIME IN
GOOD TEACHER TOLD ME AND THE
OTHER
DAY LOOK YOU KNOW IT’S
IMPORTANT TO GET OUT OF CLASS
WORK BUT TO GAMES YOUR KIDS
YOU’RE PLAYING MONOPOLY AND
YACHT SEE YOU’RE GETTING YOUR
MATH.
SO HE JUST HAD A VIDEO FOR THE
YOUNGER KIDS BE A PART OF YOU KNOW KIND OF TAKING THIS TIME AND IF WE’VE GOT TO THE SEC
TOGETHER LET’S MAKE THE BEST
OF IT.