Watch “The Gabby Douglas Story” on Lifetime on Saturday, Feb. 1!!!

jackieholness — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 06:01:20 +0000

Hello World,

Gabby Douglas!

I cannot believe it was nearly two years ago when Gabby Douglas wowed the world in the gymnastics competition in the 2012 Summer Olympics! If you don’t remember, below is a refresher…

A prodigy from a very young age, Gabby Douglas originally made her mark on the world of competitive gymnastics at age eight. She won numerous state championship titles in her age group throughout her early competitive career. While her star was fast rising in the arena, Gabby and her family faced economic challenges at home and she made the difficult decision to leave her mother Natalie, three siblings and grandmother in Virginia Beach and move to Des Moines, Iowa, to train with renowned coach Liang Chow to pursue her dream of Olympic glory.

Buoyed by her early success, dedication and unyielding love from her family, Gabby made it onto the 2012 U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team, with whom she faced intense competition in the London Games. Her sacrifice and perseverance were triumphantly rewarded with Team Competition and Individual All-round gold medals, placing Gabby and her teammates – known as “The Fierce Five” — among the world’s all-time greats in gymnastics.

Gabby Douglas as portrayed by Imani Hakim.

And now her story will be dramatized on television! “The Gabby Douglas Story” will air Saturday, Feb. 1 at 8pm/7pm Central on Lifetime!

Below is a preview clip of the movie!

Any thoughts?

P.S. I also wrote a post about Gabby Douglas’ memoir “Grace, Gold & Glory: My Leap of Faith.” Check it out!

The post Watch “The Gabby Douglas Story” on Lifetime on Saturday, Feb. 1!!! appeared first on After the Altar Call.

Olympic Gold Medal-Winning Gymnast Gabrielle Douglas Pens New Book!!!

jackieholness — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 12:33:14 +0000

Hello World,

When I first heard about Gabrielle Douglas this past summer during the Olympics in London, I was so proud of her as she is the first African-American woman to win the women’s all-around gold medal in gymnastics and first American to win both of the individual and team events at the same Olympics. And then when I realized that she is an unabashed Christian, my admiration for her grew, and I realized that I could likely learn a lot from this 16-year-old dynamo! Thankfully, Zondervan Books also believes Gabrielle Douglas has a lot to share about her faith in God and accomplishing her dreams through faith. Her debut memoir “Grace, Gold & Glory: My Leap of Faith,” through the Zondervan division of HarperCollins, is coming to bookstores nationwide on Tuesday, December 4.

Here is Gabrielle talking about the book…

From PRNewsire –

“Even before I competed in the Olympics, I always wanted to write a book,” says Douglas. “Of course, there’ll be a lot of stories about gymnastics, but the book will also be about how much my family and I have overcome during our journey. It hasn’t been easy. I want people to read my story and say, ‘If Gabby can do it, I can do it, too. Anything is possible.'”

Grace, Gold & Glory, written in collaboration with Michelle Burford, contains a full-color poster and photo inserts, and provides a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of the Olympic fan favorite. In her memoir, Douglas reveals how her modest upbringing rooted in family and faith has shaped her into the young woman and role model she is today.

The youngest of four siblings, Douglas shares poignant, often humorous stories from her childhood as she talks candidly about the obstacles faced along her road toward the world gymnastics stage. Grace, Gold & Glory offers a firsthand look into the intense training and sacrifice required of this elite athlete and uncovers personal truths for Douglas, such as the bullying and racism she endured as an African-American gymnast, her heartache, isolation, and homesickness, as well as multiple injuries – all of which led Douglas to consider leaving gymnastics forever only seven months before the London Olympics. Douglas also opens up for the first time about her father’s role in her life.

Her memoir serves as an intricate road map from birth to Douglas’ historical journey to London and the numerous prayers, meditations, and Bible verses that helped her stay strong along the way. The autobiography also reveals some of Douglas’ favorite moments post-Olympics, including the many celebrities she’s met and a guest role on her all-time favorite TV series.

“With strong faith in God and some serious determination, every dream is possible,” says Douglas. “I hope this book inspires others to go for their biggest dreams.

You can pre-order the book Grace, Gold, and Glory: My Leap of Faith at Amazon. The book is also available for pre-order at Barnes & Noble.

Any thoughts?

The post Olympic Gold Medal-Winning Gymnast Gabrielle Douglas Pens New Book!!! appeared first on After the Altar Call.

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Watch “The Gabby Douglas Story” on Lifetime on Saturday, Feb. 1!!!

Olympic Gold Medal-Winning Gymnast Gabrielle Douglas Pens New Book!!!