Carly Patterson Special Section

Olympic dream is well worth the sacrifices

08:44 PM CDT on Friday, August 20, 2004

By EMILY GOLDSTEIN / DentonRC.com

Olympic gold medalist Carly Patterson of Allen isn't your average 16-year-old. She has traveled the world as an elite gymnast since she was 12.

But despite her fame and probable fortune, she's still a teenager. When Carly's not practicing at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy in Plano, she attends Plano's Spring Creek Academy, a school geared toward students who pursue outside activities such as athletics. DallasNews.com caught up with Patterson before she left for Athens:

How much do you work out, six hours a day?

Yeah, about six.

Are there things you'd rather be doing than working out?

Sometimes it gets a little old and tiring, but my dream was to make it to the Olympics. ... I just figure that I'm going to have the rest of my life to do a lot of other things, too.

What kind of music do you listen to?

Mostly pop and rap, but I listen to everything ... country ... everything.

So you don't get to hang out with your friends very often?

Well, most of my friends are at the gym, so we'll go to the movies or to each other's houses on the weekends or whenever, just hang out and stuff.

Do you work out on the weekends, too?

Yeah, on Saturdays. I have one workout, and then Sundays I'm off.

What are some of the latest movies you've seen?

Well, I just saw Anchorman –it's really funny. ... I want to see Dodgeball. Still haven't seen that. I like funny movies, though, and Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn.

You're on a pretty strict diet, right?

Yeah, I don't have to be. I just do it for myself because you just have to eat right to stay the same weight, because you can't do gymnastics and be heavy, because it's really hard.

Are there certain things that you get cravings for that you wish you could eat?

Yeah, every now and then I wish I could have some pizza or ice cream or something like that. But like I said before, I'm working for this right now, and I'll have the rest of my life to eat other food, too.