She wants to go into broadcasting. In the scene we all remember from the '96 Olympics, Strug was cradled in the arms of her coach, Bela Karolyi, being held up as the embodiment of athletic heroism. Since then she's been held aloft by Barry Switzer, Shaquille O'Neal and a couple of ESPN anchormen, not to mention several fuzzy college team mascots. Her face is fuller and softer, her freckles more prominent. Intensive training during puberty can delay growth, but Strug comes by her size naturally.
Stature is only one measure of maturity.
This has been a year for Strug not only to grow up but also to catch up on popular culture, of which she is both an exemplar and a beneficiary. She doesn't know much about rock music. In school this summer she is taking classes in jazz history and sharing an apartment with three roommates and three stuffed bears. The rest of her vast collection of teddy bears is home in Tucson, symbols of the childhood she is trying to leave behind. Little things like eating dorm food and doing her own laundry are among the reasons her parents insisted that she honor her commitment to attend UCLA after the Olympics.