Samantha Shapiro | Worth It In The End

When Samantha Shapiro burst onto the elite scene in 2006, many people were blown away by her impeccable form, extreme flexibility, and larger than life personality. She was the girl with the big smile and even bigger gymnastics. After proving herself as one of the top junior elites in the country- consistently placing in the top two all around at every major competition; many people predicted that Sam would have been a lock for the 2008 Olympic team had she been born just a few months earlier. She was becoming one of the "it" girls in the sport and her senior debut was much anticipated. Unfortunately, her senior career was nagged by injury after injury which ultimately resulted in her retirement from the elite level. With her Olympic dream behind her, Sam was ready to focus on competing for her dream school and making the most of her experience as a Stanford Cardinal. Now at the age of 22, Sam is nothing short of content when she looks back on her career. Though her journey may have had a few bumps in the road, she ended on a high note with that trademark smile beaming bright. We recently caught up with Sam to reflect back on her elite career, dealing with injuries, and some of her most unforgettable moments.

Photo Credit: Chalk Bowl

Can you begin by talking about how you got started in gymnastics? Was there anyone that you idolized growing up?
I was introduced to gymnastics when I was 3 years old through a pre-school class that was offered once a week. My parents didn’t know much about the sport at all but thought that I might enjoy it so they signed me up. After the first day, my parents got a call from a coach at the gym telling them I had very good upper-body strength and that she wanted me to start coming into the gym multiple days a week. My parents thought she was nuts, being that I was only 3 years old at the time, and so I just continued on with the pre-school class. The next year, when my parents asked if I wanted to continue on with gymnastics, I of course said yes and after the first day back, they got the same call from the same coach telling them they had wasted a year and it was really time to start. I was with that coach, Galina Marinova, all the way up until I left for college.

At what age did you (or your coaches) realize that you had potential to make it far in gymnastics? 
Apparently, my coach, Galina Marinova, determined that I had the potential to make it far in gymnastics when I was only three. I don’t know how she was able to see it so early on. She really does have an eye for gymnastics and knows the sport inside and out. I’d have to say it wasn’t really anybody’s idea for me to train and compete at the elite level. It wasn’t really something I even thought or knew about initially. I just loved the sport and worked very hard with my coaches and upon recognizing the success we had already achieved and the level of future potential, my coaches had the idea of taking me elite. It didn’t really seem like a decision, but rather just the next step in the progression of becoming the best gymnast I could be.

You qualified to elite in 2006. What are some of your earliest memories as far as your first US National Team camp and your first international assignments? Any fun stories you can share?
I was on the TOPs national team for 3 years so I was familiar with the ranch.  However, the first National Team training camp was a bit terrifying, yet exciting at the same time. I remember at my first training camp, I was in a training rotation with Alicia Sacramone. We started the first training session on vault and I just remember how I was in awe of her, standing right next to her as she prepared to vault like she was my own teammate. She was so sweet to me and nicknamed me “Shap.” She probably doesn’t remember, but it meant a lot to the 13 year old me at the time so I was grateful to her for that welcome. I have very fond memories of my first international assignment. I was 13 and had been assigned to L’International Gymnix competition in Montreal, Canada. It was my first time out of the country and a really great experience. I got to compete alongside my club teammate, Mattie Larson, I met some really great girls from all over the world, and both the team won in the team competition and I secured the AA title for the US in the junior division. I will never forget that first experience of standing on an awards podium representing my country as the American flag was being raised. What made it extra special was that my dad and grandmother were able to travel to Canada to watch me and share that experience with me. 




You had lots of success at the junior elite level and many people thought that had you been eligible for the 2008 Olympics, you would have been in the running to make the team. What are your thoughts on that?
I am very flattered to hear that. I was much more at my peak during that era, later having to deal with a string of serious injuries that inhibited me from being able to fully recover and upgrade in time to be a contender for the 2012 Olympics for which I was eligible. Being just 5 months too young to be eligible for 2008 was surely a difficult situation for me as I so badly wanted to be a part of the Olympic process, but I was so driven by my love for the sport that I by no means saw that as a deterrent. I let the Olympic dream motivate me by viewing that time as an opportunity to make upgrades and get more experience competing internationally. 


You sat out the 2009 season (your first year as a senior) due to an ankle injury. What was the recovery process like for you and how hard was it to stay focused on your goal of making it to the Olympics with such a huge setback?
My ankle injury, starting with months of gradually increasing pain and ending with surgery, over a month on crutches, and 6 months off of any lower-body impact, was one of the hardest things I had had to deal with in my gymnastics career. I never lost sight of my goal, and my motivation truly never really suffered, but my frustration with my situation grew by the day. Time was of the essence and my ankle rehabilitation and healing process seemed to take forever. It was very hard for me to sit out and watch everyone else be able to continue training and competing, but that only motivated me to return with a vengeance (perhaps too much as it led to my next serious injury) upon being cleared to train and compete again.

Photo Credit: Chalk Bowl

You came back in 2010 and competed in the US Classic which was your first meet in over a year. Many people remember your vault from that competition where you hyper-extended both knees after a scary fall. Do you remember what you were thinking in that moment?
The moment I landed I thought I had completely blown out both knees. I thought it would be another serious injury, and quite possibly the end of my career. But that was only in the moment after I landed and felt the searing pain. Minutes later when I realized I could move them and my coach helped me up to walk off the podium, my mind immediately started thinking about anything and everything I could do to get myself back in time for the Visa National Championships. I had worked too hard to come back from my ankle injury to let this knee injury, whatever it was, stop me. After learning nothing was torn, I went to physical therapy and lazer therapy every day for the two weeks between the U.S. Classic and the Visa National Championships and did literally everything I could to get my knees strong enough to compete at Championships. I could have never gotten there without the help of my parents, who were there for me every step of the way.

You came back with a vengeance a few weeks later and competed in the VISA Championships where you placed 7th in the all around and 5th on floor. How hard was it to prepare for this competition with all the injuries you had been dealing with?
Extremely difficult, especially since I was a perfectionist and felt I had to over-train and get in extra numbers in order to be prepared. With only having 2 weeks to both heal and train for Championships, I, with the help of my coaches, doctors, and parents had to closely monitor my training so that I could have the best chance of being able to compete.  

You retired from elite gymnastics in 2011 and committed to Stanford University. Can you talk a little bit about that decision. Why did you choose Stanford?
The decision to retire that year from elite gymnastics was probably the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make. It had been my dream to make it to the Olympics and the plan, since my coaches and I realized it was a possibility, was to defer my freshman year of college to train the year leading up to 2012. Ultimately deciding to attend college without the deferral year was due to realistically recognizing and acknowledging the current state my body was in, having to withstand a long list of back-to-back-to-back injuries and still not even being 100% healthy, the amount of training and competitions I had to sit out of because of the injuries, and the lack of time I’d have to be able to heal and upgrade in order to be a viable contender. Deciding on Stanford was the much easier choice. Stanford is an amazing school – intellectually stimulating, amazing people, beautiful campus – and it is the best of both worlds…demanding and inspiring excellence on both the academic and athletic fronts, which was really important to me.

How would you sum up your experience at Stanford? Your team ended on a high note at the NCAA Championships where you qualified as a team to the Super Six- exceeding a lot of peoples expectations!
Indescribable. Stanford is such an amazing place with a truly unparalleled combination of academic and athletic excellence. But beyond that, it is a genuinely wonderful place to live and learn, surrounded by intelligent and kind people, from whom I’ve been lucky enough to learn often more than I do in the classroom! As for my Stanford gymnastics experience specifically, it has been a great learning experience and I have met many wonderful young women whom I will call some of my best friends for life. This year, as every year, we had to overcome a lot as a team and to see it all come together like it did at the end was truly special. But for me, making it to the Super Six was extra special because we hadn’t made it that far since my freshman year so it was really nice to watch it come full-circle and know that all the hard work my class put in over the four years we spent on the Stanford Women’s Gymnastics team helped lead this year’s team to the Super Six. 

After landing your bar dismount in your final competition as a gymnast, you burst into tears. Can you take me back to that moment? 
That moment was one that I will remember forever. Gymnastics was and will always be such a huge part of my life, and it truly was my passion. I loved it even when I hated it, through all the pain, sweat, tears, and injuries, which made the good times that much better. I was actually crying bittersweet tears on and off that whole weekend, mixed between disbelief that this was my last competition and sadness that my time doing the sport was coming to an end, together with overwhelming joy and happiness that I had been given such an amazing opportunity. When I went up for what I knew would be my last routine ever, I had to hold myself back from breaking down. I was just so filled with love and sentimentality for the sport at that moment knowing it would be the last time I would get that mix of excitement and nerves before saluting for my routine – that same mix that I used to hate as a kid and learned to love, crave, and cherish by the end of my career. As I approached the chalk bowl I had to stop myself from thinking about it being the last time so that I could keep myself composed and focus on my work, really relishing and living in the last moments of my time as a gymnast. I was able to keep it together through the whole routine until the very end when I was swinging for my dismount. I couldn’t force out the thought that this was literally the last of it and that’s why, as soon as I landed, I burst into tears right on the spot. Honestly I probably would have even if I hadn’t felt like I nailed my routine, but the fact that I had magnified all the feelings I felt in that moment; pride for that routine and a successful end to my gymnastics career, gratitude for a gymnastics career I could have never even imagined, disbelief and sadness that the journey was over, and overwhelming joy that it had happened. 




And finally, how do you hope to be remembered in the gymnastics world? Do you plan on staying involved in gymnastics somehow?
I do plan to stay involved in gymnastics. I love and respect the sport too much to just be able to drop it and walk away from it after retiring. I will attend any gymnastics events in my area as well as follow the path of my teammates still on Stanford’s gymnastics team. I also plan to volunteer at the Special Olympics World Games’ gymnastics competition in Los Angeles this summer. Finally, my sister will be a UCLA Bruin in the fall, and while I’ll always be a Cardinal at heart, I will be following and cheering on the UCLA team as well! I hope to be remembered for my strong work ethic, my attention to detail, my lines, and artistry, and my tenacity and unrelenting passion for the sport. Most importantly however, I want to be remembered by my teammates and coaches as an impactful, kind person who wanted to help and inspire others through my words, setting examples, and utter love for the sport.

Photo Credit: Heather Maynez

Thank you Sam for taking the time to chat with us. We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors!