http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=82776 [...] Recent Manila visitor Nadia Comaneci said she is actively involved in promoting gymnastics through an Oklahoma academy she owns with husband Bart Conner but is not into training specific prospects to become future stars.
"I'm looking forward to see who emerges as the star in Beijing," said Comaneci. "There are no stars in gymnastics today. There is a lack of genius." Comaneci said of all the important people she has met, Pope John Paul II was the standout. She had a private audience with the Pope in 1999 at the Vatican. "I remember being told what to do, to kneel on one knee, to kiss his ring," she recalled. "It was very memorable. He was giving a blessing for the coming millennium." As for her one-year-old son Dylan, Comaneci said her dream is for him to be happy and healthy. "Bart and I take him to the gym, let him crawl on the mat," she said. "When I say 'salto,' he tilts his head backward and does a flip on his own. He'll be what he wants to be. If he wants to be a gymnast, we can help him because Bart and I are both gymnasts. But if he wants to be a piano player, we'll do our best to support him." Comaneci said her Manila trip was too short and she'd like to return for a longer visit. "Thirty years ago, the Philippines seemed like so far away but now, the world has become very small," she said. "I'll be back for sure. It's my first time in the Philippines but it won't be my last. One thing about the Philippines is I love the sampaguita." Comaneci said as an ambassador of goodwill for the Special Olympics, she is immersed in activities that take her all over the world. It's her mission in life to inspire, encourage and motivate. Conner once described Comaneci as very passionate, very proud and very strong. He failed to add that she is also very generous in sharing her time and her heart with people of all ages, races, religions and abilities. [...] (C) ABS-CBN Interactive 2004 ---------------------------- Vali "Noble blood is an accident of fortune; noble actions are the chief mark of greatness." (Carlo Goldoni) "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." (Jimi Hendrix)
