Hey everyone! 

Hope everyone is doing good! I hope some of you have seen the show, or are planning on going before its over, because it is SOOO much fun! I am really enjoying it! Jordan Pruitt is also touring with us! She is AMAZING! We have became really great friends Be sure to check her out on myspace & website! www.myspace.com/jordanpruitt & www.jordanpruitt.com

I was in NYC earlier this week for the Women’s Sports Foundation Dinner! It was such an honor to be invited to the dinner, AND win Sportswoman of the Year!!!!! Thank you all who voted for me My parents and Nina Kim (one of my best friends) got to come up and spend a few days with me there. Marta and Kathy Kelly also flew up for the dinner! It was the first time I had seen them both since Beijing, so it was really special for me that they came. While I was in New York, I also got to go on TRL @ MTV Studios! I got to meet Elizabeth Banks again (I sat next to her at the Peter Som Fashion Show) and also the cast of Degrassi! Check out my new pictures

I haven’t been home for a while now, and I really do miss my family, my friends, my dogs and especially training at WOGA. I can’t wait to be back home and start training again! 

I’ll keep you guys updated! Have a great weekend!

XOXO

Nastia

Nastia sent some new photographs from her trip to New York for the Women’s Sports Association Salute where she was honoured as the Individual Sportswoman of the Year! She also wanted to let everyone know that she will be a guest on TRL this Thursday 16 October. The show airs at 3:30 PM ET/PT on MTV! Be sure to tune in!

The Women’s Sports Foundation has announced Nastia as their Individual Sportswoman of the Year. The Women’s Sports Foundation will host its 29th Annual Salute to Women in Sports, a black-tie fundraiser and awards dinner held at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel tonight. The event, which features the presentation of the Team and Individual Sportswoman of the Year, Wilma Rudolph Courage and Billie Jean King Contribution Awards, was launched to give due recognition to female athletes, their coaches and their supporters. An institution in the women’s sports world, the Salute is where some of the world’s greatest female athletes are sure to reunite with their contemporaries and meet their heroes and up-and-comers.

“It is an honor to be recognized by the Women’s Sports Foundation. Their mission promotes healthy living and progression in athletics for women. This award stands for so many things I believe in.”

Nominations for the individual and team Sportswoman of the Year Awards are made by national governing bodies, sports organizations, sports historians, media, members of the Women’s Sports Foundation advisory board and trustees, and the general public.

The other athletes and organisations to be honoured at the Salute are Jessica Mendoza (Team Sportswoman of the Year), Patrice Knight (Wilma Rudolph Courage Award) and the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour (Billie Jean King Contribution Award). Click here to read the full press release or visit the Women’s Sports Foundation website.

Following her performance in Beijing Nastia has been voted the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Female Athlete of the Month for August 2008.  Liukin finished ahead of swimming’s Natalie Coughlin and fencing’s Mariel Zagunis in the women’s balloting. Top honors for the men went to swimming’s phenom Michael Phelps, and the 2008 U.S. Men’s Olympic Team for volleyball was selected in the team category.

Wheaties has announced that Nastia and decathlete Bryan Clay will be featured on special-edition Wheaties packages. Nastia joins Mary Lou Retton, Carly Patterson and the “Magnificant 7″ (Amanda Borden, Amy Chow, Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Jaycie Phelps and Kerri Strug) as the only gymnasts to receive this honor. The soon-to-be-released packages will be available nationally beginning in September, continuing Wheaties’ tradition of honoring great American champions dating back to Johnny Weismuller and Babe Didrikson in the 1930s. “Every young athlete aspires to one day see their face on the cover of the Wheaties box. It’s been a huge inspiration to see great gymnastics champions on the box, like Mary Lou and Carly, plus the ‘Magnificent Seven’ from 1996. It’s a privilege and an honor for me to be on the box, and I’m very excited to be part of the Wheaties tradition.”. Learn more about Wheaties’ history and featured athletes on the brand’s recently updated website at wheaties.com.

We hope that you all caught Nastia’s appearance on The Late Show with Jay Leno on Tuesday night. If you missed it, a video of her interview has been posted on youtube.com. Nastia also posted the photo on the right with Jay on her Official Myspace Profile alongside a number of other personal pictures from the Olympics and her time in Los Angeles. We have posted them in Nastia’s photo album for those fans who are not members of Myspace.

In other exciting news, Nastia is one of 10 women nominated for the Women’s Sports Foundation’s 2008 Sportswoman of the Year. Fans can vote for Nastia through midnight, Sept. 2, on the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Web site. The winner will be presented at the Annual Salute to Women in Sports Dinner on Oct. 14 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. Athletes were considered for their athletic achievements from Aug. 1, 2007, through Aug. 24, 2008. The other nine women who were nominated are: Mao Asada, figure skating; Veronica Campbell-Brown, track; Natalie Coughlin, swimming; Ashley Fiolek, motocross; Allison Fisher, billiards; Yelena Isinbayeva, pole vault; Lorena Ochoa, golf; Lindsey Vonn, downhill skiing; and Rebecca Ward, fencing.

Nastia will return home to Texas on Friday for some media engagements (CBS 11 Morning Show, 99.5 Wake Up With The Wolf Show - Host Paul, Lisa, Chris, 103.7 FM with Gene & Julie, Kidd Kraddick in the Morning, U. Magazine interview, KLLI 105.3 with Ben & Skin, WFAA The Gordon Keith TV Show, KTXA Channel 21, MIX 102.9) and of course for her welcome home parade in Parker on Saturday. The parade, that will include Nastia and her family, horses, fire engines, the Plano East High School Marching Band, as well as many public officials from North Texas, including Parker Mayor Cordina, and the Parker City Council, starts and ends at Victory Church kicking off at 9.00am. It is expected that the parade will run for approximately two hours. Full event information (including a map of the parade route and parking information) can be accessed on the City of Parker Website.

Nastia begins rehearsals for the World Tour of Gymnastics Superstars on Monday. Be sure to book your tickets now! She is also looking forward to a trip to New York where, amongst other appearances, she is headed to New York Fashion Week. Nastia will be attending the Peter Som show and a party with one of her sporting heros, Maria Sharapova. Finally Nastia is heading to The Oprah Winfrey Show. She will be appearing in the season opener airing on September 8!

As promised, WOGA and Alford Media have posted a number of videos from Nastia’s celebration in Frisco last week for fans who were unable to attend in person to enjoy. Click here to visit the playlist and see the speeches made by Nastia, Valeri and Anna Liukin, Carly Patterson and Evgeny Marchenko at the event as well as slideshows for both Nastia and Carly Patterson.