Here it is! Thanks for your patience. I haven't gone through and corrected spelling or made sure everything here is exact to the interview, but I will try to have any errors corrected before I get the next transcript up.
Typed by Eric Song
Editing and HTML by James Mohr
Jay: You know, years from now when we look back on the, uh, Olympics of 1996. We remember one, uh, girl's courage. She is a member of our women's, uh, gymnastic team. The team won their first gold medal ever after she performed her last vault on her injured ankle. (Audience begins yelling and clapping) Take a look at this tape, folks. I'm sure you've seen it, but it's always impressive. Take a look.
(Shows Kerri's final vault and her receiving her medal)
(Audience is yelling and clapping)
Jay: Please welcome, Kerri Strug.
(Band plays the Olympic theme)
(Audience is yelling and clapping)
(Kerri walks out holding a black leotard)
(Kerri and Jay shake hands)
Jay (to Kerri): How are ya? Have a seat.
(Audience continues to yell and clap)
Jay: How ya doing? Are you.. are you a little nervous?
(Guy in crowd yells, "Go Kerri!")
Kerri: Uhm, yes, I'm a little bit nervous. It's not everyday I get to be on Jay Leno show.
Jay (while giggling): No, no, but no, but how can, how can you be nervous here when you're in front of the entire planet. Even now, with this Martian thing even other planets were watching.
(Kerri nods and giggles)
(Audience laughs)
Jay: It's just... this can't be... that must've been the most nerve-racking.. I mean I can't imagine... the tremendous... pressure... is it... do you just have a great sense of relief now?
Kerri: Well, I'm glad the Olympics are over, and I came away with a gold medal. My team and I worked really hard, and... ya know, we went in with a mission, and...
(Audience interrupts with yelling and clapping)
Jay: Well, what do you have there?
(Looking at her hands in her lap)
Kerri: Well, I thought earlier on in the show that you did a vault and...
Jay: Yes. Thank you.
Kerri: ...it was very good. I was really impressed. But you were wearing the wrong apparel, so I decided to bring you... a leotard.
(Audience starts yelling and clapping)
(Kerri hands Jay a black leotard with the USA Olympic logo on the front)
Jay: Well, wow. Thank you. Ya know. Hey thanks, ya know...
(Audience continues to yell and clap)
Jay: Ya know, you're very perceptive. 'Cause when I'm home by myself, my wife is out of the house, this is the kind of thing I like to wear.
(Kerri and audience begin laughing)
(Jay turns to show the leotard to the band)
(Jay turns the leotard around to look at the front)
Jay: Hey, look, it's official. Well, it's official and you signed it. But, oh, but this is great, I'm gonna have to... ya know what? I'm going to.. I'm gonna wear this. I'm going to hang them up.
(Someone in the audience whistles)
Kerri (meekly): Ok.
Jay: No, thanks, that's really neat.
(A few audience members begin yelling)
Kerri: Sure.
Jay: Now, now, how is your leg? Is it ok?
Kerri: Well, it's doing much better. I've undergone a lot of physical therapy.
Jay: Yeah.
Kerri: And with time I think it's going to heal fine. I'm going home to Tucson on Saturday, and I'm going to get it checked out by my own doctor...
Jay: Yeah.
Kerri: ...and we'll see... from there.
Jay: Now what is the exact injury? Ya know, I've heard just, ya know, the commentators, when it happened, but... tell us what the exact injury is. What did you do? Did it break?
Kerri: No, it didn't break. We got X-rays taken right after the competition, and there was nothing that showed up, but they think I hurt some of the ligaments. Maybe there's a... partial tear, and I s... I sprained it is what they said, so I'm not really sure about all the details -- that's why I'm going back to the doctor.
Jay: But you, besides feeling it, you heard it just kinda (makes a cracking sound).
Kerri: Yeah, after the first vault, I heard it crack, but in gymnastics you hear a lot of cracks and pops...
(Audience laughs)
(Jay giggles)
Jay: Yeah, I just... just get that all the time.
(Audience continues laughing)
(Kerri giggles)
Jay: Well, t... tell me about the vault now. You did the first one... did you... did you have to do the second one? I mean I wasn't quite sure. Did you... 'cause... didn't you have enough points?
Kerri: Well, at the time, (giggles) the Russians were still on the floor exercise, and the vault runs a lot faster. And we couldn't... know...
Jay: Yeah.
Kerri: ...for sure if we had won the gold or not. It was a real quick decision, and Bela told me, "You... you gotta do it." And... ya know, Dominique Moceanu, my teammate, before me (solitary clap) fell on both vaults. And I fell on my first one, so it wasn't looking very good for the US.
Jay: Yeah, well (weak laugh)...
Kerri: Yeah, kinda at the end, it was all slipping away, so I decided, "You've trained so hard for this for so long, and you're perfectly capable of doing this vault. Just... gut it together and try one more time."
Jay: Well, that's what... well, you certainly did...
(Audience begins yelling and clapping)
Jay: I mean... were you... were you... were you...
(Audience continues to yell and clap)Jay: Ya know, it reminds me of, uh... it reminded me of those kind of stories you hear about... like a mother whose k... ya know, kid is pinned under a car and they lift up the car and they move it...
(Kerri snickers)
Jay: No, no, it's true, though. Ya know what I'm sayin'? I mean seriously, though, the incredible feats of strength that when... when... people know they have to do something. Were you in pain or you... did you just feel like, "I couldn't... my leg won't work."? Ya know what I mean? Was it just... a piercing pain through the whole time?
Kerri: Well, initially, after the vault, walking back there was a lot of pain, but once I saluted to the judges, I knew I had to concentrate on my vault if I wanted to perform it well. So I tried to ignore the pain and just went. And luckily the va ult is... happens real quick.
(A few audience members laugh)
Jay: Now didn't they try... as soon as... as soon as you knew you went, didn't they try to just get you out of there to the hospital?
Kerri: Yeah, the doctors thought for sure I'd broken my ankle, so they wanted to take me to the hospital right away, and get some X-rays, but Bela interfered with that. He said...
Jay (giggling): Yeah.
Kerri: ..."No way. This girl just helped our team win the gold medal and this is the first time the USA women's...
(Jay giggles)
Kerri: ...gymnastics team has accomplished this feat.
(Audience begins yelling and clapping)
Jay: Yeah, yeah.
(Audience contines to yell and clap)
(Kerri giggles)
(Jay claps)
Kerri: So...
(Kerri giggles)
Kerri: So if I have to stop the New York Police, I'm letting her go on that medal stand."
(Jay giggles)
Kerri: So I was really glad that he did that for me because that's a moment I'll never forget.
Jay: No, that was great. Now, I heard that even... that the president called you, is that correct? Right afterwards?
Kerri: Yes. At first, I thought someone was pulling my leg.
(Audience laughs)
(Kerri giggles)
Jay: Ooh, after breaking it then pulling it. Ooh, that's... ooh, that's terrible.
(Audience laughs)
(Kerri giggles)
(Jay giggles)
Kerri: Well, I was on the phone with a... a TV interview, and Bela came in with a cellular telephone and told me, "Hang up." I said, "Bela, I'm on the phone. I can't just hang up on these people. This is on national television." And he was kinda getting angry with me. He said, "Kerri, you have to hang up the phone. The President's on the... line." And I'm thinking, "Enough's enough." Ya know?
(Audience laughs)
(Jay giggles)
Kerri: And he's like, "Really, Kerri. Get off the phone." So, I'm a little bit intimidated by Bela, so I listened to him.
(Audience laughs)
Jay: Yeah.
Kerri: And I got on the phone. And sure enough, it was...
Jay, then Kerri: The president.
Jay: Yeah, wow. And you also... you went to the White House as well.
Kerri (while nodding): Mm hmm.
Jay: Now, what was that like? Was it exciting?
Kerri: That was really exciting. I got to go with all the other US Olympians and.. we went in the White House and got to shake Bill Clinton's hand. And they wanted to keep the line moving, which kinda made me angry because we flew all the way to DC to see the President.
(Jay giggles)
(Audience laughs)
Kerri: And I wanted a picture with him. They promised me a picture with him.
(Jay giggles)
(Audience laughs)
Kerri: So I asked if, ya know, the team could get a picture with him. And sure enough, they let the line stop, brought... brought some of the girls back, and we got a nice picture.
(Audience beings yelling and clapping)
Jay: Oh, ya know, there ya go.
(Audience continues to yell and clap)
(Band plays a short tune)
Jay: Ya know, you would be a great attorney.
(Kerri nods and giggles)
(Audience laughs)
Jay: Ya know what I see... ya know what I wanted to ask you about. I saw you on the Wheaties box. (Brings out a box of Wheaties) Now I wanted... you... you've seen this now.
Kerri: Mm hmm.
Jay: Now let me ask you something now. Apparently, were they short one pair of pants there? What? Is that what...?
(Audience laughs)
(Kerri giggles)
(Jay giggles)
Jay: What? Is that cause they wanted to show the bandage?
Kerri: No, unfortunately, since it all happened so fast, after I got hurt and Bela was arguing with everyone to get me on the stand, I had to go out without any pants.
(Jay giggles)
(Audience hollers)
Jay: Ya know, I've done that myself actually.
(Kerri giggles)
Jay: So what's next? What's the next thing for you? What do you want to do next?
Kerri: Well, a lot has happened to me since the Olympic Games. I went to the White House. I got outfitted at DKNY yesterday.
(Audience cheers)
Jay: Ooh, very nice.
Kerri: Uhm, I've really moved up in the world.
(Audience laughs)
Kerri: I flew first class for the first time...
Jay: Wow.
Kerri: ...which is... great.
(Audience laughs)
Kerri: Uh, you've given me, uh, jewelry from Tiffany's.
(Audience hollers)
Jay: Oh, that's right. Well, that's right. A little bracelet. There you go.
Kerri: So... my life has really changed, and I'm just looking forward to everything that's ahead of me. And my team... we may do... be doing a few tours together, and... I'm not really sure what's in my future, but it's looking pretty good.
(Kerri giggles)
(Audience begins yelling and clapping)
Jay: Well, you make us all proud. It really is, uh, amazing accomplishments. Kerri, thank you so much for coming.
(Kerri and Jay shake hands)
(Audience begins yelling and clapping)
Kerri: Thank you.
Jay: Thanks. We'll be right back with comedian, Wayne Federman, right after this.
Jay (to Kerri): Stay there.
(Audience continues to yell and clap)
(Band begins playing "America, the Beautiful")
(Jay leans over to talk to Kerri)
(Begins showing a clip of Kerri being carried to the medal stand by Bela)
Return to Kerri "Spark-Plug"
Strug...
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© 1996 James Mohr (Last update on December 15th, 1996)
Graphics by Larry Stevens
Page created on November 11, 1996.
