I was able to do Classics, the U.S. national championships and the Pan American Games and feel like I improved with each meet, but I was still struggling with a lot of residual pain from the two surgeries.

Image isn't everything, It's what comes from your heart, and what you learn and what you say and how you act that means more than anything.

Gymnastics taught me everything - life lessons, responsibility and discipline and respect.

Of course, when you're training your whole life to get to the Olympics, you train for gold.

In some ways the ACL tear was a blessing. I had hesitated to return to elite gymnastics after the 2008 Olympics. I told myself I had already accomplished so much, and the road was just going to get harder if I continued.

I feel like when there's so much conversation about women's athletics right now, we need to focus on their performance and their skill.

It's been strange and weird watching the other girls at the U.S. Olympic trials just because I was training to be out there myself.