2004 Olympics: Gymnastics

Homecoming queen: Carly's back!

Olympic champ returns to hero's welcome

12:10 PM CDT on Friday, August 27, 2004

By SCOTT FARWELL / The Dallas Morning News

NEW YORK – Carly Patterson won Olympic gold by sticking her landings in Athens, but Thursday in New York, she nearly missed an important takeoff: Delta Flight 4506.

The commuter jet from New York to Dallas waited 12 extra minutes on the tarmac for the petite champion, prompting speculation from the flight crew that Carly, her mother, Natalie, and coach Evgeny Marchenko were wandering lost in JFK International Airport.

But just as the door of the 74-seat jet was about to swing shut, Carly and her escorted entourage appeared unruffled at the gate. A radio call was made to the cockpit, and the flight was held.

A woman in a Delta uniform explained: "We wanted to let the aircraft fill up before we brought her on."

Three hours later, Carly's flight arrived to a water-cannon salute on the taxiway at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Fire trucks parked on each side of the taxiway sprayed water in an arch over the plane, raining down as liquid crystals in the long light of a North Texas sunset.

It was the latest in a series of dramatic finishes for Carly, a high school junior from Allen.

She is only the second woman in U.S. history to win the all-around gold in gymnastics.

The first was Mary Lou Retton in 1984 – Carly's idol – who lives in Houston with her husband and four daughters.

Ms. Retton, who parlayed her medal and megawatt smile into a career as a motivational speaker and author, said there are two sides to the gold medal.

One side is the fame, glamour, money; the other is the immense pressure of celebrity, the invasion of privacy and the lofty expectations.

"You train your entire life, and you win, and this title of role model is put on you," Ms. Retton said. "You didn't ask for it, and it's a hard thing to live with and live up to."

Carly was greeted with applause when she walked onto her flight, the last leg of Thursday's 15-hour journey from Athens to Allen, where she lives in a single-story brick home with her mother, 14-year-old sister, Jordan, and two cats.

"I didn't really expect all these people to be here. It's so great," she said at the airport. "I guess things, you know, are a little different now."

How different? Well, Carly was up late the night before posing for photos atop a building in Athens. She would not say where the pictures would appear, but said with a mischievous grin, "You'll see."

After finding her seat, Carly fished a Ziploc bag with cosmetics out of her carry-on luggage and dabbed on makeup. She spent the first hour of her flight home signing autographs, posing for pictures and answering questions.

Capt. David Faust of Grapevine eased his way between the seats and bent over Carly: "You did Texas proud," he said. "You did great, hon, and thanks for flying ASA."

After that, Carly read a few pages of You Know You Love Me: Gossip Girl and then tucked her head on her mother's chest and closed her eyes.

Kerri Strug, who captivated the country during the 1996 Olympic Games after severly spraining her left ankle and then landing a vault on one leg, said the thrills aren't over for Carly.

Her heroics earned the U.S. Women's Gymnastic team its first team gold medal and propelled Ms. Strug onto the television talk show circuit and the front of a Wheaties box.

"It's exciting," Ms. Strug said Thursday from Washington, D.C., where she works for the Treasury Department.

"Carly should embrace this time because it won't last forever."

Ms. Strug said it takes practice and patience to lived in the public eye.

"Sometimes you don't know how to act or what to say," she explained. "But Carly can handle that, because it's nothing compared to the pressure Marta Karolyi put on her."

Carly said she planned on taking a long, hot bath when she got home. Then, she said, she would re-connect with friends for a few minutes online and then go to bed.

She has a busy week ahead.

Sunday, she will be presenter at the Video Music Awards in Miami. Monday she will appear on the The Late Show with David Letterman in New York. Tuesday she's booked on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, and Wednesday she will appear on the Ellen Degeneres Show.

Carly was joined by four uniformed policemen and two airport security officers in dark suits after her flight landed at D/FW. They paused before allowing the young star to enter the terminal and explained how to signal for help as she became overwhelmed by the attention. If she placed both hands on her shoulders, like a football referee, officers would come running.

"How close do you want them to get?" one security officer asked. "Is it OK if they come up and touch you and shake your hand and ask for autographs?"

Carly giggled and nodded her head. Minutes later, Carly's mother cradled a bouquet of roses as she watched her daughter stand before a series of microphones at a news conference.

"I'm so proud of her," she said. "She's only 16 years old. It's amazing."

Her finger caught a tear as it leaked down her cheek.

E-mail sfarwell@dallasnews.com