The Gabby Douglas Story Page #4

---

everything that I can do.

You're gonna breathe.

You're gonna breathe when you talk to him.

All right, now,

peel these carrots, girl.

And I'm gonna tell him I've

waited two whole years to meet him.

I'm gonna tell him there isn't

anything I don't want to learn

as long as he'll teach me.

Hello.

I am Liang Chow.

Hi. I'm...

I'm Gabrielle Douglas.

Hello, Gabrielle Douglas.

What do you hope to learn today?

Everything.

I don't know about everything,

but I'll try not

to disappoint you.

Hi. I'm Liang Chow.

I'm Ashley.

Hi, Ashley.

Let's talk about music, okay?

You're probably

thinking, "Music?

"I thought Chow was going

to teach me gymnastics!"

Well, what if I told you

all gymnasts are musicians,

and these are your instruments?

Rhythm, and tempo,

the steady beats,

and then the crescendo!

Today I'm going to teach you

how to play these instruments.

How many of you do doubles?

How many of you are ready

to learn the Amanar?

You, step out.

You can do a double twist?

Sure.

Show me.

Okay.

Yes! Lots of power!

I like that!

The Amanar was named for the

first gymnast who did it,

Simona Amanar.

It's one of the hardest

vaults in the sport.

Not only is it two and

half twists in the air,

which was considered impossible

before Simona did it,

but it's a blind landing.

You cannot see the mat before you hit it.

The vault's sound is fast,

strong, short notes, power.

Think of a drum. Hmm?

Now, give me the double twist but

stay in for the other half turn.

Okay.

Mama! Mama!

He taught me!

Mama, Coach Chow taught me

how to do the Amanar!

I did it!

I did the Amanar!

Okay, okay! Calm down!

You act like the world's about to end.

All right. Tell me

again but slowly.

Mama, he taught me one of

the hardest vaults to do

in just a few hours.

Well, congratulations. It sounds like

you got something out of that clinic.

No! That's not the point.

If Liang Chow can teach

me that in two hours,

just think what else

he could teach me.

I have to train with him.

What?

I want to move to Iowa

and train with Coach Chow.

Good one.

For a second there,

I almost thought

you were serious.

But I am serious.

Brie, please.

Mama, please!

He lives in Des Moines, Iowa!

Do you know how far

away that is from here?

Go look it up on the map.

I don't think you realize that's

over 1,000 miles away from here.

Mama, I want to train

with Liang Chow!

And how would you

get there, Gabrielle?

Where would you live?

It's impossible.

It's not!

Oh!

And you have chutzpah.

Do you know what chutzpah is?

Go look that one up, too.

Mama, don't laugh at me.

I'm going to train with him.

I don't care what you say.

Gabrielle Douglas,

who do you think you are talking to?

You better watch

your mouth, young lady.

Talking under your breath

like you're some spoiled brat.

Get up there and

go wash up for dinner.

You done lost your mind.

All right, let's try that again.

Come on! Gabby!

Pick up your feet.

When you hit the mat

in the Pak salto,

that's five-tenths

off your score.

Try it again.

It's not working.

I've tried it 20 times.

Well, maybe you're not trying hard enough.

Let's go.

I wanted to jump up

and yell right back,

"Maybe you're not

teaching me right."

But I wasn't raised that way.

And then a mix-up with Chow's ride

to the airport gave me my last hope.

My mom offered to take him,

and I knew that by the end of the ride,

she would have gotten to know

him and realized I was right.

My daughter is very driven.

Better that than

her driven parents.

No offense.

Mmm. None taken.

I believe in letting all my

kids make their own choices.

So, who inspired you?

Your mother? Coach?

Neither.

I was taken out

of my school at five

and put into a state program

for gifted athletes.

In China, it's called

"juguo tizhi."

It means

"whole nation system."

I only saw my family

three times a year.

Hmm. You must

have missed them.

Of course.

But even at that age,

I knew I had to make my country proud.

Life isn't always easy in China.

It's not always

easy here, either.

I can tell you some stories.

What do you mean, small talk?

Like how he came to America,

about his family.

What about training me?

Gabrielle, he lives in Iowa.

We live here.

Mama, all that time together,

and you didn't mention the most

important thing in the world?

Help me fold these clothes, Gabrielle.

It isn't fair!

Gabrielle, we're not

gonna keep doing this.

Here.

You fold your leos.

Think about something else.

No, I'm not gonna fold my leos.

I don't need them anymore.

If I can't train with Coach Chow,

then I'm not gonna do gymnastics.

What's the point?

I quit!

And I don't want dinner ever!

Well, you know what?

You don't have to eat then.

A hunger strike?

Well, you got to give

her points for that drama.

She hasn't spoken

to me in a week.

Oh.

Gosh. When she gets her mind set to

something, it's like...

Where does she get that from?

Excuse me?

Are you kidding?

You better look

in the mirror, girl.

No. No, no, I'm stubborn, but Brie...

No.

That's a whole... She's just, like, beyond.

It's like she was put on

Earth for this one thing.

Sometimes I lay in bed,

and I ask God,

"Why? Why her?

Why my little Boo Tookie Boo?"

She was so sick and nearly

died that first year,

and out of all the little girls in this

whole, wide world, she was picked.

And is it a gift

or is it a burden?

You know, you're the only

one who can answer that.

Mom, I got four kids,

and I'm barely keeping it together.

Here she is, this force of nature,

with dreams as big as the sky.

Well, I remember walking in those

shoes myself not too long ago.

You wanted to be a lawyer,

and until Arielle,

it was what you lived for.

And you would have

made a great lawyer.

Hmm.

But I'm gonna tell you.

There's nothing

worse for a mother

than seeing her child's

dream go unanswered.

Mom, I can't afford

to send her to Iowa.

And you can't afford not to.

You see one yet?

No.

Some little ones over there,

but nothing's moving.

I bet there are

a lot of stars in Iowa.

You aren't going to Iowa.

You might as well stop thinking about it.

Why would you say that?

Well, 'cause for one,

we live here.

Two, you can't afford

to get out there.

Three, even if you could

afford to get out there,

you got no place to live.

Four, I mean,

if you went to Iowa,

no one would be able to take

care of you like I could.

Five...

Are you saying you're gonna miss me?

You would, wouldn't you?

Hey, now, cut it out.

Is that one?

No, that's just a plane.

Hmm.

As it turns out, my prayers were

being heard, and I didn't even know it.

1,000 miles away,

a family who didn't even know

me was about to change my life.

Some people don't

believe in miracles.

If you find a girl

who needs it...

And we've already got

the four girls, right?

I mean, what's one more if it means

helping someone reach their goal?

Got the room.

Thank you.

They call it

Rate this script:4.0 / 1 vote