Kristen admitted being overwhelmed by the magnitude of the celebration in the town after she made the Olympic team. Even as she talked with a reporter, Linda Maloney received a phone call from someone in town who wanted to know where she could buy one of the specially made American flags with Kristen's name on it. Kristen Maloney's shyness is almost legendary. And, her mother says, no one should take it personally. She can be the same way at home.
Home is home.
Lots of times she does not want to be bothered with gym talk. She views that as being her thing. Her gymnastics have a power and a dynamic that puts her a cut above the others. On the balance beam or on the floor exercise mat, she can express herself without saying a word. She likes it that way.