Gymnastics

[Lady Whistleup]

Also, thrilled for the Taiwanese gymnast on pommel horse!

[blueray]

I did some research (well read wikipedia) on what Simone was saying she had. I forgot what it is called but I too fully support her in dropping out. It is a real thing and people have been seriously injured. They basically "forget" where they are in the air and how to do a move. This can lead to serious injury. In the 1980's a Russian gymnast suffered from this as well and as they wouldn't let her quit. She fell on a floor route and was paralyzed for the rest of her life. 

 

[Conotocarious]

2 minutes ago, blueray said:

I did some research (well read wikipedia) on what Simone was saying she had. I forgot what it is called but I too fully support her in dropping out. It is a real thing and people have been seriously injured. They basically "forget" where they are in the air and how to do a move. This can lead to serious injury. In the 1980's a Russian gymnast suffered from this as well and as they wouldn't let her quit. She fell on a floor route and was paralyzed for the rest of her life. 

 

Elena Mukhina. What’s truly awful is her first thought after getting injured was something like “thank god I don’t have to do that anymore”.

The culture of this sport has needed a big, big overhaul for a long time now. I don’t need to see athletes potentially crushed under impossible expectations just to enjoy that fleeting glory of a gold medal. The entire mentality behind this needs to change now and if it starts with what Simone did, that also leaves a huge mark on the sport as much as a bunch of gold medals does. 

[Chit Chat]

6 hours ago, Cherpumple said:

If she left the floor completely, I would assume it was injury, illness, maybe a panic attack, or even some bad news from home. But when she came back so quickly in seemingly good spirits I was wracking my brains trying to figure out what could be so serious as to make her withdraw from the meet midstream, but at the same time be "no big deal" enough to have her spend the remainder of the meet laughing and joking and cheering with her teammates. It just didn't make sense to me in the moment and distracted me from an otherwise great competition.

Even the announcers were confused!  They were just trying to figure it out so that they could convey the problem accurately to us viewers.   It would be like seeing Michael Phelps start a race and then jump back out of the pool.  It was a very WTH moment for the viewers.  I think that most viewers just wanted to make sure she was physically okay - as in no broken leg, etc.  The explanation of her losing her air awareness was enough for me though.  I heard Simone talking to her teammates and I'm pretty sure she said "I don't trust myself."  I'm not a gymnast, but I knew that wasn't a good thing.  It's disappointing to see this happen to any athlete, but especially one who is at the top of their game.  Again, I'm not disappointed in her, but for her.   There will be the inevitable swirl of criticism from the media, but honestly, I've seen more support of her than criticism.  

Okay, I'm going to put this out there, and it's in no way a criticism of Simone!  I understand that all sports evolve (especially gymnastics & ice skating/dancing).  You look back to the days of Nadia and you see how fairly "tame" some of her routines were (not that they weren't difficult!)  Gymnasts push themselves to do bigger and better routines, but I'd rather see a gymnast do things that aren't so risky and new, and excel at things that are more in the norm for the sport at a given time.  It's like with ice skating.  Some will try some quadruple something something and not land it clean, but hey, they attempted it!!  I'd rather see the triple something something done cleanly until the quad something something is perfected!!  Simone was doing those really difficult routines, but maybe it would've been better for her if she hadn't pushed herself so hard in this regard.  AGAIN, not a criticism of her or blaming her.  I'm just pointing out how much stress one can put on themselves when trying to maintain the GOAT status.  She's great with or without the super duper twists and turns!  

 

 

[healthnut]

So does Simone withdrawing bail out Tom Forster? 

[Conotocarious]

31 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

Even the announcers were confused!  They were just trying to figure it out so that they could convey the problem accurately to us viewers.   It would be like seeing Michael Phelps start a race and then jump back out of the pool.  It was a very WTH moment for the viewers.  I think that most viewers just wanted to make sure she was physically okay - as in no broken leg, etc.  The explanation of her losing her air awareness was enough for me though.  I heard Simone talking to her teammates and I'm pretty sure she said "I don't trust myself."  I'm not a gymnast, but I knew that wasn't a good thing.  It's disappointing to see this happen to any athlete, but especially one who is at the top of their game.  Again, I'm not disappointed in her, but for her.   There will be the inevitable swirl of criticism from the media, but honestly, I've seen more support of her than criticism.  

Okay, I'm going to put this out there, and it's in no way a criticism of Simone!  I understand that all sports evolve (especially gymnastics & ice skating/dancing).  You look back to the days of Nadia and you see how fairly "tame" some of her routines were (not that they weren't difficult!)  Gymnasts push themselves to do bigger and better routines, but I'd rather see a gymnast do things that aren't so risky and new, and excel at things that are more in the norm for the sport at a given time.  It's like with ice skating.  Some will try some quadruple something something and not land it clean, but hey, they attempted it!!  I'd rather see the triple something something done cleanly until the quad something something is perfected!!  Simone was doing those really difficult routines, but maybe it would've been better for her if she hadn't pushed herself so hard in this regard.  AGAIN, not a criticism of her or blaming her.  I'm just pointing out how much stress one can put on themselves when trying to maintain the GOAT status.  She's great with or without the super duper twists and turns!  

 

 

The thing is Simone’s execution is super high even with her difficulty. She truly can do the most difficult elements. I understand your point if gymnasts were throwing badly performed yet difficult skills but she was not.  The problem with everyone performing easier skills and everyone doing everything cleanly is it becomes a LOT more subjective than it already is. 

[Chit Chat]

3 minutes ago, Conotocarious said:

The thing is Simone’s execution is super high even with her difficulty.

For sure!  It's just a lot of pressure on an individual, especially in the Olympics where you know that you're basically the main event in the gymnastics world!  Well, if nothing else, maybe current and future athletes will benefit from what she's been through.  

[Conotocarious]

I just read a comment somewhere else where someone noted they thought Jade looked pale and anxious or just not physically right even before her vault. Did anyone notice this (I didn’t watch because I slept right through it although I’ll watch tonight). I hope she is ok and is able to brush past this for floor final tomorrow. She has a great chance to medal and if she’s feeling the pressure about medaling I hope she knows ITS OK no matter what happens.

[NUguy514]

14 minutes ago, Conotocarious said:

I just read a comment somewhere else where someone noted they thought Jade looked pale and anxious or just not physically right even before her vault. Did anyone notice this (I didn’t watch because I slept right through it although I’ll watch tonight). I hope she is ok and is able to brush past this for floor final tomorrow. She has a great chance to medal and if she’s feeling the pressure about medaling I hope she knows ITS OK no matter what happens.

Yes, I absolutely saw it on Jade's face before her first vault run.  I knew it was going to be bad before she started to run.  Frankly, I saw the same thing with Suni; she just looked panicked before she jumped up to the bar.  That she medaled at all is a minor miracle, but those bars seemed sort of cursed.  I agree that not having the ability to warm up on the apparatuses themselves is completely stupid and certainly contributed to everyone's yips.

Anyway, I hate that racist, homophobic Skinner is a medalist, but she deserved it given the competition.  And at least it wasn't gold!  REBECCA!!!!!!  I wanted her to win SO badly, and I'm so excited for her!!!

Congrats also to Nina Derwael!  Fantastic bars worker and deserving of her own gold medal!

49 minutes ago, healthnut said:

So does Simone withdrawing bail out Tom Forster? 

No.

Edited August 1, 2021 by NUguy514

[filmfan2480]

1 hour ago, ChitChat said:

Even the announcers were confused!  They were just trying to figure it out so that they could convey the problem accurately to us viewers.   It would be like seeing Michael Phelps start a race and then jump back out of the pool.  It was a very WTH moment for the viewers.  I think that most viewers just wanted to make sure she was physically okay - as in no broken leg, etc.  The explanation of her losing her air awareness was enough for me though.  I heard Simone talking to her teammates and I'm pretty sure she said "I don't trust myself."  I'm not a gymnast, but I knew that wasn't a good thing.  It's disappointing to see this happen to any athlete, but especially one who is at the top of their game.  Again, I'm not disappointed in her, but for her.   There will be the inevitable swirl of criticism from the media, but honestly, I've seen more support of her than criticism.  

Okay, I'm going to put this out there, and it's in no way a criticism of Simone!  I understand that all sports evolve (especially gymnastics & ice skating/dancing).  You look back to the days of Nadia and you see how fairly "tame" some of her routines were (not that they weren't difficult!)  Gymnasts push themselves to do bigger and better routines, but I'd rather see a gymnast do things that aren't so risky and new, and excel at things that are more in the norm for the sport at a given time.  It's like with ice skating.  Some will try some quadruple something something and not land it clean, but hey, they attempted it!!  I'd rather see the triple something something done cleanly until the quad something something is perfected!!  Simone was doing those really difficult routines, but maybe it would've been better for her if she hadn't pushed herself so hard in this regard.  AGAIN, not a criticism of her or blaming her.  I'm just pointing out how much stress one can put on themselves when trying to maintain the GOAT status.  She's great with or without the super duper twists and turns!  

 

 

I completely agree.  I miss the days of School Figures for skating and Compulsories for gymnastics.  I think both sports need an overhaul for both the EXECUTION of lesser skills, and also for their SCORING systems.  There has to be an easier way to score both sports.  It went from incredibly easy and accessible to nearly impossible (unless a commentator thoroughly explains it or you know the sport extremely well).  In skating, they should replace the Short Program with a Compulsory Program that emphasizes execution of easier elements (simple layback spin, simple camel spin, straightline footwork, maybe a double axel and one triple jump - since they are so common now), etc.  And I LOVED gymnastics Compulsories back in the day.  Make them be a part of the overall total for medals.

I'm super glad Rebeca Andrade held on to Gold (what with Biles out and Jade not doing well), because - air execution aside - those were some POOR landings.  I was disappointed by that; yet ecstatic she won.

[filmfan2480]

As for Moldauer - great landings, but I always wonder if/when those lesser skills will be botched and, it sure happened to him there.

As for Yoder - given how the even unfolded, he missed an opportunity for Bronze.

As for Suni Lee - thank goodness her relative high start value and execution held her for Bronze.  But if she hit, she would have won Gold.

[ombelico]

Part of the problem with the framing and explanation of Simone's issues this week is that it has been primarily described as a mental issue. Although mental health in and of itself is definitely a legitimate reason to step back, what Simone appears to be experiencing is not just a mental issue, but a neurological and vestibular one.

It seems like once the "twisties" set in, it's not something that can be resolved solely with stress reduction but requires re-training her brain and vestibular system to know where she is in the air. This is an injury that requires recovery.

 

Edited August 2, 2021 by ombelico

[Conotocarious]

14 minutes ago, NUguy514 said:

Yes, I absolutely saw it on Jade's face before her first vault run.  I knew it was going to be bad before she started to run.  Frankly, I saw the same thing with Suni; she just looked panicked before she jumped up to the bar.  That she medaled at all is a minor miracle, but those bars seemed sort of cursed.  I agree that not having the ability to warm up on the apparatuses themselves is completely stupid and certainly contributed to everyone's yips.

Anyway, I hate that racist, homophobic Skinner is a medalist, but she deserved it given the competition.  And at least it wasn't gold!  REBECCA!!!!!!  I wanted her to win SO badly, and I'm so excited for her!!!

Congrats also to Nina Derwael!  Fantastic bars worker and deserving of her own gold medal!

No.

OK, I’m going to be watching very closely tonight. I wonder if she was actually ill or just feeling anxiety but I’m gonna guess anxiety because a gold medal was absolutely a real possibility for her. Poor Jade. I hope it goes better for floor.

We’re the bars always that….bouncy? They just looked weird and everyone was shaky. So if I have this straight, the apparent reason for no one-touch warmup is that it plays better on TV? Yeah, don’t these geniuses think that a mistake-minimizing final isn’t compelling TV? The Suni/Nina showdown fizzled before it even began.

[Conotocarious]

19 minutes ago, filmfan2480 said:

I completely agree.  I miss the days of School Figures for skating and Compulsories for gymnastics.  I think both sports need an overhaul for both the EXECUTION of lesser skills, and also for their SCORING systems.  There has to be an easier way to score both sports.  It went from incredibly easy and accessible to nearly impossible (unless a commentator thoroughly explains it or you know the sport extremely well).  In skating, they should replace the Short Program with a Compulsory Program that emphasizes execution of easier elements (simple layback spin, simple camel spin, straightline footwork, maybe a double axel and one triple jump - since they are so common now), etc.  And I LOVED gymnastics Compulsories back in the day.  Make them be a part of the overall total for medals.

I'm super glad Rebeca Andrade held on to Gold (what with Biles out and Jade not doing well), because - air execution aside - those were some POOR landings.  I was disappointed by that; yet ecstatic she won.

Some of the greatest routines to watch are compulsories. Daniela Silivas, Lilia Podkapayava. I re-watch these even now! Heck I re-watched the compulsories from 1996 and I was on the edge of my seat watching beam!

 

[Mirabelle]

4 minutes ago, Conotocarious said:

We’re the bars always that….bouncy? They just looked weird and everyone was shaky. So if I have this straight, the apparent reason for no one-touch warmup is that it plays better on TV? Yeah, don’t these geniuses think that a mistake-minimizing final isn’t compelling TV? The Suni/Nina showdown fizzled before it even began.

"This competition sucks. I already saw some of these skills in warm up!" ~ said no spectator ever.

[scarynikki12]

As far as the viewers having the warm ups on the apparatus itself would only provide context to the final routine and enhance our experience. A gymnast can struggle with warm ups but nail the routine when it counts and that shows us they worked through the necessary adjustments to bring it all together. Conversely their struggles can indicate that this is not their night and we aren't surprised when they make the mistake for the judges. Having the warm ups in another area away from the viewers just removes that context from the final routine.

And that's just for our benefit. They should absolutely be warming up on the apparatus they'll be competing on no matter how aesthetically pleasing it may or may not be for the people watching on tv. And I guarantee that the only people who care about that are the execs at NBC who also seem to think that Americans only care when we win gold.

[SophiaD]

I'm infuriated that the athletes aren't allowed a one-touch warm-up.  That's both dangerous and stupid, to send them in cold.  Just another example of their commodification.  The PTB don't care about their health or welfare or even about having each person do their very best.  Just slap them in and slap them out and hand out medals.  Next!

"Suspense" is a stupid, stupid reason for this.  Fine, let them warm up and show the events with tape delay.  Or, show them - people who are only casual fans aren't going to lose interest and those of us who love gymnastics will think it's massively cool.  

[Jess14]

They really need to bring the one touch warmups back on event finals. So many athletes looked off today, and I can’t help but think that the lack of a touch warmup is part of it. 

While I don’t love Jade’s floor routine and would typically prefer the floor title to go to someone with better choreography, I’m really rooting for her to win after today. I felt awful for her.

Speaking of choreography, it is way overdue for the US to spend some real time and effort on improving floor choreography and dance. Way overdue.

[Lady Whistleup]

I definitely saw something "off" about Jade. She looked pale and nervous. I hope she doesn't have the "twisties."

I think the EF in VT and UB was overall disappointing. Lots of sub-par routines and it's like the least subpar routines won medals.

[ombelico]

Another reason to bring back the one-touch warmup is to equalize between those athletes that haven't competed in the arena since the qualification rounds, and those that competed in the team and/or all-around finals in between. Warmups are done in both team and AA finals so the rationale for their exclusion in event finals is completely inconsistent, particularly when there is over a week between qualifying and event finals.

[Lady Whistleup]

So MyKayla says:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSCg66Sl6Ps/

Quote

There have been so many times I’ve wanted to quit the last 2 years and throughout my entire gymnastics career. I don’t think most people know how hard this sport is on your body and mind. I’m grateful I never gave up and that so many of you never gave up on me ❤️ unfinished business… FINISHED 🥈

Okay posts like this always shock me. She says this in Golden too -- that she really wanted to quit. Gymnastics is so demanding physically and mentally that IMO if mentally you want to quit then ... you probably should quit. There must be so many helicopter parents in gymnastics, it's frightening.

[DawnDavenport]

15 minutes ago, ombelico said:

Another reason to bring back the one-touch warmup is to equalize between those athletes that haven't competed in the arena since the qualification rounds, and those that competed in the team and/or all-around finals in between. Warmups are done in both team and AA finals so the rationale for their exclusion in event finals is completely inconsistent, particularly when there is over a week between qualifying and event finals.

The rationale for not having one touch warm ups for event finals is insane: there isn't one. At some point someone is going to get seriously injured because of them especially given the increased difficulty on vault and floor.

When will FIG stop treating this part of the competition as a gladiator arena?

 

[filmfan2480]

1 hour ago, Conotocarious said:

Some of the greatest routines to watch are compulsories. Daniela Silivas, Lilia Podkapayava. I re-watch these even now! Heck I re-watched the compulsories from 1996 and I was on the edge of my seat watching beam!

 

Absolutely.

[Chaser]

I kind of get it. It’s mentally and physically taxing but it’s also all she’s ever know and all she’s sacrificed for. Sometimes walking away can be just as terrifying as staying. 

^response to Skinner’s post

Edited August 1, 2021 by Chaser

[DawnDavenport]

1 hour ago, Conotocarious said:

Some of the greatest routines to watch are compulsories. Daniela Silivas, Lilia Podkapayava. I re-watch these even now! Heck I re-watched the compulsories from 1996 and I was on the edge of my seat watching beam!

 

Don't forget Shannon Miller's compulsories in both '92 and '96. Miller's '96 compulsory beam was the highest score in the entire competition at 9.737.

She had the highest compulsory score in'92 and was 2nd in '96. 

Edited August 1, 2021 by DawnDavenport

[Conotocarious]

Just now, DawnDavenport said:

Don't forget Miller's compulsories in both '92 and '96. Mill's '96 compulsory beam was the highest score in the entire competition at 9.737.

Remember how everyone was making mistakes until Shannon? That was a HARD compulsory! I liked comparing everyone doing the same routine.

[Jess14]

1 minute ago, DawnDavenport said:

The rationale for not having one touch warm ups for event finals is insane: there isn't one. At some point someone is going to get seriously injured because of them especially given the increased difficulty on vault and floor.

When will FIG stop treating this part of the competition as a gladiator arena?

 

It’s things like the no one touch warmups that really show how empty the FIG’s reasoning was in undervaluing Simone’s double double beam dismount. They really want people to believe that they care so much about the gymnasts’ safety when they don’t allow the gymnasts to touch the apparatus before doing routines? They want people to believe that they care about gymnasts’ safety when they went to the open-ended code in the first place? Pul-lease! Both of these things are far more dangerous than pretending like a lot of gymnasts are about to start willy nilly throwing double doubles off beam because it’s rated highly.

 

[DawnDavenport]

5 minutes ago, Conotocarious said:

Remember how everyone was making mistakes until Shannon? That was a HARD compulsory! I liked comparing everyone doing the same routine.

Yes. Every country struggled at some point, including the US until Miller. Also, a highlight is how Moceanu holds her left up after the cartwheel.

That beam routine was designed by Ludmilla Tourischeva. She must have been pissed that was the last Olympics for compulsories because she basically through in every skill she felt like. If i remember correctly that shoulder roll was rated a D element at the time. Don;t forget that fouette jump too. 

Edited August 1, 2021 by DawnDavenport

[Mittengirl]

1 hour ago, ombelico said:

what Simone is experiencing is not just a mental issue, but a neurological and vestibular one

I was wondering why no one “official” voiced that connection - that there absolutely is a physical issue Simone is dealing with, not “just” stress/pressure.  

[scarynikki12]

With regard to the no touch warm up, are they allow to touch the apparatus to mark their spots and stuff or do their coaches do that? I know that there are specific differences is preparation like the amount of chalk on bars, the placement of the springboard, where certain skills occur on beam, etc. In the past I've seen coaches help out with that prep (and in 96 I remember Amanar bouncing around helping to get chalk on the bars) but are the athletes allowed to do that anymore? Cause that would also be a detriment to the effectiveness of the routine as well as their safety.

I don't want anyone to get hurt but I'm kind of hoping the event finals are generally enough of a mess to convince the asshats in charge to remove this rule and let them warm up properly again.

[Quilt Fairy]

1 hour ago, Conotocarious said:

We’re the bars always that….bouncy? They just looked weird and everyone was shaky.

I've thought a lot of the equipment looked odd the whole competition.  Everything with a pole - uneven bars, parallel bars, high bar - looked like it was giving a lot more than it should.  Even the padding looks too soft, like they're trying to fight for a stuck landing when they've landed on a feather pillow. 

 

1 hour ago, ombelico said:

Although mental health in and of itself is definitely a legitimate reason to step back, what Simone is experiencing is not just a mental issue, but a neurological and vestibular one.

Thanks for mentioning this.  When someone said she lost her "air awareness" I understood right away, and it's unfortunate people keep describing it purely as a mental health issue. 

 

Congrats to Rebeca and Nina!  With Max Whitlock of GB winning PH and  Artem Dolgopyat of Israel winning FX it feels like a real international competition.  

[Mittengirl]

21 minutes ago, Chaser said:

kind of get it. It’s mentally and physically taxing but it’s also all she’s ever know and all she’s sacrificed for. Sometimes walking away can be just as terrifying as staying. 

^response to Skinner’s post

Many people stay in jobs or relationships they aren’t happy with, because walking away is scary.  
 

And I have to think with many of these elite athletes who peak so young, there is (unspoken?) pressure from parents that want to see a payoff for the family’s financial investment.

[Black Knight]

43 minutes ago, DawnDavenport said:

Miller's '96 compulsory beam was the highest score in the entire competition at 9.737.

She had the highest compulsory score in'92 and was 2nd in '96. 

I'm confused. Are the years switched in the second sentence? Or how was it that Miller's '96 score was the highest score in the entire competition and yet 2nd?

[emmawoodhouse]

2 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

I'm confused. Are the years switched in the second sentence? Or how was it that Miller's '96 score was the highest score in the entire competition and yet 2nd?

Maybe her cumulative score ended up second?

[healthnut]

I wonder if FIG might consider something similar to what figure skating did with the compulsory dance in ice dance, where they basically combined the compulsory dance with the original dance and made the rhythm dance. I’m not how they could do it, but you could have some sequence in each event (minus vault, of course, they could all do a compulsory vault) that everyone did in a preliminary round. Just a thought…

I do agree with a lot of you that I would rather see easier gymnastics done cleaner than harder gymnastics done poorly. 

[chitowngirl]

23 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

And I have to think with many of these elite athletes who peak so young, there is (unspoken?) pressure from parents that want to see a payoff for the family’s financial investment.

And perhaps athletes feel guilty that their parents invested so much that they feel they can’t walk away, whether or not they are being pressured.

 

4 minutes ago, healthnut said:

I do agree with a lot of you that I would rather see easier gymnastics done cleaner than harder gymnastics done poorly. 

I feel the same about figure skating. 

[scarynikki12]

14 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

I'm confused. Are the years switched in the second sentence? Or how was it that Miller's '96 score was the highest score in the entire competition and yet 2nd?

In 92 Miller had the highest compulsory score after all the athletes finished competing. In 96 she was second behind Lilia after compulsories. On balance beam she had the highest score in the compulsories with Lilia and Moceanu right behind her. 

[emma675]

I'm so happy for Rebecca and Nina! And even though I know Suni wanted to do better, I think it's so cool she has a medal of every color. A complete set, so to speak. 

I don't see how people are thinking Jade looked pale, she is naturally incredibly fair and has very little natural color (and I'm saying this as an incredibly pale person myself). I did think she looked uncomfortable, though, hopefully she's okay.

[Lady Whistleup]

2 minutes ago, emma675 said:

I'm so happy for Rebecca and Nina! And even though I know Suni wanted to do better, I think it's so cool she has a medal of every color. A complete set, so to speak. 

I don't see how people are thinking Jade looked pale, she is naturally incredibly fair and has very little natural color (and I'm saying this as an incredibly pale person myself). I did think she looked uncomfortable, though, hopefully she's okay.

It's more like her face looked nervous and jittery. You could just tell she was off her game before she even vaulted. MyKayla and Rebecca looked in the zone.

[choclatechip45]

I hope Jade is okay. She impressed me so much with the support she lended to Riley.

[KittenPokerCheater]

Am I the only one who was a little squicked out when Yoder's coach grabbed his man-boob and squeezed it on the live feed at nbcolympics while they were waiting for his scores?  I'm sure it wasn't meant in any terrible way, but it was pretty crass.  

Also, if a coach did that to a woman....

 

[DawnDavenport]

1 hour ago, Black Knight said:

I'm confused. Are the years switched in the second sentence? Or how was it that Miller's '96 score was the highest score in the entire competition and yet 2nd?

Sorry. I meant that Miller had the highest compulsory total in '92 and had the 2nd highest total in '96 across all events, not just beam.

Miller had the highest beam score of the entire competition in '96 with the 9.737. The next highest was Podkopayava with a 9.7.

[Lady Whistleup]

Watching the mens' FX. Mad respect to Nikita for doing the triple pike. Wow. 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

So MyKayla says:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSCg66Sl6Ps/

Okay posts like this always shock me. She says this in Golden too -- that she really wanted to quit. Gymnastics is so demanding physically and mentally that IMO if mentally you want to quit then ... you probably should quit. There must be so many helicopter parents in gymnastics, it's frightening.

I completely agree. It was so clear in Golden she hated the sport but couldn’t move on without going to the olympics. 

3 hours ago, Chaser said:

I kind of get it. It’s mentally and physically taxing but it’s also all she’s ever know and all she’s sacrificed for. Sometimes walking away can be just as terrifying as staying. 

^response to Skinner’s post

The really sad thing is that she did quit when she was a child. Her mother admits that she forced her to go back after Carly Patterson won and decided it was MyKayla’s destiny. Her mother arguing that none of the gymnasts really wanted it that young and were all forced to compete. 

2 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

With regard to the no touch warm up, are they allow to touch the apparatus to mark their spots and stuff or do their coaches do that? I know that there are specific differences is preparation like the amount of chalk on bars, the placement of the springboard, where certain skills occur on beam, etc. In the past I've seen coaches help out with that prep (and in 96 I remember Amanar bouncing around helping to get chalk on the bars) but are the athletes allowed to do that anymore? Cause that would also be a detriment to the effectiveness of the routine as well as their safety.

When John and Bridget were talking about the lack of a one touch warmup they mentioned they have time on the equipment earlier in the day. I assume that’s when they go through the preparation. They also mentioned that there is warm-up equipment that they use before the competition starts. 
 

Suni and others who competed are calling out the stupidity of the rule. 
Gymnasts Call For One Touch Warm-Ups at Tokyo Olympics

[legaleagle53]

Congratulations to Artem and Israel for the Gold medal on Floor Exercise. Who knew that Israel had it in them?

[Lady Whistleup]

5 minutes ago, Dani said:

I completely agree. It was so clear in Golden she hated the sport but couldn’t move on without going to the olympics. 

Another thing is she made it seem as if only getting on the podium made the journey worth it. At least that's the way I read it and also consistent with how she talks on her vlogs -- that it's podium or bust. That's so sad. Most elite gymnasts never even get to an Olympics, much less a podium. I'm glad that for someone who had such mixed feelings about the sport that she went out on a high with a silver medal. But thinking "what if she didn't medal?" is very depressing because she definitely isn't doing this for the love of the sport. 

[Daisy]

5 hours ago, filmfan2480 said:

In skating, they should replace the Short Program with a Compulsory Program that emphasizes execution of easier elements (simple layback spin, simple camel spin, straightline footwork, maybe a double axel and one triple jump - since they are so common now), etc. 

or just do both. Diving still has compulsory dives you have to do to qualify before you do your several optional dives. 

[choclatechip45]

45 minutes ago, Dani said:

I completely agree. It was so clear in Golden she hated the sport but couldn’t move on without going to the olympics. 

The really sad thing is that she did quit when she was a child. Her mother admits that she forced her to go back after Carly Patterson won and decided it was MyKayla’s destiny. Her mother arguing that none of the gymnasts really wanted it that young and were all forced to compete. 

When John and Bridget were talking about the lack of a one touch warmup they mentioned they have time on the equipment earlier in the day. I assume that’s when they go through the preparation. They also mentioned that there is warm-up equipment that they use before the competition starts. 
 

Suni and others who competed are calling out the stupidity of the rule. 
Gymnasts Call For One Touch Warm-Ups at Tokyo Olympics

That is nutty since Skinner would have been 7 years old...It's not like she was 12 or 13. 

[legaleagle53]

Well done, Matt Whitlock, getting the Gold in Pommel Horse for Great Britain!

[DawnDavenport]

1 hour ago, Dani said:

When John and Bridget were talking about the lack of a one touch warmup they mentioned they have time on the equipment earlier in the day. I assume that’s when they go through the preparation. They also mentioned that there is warm-up equipment that they use before the competition starts. 
 

Suni and others who competed are calling out the stupidity of the rule. 
Gymnasts Call For One Touch Warm-Ups at Tokyo Olympics

Please tell me they aren't justifying not have warm ups right before on the actual competition equipment!

My understanding is there is a warm up gym with equipment. However, the competition arena is different and there can be slight differences between the warm up and competition equipment. 

I mean there's a warm up period before each rotation in the other events but event finals. I've read that it was by request from NBC to help better time their coverage so the FIG and IOC decided to scrapped them. If it's such an issue for the network, If that truly the case, then it's even worse than just a decision by the governing body. 

So the logic is this:

Biles's double-double off beam and Yurchenko double pike? Too dangerous so don't award them their true difficulty in the COP. We can't encourage innovation and progression!

One-touch warm ups in event finals? Unnecessary. The gymnasts will be fine. If not, we have crutches, neck braces, stretchers, and ambulances on stand by "just in case." Plus, we'll do the award ceremony after each event instead of all of them at the end. 

Makes perfect sense to me.

 

Edited August 1, 2021 by DawnDavenport