Former Olympic gymnast Dawes speaks her mind

It's ironic that Dominique Dawes gives about 40 speeches a year.

Answering a question in class -- or even speaking on the phone -- used to terrify the former Olympic champion gymnast. That's why she panicked years ago when one of her sponsors asked her to speak to a group about her Olympic experiences.

"They asked me to speak for like five or 10 minutes," said the 31-year-old Dawes, who was part of the U.S. women's gymnastics team that took the gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. "And I remember thinking, 'Five or 10 minutes? I can't even stay on the phone with someone for that long.'

"But I got up there and it just came out. Having the opportunity to share my story and to talk about the passion I had for the sport, it just clicked."

Boy, did it ever.

Since then, Dawes believes she has found her second calling.

Retired from competitive gymnastics since 2000, the pint-sized dynamo now captivates audiences with her inspiring words as a motivational speaker.

Last week, she was in Chicago at the Drake Hotel to speak with the sales people from a local corporation about how to stay motivated in their jobs.

She's also spoken at universities and to women's and girls' groups about topics ranging from diet and body image to her Olympic memories.

"When I was a kid, I was picked on because I was so short. And I was muscular, so I was called a tomboy," said the 5-foot-3 Dawes. "And people would always make fun of my squeaky voice. So I never wanted to speak up for fear of provoking people to make fun of me even more. I was very, very quiet in school. Even in college, I was that way.

"So speaking didn't come naturally to me. But I love it now because I'm so passionate about my message. And I've realized that it's pretty gratifying to be able to empower someone to see something in themselves that they didn't see before."

Dawes tailors her speeches to the specific groups she works with but always sticks with a central theme. It's the motto she heard from her gymnastics coach, Kelli Hill, every day during the 18 years that she competed.

"Kelli used to always say, 'Success is a journey, not a destination.' I really believe in that," Dawes said. "We shouldn't just focus on the end result or the goal we're trying to reach. We need to take something from each aspect of that journey to really grow as a person.

"I like to talk about ways people can stay passionate and persistent in that journey."

Dawes has plenty of applicable anecdotes.

After all, being an Olympic gymnast is so little about what happens at the actual Olympics. It's all the blood, sweat and tears leading up to that.

"My fondest memories of that time is just training with my teammates. That was the bulk of my career, spent in some rinky-dink gym," Dawes said. "People are always like, 'Wow, I'm sure you just loved the Olympics.' And yeah, that was great and all, and I don't mean to downplay it. But it was the day-to-day grind in the gym at 6 a.m. when you felt like quitting, when everyone looked horrible and everyone was tired and people were crying and laughing together. Those were the greatest molding moments for me.

"Those are the moments that helped me become not just the Olympic athlete I became, but the person I became."

Sounds like Dawes has practiced what she preaches.

"Life definitely is about the journey," Dawes said. "For me, it's what no one saw behind closed doors that really shaped me and made me successful."

The 411: Not only does Dawes travel the country making speeches, she also makes stops along the way to conduct clinics at local gymnastics facilities. To contact Dawes, visit www.dominiquedawes.com.

Buck stops here: Thanks to a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds from forward Jenna Smith, the Illinois women's basketball team got its biggest win of the season Thursday by knocking off No. 19 Ohio State 68-64 in Champaign.

Ohio State is the only ranked team in the Big Ten and was sitting alone atop the league standings. Now, the Buckeyes are in a three-way tie with Iowa and Purdue, teams that are also 7-3 in league play.

Illinois is off to a solid start under first-year coach Jolette Law. The Illini are 12-9 overall and 4-6 in the Big Ten.

New addition: As if Northwestern's injury situation this season wasn't enough to make head coach Beth Combs nauseated.

While trying to stomach the loss of five players -- three to season-ending knee injuries -- Combs has also been battling the early stages of pregnancy, which includes morning sickness.

Combs announced recently that she is about three months' pregnant with her second child, which will be born in the summer.

In the meantime, Combs will be searching for ways to get Northwestern playing better basketball. The Wildcats haven't won a game since upsetting Marquette on Dec. 17. They are 4-17 overall and 0-9 in the Big Ten.