Samantha "Sami" Shapiro is an American gymnast. She is a five-time member of the USA Gymnastics National Team.
Personal life
Shapiro attended Windward School in Los Angeles and graduated in June 2011. Her parents are Brent and Abbe Shapiro. Her sister, Nicki, is also a gymnast.
Gymnastics
Though she was competing at an international level in 2008 and was a top-ranked junior national team member, she was 5 months too young to be eligible for the 2008 Olympic Team. She trains at All Olympia Gymnastics Center, or AOGC, in Los Angeles with fellow National Team member Mattie Larson.
Junior career
Shapiro first qualified for Junior International Elite in 2006 at age 13, when she finished 4th All-Around at the US Classic in Kansas, and competed in the US National Championships later that year, finishing 13th. In 2007, she returned and won gold on the balance beam, and silver in the all-around competition, uneven bars and floor exercise. In 2008, she returned to the VISA Championships to regain her title on the balance beam, and also took the gold on the uneven bars, coming 2nd in the all-around again. She was chosen to join some of the Senior Elite National team to go to the Pacific Rim Championships in San Jose, where she performed well on all four events, helping the US Team win the gold, and winning gold on the uneven bars and silver in the all-around competition. Her performance on the floor exercise during the team competition was notable when the music cut out as she began her first pass. Seemingly unfazed, she continued her exhibition through to the end as the US team cheered her on and the arena began rhythmically clapping.
Senior career
In the fall of 2008, Shapiro competed in the Pan American Gymnastics Union Championships, where she won gold on the beam and uneven bars. In March 2009, she represented the US at the Montreal World Cup, where she sustained a broken foot in training but persevered to win gold on the uneven bars. Injuries kept her from competing for most of 2009 and 2010, but she resurfaced as a Senior Elite in 2010, qualifying at the US Classic 4th on the balance beam and floor exercise. She fell and injured herself on the vault while attempting a 1.5 Yurchenko, and had to be assisted off the podium. Despite this, she returned to the VISA Championships competing as a senior, and finished 7th on the beam and the All-Around and 5th on the floor exercise. Shapiro earned a spot on the USA National Team for the fifth consecutive year. In 2010 Shapiro announced her intentions to commit to joining the Stanford Gymnastics Team. In 2011, she appeared on the cover of Inside Gymnastics "50 Most Photogenic" issue as a tribute to the artistry and grace she presented in her years as an international elite gymnast.
NCAA career
In 2011, Shapiro retired from elite level gymnastics to compete for Stanford Cardinal's women's gymnastics team. In the 2012 season, she earned the First-Team All-American honor and finished as runner-up on the uneven bars at the NCAA National Championships in Duluth, Georgia. She was named a Scholastic All-American by the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women, capping off a successful freshman year. As a sophomore, Samantha earned academic honors including the Scholastic All-American honor for the second year along with receiving an Honorable Mention citation for the 2013 Pac-12 All-Academic Team. In Shapiro's junior year, she capped off a successful season at the NCAA National Championship's in Birmingham, Alabama, again earning the First-Team All-American honor and finishing as runner-up on the uneven bars. On the road to nationals, she was co-winner of the regional title on the uneven bars with a 9.95 at the NCAA Baton Rouge Regionals. During the season, she also earned Pac-12 Conference honors, including being named to the Pac-12 All Academic Second Team and claiming Second Team honors on uneven bars for the 2014 All-Pac-12 Women's Gymnastics Team.
