From Beijing to barnstorm, US gymnasts on the road

[September 09, 2008]  (AP)  Bringing home gold and silver from Beijing has certainly earned Shawn Johnson a rest, but this 16-year-old's not quite ready.

Rather than returning to her Iowa high school for her junior year, Shawn is taking the semester off to barnstorm the country with fellow U.S. gymnastics greats and some hot young singers from Disney, including Jordan Pruitt.

The "Tour of Gymnastics Superstars" kicked off Sunday in Reno, Nev., with Shawn looking forward to performing without the Olympic-style stress.

"It's not so serious," she said. "We're still working out and staying in shape and working on our skills but we're able to just do it without so much focus and stuff. We're just having fun."

The 37-city tour, with a Sept. 26 special on MyNetworkTV, is part elite athletics, part dazzle, complete with a Chinese dragon and group routines by Shawn and fellow medalists Nastia Liukin, Chellsie Memmel and Jonathan Horton. The Hamm twins Morgan and Paul, both of whom had to sit out the Olympics due to injuries, will also perform.

The routines, some choreographed to songs from the "Disney Girlz Rock 2 CD," will include live performances from Pruitt and KSM, the up-and-comer girl rockers who recorded the tour's theme song, "Hero in You," and will release their debut album next year.

No, Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers and stars from "High School Musical" won't be in the house for the shows booked into sports arenas from coast to coast, wrapping up in Kansas City, Mo., on Nov. 16.

Shawn promises "a lot of dance numbers." She said she's looking forward to the teen-inspired music.

"I love being able to perform to fun music and music that actually has words in it," said Shawn, a fan of Pruitt's hit single "One Love."

She said the tour is a different kind of gymnastics for the driven athletes.

"It's another reward to the hard work," Shawn said. "We can just relax our minds and I can enjoy the experience with my best friends."

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On the Net:

Tour information: http://www.gymnasticssuperstars.com/

[Associated Press; By LEANNE ITALIE]

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