Gymnastics

[Jeddah]

3 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Gymnasts with good dance training have graceful hands instead of the crazy splayed out claw hands that I see on so many gymnasts these days.

If Riley McCuster makes the Olympics, I hope it’s only for bars. When she does floor or beam, all I can see is the horrible, horrible way she holds her wrists and hands. She could have benefited from some serious ballet training.

[peachmangosteen]

11 hours ago, Frisky Wig said:

Nearly all of them did wolf turns, which I hear a lot of people hate, which is not surprising considering how all the gymnasts wave their arms during the turn to keep their balance.

I hate that move. It looks so ugly every single time to me.

I wish they showed rhythmic gymnastics on TV.

[CeeBeeGee]

10 hours ago, Mirabelle said:

I just saw Jade's floor at Nationals on YTand then watched Lilia Podkapayeva on the floor. Now she was a gymnast who actually danced between the tumbling.

Here is her floor compulsories from 1996:

 

Okay, comparing Jade's "dance" to that of the great Lilypod is just cruel. She even danced on the beam, for God's sake.

[Frisky Wig]

3 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I wish they showed rhythmic gymnastics on TV.

YES! You're speaking my language, Peach! 

RG is my favorite sport *points to profile pic* and I've been attending competitions every year since 2004. It's hardly ever shown on TV. During the 2008 Olympics, NBC aired 30 minutes of the individual competition at THREE A.M.! Was I awake and watching? Of course! They probably aired it at other times but that slot really sticks out for me. USA didn't have any rhythmic gymnasts competing at that Games, so NBC likely assumed no one in America would care. 

I believe it's rarely broadcast because it's not very popular but how popular can it get if it's not aired at times when people can actually watch it? 🤨

For Tokyo, we (US) are sending 2 individual athletes for the first time since the 1988 Games AND we're sending a group. This is the first time our group has actually qualified since group competition was introduced in 1996. We sent a group that year because we were the host country. 

Come on, NBC! Do the right thing here! It's bad enough that RG fans have to deal with message boards full of people ranting about how it's not a sport and should be removed from the Games and late-night hosts making fun of it!

Edited June 12, 2021 by Frisky Wig
'show' and 'shown' are two different words

[Lady Whistleup]

I just watched Yang Yilin's gorgeous beam routine and my god Tim and Elfi are so rude. Nothing about her gorgeous skills, just nitpicking some balance checks:

 

[andromeda331]

5 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I hate that move. It looks so ugly every single time to me.

So do I. Simone does it the best but I still hate it. 

[irisheyes]

5 hours ago, CeeBeeGee said:

Okay, comparing Jade's "dance" to that of the great Lilypod is just cruel. She even danced on the beam, for God's sake.

The Ukrainian team had the BEST uniforms ever during the 96 Olympics. The velvet look was absolutely stunning. 
 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

7 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I hate that move. It looks so ugly every single time to me.

Same. I loathe the flailing arms (I have a dance background so I expect the arms to stay in an intentional position - waving them around so you don't fall over is like the visual equivalent of nails on a chalkboard to me). But even when it's done well, the rest of the body position is just so ugly. You're squatting with one leg out. There's no way to make that actually look nice. And I know it's the squatting that makes it ugly to me because I have no issue with the way à la seconde turns look.

I looooooved watching rhythmic gymnastics back in the olden days. I even had one of those ridiculous Get In Shape Girl ribbons at one point. I definitely remember they used to show whole competitions on tv. In the last few Olympics, they have barely shown any coverage. I remember they made a big deal when there was an American who made it to individual qualifications but obviously unless there's a chance that an American will medal, no one in the country will want to watch the sport so let's not bother showing more than, say, the final routine of the girl who won the gold. It's so frustrating. I love watching rhythmic gymnastics on YouTube. There are so many great routines!

[peachmangosteen]

4 hours ago, Frisky Wig said:

For Tokyo, we (US) are sending 2 individual athletes for the first time since the 1988 Games AND we're sending a group. This is the first time our group has actually qualified since group competition was introduced in 1996. 

This gives me hope they might show a bit of it this year then! 

I am hoping maybe Peacock will have more coverage of sports that usually don't get shown on TV and also of non-American competitors but that's probably a pipe dream.

[Black Knight]

On 6/5/2021 at 7:50 AM, Jillibean said:

I think the fed is foolish if they give Jade a team spot, but it's a mess they created themselves by not paying attention because the whole organization was in disarray two years ago when this all went down, and I'm not sure they fully understood the implications of how this could play out at the time. The thing is, while Jade is likely good enough at this point to have earned a spot on the team if she were starting with a clean slate and there was no nominative berth at play, the team ultimately doesn't need Jade. That team is going to win with Simone plus any three other girls who finish in the top ten. You could pick those other three names out off a hat and win.

It seems like that argument goes both ways. To win, the team only needs Simone, and there is no question of Simone making the team. For the other slots, the team doesn't need Jade, but nor do they need any of the other girls. It doesn't matter who fills the slots, so I don't see where foolishness plays in.

Of course it does matter to the other girls who could get on the team with Simone, because hello gold medals, but you said yourself that Jade is likely good enough to have earned a spot on the team regardless, so it's not like she's a terrible gymnast taking a place she could not have gotten otherwise.

[Lady Whistleup]

Loudmila Tourischeva. Only gymnast who could pull off the wolf turn and make it look graceful:

 

[Mirabelle]

Her wolf turn is beautifully controlled. Most of the time it looks like the gymnast just thinks, "Fuck it, I'm gonna turn and hope for the best," 

[legaleagle53]

3 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Same. I loathe the flailing arms (I have a dance background so I expect the arms to stay in an intentional position - waving them around so you don't fall over is like the visual equivalent of nails on a chalkboard to me). But even when it's done well, the rest of the body position is just so ugly. You're squatting with one leg out. There's no way to make that actually look nice. And I know it's the squatting that makes it ugly to me because I have no issue with the way à la seconde turns look.

I looooooved watching rhythmic gymnastics back in the olden days. I even had one of those ridiculous Get In Shape Girl ribbons at one point. I definitely remember they used to show whole competitions on tv. In the last few Olympics, they have barely shown any coverage. I remember they made a big deal when there was an American who made it to individual qualifications but obviously unless there's a chance that an American will medal, no one in the country will want to watch the sport so let's not bother showing more than, say, the final routine of the girl who won the gold. It's so frustrating. I love watching rhythmic gymnastics on YouTube. There are so many great routines!

See also: Rings in Men's Gymnastics.

[andromeda331]

2 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Loudmila Tourischeva. Only gymnast who could pull off the wolf turn and make it look graceful:

 

Very nice.

[CeeBeeGee]

2 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Loudmila Tourischeva. Only gymnast who could pull off the wolf turn and make it look graceful:

 

I did think Terin Humphrey's wolf turn mount on beam in 2004 was lovely. She had the lines to pull it off, with those long legs of hers.

[Lady Whistleup]

Surprised to see the wolf turn so popular in old school Soviet routines. Here's Elena Mukhina:

 

[choclatechip45]

Pretty sure the US would still win without Simone it would just be a lot closer.

[Frisky Wig]

While I enjoyed watching Ludmilla and Elena’s routines, I don’t really think they’re the best comparison. They each do a single wolf turn and it’s much easier to keep your balance (and thus not wave your arms like you’re flagging down a bus) when you’re doing only one versus the 2021 gymnasts who do 3 or 4. 

Edited June 13, 2021 by Frisky Wig
Debated whether to add another point

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

I wish they showed rhythmic gymnastics on TV.

They do. On NBC's Olympic Channel.  The FIG World Cup/Rhythmic Gymnastics from Italy is on at 6:30 pm Wednesday.  It's been on several times since June 2.  

[Frisky Wig]

55 minutes ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

They do. On NBC's Olympic Channel.  The FIG World Cup/Rhythmic Gymnastics from Italy is on at 6:30 pm Wednesday.  It's been on several times since June 2.  

This sounds awesome but it likely requires an expensive cable package, correct? I wish RG was on regular, non-cable TV and available to everyone, not limited to people who can afford expensive cable.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

9 hours ago, Frisky Wig said:

While I enjoyed watching Ludmilla and Elena’s routines, I don’t really think they’re the best comparison. They each do a single wolf turn and it’s much easier to keep your balance (and thus not wave your arms like you’re flagging down a bus) when you’re doing only one versus the 2021 gymnasts who do 3 or 4. 

Part of the reason for the flailing arms is exactly what you described. You can easily do a controlled single turn without even spotting. But to do multiple turns you need something to propel you. With proper dance technique, spotting is part of what helps you to do multiple rotations. The other thing that helps propel turns is the push off the ground you get from the non-supporting leg, meaning if you are balancing on your left leg, you bend your left leg then spring up on your left leg as you push off against the ground with your right leg to give you the initial momentum to turn.

When gymnasts do wolf turns, they almost never spot and they can't push very hard with their non-supporting leg or straighten their supporting leg, which means that the momentum has to come from somewhere else. Unfortunately, that means they are getting most of the momentum to rotate from winding their arm back and then flinging it in the opposite direction.

If you were to look at a gymnast from above, one arm should be in front and one arm should be to the side before beginning a wolf turn. Depending on which direction they're turning, that would put their arms at a 90 degree angle at either the 9 and 12 o'clock positions (turning to the right) or the 12 and 3 o'clock positions (turning to the left). Then before they begin their turn, they take their non-12 o'clock arm and wind it back as far as they can and then fling it toward their 12 o'clock hand to propel their turns. The arm flailing is due to the fact that winding up and flinging is an inherently out of control way to go into a turn.

[Bewitched]

48 minutes ago, Frisky Wig said:

This sounds awesome but it likely requires an expensive cable package, correct? I wish RG was on regular, non-cable TV and available to everyone, not limited to people who can afford expensive cable.

I was able to watch Aerobic gymnastics (which I didn't know existed) last night on the Olympic channel website by confirming that I have a regular cable subscription.  It appeared that rhythmic gymnastics would be available that way as well.  I used my Chromecast to watch it on TV.

BTW, aerobic gymnastics was the Eurovision of the gymnastics world.  Over the top, weird remixes of music and lots of sparkle.  

[Frisky Wig]

13 minutes ago, Bewitched said:

I was able to watch Aerobic gymnastics (which I didn't know existed) last night on the Olympic channel website by confirming that I have a regular cable subscription.  It appeared that rhythmic gymnastics would be available that way as well.  I used my Chromecast to watch it on TV.

BTW, aerobic gymnastics was the Eurovision of the gymnastics world.  Over the top, weird remixes of music and lots of sparkle.  

Thank you for this. I don’t have cable, as I can’t afford it, though I do have some streaming services. I’ll look into other avenues. 

[qtpye]

On 6/12/2021 at 1:07 PM, Frisky Wig said:

YES! You're speaking my language, Peach! 

RG is my favorite sport *points to profile pic* and I've been attending competitions every year since 2004. It's hardly ever shown on TV. During the 2008 Olympics, NBC aired 30 minutes of the individual competition at THREE A.M.! Was I awake and watching? Of course! They probably aired it at other times but that slot really sticks out for me. USA didn't have any rhythmic gymnasts competing at that Games, so NBC likely assumed no one in America would care. 

I believe it's rarely broadcast because it's not very popular but how popular can it get if it's not aired at times when people can actually watch it? 🤨

For Tokyo, we (US) are sending 2 individual athletes for the first time since the 1988 Games AND we're sending a group. This is the first time our group has actually qualified since group competition was introduced in 1996. We sent a group that year because we were the host country. 

Come on, NBC! Do the right thing here! It's bad enough that RG fans have to deal with message boards full of people ranting about how it's not a sport and should be removed from the Games and late-night hosts making fun of it!

I agree. I love Rhythmic Gymnastics and wish we could get to see more of it in the United States. Those athletes are amazing.

[BlackberryJam]

13 hours ago, Frisky Wig said:

Thank you for this. I don’t have cable, as I can’t afford it, though I do have some streaming services. I’ll look into other avenues. 

You can get the Olympic channel with Youtube TV. 

Here is a list of providers for the Olympics channels. If you have any of these subscriptions, you can stream it free.

https://olympics.com/live/

(Click on See More Providers.) You might have it and not even know it. 

[cesstar]

It's interesting to see how the extra year has impacted different athletes. For someone like Morgan Hurd who looked in great form winning the American Cup in early 2020 the extra year has been a huge challenge with several elbow surgeries basically scuppering her chances. For someone like Jordan Chiles the extra year has given them the time they needed to adjust to new coaches and peak at the right time. It's a cruel game of luck in many ways!

I was really surprised that they denied Morgan's petition, normally they allow athletes like her the honour of being able to complete their journey at trials even if they aren't likely to make the team. Given that she was part of the Worlds team that qualified the US to the Olympics and is their most successful gymnast of the quad behind Simone it would have been a nice gesture and acknowledgement of all her contributions.

While it looks fairly likely that Simone, Jordan and Sunisa will make the team, there are a number of gymnasts with a good claim to both the fourth team spot and/or the second individual spot. It will be interesting to see who is selected and what the selectors choose to prioritise - individual event medals, built-in alternates or a buffer on the team medal.

[peachmangosteen]

7 hours ago, cesstar said:

I was really surprised that they denied Morgan's petition, normally they allow athletes like her the honour of being able to complete their journey at trials even if they aren't likely to make the team. Given that she was part of the Worlds team that qualified the US to the Olympics and is their most successful gymnast of the quad behind Simone it would have been a nice gesture and acknowledgement of all her contributions.

This. It's a dick move imo.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Gymnastics Doesn’t Know What to Do With Simone Biles’s Dominance

Some excerpts:

Quote

The only other American to successfully execute the Yurchenko double pike in competition is David Sender, who was the U.S.’s all-around champion in 2008. After seeing Biles’s performance in Indianapolis, Sender told NBC Sports, “My first impression was, wow, I think that was better than when I did it.”

My opinion: I KNOW Simone did it better because he consistently under rotated it while she has so much power that she often over rotates slightly!

 

 

Simone almost flawless at warm ups:

 

Quote

Observers of the sport have speculated that the judges scored her Yurchenko double pike lower than its difficulty warranted because they don’t want other gymnasts risking their safety by copying Biles. When reporters asked her in Indianapolis why she would continue to do a move if the judges weren’t going to adequately reward her for it, Biles responded: “Because I can.”

 

Quote

That inspirational spirit of defiance can be traced back to other Black athletes whose dominance and brilliance have forced sports to evolve. Wilt Chamberlain was such an unstoppable force that the NBA widened the free-throw lane—the painted area on the court where players on offense cannot linger—to keep him farther away from the basket. The NCAA banned dunking in 1967 because Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was too good at it. (The ban was lifted in 1976.) In 1968, Major League Baseball lowered the height of the pitching mound from 15 inches to 10 inches because of Bob Gibson, who had a 1.12 ERA and won 15 straight games.

 

Quote

As impressive as her consistent dominance is, what Biles has come to mean to Black culture, to women, and especially to Black women is bigger than her all-out assault on the record books. Her excellence is an act of resistance. She is openly mocking expectations about what she should or shouldn’t do. Through her performances, she is creating a previously inconceivable new standard for her sport.

For this year’s U.S. championship, Biles wore leotards that featured a sequined goat. She has used the animal as her symbol since 2019 because she is the GOAT—as in “greatest of all time.” This, among other things, is what makes Biles special. She embraces that she is so extraordinary, that there is no one in the world like her, nor has there ever been. “It’s important to teach our female youth that it’s OK to say, ‘Yes, I am good at this,’ and you don’t hold back,” Biles told USA Today in 2019. “You only see the men doing it. And they’re praised for it, and the women are looked down upon for it. But I feel like it’s good (to do) because once you realize you’re confident and good at it, then you’re even better at what you do.”

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Some new skills that could be added to the code of points after the Olympics!

 

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Simone Biles finds her balance

Some excerpts:

Quote

Besides all the medals and the world records, that will be Biles’s legacy—making a space in the world where women and girls can shape their identity with joy and confidence.

That starts at the Bileses’ home gym, which her parents opened in 2015, a sprawling 52,000-square-foot facility designed around facilitating athletes’ health and safety (it includes a training floor enclosed by glass so parents can always watch practices, and an accredited school for elite athletes). “It makes me so proud that we have girls, and boys, that feel good about themselves,” Nellie Biles says. “It’s a culture we’re trying to build; we’re trying to give these [kids] confidence and to maximize their potential.”

 

Quote

After the Tokyo Games—officially taking place in July 2021—Biles is taking over the post-Olympics gymnastics tour, an event that had historically been produced by USAG. The Gold Over America Tour (GOAT for short—see what she did there?) will have lots of dancing, music, and a cast that prioritizes fun over technical superiority (expect another viral Katelyn Ohashi moment). “With what’s happened with USAG, I just wanted it to be completely different, on my own terms. And I think that’s very powerful,” she says.

Biles’s spectacle will feature only women, a choice she feels strongly about. “It’s an all-girl tour for women’s empowerment. It was a great year for women to speak out, and I think it’s nice to keep the ball rolling on that and to have women feel happy, and find their love and passion for gymnastics again,” Biles says. “I know the men were really upset, but it’s my tour.”

 

Quote

After two Olympics, the plan was to hang up her grips. “I’m just really excited to see what’s out there in the world and to see what else I’m good at,” she says. But retirement may not be forever. The Paris 2024 Olympics are already tugging at the edges of her brain. “My coaches Cecile and Laurent are from Paris, so I think that would be a good run to end with them there,” she says. “I’ll see where we go.”

 

[Lady Whistleup]

This is tricky but ... I am getting a little tired of "Simone is Superwoman" articles. Not because she isn't Superwoman. She totally is. But I feel like this media narrative is making it seem like USAG hasn't been a totally irresponsible shitshow because hey look, Simone, she's awesome. There was nonstop that sort of narrative during the Nationals.

[Quilt Fairy]

What is the format for the men's team?  Is it the same as the women:  4 team members + 0-2 specialists?  

Edited June 16, 2021 by Quilt Fairy

[Jeddah]

4 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

“I know the men were really upset, but it’s my tour.”

I love her so much. I remember Jonathan Horton griping about it. Go start your own tour then!

[CheshireCat]

On 6/13/2021 at 11:23 AM, Frisky Wig said:

They each do a single wolf turn

The gymnast shown in the video isn't even doing a full turn. It's only a half turn, she just wraps the free leg around to give the illusion of a full turn.

 

On 6/13/2021 at 9:19 PM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

When gymnasts do wolf turns, they almost never spot and they can't push very hard with their non-supporting leg or straighten their supporting leg, which means that the momentum has to come from somewhere else. Unfortunately, that means they are getting most of the momentum to rotate from winding their arm back and then flinging it in the opposite direction.

I'd say the momentum comes from the free leg; they swing it from the side or back to the front which propells them into the turn. And unless you keep your leg absolutely parallel to the floor and don't even move an half an inch from the ideal position (which I think is humanly impossible), you're off balance, hence the arm movements. It's to help them keep their balance.

Which doesn't change the fact that it doesn't look clean one bit.

 

But I actually came here to post this link to Simone Biles in Glamor. https://www.glamour.com/story/simone-biles-finds-her-balance

Did they photoshop out/reduce her abdominal muscles? I would imagine they'd look  lot more defined especially than they do in the full body picture with the white dress. There's absolutely no muscle definition there.

[choclatechip45]

3 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

What is the format for the men's team?  Is it the same as the women:  4 team members + 0-2 specialists?  

I believe it is 4 team members and 1 specialist. They just qualified for the specialist spot the weekend of nationals they sent a team down to Pan Ams. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

9 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

This is tricky but ... I am getting a little tired of "Simone is Superwoman" articles. Not because she isn't Superwoman. She totally is. But I feel like this media narrative is making it seem like USAG hasn't been a totally irresponsible shitshow because hey look, Simone, she's awesome. There was nonstop that sort of narrative during the Nationals.

I get what you're saying, but I don't think the "Simone is Superwoman" articles should stop because she really IS the greatest of all time. It can't be said enough that she is doing things that no one else is capable of, and doing them so well (unlike, say, the Produnova vault that even Elena herself landed squatting with her butt centimeters above the mat). Now that Larry Nassar's abuse and USAG's coverup have been so widely reported, I think most people are smart enough to realize that Simone's talent has nothing to do with USAG. If anything, it's shown that her success is in spite of USAG.

6 hours ago, Jeddah said:

I love her so much. I remember Jonathan Horton griping about it. Go start your own tour then!

Ha, right? Like I get that it's disappointing for the men, but at the same time, it's not Simone's responsibility to provide that opportunity.

3 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

I'd say the momentum comes from the free leg; they swing it from the side or back to the front which propells them into the turn. And unless you keep your leg absolutely parallel to the floor and don't even move an half an inch from the ideal position (which I think is humanly impossible), you're off balance, hence the arm movements. It's to help them keep their balance.

Which doesn't change the fact that it doesn't look clean one bit.

 

But I actually came here to post this link to Simone Biles in Glamor. https://www.glamour.com/story/simone-biles-finds-her-balance

Did they photoshop out/reduce her abdominal muscles? I would imagine they'd look  lot more defined especially than they do in the full body picture with the white dress. There's absolutely no muscle definition there.

FYI - I already posted the same Glamour article above. If you're talking about the white dress with the halter neck, I think it's probably the fabric covering the muscle definition. In the video of the photo shoot, you can see the same thing:

If you're talking about the white bikini top with the high waisted skirt, it looks like the white fabric is really thick so that would definitely hide any muscle definition.

Some of the momentum comes from the extended leg but the majority comes from the windup of the arms which is what starts the turning. Once they start rotating, they can swing the extended leg 90 degrees to the front, but if not for the arms, there wouldn't enough momentum to pick their foot up off the beam and swing it around to the front. I'm not discounting the power of a good leg swing (because that's a good portion of the power in fouettés when combined with spotting and the arms opening and closing) but I'd say the majority of the rotation comes from cranking the arm back to the 6 o'clock position and then whipping it 180 degrees. The flailing arms annoy me, not just because they're ugly, but because they show that the gymnast is off balance and out of control. Again, this is my dance background giving me an extreme bias because waving your arms around that is like yelling, "OMG I'M LOSING MY BALANCE!"

Kyana George has the best one I've seen (the triple wolf turn on beam is named after her):

 

[peachmangosteen]

4 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Kyana George has the best one I've seen (the triple wolf turn on beam is named after her):

 

Wow, that's far better than the ones I've seen. She's still waving her arms, but it looks more controlled and like it's part of it rather than the, as you said, "OMG I'M LOSING MY BALANCE!" look of the other women.

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

On 6/13/2021 at 10:07 PM, Bewitched said:

BTW, aerobic gymnastics was the Eurovision of the gymnastics world.  Over the top, weird remixes of music and lots of sparkle.  

I was watching Aerobic gymnastics a few nights ago and was wondering what. . . the. .. heck? Looked like a cross between those crazy 80s aerobics routines and my daughter's all star cheerleading routines. I started watching with the TV muted as I was doing something else, and then once I unmuted it got even funnier.  One group from a Soviet state was performing to "Apple Bottom Jeans" which was sped up to nearly double time.  They did incorporate a lot of cheer stunts (basket tosses for instance, which my DD did in her squad). I was waiting for the crazy cheer faces to start!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Simone Biles on gymnastics misconceptions:

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

 

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Simone Biles’ brother attacked by mother of murder victim in Ohio courtroom after triple homicide acquittal

[AuntieDiane6]

On 6/15/2021 at 9:58 PM, Jeddah said:

I love her so much. I remember Jonathan Horton griping about it. Go start your own tour then!

But first, gentlemen, start sticking your landings and stop making excuses like, "I got up this morning and I didn't feel just right. (Sam Mikulak).  The men's team chokes when it counts the most: second in team qualifying in Rio; medal-less after the team event. Never meeting their potential again and again.  

[CeeBeeGee]

1 hour ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

But first, gentlemen, start sticking your landings and stop making excuses like, "I got up this morning and I didn't feel just right. (Sam Mikulak).  The men's team chokes when it counts the most: second in team qualifying in Rio; medal-less after the team event. Never meeting their potential again and again.  

Right, like I'm rooting for the guys and want them to win but if leaving out the men means I'll get to see more women, I'm all for it. I'd much rather see Sarah Finnegan or Kaitlyn Ohashi than watch Sam Mikulak fist-pump another unstuck routine.

[Quilt Fairy]

Can I confess that I'd rather watch men's routines (well, good men's routines) over women's any day?  Particularly parallel bars, high bar and pommel horse.  I find those exciting to watch.  The women's events, particularly balance beam, have become so stylized and herky-jerky that I find them actually unpleasant to watch.  Perhaps I just miss Ye Olde Days when the "women" weren't 15-16yo girls and had ballet training, even if they were Russian and the "enemy".  

[KittenPokerCheater]

While the US men do have massive trouble in international competitions, I have to give them props for nationals.  There may have been lots of errors and some scary falls, but by god, they were sticking the landings.

[HartofDixie]

Simone vs Herself 1st ep out:

https://www.facebook.com/2074347926132282/videos/812722329675813

 

Start lists for Trials: 

 

Edited June 19, 2021 by HartofDixie

[Lady Whistleup]

Ok one thing: is it too much to hope that the NBC team this Olympics won't be ridiculously racist towards the Chinese gymnasts? In a normal year they regularly botch the gymnasts' names, take pot shots about them being underage, and put down their routines in a rude, microaggressive way. In a pandemic year this kind of casual racism will be SO bad. Omg.

[irisheyes]

You’re asking a lot of Tim and Nastia. But, they’ve got Terry Gannon now, so maybe he can tone them down. 

[Lady Whistleup]

16 minutes ago, irisheyes said:

You’re asking a lot of Tim and Nastia. But, they’ve got Terry Gannon now, so maybe he can tone them down. 

He'll be better than the odious Al Trautwig.

I'm just thinking pandemic year, with anti-Asian crimes at an all time high -- I cannot imagine if NBC were to go with their usual racist tone. 

[CeeBeeGee]

1 minute ago, Lady Whistleup said:

He'll be better than the odious Al Trautwig.

I'm just thinking pandemic year, with anti-Asian crimes at an all time high -- I cannot imagine if NBC were to go with their usual racist tone. 

Excuse me, here on these boards he is better known as Shut Up Al.