Shawn Johnson East is giving back to the gymnastics community in a special way, and opening up like never before.There is a moment in SOARING, the new short-film documentary presented by RED BARON when the now 34-year-old Johnson East surprises three Special Olympics gymnasts in an emotional scene as she opens up about her own experience. Johnson East, the four-time Olympic medalist (she won gold on the balance beam in Beijing in 2008 and three silver medals) and three-time World Champion whose gravity-defying routines on the beam made the world hold its breath, came to SOARING as a mentor and narrator but was so much more by being able to share her own story and how to build confidence and drowning out the noise. “Even when I was competing it was not about success. It was not about the Olympics. It was not about becoming someone. I just wanted to have fun and I was still obsessed with that feeling. But, it’s also a terrifying sport and the margin of error is so small if you do one thing wrong. It takes a certain mindset to drown out the doubts and what ifs and if I fall. I truly believe what separates the best is people who still love their sport,” said East. The documentary, now streaming on YouTube and at redbaron.com/soaring, follows Paige Trombley, Elizabeth "Liz" Viele, and Jenny Hill as they prepare to compete at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis, Minnesota this June. Together, they form something special.Shawn Johnson East (second from the left) with the stars of "SOARING". | RED BARON®Paige is fighting her way back from injury, returning to the floor with a grit that is almost uncomfortable to watch because it holds up a mirror. Liz, who has been competing in Special Olympics since the 1990s across sports as varied as basketball, bowling, cross-country skiing, and flag football, is making her USA Games debut this summer at the gymnastics bars, powered by nearly three decades of dedicated weight training and a quiet confidence that radiates off the screen. And Jenny, who is a seasoned competitor returning for her second USA Games with gold on her mind, was once nonverbal. She and her family credit the Special Olympics with giving her not just medals, but a voice.Then, Johnson East, in an unscripted moment that the film captures, sits down with Paige, Liz, and Jenny and opens up. She talks about stage fright and about the particular terror of performing under pressure when the whole world is watching and your body suddenly feels like it belongs to someone else. "These athletes don’t just inspire people around them, they inspire me. Watching Paige, Liz, and Jenny chase their goals reminded me of everything I love about this sport and why it matters,” said East.A scene from "SOARING" presented by RED BARON®. | RED BARON® The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, set for June 20–26 across Minnesota's Twin Cities at the University of Minnesota and the National Sports Center in Blaine, will draw nearly 3,000 athletes from all 50 states competing in 16 Olympic-type sports. SOARING, presented by RED BARON as part of its partnership with the Games, reminds us that the scoreboard is almost never the point: It’s the roadmap that takes athletes to the starting line and the journey for Paige, Liz and Jenny was never easy and it makes you believe anything is possible like Shawn Johnson did when she competed.Aug. 19, 2008; Beijing, CHINA; Shawn Johnson (USA) celebrates her gold medal on the balance beam during the gymnastics apparatus finals at the National Indoor Stadium during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn ImagesAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow