NAMES IN THE NEWS : Retton Urges Setting Goals

Former Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton says she would like to motivate children to set more goals.

If they don’t have goals, they have too much idle time and are more likely to get involved with drugs or alcohol, said Retton, who turned 22 on Wednesday.

“You have to be willing to make sacrifices,” she told a group of students Friday. “There will be a lot of hard choices. You don’t go halfway into it; you go full into it.”

In the 1984 Olympics at age 16, Retton won the all-around gold medal, silver medals for team and vault, and bronze medals for uneven bars and floor exercise. She retired four years ago.

“I retired from gymnastics because I had achieved my goals,” she said. “It was time for new goals, like getting a good education.”