Gymnastics

[Frisky Wig]

11 minutes ago, Conotocarious said:

Totally and completely agree. I can’t believe this wasn’t brought up to the athletes or their coaches. Her coach said he just assumed she had been vaxxed.

Leanne is coached by Al Fong, right? So, he was like "I'm sending my athlete to competitions around the country and possibly to Japan but I'm not going to ask if she's vaxxed. She probably is." Great coaching, Al!

Also, thanks @Lady Whistleup for correcting/updating Japan's vax stats. 10% is better but still bad.

[BlackberryJam]

7 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Japans' vaxxed rate is actually picking up and now over 10% are vaxxed. But still ... it's a low amount.

As for them taking MyKayla I have a sneaking suspicion that maybe one of the four team members is nursing a serious injury that hasn't been made public yet and they want someone who is an all-arounder. USAG has a horrible record of keeping gymnasts healthy in the run-up to the games. 

I've wondered about Suni's ankle. 

[choclatechip45]

1 hour ago, Frisky Wig said:

Leanne is coached by Al Fong, right? So, he was like "I'm sending my athlete to competitions around the country and possibly to Japan but I'm not going to ask if she's vaxxed. She probably is." Great coaching, Al!

Also, thanks @Lady Whistleup for correcting/updating Japan's vax stats. 10% is better but still bad.

Yes, Leanne is coached by Al Fong who has a whole host of issues. 

1 hour ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Japans' vaxxed rate is actually picking up and now over 10% are vaxxed. But still ... it's a low amount.

As for them taking MyKayla I have a sneaking suspicion that maybe one of the four team members is nursing a serious injury that hasn't been made public yet and they want someone who is an all-arounder. USAG has a horrible record of keeping gymnasts healthy in the run-up to the games. 

Every Olympics there is someone injured that we don't know about it until later. Suni has and ankle/Achilles issue that she has been dealing with. Jordan has never competed at World's before and I think after what happened with Courtney McCool (not being able to handle the pressure at the Olympics) it's smart to have an All-Around backup especially someone like Grace who has been on two Worlds team. 

 

Edited June 29, 2021 by choclatechip45

[filmfan2480]

Does anybody know?

Do ONLY the 4 athletes on the Team win a Medal for the Team Event or do all 6 (Skinner, Jade Carey) get the medal???

Because if that is so, that really, really stinks for Skinner - who I thought was a lock for the Team event - and, instead, she will compete for a spot in the Vault Final with Simone Biles and Jade Carey (who would likely make the finals over her anyway).

Kinda frustrating; the decisions that were made.

 

[Conotocarious]

17 minutes ago, filmfan2480 said:

Does anybody know?

Do ONLY the 4 athletes on the Team win a Medal for the Team Event or do all 6 (Skinner, Jade Carey) get the medal???

Because if that is so, that really, really stinks for Skinner - who I thought was a lock for the Team event - and, instead, she will compete for a spot in the Vault Final with Simone Biles and Jade Carey (who would likely make the finals over her anyway).

Kinda frustrating; the decisions that were made.

 

Only the four team members get the medal unfortunately. But Jade has not shown much of anything in competition to this point…speculation is she’s dealing with a bit of an injury but who really knows. When’s the last time anyone saw a Cheng from her. Comparing her vault scores to Skinner’s, Mykayla could very realistically beat out Jade for the vault spot. Her vaults have really, really improved.

Edited June 29, 2021 by Conotocarious

[HartofDixie]

During qualifying Mykayla and Jade have to wear a different leo as they are not competing as part of the team but will rotate with them.

 

[Lady Whistleup]

I think at this point MyKayla has a better chance of making vault finals than Jade. Jade hasn't performed the Cheng/Amanar in over a year, and that's the two competitive vaults needed for vault finals.

[PepSinger]

I think the last time Jade did the Cheng was at the 2019 Worlds.

[Harry24]

4 hours ago, choclatechip45 said:

Yes, Leanne is coached by Al Fong who has a whole host of issues. 

What's the story with Fong?  (I watch the World Championships, Nationals and Olympics, but don’t follow things closely like individual coaches, unless they make the front page of the NYTimes, ahem.)

[Lady Whistleup]

5 minutes ago, Harry24 said:

What's the story with Fong?  (I watch the World Championships, Nationals and Olympics, but don’t follow things closely like individual coaches, unless they make the front page of the NYTimes, ahem.)

He's had two gymnasts die. One was Christy Henrich who died of anorexia. Another was Julissa Gomez who died after snapping her neck doing a Yurchenko vault.

[Harry24]

1 hour ago, Lady Whistleup said:

He's had two gymnasts die. One was Christy Henrich who died of anorexia. Another was Julissa Gomez who died after snapping her neck doing a Yurchenko vault.

Oh, my Lord, I never imagined it would be something that bad.  Thanks for the information.  How much is he blamed by reasonable people for those deaths?

[Conotocarious]

Anyone watching Simone vs. Herself on Versus? Today’s episode was so good and it just seriously got me in the feels. This is a really great little series and I recommend everyone watch it.

Simone doesn’t like cats and the reason why is just so sad. I try really hard not to stan anyone but it’s so hard not to with Simone, she is just awesome.

[Lady Whistleup]

25 minutes ago, Harry24 said:

Oh, my Lord, I never imagined it would be something that bad.  Thanks for the information.  How much is he blamed by reasonable people for those deaths?

Generally he's more blamed for the Christy Henrich death because the body shaming was something his other gymnasts talked about. 

[Quilt Fairy]

Isn't the window growing awfully small to get vaccinated before the Olympics?  

[Rootbeer]

46 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Isn't the window growing awfully small to get vaccinated before the Olympics?  

Yes, the Olympics begin July 23 with Gymnastics starting up the next day.  All of the available vaccines require about a 2 week period after the final dose before they are fully effective.

The Pfizer vaccine is two doses 3 weeks apart, so we're looking at 5 weeks to immunity and that window is closed.  This is the only vaccine approved by the FDA for people under 18, BTW.

The Moderna vaccine is two doses 4 weeks apart so 6 weeks for protection, so also too late.

The only option is the Johnson and Johnson vaccine which is a one dose option, so it could be given up to July 9 and be effective for Tokyo.  However, it is only approved for people over 18, so the 17 year old Leanne Wong is not eligible for that one.

It has been shown that even a single dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine does offer partial protection, though.  The Pfizer vaccine looks to be around 72% effective in preventing severe COVID by two weeks after the first dose which is, of course, far better than the 0% effectiveness of being unvaccinated

Edited June 30, 2021 by Rootbeer

[choclatechip45]

5 hours ago, Harry24 said:

What's the story with Fong?  (I watch the World Championships, Nationals and Olympics, but don’t follow things closely like individual coaches, unless they make the front page of the NYTimes, ahem.)

According to Gymcastic he is under a Safesport Investigation. If I had a child in elite gymnastics I wouldn't send my child to him because of the Christy Henrich situation.

He coached Sarah Finnegan, Courtney McCool, Ivana Hong (when she was an alternate for the Olympics) and Terrin Humphrey. He coaches Kara Eaker as well. 

Ivana Hong left him after the 2008 Olympics to go to Valeri and so did Kaitlyn Ohashi. Before we knew about Nassar he was considered one of the harshest coaches. 

Given his reputation it does not surprise me at all that he would not talk to a parent beforehand about if they vaccinated their child.  

Edited June 30, 2021 by choclatechip45

[HartofDixie]

2 hours ago, Harry24 said:

What's the story with Fong?  (I watch the World Championships, Nationals and Olympics, but don’t follow things closely like individual coaches, unless they make the front page of the NYTimes, ahem.)

Little Girls in Pretty Boxes talks about Al, Julissa, and Christy.

[CeeBeeGee]

 

8 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

As for them taking MyKayla I have a sneaking suspicion that maybe one of the four team members is nursing a serious injury that hasn't been made public yet and they want someone who is an all-arounder. USAG has a horrible record of keeping gymnasts healthy in the run-up to the games. 

But...Mikayla is not an alternate, she has her own spot. Would they be allowed to use her as an alternate if someone on the team has to drop out?

If Leanne is allowed to compete without getting vaccinated, I will be super-pissed. I am so sick and tired of coddling these know-nothings. Competing for the Olympics is a privilege, not a right. If you want to run with the big dogs, then get your damn shot.

[Lady Whistleup]

1 minute ago, CeeBeeGee said:

But...Mikayla is not an alternate, she has her own spot. Would they be allowed to use her as an alternate if someone on the team has to drop out?

If Leanne is allowed to compete without getting vaccinated, I will be super-pissed. I am so sick and tired of coddling these know-nothings. Competing for the Olympics is a privilege, not a right. If you want to run with the big dogs, then get your damn shot.

They are allowed to swap in MyKayla if someone goes down with an injury prior to the Olys.

[Conotocarious]

https://news.yahoo.com/us-gymnast-mykayla-skinner-selection-132241825.html

Nice article which makes it clear that Mykayla is not disappointed with her spot or dissing Grace.

[Lady Whistleup]

Emily Lee did rupture her Achilles :( 

I knew it from the way she went down. Reminded me so much of Kevin Durant in Game 5 of the 2019 finals ...

[NUguy514]

4 hours ago, Conotocarious said:

https://news.yahoo.com/us-gymnast-mykayla-skinner-selection-132241825.html

Nice article which makes it clear that Mykayla is not disappointed with her spot or dissing Grace.

And which also makes it clear that she is still bitter about not making the team in 2016, after which, as we'll all recall, she engaged in some wonderfully racist behavior.

Also, given her history and the fact that she's liked a tweet saying she was robbed of a spot on the team (presumably over Grace), I'm not inclined to be charitable about anything she says to a reporter.

[andromeda331]

9 hours ago, Conotocarious said:

Anyone watching Simone vs. Herself on Versus? Today’s episode was so good and it just seriously got me in the feels. This is a really great little series and I recommend everyone watch it.

Simone doesn’t like cats and the reason why is just so sad. I try really hard not to stan anyone but it’s so hard not to with Simone, she is just awesome.

She doesn't? I'll let that go. Just for Simone though.

[HartofDixie]

 

[Conotocarious]

4 hours ago, NUguy514 said:

And which also makes it clear that she is still bitter about not making the team in 2016, after which, as we'll all recall, she engaged in some wonderfully racist behavior.

Also, given her history and the fact that she's liked a tweet saying she was robbed of a spot on the team (presumably over Grace), I'm not inclined to be charitable about anything she says to a reporter.

Well she has a right to be disappointed to not make the team after the meet of her life in 2016. She lashed out and acted like an asshole about it which was most definitely wrong, but I can’t believe so many people have no problem with the way Marta Karolyi ruled like a tyrant over the whole selection process just taking whoever she wanted. I’ve read that Mykayla never had a chance of making that team so why was she even disappointed. Well, what was the point of Trials? Or any of it? 
Even now, people are annoyed that the team picked doesn’t “maximize medals”. So? Haven’t we all been saying USAG has placed Olympic medals over the well-being of girls and gymnastics needs a fairness overhaul? What better way to show they’re at least attempting a step in that direction by taking the girls who performed very well at Trials, regardless of who has a better shot at more medals (and Riley didn’t have as much of a shot as many are saying anyway). 

[choclatechip45]

MyKayla has every right to be mad at Martha about what happened in 2016. My issue with her is that she took it out on Gabby by being racist. At the time I didn't think MyKayla had much of a shot in 2016 because there were only in reality two spots available (Simone, Aly and Gabby were all locks) and one of those spots was going to a bars worker which was not one of MyKayla's strengths. Personally I blame her coaches. 

That being said I don't have an issue with putting her in the +1 spot because Riley isn't a guarantee for a medal (though I do think she would have been named if she had hit night 2) and Kara Eaker has been way to inconsistent on beam this year.  

I have a lot of issues with MyKayla due to personal stuff, but I'm starting to think she is the type of person who likes anything that she is tagged in. I almost tried tweeting at her negatively to see if she would like it, but I decided not to be an asshole. 

Same reason why I'm fine with Grace being the fourth person. Jordan has been one of my favorites since she was a junior, but she has no experience at Worlds. We have no idea how bad Suni's ankle is and Grace has the experience from being on two World teams and can cover any event as needed. Leanne is way to inconsistent on her best events to trust in a 3 up and 3 down format.

 

 

Edited June 30, 2021 by choclatechip45

[Conotocarious]

22 minutes ago, choclatechip45 said:

MyKayla has every right to be mad at Martha about what happened in 2016. My issue with her is that she took it out on Gabby by being racist. At the time I didn't think MyKayla had much of a shot in 2016 because there were only in reality two spots available (Simone, Aly and Gabby were all locks) and one of those spots was going to a bars worker which was not one of MyKayla's strengths. Personally I blame her coaches. 

That being said I don't have an issue with putting her in the +1 spot because Riley isn't a guarantee for a medal (though I do think she would have been named if she had hit night 2) and Kara Eaker has been way to inconsistent on beam this year.  

I have a lot of issues with MyKayla due to personal stuff, but I'm starting to think she is the type of person who likes anything that she is tagged in. I almost tried tweeting at her negatively to see if she would like it, but I decided not to be an asshole. 

Same reason why I'm fine with Grace being the fourth person. Jordan has been one of my favorites since she was a junior, but she has no experience at Worlds. We have no idea how bad Suni's ankle is and Grace has the experience from being on two World teams and can cover any event as needed. Leanne is way to inconsistent on her best events to trust in a 3 up and 3 down format.

 

 

If its one thing Golden confirmed for me its that Mykayla is very sheltered and insulated. Even her mother uses the word sheltered. I know people think she should be out educating herself but given that her entire life has mostly been gymnastics I just don’t think that’s something she is doing. Should she? Absolutely, everyone should. I wish my damn brother would. My hope is that being around the other girls (because this year’s team is awesomely diverse) helps her gain perspective on her limited worldview. 

[choclatechip45]

10 minutes ago, Conotocarious said:

If its one thing Golden confirmed for me its that Mykayla is very sheltered and insulated. Even her mother uses the word sheltered. I know people think she should be out educating herself but given that her entire life has mostly been gymnastics I just don’t think that’s something she is doing. Should she? Absolutely, everyone should. I wish my damn brother would. My hope is that being around the other girls (because this year’s team is awesomely diverse) helps her gain perspective on her limited worldview.

I hope so too. I think MyKayla has changed because she won the sportsmanship award along with Laurie Hernandez which is voted on by the gymnasts. 

Re your previous post I think the biggest complaint about the team which I think is fair is that Tom does not want to make a tough decision and his communication with the athletes seems quite poor. I think you can make a tough decision about teams without jeopardizing athlete safety. Post-Simone Tom is going to have to make decisions. For example in 2011 Martha named Gabby to the Worlds team which was quite risky after what happened in Nationals. I know it was reported Gabby did well in camp, but those type of decisions are ones Tom will have to make when he doesn't have Simone's scores to rely on.  

[Conotocarious]

Just now, choclatechip45 said:

I hope so too. I think MyKayla has changed because she won the sportsmanship award along with Laurie Hernandez which is voted on by the gymnasts. 

Re your previous post I think the biggest complaint about the team which I think is fair is that Tom does not want to make a tough decision and his communication with the athletes seems quite poor. I think you can make a tough decision about teams without jeopardizing athlete safety. Post-Simone Tom is going to have to make decisions. For example in 2011 Martha named Gabby to the Worlds team which was quite risky after what happened in Nationals. I know it was reported Gabby did well in camp, but those type of decisions are ones Tom will have to make when he doesn't have Simone's scores to rely on.  

100% agree with you. I was reading about Tom’s various communication errors and I was cringing. It seems like the coordinator for the Men’s division is so much more frank and concise.  It’s almost like Tom doesn’t want to hurt any feelings and he just ends up with word salad which confuses the athletes. Both Mykayla and Grace said they had no real idea how the3rd and 4th spot were going to be decided. That’s…..not good. I know people have said Tom didn’t EXPLICITLY say he was going with highest scoring team, just that it was a factor, with so many so confused about it its obvious he didn’t communicate his intent well at all. Once Simone retires they are going to have to figure it out. She is basically the glue holding their entire operation together now and if I were USAG, I’d be looking for any way possible to do whatever she wants (for example, she mentioned she’d like them to fight harder for a better value for the YDP but she didn’t want to be a “brat” about it, her words. I’d be fighting like hell on her behalf, they owe her everything right now.)

[choclatechip45]

5 minutes ago, Conotocarious said:

100% agree with you. I was reading about Tom’s various communication errors and I was cringing. It seems like the coordinator for the Men’s division is so much more frank and concise.  It’s almost like Tom doesn’t want to hurt any feelings and he just ends up with word salad which confuses the athletes. Both Mykayla and Grace said they had no real idea how the3rd and 4th spot were going to be decided. That’s…..not good. I know people have said Tom didn’t EXPLICITLY say he was going with highest scoring team, just that it was a factor, with so many so confused about it its obvious he didn’t communicate his intent well at all. Once Simone retires they are going to have to figure it out. She is basically the glue holding their entire operation together now and if I were USAG, I’d be looking for any way possible to do whatever she wants (for example, she mentioned she’d like them to fight harder for a better value for the YDP but she didn’t want to be a “brat” about it, her words. I’d be fighting like hell on her behalf, they owe her everything right now.)

Simone did say she wished Tom fought harder for a better value. 

[NUguy514]

35 minutes ago, Conotocarious said:

If its one thing Golden confirmed for me its that Mykayla is very sheltered and insulated. Even her mother uses the word sheltered. I know people think she should be out educating herself but given that her entire life has mostly been gymnastics I just don’t think that’s something she is doing. Should she? Absolutely, everyone should. I wish my damn brother would. My hope is that being around the other girls (because this year’s team is awesomely diverse) helps her gain perspective on her limited worldview. 

Being sheltered is not an excuse for being racist.  She wasn't sorry for it then (see her non-apology apology), and I think she's just more adept at hiding it now.

[Jeddah]

58 minutes ago, Conotocarious said:

If its one thing Golden confirmed for me its that Mykayla is very sheltered and insulated. Even her mother uses the word sheltered. I know people think she should be out educating herself but given that her entire life has mostly been gymnastics I just don’t think that’s something she is doing. Should she? Absolutely, everyone should. I wish my damn brother would. My hope is that being around the other girls (because this year’s team is awesomely diverse) helps her gain perspective on her limited worldview. 

I don’t care how disappointed she was. I don’t care how sheltered she was. By 2016 every decent person knew that using monkey imagery in reference to a black person is racist. There was no excuse, and nothing she has done since then has shown that she’s sorry. When someone shows you who they are, believe them. She showed us who she is. It isn’t her teammate’s responsibility to educate her.

[KittenPokerCheater]

Mykayla acted rashly and was clearly racist in her postings in 2016.  To my (limited) knowledge, since then she has not posted or said anything racist since.  She is 4 years older, and her actions appear to indicate that she has grown up a lot since then.

The will never be my favorite gymnast for her behavior in 2016, but I feel that I must allow for the possibility that she regrets her words and has since learned how to judge a person by the content of their character.  Time will tell.

I respect her tenacity.

GO Simone, Jordan, Suni and Grace!!!

[choclatechip45]

For all the Simone fans

https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/31733757/in-awe-simone-biles-greatness-my-daughter-25000-others

[Quilt Fairy]

1 hour ago, choclatechip45 said:

For all the Simone fans

https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/31733757/in-awe-simone-biles-greatness-my-daughter-25000-others

What a lovely article!  Now I really would like to see her perform in person. 

[choclatechip45]

46 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

What a lovely article!  Now I really would like to see her perform in person. 

Same! I'm thinking about getting tickets to her tour since I don't want to give USA Gymnastics my money. So that seems like the best option since Athleta is funding the tour. 

[HartofDixie]

MyKayla’s Trials/making the team video:

 

[Conotocarious]

12 hours ago, choclatechip45 said:

Same! I'm thinking about getting tickets to her tour since I don't want to give USA Gymnastics my money. So that seems like the best option since Athleta is funding the tour. 

Athleta is so overpriced but I’ll keep on buying if Simone’s endorsing. 

[AuntieDiane6]

On 6/28/2021 at 11:12 AM, Minneapple said:

I loved her! I always felt bad that she never got the attention she deserved. In 1992 it was all about Kim Zmeskal and her rivalry with Svetlana Boginskaya, then in 1996 all the attention was on Dominique Moceanu. Meanwhile Shannon was quietly America's best gymnast during those years.

She was the best. I never really enjoyed watching her perform, though, because she always had a pained, constipated look on her face when she performed--slight frown, puckered lips. In 1992, at least. 

 

On 6/29/2021 at 12:09 PM, Lady Whistleup said:

While I don’t want (Leanne) to be bullied for this (particularly since she’s a minor who needs her parents permission to get vaxxed in most places), I REALLY hope more news outlets pick this up and Leanne, her parents and other unvaccinated people (particularly those Tokyo bound) finally do the right thing and get the shot. 

It's also unfortunate that she may have been the  target of racists already given the controversy over the source of the virus.  Now if any team member gets COVID, the public will blame the Asian American. 

[Frisky Wig]

11 minutes ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

She was the best. I never really enjoyed watching her perform, though, because she always had a pained, constipated look on her face when she performed--slight frown, puckered lips. In 1992, at least. 

 

It's also unfortunate that she may have been the  target of racists already given the controversy over the source of the virus.  Now if any team member gets COVID, the public will blame the Asian American. 

Thanks for bringing this up. I didn’t even consider this. All this “China virus” BS and the dramatic increase in hate and violence towards Asians is so awful and racist and wrong. 😞 

[Jeddah]

I wonder how the new NCAA rules about endorsements will affect gymnastics. Maybe more of the elite gymnasts will do gymnastics in college if they can still make money from endorsements and do tours. I hope so. It always seemed like such a hard choice between taking endorsements and having to decide if those would be worth more than a college scholarship. Now they can have both!

[filmfan2480]

I've been thinking a lot about the Team with Grace and with Mykayla as the specialist and ... I'm starting to come around to it a little bit. At first, I was very disappointed for Mykayla, because I thought she earned that 4th spot and now will not win a medal with the TEAM.

However, I think they chose Grace because she is more solid overall and can be asked to step-in in a cinch for UB and BB if need be, whereas, I wouldn't necessarily trust Mykalya there.

Grace will provide a solid Vault score (though, the team will lose .4-.5 there with no Mykayla). And really, Grace was outscoring Mykayla on FX lately, so no biggee there (the team might actually gain a few tenths there; and or, if they put Suni Lee in, etc). The discrepancy in scoring is very minimal and, like I said, Grace - with a lot of experience - could step-in on other apparatus if need be.

The big bummer I still feel is for McCusker or Eaker, because both "could" contend for a medal. But really, those would be stretches, too.

So a double crack at Vault Finals for Mykayla and Jade is the way to go, it seems. Based on results lately, it does seem like Mykayla has the slightly better shot there over Jade, anyway.

Also, if Mykayla and Jade decide to do All-Around in Qualifications ... is it Simone, one of Suni/Chiles AND one of the other girls if they all qualify ... or do they still cap it at the 2 persons from the same country rule???

[NUguy514]

44 minutes ago, filmfan2480 said:

Also, if Mykayla and Jade decide to do All-Around in Qualifications ... is it Simone, one of Suni/Chiles AND one of the other girls if they all qualify ... or do they still cap it at the 2 persons from the same country rule???

The cap is two gymnasts per country.

[Minneapple]

On 7/1/2021 at 9:54 PM, Jeddah said:

I wonder how the new NCAA rules about endorsements will affect gymnastics. Maybe more of the elite gymnasts will do gymnastics in college if they can still make money from endorsements and do tours. I hope so. It always seemed like such a hard choice between taking endorsements and having to decide if those would be worth more than a college scholarship. Now they can have both!

The biggest thing is that they won't have to choose between getting endorsements and competing in college. Like Jordyn Wieber, who took endorsement money and thus wasn't able to compete. And in the end it was basically a washout for Jordyn as she didn't make that much money anyway. Simone too was committed to UCLA and the coach begged her to stay committed, but in Simone's case the endorsement money was just too much and it wouldn't have made sense for her to go to college.

[Jeddah]

1 hour ago, Minneapple said:

The biggest thing is that they won't have to choose between getting endorsements and competing in college. Like Jordyn Wieber, who took endorsement money and thus wasn't able to compete. And in the end it was basically a washout for Jordyn as she didn't make that much money anyway. Simone too was committed to UCLA and the coach begged her to stay committed, but in Simone's case the endorsement money was just too much and it wouldn't have made sense for her to go to college.

I think most people think about NCAA basketball players who are about to make millions of dollars because of the rule change, but I hope it does help out gymnasts too. I think Jordyn would have loved being out there on the floor at UCLA, and it did feel unfair that a decision she made at 16 under the assumption she’d make it to the AA in the Olympics kept her from that. And the flip side is someone like Madison Kocian who could have made some but not a lot of money as a Final Five member, but didn’t because that UCLA scholarship was worth more. I’m happy they don’t have to make those choices anymore.

 

[emmawoodhouse]

Apparently they do have to make those choices. Skinner announced today that she's giving up her remaining college eligibility to go pro after the Olympics. I guess the endorsement deals don't go into effect immediately? 

Or she doesn't want to be competing at college at her age but won't admit it? 

Edited July 3, 2021 by emmawoodhouse

[choclatechip45]

5 hours ago, Minneapple said:

The biggest thing is that they won't have to choose between getting endorsements and competing in college. Like Jordyn Wieber, who took endorsement money and thus wasn't able to compete. And in the end it was basically a washout for Jordyn as she didn't make that much money anyway. Simone too was committed to UCLA and the coach begged her to stay committed, but in Simone's case the endorsement money was just too much and it wouldn't have made sense for her to go to college.

It came out within the last year that Steve Penny acted as Jordyn's agent. So she didn't even have a real agent getting her deals. 

4 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Apparently they do have to make those choices. Skinner announced today that she's giving up her remaining college eligibility to go pro after the Olympics. I guess the endorsement deals don't go into effect immediately? 

Or she doesn't want to be competing at college at her age but won't admit it? 

She can't get paid for her gymnastics. So Skinner can now accept money to be part of Simone's tour.

[Minneapple]

7 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Apparently they do have to make those choices. Skinner announced today that she's giving up her remaining college eligibility to go pro after the Olympics. I guess the endorsement deals don't go into effect immediately? 

Last week was like the Wild West in terms of endorsements. Athletes were signing deals right and left, licensing their own logos for merchandise deals. The NCAA has basically thrown up its hands and said, "Ah, fuck it," mostly because a bunch of states have passed laws saying athletes can take NIL money, and the state laws supersede NCAA bylaws.

2 hours ago, choclatechip45 said:

She can't get paid for her gymnastics. So Skinner can now accept money to be part of Simone's tour.

This makes sense. College athletes still can't get paid for playing their sport.

[Mittengirl]

If you have access to the Olympic Channel, I highly recommend checking out the FIG Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships.  Day One was aired today, Day 2 will be on tomorrow from 6-8 p.m., rerun Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. and 9:30-11:30 p.m.  (Xfinity listings show both Tuesday showings as being Day 2.  Don’t know if that is correct or if they are showing reruns of both days.)

It is very interesting.  I think I heard my spine crack when some of the gymnasts were bending in, IMO, unnatural ways.

[filmfan2480]

I just realized, no Brandon Briones as an alternate (there are 5, yes?) for the Mens team, yet he finished 5th at Trials.  Odd???