Shawn Johnson has been asked the same questions hundreds of times since winning a gold medal in gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, but all of her practice couldn't prepare her for one St. Elizabeth Seton student's query.

"Are you famous?"

Johnson smiled, thought for a moment, and said she didn't think she was. The number of wide-eyed faces staring back at her suggested otherwise.

"That was cute, and I love traveling to schools and talking to kids because you never know that is going to come out of their mouths," Johnson said Tuesday. "I am not used to being that person (who is the center of attention). I remember being the elementary student or high school student who saw people come into our school and was star-struck."

Many students in the St. Thomas More gymnasium were star-struck Tuesday, when the Olympic gold medalist made a surprise visit to their school. Johnson was in the city to promote the Progressive Skating & Gymnastics Spectacular, which will take place at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center on Oct. 30.

The spectacular brings together top skaters and gymnasts with Olympic experience for a combination show of the two sports on the same floor. The event will take place on the ice arena floor with gymnasts including Nastia Liukin, Raj Bhavsar and Johnson, and figure skaters Elvis Stojko, Michael Weiss and Emily Hughes. Ashley Tisdale, of "High School Musical," will perform at the show.

"We kind of do a little bit of everything, and I think we will be incorporating a little bit of the 'Dancing with the Stars' with me," said Johnson, who won the most recent season of the popular ABC TV show.

Johnson enjoyed her first experience in Rapid City when she took part in the Progressive event during the Christmas season last year.

"I loved it and I had a great time doing the show. I got to meet all the skaters and the musical act," she said. "We got to visit Mount Rushmore and it was really a blast."

Johnson still has a passion for gymnastics and has hired a trainer to get back into shape. However, she did not compete at the recently completed U.S. Gymnastics Championships and has not decided whether she will completely return to the sport that made her a star.

"You get busy and you don't move on from it, but you get so many opportunities and experience so many things, you don't wake up every day missing it," she said. "But I miss the sport and being able to compete.

"For me, it is about what is going to make me happy. Whether that is going back and doing gymnastics or taking on a new challenge."

For now, Johnson will continue to travel throughout the country making appearances before finding her way back to Rapid City at the end of October.

"We realized we could do this again a few months ago, but we wondered how we would be able to top last time," said civic center general manager Brian Maliske. "But getting Shawn was the big thing for us."