June 23, 2008

A year ago, many considered Shayla Worley to be a lock for the Olympic team. She was part of the 2007 world team that won gold, and was runner-up to Shawn Johnson at the 2007 US nationals.

This year has been tough for Worley, though. A back injury has kept her out for most of the year, and sidelined her during the US nationals. Now she’s finally back, and competed on three events at the Olympic Trials.


Though she fell on bars on day two, she hit her routines both days on beam and vault.

I caught up with her after the competition to find out how she's feeling and to get her take on the upcoming selection camp.

How is your back feeling?

It’s holding up. It’s much better – I’m able to be in workout every day, it’s just that the injury is still there. It’s not really affecting my performance at all, though.

What was the diagnosis?

I have a herniated disc. I’ve had it for awhile, it just got really flared up. Now I’m just managing it until I get through the Olympics.

How do you manage it?

It’s amazing how many people it takes to get me to where I need to be. I do therapy three times a day, and ice massage four times a day. Before and after workout I spend a lot of time caring for my body, and it requires a lot of attention from all kinds of people. It’s a big group effort.

What went through your mind when you fell on bars today?

I thought Oh my gosh how I did I end up on the floor? Why am I on the ground?

I hate -- when you make mistakes like that -- that throughout the entire meet, and all day long, and all night long, you’re just thinking, Oh my gosh if I could have just let go a little bit earlier I would have been fine.
But you have to forget about that and move on to the next event.

What are your goals for the camp?

I have to prove that I am consistent and can hit all my events any time that I need to, day or night. I just need to go out there and be consistent.

Has Martha talked to you about how she thinks you’re doing?

I haven’t talked to her yet about this meet, but she always gives us a thought or two. She’s very straightforward; she doesn’t sugarcoat anything. She lets you know where you stand.

Are you training floor right now? How’s that going?

Yes, I am training it, and I’ll be ready to do all four events at camp.

What do you think the next few weeks will be like?

Camp is going to be so nerve-wracking. I don’t even know what it’s going to be like. It’s going to be crazy.

Would you rather perform at camp, or in a huge arena like this?

I love getting the energy from the crowd so it’s probably better to compete in an arena. But it’s probably a little less pressure at camp because we basically live there already, so it’s like being at home almost. It’s a little more comfortable.

Which events do you think you add the most to the team?

That’s kind of a hard question -- to talk about myself like that. But, I really hope that my bars can add to the team. Today was a disappointment, but I’ll fix that. On beam, too, and maybe even floor I could contribute. Hopefully I can be an all-arounder, though I know as an individual on vault I wouldn’t really be contributing to the team.

Also, hopefully I bring the team together and provide a little bit of comic relief too!