Gymnastics

[AuntieDiane6]

9 hours ago, Frisky Wig said:

You're completely 100% right about the role the media has to play. When NBC was interviewing Laurie and Aly and others over the last week, I was wishing one of them would say “I think an important thing the media can do is stay out of Simone’s face, and yes that includes you, NBC!” 
 

Simone, like Diana, knows that media coverage will be the only way she can fill those $40+ seats for her Gold Over America Tour.  The last thing she would want would be a media blackout.  

if you don't want a camera on you, there are MANY ways to deal with it.

1)  Put a towel over your head.  Many male gymnasts do that as they sit in their chairs and lean forward.

2) Have your coach shield you.

3) Leave the area.  

Olga Korbut BECAME famous because she cried at the 1972 Olympics.  Her photo was on Page 1.  She went on international tours and became the world's sports darling over the actual winner.  

 

[scarynikki12]

Yay Jade! Her dad’s trying not to cry.

I remember Nastia immediately turning to bear hug her dad when she won so I’m glad Tim shut up to let her do the talking on that one.

[choclatechip45]

1 minute ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

Simone, like Diana, knows that media coverage will be the only way she can fill those $40+ seats for her Gold Over America Tour.  The last thing she would want would be a media blackout.  

if you don't want a camera on you, there are MANY ways to deal with it.

1)  Put a towel over your head.  Many male gymnasts do that as they sit in their chairs and lean forward.

2) Have your coach shield you.

3) Leave the area.  

Olga Korbut BECAME famous because she cried at the 1972 Olympics.  Her photo was on Page 1.  She went on international tours and became the world's sports darling over the actual winner.  

 

Or do what Gabby did her comeback put your back to the camera. 

[scarynikki12]

2 minutes ago, Quiet1ne said:

Why is NBC showing the 5th & 7th place finishers but not the 3rd place routines?  Wouldn't the tie make for better TV???

Yes but NBC gonna NBC.

[Chit Chat]

6 minutes ago, choclatechip45 said:

They put a GOAT on her leotard which I have no problem with, but Simone doesn't strike me as cocky or arrogant her tour is called Gold Over America Tour. 

In case anybody didn't see this (scroll down in article):  Explanation for GOAT

 

Edited August 3, 2021 by ChitChat

[PepSinger]

3 minutes ago, choclatechip45 said:

 

17 minutes ago, PepSinger said:

I don't understand how Simone was mismanaged. No one could've foreseen what happened in Tokyo. 

Also, to be fair and blunt, if Simone had been at the strength she showed at U.S. Classic this year, or the 2019 Worlds, team USA would've had a team gold, and Simone would've had gold on floor, beam, vault, and the AA. I can't be convinced otherwise. It's not just that her difficulty is high; her execution is high, too.

Expand  

As someone else said her team has been treating this like a coronation and not a competition. They put a GOAT on her leotard which I have no problem with, but Simone doesn't strike me as cocky or arrogant her tour is called Gold Over America Tour.  I think the problem is the media isn't asking the right questions, but there is something off about this whole thing. 

 

I don't have a problem with her "team" -- and I'm not even sure who that's supposed to mean -- putting a GOAT on her leotard. I don't have a problem with it because she is the greatest gymnast of all time, and she should own that. Her legacy as the GOAT was cemented before she stepped foot in Tokyo. Also, why shouldn't her tour be called "Gold Over America?" She is a...gold medalist countless times over.

[Bewitched]

3 minutes ago, Quiet1ne said:

Why is NBC showing the 5th & 7th place finishers but not the 3rd place routines?  Wouldn't the tie make for better TV???

It would definitely make good TV but I'm so glad I got to see Andrade.  To me, she has a great mix of tumbling and dance.  My untrained opinion is that Jade is almost all tumbling, Ferrari was almost too much choreography, whereas Rebeca was "just right".

[AuntieDiane6]

To those who don't want to get up early, nbcolympics.com  offers the replay VERY QUICKLY.  This morning, the replay was available as of 7:17 am EST. 

[choclatechip45]

1 minute ago, PepSinger said:

I don't have a problem with her "team" -- and I'm not even sure who that's supposed to mean -- putting a GOAT on her leotard. I don't have a problem with it because she is the greatest gymnast of all time, and she should own that. Her legacy as the GOAT was cemented before she stepped foot in Tokyo. Also, why shouldn't her tour be called "Gold Over America?" She is a...gold medalist countless times over.

By her team I mean her agent and her coaches. I have no issue with that too, but you have to wonder if it got to her. All of her interviews leading up to the games seem off. You barley hear elite gymnasts talk about scared they are to do their skills and she kept talking about how she didn't know what she wants to do after. I've been following Simone since 2013 and this whole year the joy seemed to disappear reminds me a lot of Gabby in 2016. 

[Frisky Wig]

8 minutes ago, Quiet1ne said:

Why is NBC showing the 5th & 7th place finishers but not the 3rd place routines?  Wouldn't the tie make for better TV???

Because that would make sense and you know that’s not how NBC works! 
 

All aboard the NBC Sucks train! Choo-choo!

[Chit Chat]

Some of the ladies are missing the "bubbly" personality!  In the past, two of my favorites to watch on the floor routine were Aly Raisman and Simone Biles.  They seemed to have a good rapport.  I remember Aly even saying (in a nice way) that when you compete with Simone, the best you can hope for is second place!  She said it with a smile on her face.  

After watching what little NBC has given us with the gymnastics, I have no doubt that if Simone had been able to compete, she would've swept the whole damn thing!!  

 

[Frisky Wig]

9 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

Yay Jade! Her dad’s trying not to cry.

I remember Nastia immediately turning to bear hug her dad when she won so I’m glad Tim shut up to let her do the talking on that one.

This phrase needs to be said much, much more often. All the time, every meet, until he finally retires. 

[OnePlusOne]

15 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

To my untrained eye and as someone who don't know about difficult levels, I preferred Vanessa from Italy's floor routine more than Jade's. She has more dance moves and I miss those.

Yeah, same here. I'm happy for Jade and know her routine was more technically difficult, but I wish all the US ladies would show more musicality in their floor routines. With gymnasts from other countries, the music felt like a part of the routine. With the US, it felt like background music that didn't relate at all to the moves they were doing. We see so many awesome musical floor routines in US college gymnastics (especially UCLA), so I don't understand why the Olympic routines are so mechanical-feeling. Is it a residual effect from the Karolyi regime?

[Conotocarious]

Lol is it possible to be any more reserved than Jade Carey? NBC is trying for some emotion with the facetiming but that was awkward as heck. 

Edited August 3, 2021 by Conotocarious

[choclatechip45]

1 minute ago, Conotocarious said:

Lol is it possible to be any more reserved than Jade Carey? NBC is trying for some emotion with the face ruining but that was awkward as heck. 

That was cracking me up. I love that Jade wasn't giving in.

[Chit Chat]

2 minutes ago, Conotocarious said:

Lol is it possible to be any more reserved than Jade Carey? NBC is trying for some emotion with the facetiming but that was awkward as heck. 

I think she comes by it naturally.  Her Mom was really quiet too.  Her Mom was probably nervous to be on camera and to be front and center for the world to see!!  Some families don't put their emotions on display.  ;) 

Edited August 3, 2021 by ChitChat

[Minneapple]

19 minutes ago, PepSinger said:

Also, why shouldn't her tour be called "Gold Over America?" She is a...gold medalist countless times over.

It was clearly intended to capitalize on gold medals in Tokyo.

[Guest]

32 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

So were both Gadirova twins in the floor final?

Yes, they finished in 6th (Jessica) and 7th (Jennifer).

[ancslove]

Jade's tumbling passes are really gorgeous, as well as being powerful, but her choreography is awful!  Still, I'm happy for her win.  Rebeca had a great mix of beautiful tumbling and nice performance/dance.  If she had stuck her landings a bit better, she might have won.  

But please, enough with the constant arm movements while walking to their next marks!

[DawnDavenport]

1 hour ago, scarynikki12 said:

I wish they’d show all the gymnasts in the competition. Love watching Jade but the others deserve our attention as well.

Tim will never not annoy me.

The coverage is absolute garbage. Just like last night, they showed the gold and silver medalists on vault an didn't bother showing the bronze medalist despite the fact that she debuted a brand new vault at the named after her.

Tonight, they showed Carey and Ferarri, then suddenly after the break, Melnikova and Murakami are tie for 3rd. They talked about the tie but didn't show the bronze medalists!

It's trash coverage!

[Frisky Wig]

I’m happy Jade won, partially because of “go USA!” pride, partially because of how understandably devastated she was after her vaults and partially because her tumbling is incredible. However, seeing the few routines NBC decided we’re worth showing (🙄) helped me really see just how bad her dance/choreo/artistry/musicality is. Heck, all of the USA women. 

[Steph619]

Is NBC even trying with their coverage of gymnastics lol? They only showed half of the floor routines and didn’t even bother showing the bronze medalists. What’s the point of mentioning that there was a tie for bronze or that Japan won an important medal if they’re not even going to show it? 
 

Waking up early to watch gymnastics live has been a pain for me, but it’s been worth it considering how terrible the coverage has been on NBC during prime time.

[Frisky Wig]

7 minutes ago, DawnDavenport said:

The coverage is absolute garbage. Just like last night, they showed the gold and silver medalists on vault an didn't bother showing the bronze medalist despite the fact that she debuted a brand new vault at the named after her.

Tonight, they showed Carey and Ferarri, then suddenly after the break, Melnikova and Murakami are tie for 3rd. They talked about the tie but didn't show the bronze medalists!

It's trash coverage!

Seriously! And then the NBC guy after the competition (I think it was Mike Tirico?) says Mai’s bronze was the first medal Japan won in women’s gymnastics since  1964! All the more reason to air it! 
 

Edited August 3, 2021 by Frisky Wig
Added Mike Tirico

[scarynikki12]

On a different note:

Hope her source is right and they change the rules to let them do proper warm ups in event finals.

[PepSinger]

43 minutes ago, OnePlusOne said:

1 hour ago, Snow Apple said:

To my untrained eye and as someone who don't know about difficult levels, I preferred Vanessa from Italy's floor routine more than Jade's. She has more dance moves and I miss those.

Yeah, same here. I'm happy for Jade and know her routine was more technically difficult, but I wish all the US ladies would show more musicality in their floor routines. With gymnasts from other countries, the music felt like a part of the routine. With the US, it felt like background music that didn't relate at all to the moves they were doing. We see so many awesome musical floor routines in US college gymnastics (especially UCLA), so I don't understand why the Olympic routines are so mechanical-feeling. Is it a residual effect from the Karolyi regime?

Personally, I believe it's due to lack of time. College gymnasts usually attend regular K-12 school, so they have time to actually take dance classes as opposed to those who are elite. When you add that to the fact that they aren't allowed to practice more than 20 hours a week in NCAA, it leaves more time for dance. As a dancer, sometimes it's painful to watch the elite gymnasts on the floor doing "dance" elements. The lack of musicality, especially with USA gymnasts, needs to be addressed. There were several moments during Jade's routine where you can tell that she's not anticipating the music, so her move is off. It's the same thing that used to kill me with Simone's original floor music that had that "Oh," and she would be off! A trained dancer would know how to fill the time until the moment hit. That's why I'm in favor of removing the music for the women when it comes to the USA gymnasts. However, I love it when I see the other gymnasts actually...dance.

Edited August 3, 2021 by PepSinger

[Frisky Wig]

9 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

On a different note:

Hope her source is right and they change the rules to let them do proper warm ups in event finals.

Part of me says “yes, please!” Another part of me is like “you mean there has to be a discussion!?” 

[CeeBeeGee]

1 hour ago, Frisky Wig said:

Yeah, I hear you. I set my alarm to watch floor finals at 1:50 AM this morning but slept through it, woke up around 7 and got spoiled about the results. This day in age, it’s not just about don’t open your phone. Don’t turn the TV on, don’t log on to the internet on a desk or laptop. Don’t turn on the radio. Better not talk to anyone either. In fact, just hermit yourself under the covers in bed with some potato chips or something until the replay! 😂 

 

That actually sounds like a great, relaxing idea! Too bad I have to work tomorrow. Damn adult responsibilities! 

In 2004 I was at work, studiously ignoring the internet, when one of the senior analysts said approvingly "Well, all right, Carly--All-Around gold." My head shot up out of my cubicle and the glare I sent his way could've melted Siberia. He noticed immediately and was properly abject but by then the damage was done.

[Minneapple]

20 minutes ago, PepSinger said:

Personally, I believe it's due to lack of time. College gymnasts usually attend regular K-12 school, so they have time to actually take dance classes as opposed to those who are elite. When you add that to the fact that they aren't allowed to practice more than 20 hours a week in NCAA, it leaves more time for dance. As a dancer, sometimes it's painful to watch the elite gymnasts on the floor doing "dance" elements. The lack of musicality, especially with USA gymnasts, needs to be addressed. There were several moments during Jade's routine where you can tell that she's not anticipating the music, so her move is off. It's the same thing that used to kill me with Simone's original floor music that had that "Oh," and she would be off! A trained dancer would know how to fill the time until the moment hit. That's why I'm in favor of removing the music for the women when it comes to the USA gymnasts. However, I love it when I see the other gymnasts actually...dance.

A lot of elite gymnasts go to college though. Jordyn Wieber would have competed for UCLA had she not taken endorsements. Kyla Ross and Samantha Peszek competed for UCLA. MyKayla Skinner went to Utah. Suni is going to Auburn (as of now), Jade is going to Oregon State. Plenty of other ladies like Katelyn Ohashi and Maggie Nichols have been elite and then moved on to NCAAs. 

Given that they have been very successful on floor exercise, I don't think the American women should change anything. Hell, Jade just won a gold medal with choreography that featured waving her arms around, sort of in time to the music. 

[cesstar]

So far I am thrilled with the event final podiums, what a great mix of countries and gymnasts!

I'll start with Vault and how wonderful it was to see Rebecca win (and whipping out a surprise Amanar last minute, what a queen!). Her Chengs have been a thing of beauty this Olympics, ironically the one which won her gold may have been her 'worst' one but overall she was clearly the superior vaulter with her impeccable form. Not a huge Skinner fan but can respect her hard work and resilience and her vaults have improved. Yeo getting on the podium to join her dad as Olympic vault medallists, what a great story! Disappointed for Jade just because it's an awful way for your final to go, but knowing she gets redemption on floor makes me happier with the final podium.

Uneven Bars was a bit of a mess, not one I'll re-watch. Suni looked very nervous being up first but glad she managed to still walk away with a bronze. Belgium getting their first gold. Iliankova tends to get overlooked a lot so what a moment for her to bring home silver for Russia. 

Floor was AMAZING! I loved all of the finalists and they all did such a wonderful job (well except for poor Listunova but at least she has her team gold to console herself with!). It was great to see such high-quality performances. Jade's tumbling ability is insane, even my partner who doesn't know much about gymnastics was able to see how much more difficult her tumbling is. Haha she's not exactly a natural performer though is she? Thrilled for Vanessa finally getting a medal after all those 4th place finishes. And Mai - so so happy for her and Japanese gymnastics, what a leader she has been for them.

I read somewhere that everyone in the floor final will go home an Olympic medallist, I think that really helps explain the quality of this final.

[HartofDixie]

Last day for Artistic gymnastics!

Beam results: https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/artistic-gymnastics/results-women-s-balance-beam-fnl-000001-.htm

EF day 3 steam: https://stream.nbcolympics.com/gymnastics-mens-parallel-bars-high-bar-womens-beam

[Frisky Wig]

Any other West Coasters looking at the clock and wondering how in the holy hell they’re going to stay awake until 1:53 AM? Only me? I feel so old right now! 😂 

[PepSinger]

1 hour ago, Minneapple said:

2 hours ago, PepSinger said:

Personally, I believe it's due to lack of time. College gymnasts usually attend regular K-12 school, so they have time to actually take dance classes as opposed to those who are elite. When you add that to the fact that they aren't allowed to practice more than 20 hours a week in NCAA, it leaves more time for dance. As a dancer, sometimes it's painful to watch the elite gymnasts on the floor doing "dance" elements. The lack of musicality, especially with USA gymnasts, needs to be addressed. There were several moments during Jade's routine where you can tell that she's not anticipating the music, so her move is off. It's the same thing that used to kill me with Simone's original floor music that had that "Oh," and she would be off! A trained dancer would know how to fill the time until the moment hit. That's why I'm in favor of removing the music for the women when it comes to the USA gymnasts. However, I love it when I see the other gymnasts actually...dance.

Expand  

A lot of elite gymnasts go to college though. Jordyn Wieber would have competed for UCLA had she not taken endorsements. Kyla Ross and Samantha Peszek competed for UCLA. MyKayla Skinner went to Utah. Suni is going to Auburn (as of now), Jade is going to Oregon State. Plenty of other ladies like Katelyn Ohashi and Maggie Nichols have been elite and then moved on to NCAAs. 

Given that they have been very successful on floor exercise, I don't think the American women should change anything. Hell, Jade just won a gold medal with choreography that featured waving her arms around, sort of in time to the music. 

Most collegiate gymnasts are not elite, which is why the dancing on the floor is better. They've had more time to study other things. Some of them could also be just natural dancers. I haven't done any comparisons, but I'd be curious to see if the dancing element improved in the floor routines in the NCAA versus elite. 

I *absolutely* think the American women should change their floor choreography. A lot of it is painful to watch. Just let them tumble like the men if they're going to ignore the music and not actually dance. I don't care how many gold medals they've won on floor.

[Quilt Fairy]

I was seriously underwhelmed by what NBC showed of the FX  (haven't watched the full replay yet).  Is 14.366 typically a winning score?  Or are we going to have to adjust to lower scores once Simone retires?   

I'm glad Jade won, but you can't even call what she had choreography.  The routine that had the best blend of music, dance, and tumbling was Rebeca Andrade's.  I guess it must take a Brazilian to make a booty shake look like a legitimate dance move.   I have a bit of a girl-crush on her. 

Once again, per NBC, men's gymnastics does not exist. 

[NUguy514]

30 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I was seriously underwhelmed by what NBC showed of the FX  (haven't watched the full replay yet).  Is 14.366 typically a winning score?  Or are we going to have to adjust to lower scores once Simone retires?   

I'm glad Jade won, but you can't even call what she had choreography.  The routine that had the best blend of music, dance, and tumbling was Rebeca Andrade's.  I guess it must take a Brazilian to make a booty shake look like a legitimate dance move.   I have a bit of a girl-crush on her. 

Once again, per NBC, men's gymnastics does not exist. 

Well, I mean, NBC did show, like, half of the rings and vault routines during the afternoon broadcast.  What else do you want?[/sarcasm]

As far as scoring goes, scoring across all disciplines, men and women, is down.  If you compare the winning scores from Rio to the winning scores so far from Tokyo, the only one discipline for which there isn't a pretty drastic drop-off is pommel horse (Whitlock's winning score this year was still down a bit from his 2016 winning score).  I believe the FIG devalued a lot of difficulty scores after the Rio Games, but it seems like execution scores have been much more critically evaluated as well (it seems like vault is the only discipline in which it's even remotely possible to achieve a 9.000 execution score).  For instance, the 2016 US women's winning score was over fifteen points ahead of the winning score for the Russian women this year, and that's not all because difficulty was devalued and/or because the US women's execution was that much better.  I hope someone with more knowledge about gymnastics scoring can correct me if I'm wrong or give some backstory.

Edited August 3, 2021 by NUguy514

[kittykat]

Scoring has definitely been devalued.  Back in Rio the men scoring in the 16s on P Bars and Rings was expected now low 15s high 14s is a great score.  

Same with the women's.  If you look at the uneven bars in the all around team final, Suni and Nina Derwael were the only two that scored in the 15s.  Not sure when the change occured but noticed the significantly lower numbers this year.

[Ceindreadh]

The big change in scoring since Rio is that instead of having 5 x code requirements on Bars, Beam, Floor - each worth .5 for a total 2.5 addition to the D score - there’s now only 4 x code requirements - 2 point addition to the D score. 
A lot of skills were downgraded as well, including nearly all vaults, but that was mostly to make sure that vault scores weren’t going to be way higher than the other apparatuses. 
 

[Minneapple]

Simone! I'm getting all teary. She just competed on beam and LOOKED AWESOME doing it, only one small hop on the landing. She's in second now (I think she was underscored).

[Jaded]

4 minutes ago, Minneapple said:

Simone! I'm getting all teary. She just competed on beam and LOOKED AWESOME doing it, only one small hop on the landing. She's in second now (I think she was underscored).

I got a little teary too and agree with the underscoring.

I feel bad for Suni even though she managed to stay on the beam.

Edited August 3, 2021 by Jaded

[NUguy514]

1 minute ago, Minneapple said:

Simone! I'm getting all teary. She just competed on beam and LOOKED AWESOME doing it, only one small hop on the landing. She's in second now (I think she was underscored).

I think she was underscored, too, but I actually think Tang was slightly underscored also.  I'm just in awe of Simone, though, and it got dusty in my living room, too.🥰

[Conotocarious]

My girl killed it. Simone, you are a legend. I can’t believe the mental fortitude it took to do that. She didn’t even look shaky except that one slight bobble. 

[NUguy514]

Oh my god, Simone is going to medal.  I can't.

[Mellowyellow]

The best thing was that she looked so happy!!!!

I'm so happy to see Simone happy!!!! And Suni applauding her like a proud parent in the background after her dismount was all kinds of adorable 🥰🥰🥰

[Conotocarious]

6 minutes ago, NUguy514 said:

Oh my god, Simone is going to medal.  I can't.

This was worth setting my alarm for. I forgot I changed my alarm to the sound of orcas screeching and THAT was pleasant to wake up to let me tell you. 

Edited August 3, 2021 by Conotocarious

[Minneapple]

Bronze for Simone! China goes 1-2.

Tonight on NBC: SIMONE BILES overcomes adversity to compete on balance beam! Oh and we suppose some other athletes might be there too. Who knows? WATCH SIMONE BILES ON BEAM!

[NUguy514]

I will remember Simone's bronze in this beam final forever.  Oh my god.

I'm actually in tears.

Edited August 3, 2021 by NUguy514

[Frisky Wig]

Yes!! So happy Simone got bronze and I love how happy she was!

I personally think Tang Xijing had the best routine of the night, I loved her beautiful leaps! And I loved how excited and happy she was afterwards!

It was wonderful watching gymnasts leave the podium and see athletes and coaches from other countries supporting her!

I thought Vladislava was underscored. I liked the turn with her leg up and her first wolf turn was the best one I’ve seen from an artistic gymnast! 

Suni and Flavia had some close calls, good for them for staying on!

I’m sad for Ellie Black. Her turn series was beautiful and really wanted her to be the first WAG Canadian medalist. Maybe next Olympics!

 

[Conotocarious]

It’s been such a long Games. Simone is my favorite athlete of all time . I just want her to be happy in everything she ever does from here on out. Hear me, Universe???
 

what do I do with myself now? Diving is coming up and I need to see more Tom Daly. I’ll watch climbing as well. But at least now I can sleep normally again.

[DollEyes]

Even though I haven't commented on all the Team USA gymnasts, I'm proud of them, especially of Simone. Even though she's still struggling, Simone proves that, to paraphrase the old saying, "It's not how you fall down, it's how-and that-you get up that matters."

Edited August 3, 2021 by DollEyes

[Jaded]

I finally realized who I kept thinking Brody Malone looks like and it's Scotty
McCreery from American Idol. It's something similar face wise. Even with all the mishaps others had on high bar he still fell just short....

Edited August 3, 2021 by Jaded

[Snow Apple]

I wonder if NBC will show the gold and silver medalists tonight?

I still can't get over how they didn't show both bronze medalists on floor.