Artistic Gymnastics: Stick the Landing!

[blackwing]

Popped in on this thread and been following the live posts, I'm trying to figure out the origin of the animosity towards China?  I don't think they are drug cheats.  Is it because people don't think the girls are all age-eligible?  China got busted before so I am not sure they would do it again.  I have several female Asian friends who are mid 40s who could easily pass for 25.  So I have no issues believing that a 20 year old gymnast looks 10.  Gymnasts are tiny to begin with, and add Asian genes into that, and I don't see why that automatically leads to assumptions they are cheating.

Too bad about the last Chinese competitor falling.  I'm sure she's crushed about it.  But I'm happy that she and her team at least get a medal.

[DawnDavenport]

Just now, Sew Sumi said:

I'm keeping the feed open just in case. The announcers already singed off. 

They showed the Men's ceremony yesterday in a stream with Tanith White, John, and Courtney. I believe it takes a few minutes so just leave the stream open and it should start automatically.

[Dots And Stripes]

Just now, Sew Sumi said:

I'm keeping the feed open just in case. The announcers already singed off. 

They said something before about sticking around for medals and doing additional commentary. There is some medal ceremony on gold zone, so maybe it will be there? Why are you making this so difficult, NBC?

[Daisy]

1 minute ago, Sew Sumi said:

I'm keeping the feed open just in case. The announcers already singed off. 

what did they sing? ;-D

[kittykat]

1 minute ago, Minneapple said:

I was really hoping Japan would get that bronze. And such a difference for Russia, in 2012 so upset over silver and this year being thrilled.

Go USA! MURICA.

I love the Russians being thrilled both today and yesterday.  They really came back on that vault.

[galaxygirl76]

The Dutch reporters are so excited about the girls 7th place. It's so impressive because no one within the gymnastics federation gave any fucks about the girls and put all the money towards the mens team and now here they are 7th of the world.

 

The Yuri van Gelder drama is the talk of the town. He broke the rules and got send home. It seems harsh but as more details get out(left the village, went to a club, got drunk, came back to village around 6am, loudly),  they probably felt they didn't have a choice.

[Growsonwalls]

Weird how the energy of one teammate can really change team dynamics. In 2012 Russia's star was the talented headcase Viktoria Komova who couldn't make it through a medal ceremony without a meltdown. She's no longer in the picture, so the Russian girls are just regular girls.

[Sew Sumi]

2 minutes ago, Daisy said:

what did they sing? ;-D

It's not 2am #oldskool :)

[DawnDavenport]

Just now, blackwing said:

Popped in on this thread and been following the live posts, I'm trying to figure out the origin of the animosity towards China?  I don't think they are drug cheats.  Is it because people don't think the girls are all age-eligible?  China got busted before so I am not sure they would do it again.  I have several female Asian friends who are mid 40s who could easily pass for 25.  So I have no issues believing that a 20 year old gymnast looks 10.  Gymnasts are tiny to begin with, and add Asian genes into that, and I don't see why that automatically leads to assumptions they are cheating.

Too bad about the last Chinese competitor falling.  I'm sure she's crushed about it.  But I'm happy that she and her team at least get a medal.

My animosity is mostly towards the men's teams. But overall, the both men and women are what I like to call code whores. They rack up difficulty on a a couple of events and don't bother as much with the others. The men seem to dominate rings and parallel bars and are usually just average. The men just seem entitle and they pout and whine when they don't win. 

The women are good to great on bars and beam but have not been able to keep up on vault and floor. Plus, my animosity is with the age falsifications with the women. It was a major issue in 2000, causing the team to be stripped of the team bronze and the rumors were just rampant in 2008 as well. It's not just a US thing either, other countries and federations have their doubts. 

[DawnDavenport]

6 minutes ago, galaxygirl76 said:

The Dutch reporters are so excited about the girls 7th place. It's so impressive because no one within the gymnastics federation gave any fucks about the girls and put all the money towards the mens team and now here they are 7th of the world.

 

The Yuri van Gelder drama is the talk of the town. He broke the rules and got send home. It seems harsh but as more details get out(left the village, went to a club, got drunk, came back to village around 6am, loudly),  they probably felt they didn't have a choice.

I read the article and he's also been suspended for cocaine use two times before. Definitely a toxic person to have around. 

Edited August 9, 2016 by DawnDavenport

[Dots And Stripes]

The NBC stream called the "Daily Dismount" is LIVE and they just said they're waiting for the medal ceremony, FYI.

[Cherpumple]

The ceremony is starting (they're introducing the officials), so I hope you get to see it.

[kittykat]

2 minutes ago, PoshSprinkles said:

For me, it's just the fact that their gymnastics (barring the women on bars and the men on still rings/parallel bars) for the past decade has looked awful, but they continue to get good scores and medal because they game the system by exploiting the code of points. Not to mention they continually get breaks on their execution scores whereas other countries are made to suffer.  

This is where I don't find them interesting either.  I think the only team I really liked them was the men in 2008 led by Yang Wei and favorites like Li Xiopeng and Zou Kai.  Like this year's US women, they were virtually unstoppable and had great gymnastics.  But since then they've become one note and not very interesting.  And their exploitation of CoP doesn't help either.

[Sew Sumi]

Here we go. #TearsofBronze receiving their medals. 

[EVS]

8 minutes ago, Dots And Stripes said:

The NBC stream called the "Daily Dismount" is LIVE and they just said they're waiting for the medal ceremony, FYI.

Thanks!

[Cherpumple]

Ugh, I can't stand the "bite your medal" pose!

[Elsydeon]

To put it in perspective:

The USA won by 8.2 points. The margin between 2-8 was 4.6 points.

Were the Soviets ever that dominant as a team in their heyday?

[pivot]

41 minutes ago, Growsonwalls said:

Well I must say the Russian team is so ... not Russian. No tears, drama, or tantrums. Anyone remember the Viktoria Komova meltdowns? It's weird to see them making heart signs and happily cheering.

I think that is because they knew they were damn lucky to even medal. Musty's floor routine is atrocious and they had a lot of mistakes. But, luckily China and Japan screwed up more.

I'll take the Chinese team over the Russian team any day. The Russians get so many over scores with subpar gymnastics because of their legacy in gymnastics that it is painful to watch.

I'd say this US team is the best ever. They have been consistent in not making mistakes. They have the highest difficulty scores and good form. No other team comes close IMO.

Edited August 9, 2016 by pivot

[EVS]

Lauren not being able to contain her excitement during the medal ceremony was so great!  She was beaming the whole time. 

I think that is what I like about her gymnastics as well. She just always looks like she's having a great time competing. Plus, I like her energy and showmanship. 

Edited August 9, 2016 by EVS
Clarity

[KenyaJ]

47 minutes ago, EVS said:

Lauren not being able to contain her excitement during the medal ceremony was so great!  She was beaming the whole time.

She's just adorable. I want to put her in my pocket and make her be my best friend.  Never mind that I'm old enough to be her mother.

I'm so proud of the Final Five! It was a joy to watch them compete as a team, and I can't for AAs and the individual events.

[OSM Mom]

It's pathetic that I get better coverage and commentary from reading this thread.  You guys who are fortunate enough to be getting the live stream.  I love you guys.  NBC sucks balls and I won't see half of what you guys have.  Would someone please give me their approved cable provider information so I could watch too? 

[Daisy]

1 minute ago, OSM Mom said:

It's pathetic that I get better coverage and commentary from reading this thread.  You guys who are fortunate enough to be getting the live stream.  I love you guys.  NBC sucks balls and I won't see half of what you guys have.  Would someone please give me their approved cable provider information so I could watch too? 

if i could, i totally would :( (hugs)

[OSM Mom]

5 minutes ago, Daisy said:

if i could, i totally would :( (hugs)

Thank you!  ((hugs)) back. 

[Daisy]

OH hey, look. we're going straight to Gymnastics today. 

[ExplainItAgain]

7 minutes ago, Daisy said:

OH hey, look. we're going straight to Gymnastics today. 

Probably for two rotations, then to swimming. Back to gymnastics at 11pm when swimming's over :P

[ParadoxLost]

Just finished watching the men's gymnastics from primetime on demand. 

NBC is so odd.   I find only showing the USA so bizarre.   But not only that, they multi cast on multiple networks and save events they might be interested in for primetime and when USA doesn't win won't show it anywhere.

It seems like they used to focus on events everyone liked and expanded coverage on those because gymnastics was a draw, not just USA gymnastics.

Personally, my tastes are a little lowbrow.  If I were running NBC, men's gymnastics would have gotten put on Bravo.  Focus on the vault of death, Ukraine scratching, certain teams falling apart.  Then there would be a reunion show.  Real Gymnasts of the OG.

Quote

The Yuri van Gelder drama is the talk of the town. He broke the rules and got send home. It seems harsh but as more details get out(left the village, went to a club, got drunk, came back to village around 6am, loudly),  they probably felt they didn't have a choice.

Seems harsh since USA basketball got caught by TMZ in a brothel.  But they don't have to go back to the Village.  They rented a yacht.  Actually, cruise ship is a better description.

Edited August 10, 2016 by ParadoxLost

[Brattinella]

She may be the best gymnast of all time, but she needs to get different eye makeup.

[Arynm]

10 minutes ago, Daisy said:

OH hey, look. we're going straight to Gymnastics today. 

Shocker.

[ExplainItAgain]

Showing Aliya on bars! Glad I'm getting to see this.

[kittykat]

Are they doing the whole thing or cutting to swimming in an hour?

[doodlebug]

Just now, kittykat said:

Are they doing the whole thing or cutting to swimming in an hour?

We don't know yet.  They're actually showing the Chinese doing their vaults, too; so it's already better coverage than expected. Not that I expected much.

[kittykat]

I'm assuming they will show most of Russia, China and maybe even some of Japan along with the US and that's about it.

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

NBC tried with the TripleCast PPV in, I think 1992, and it was a financial and critical failure because people back then wouldn't pay to see Olympic stuff.

Sure we would have paid.  However, NBC was charging something outrageous -- like $199 for 3 channels of coverage (one channel for gymnastics).  I kept calling Time Warner and finally they cut the price down to $20 for one day.  So I paid $20 to watch the women's team finals and THEN I found out that I could hear the audio on that channel for the rest of the Olympics.  

If NBC had started out with a REASONABLE price, it would have worked.  

I would love pay-per-view gymnastics.  

ONE NEGATIVE NOTE:  Time Warner is showing gymnastics ON DEMAND.  Unfortunately, their On Demand channels are now non-recordable.  I burn DVDs of all the Olympic gymnastics and figure skating, so I am VERY disappointed.  Now I'm stuck with crappy NBC primetime for my collection (which goes back to 1988).  

[ExplainItAgain]

13 minutes ago, kittykat said:

Are they doing the whole thing or cutting to swimming in an hour?

The first rotation conveniently took a half hour - so I'm guessing the second rotation will as well. Then it will be 9pm - that's when swimming starts. Not sure if they will switch over....but my guess is...yes.

[Dots And Stripes]

1 minute ago, ExplainItAgain said:

The first rotation conveniently took a half hour - so I'm guessing the second rotation will as well. Then it will be 9pm - that's when swimming starts. Not sure if they will switch over....but my guess is...yes.

They mentioned Phelps have two races an hour apart, which means either an hour of racing or they'll cut back and forth. 

[Daisy]

There's a lot of "And There's Simone's Parents!!" and a lot of what makes a family. (me thinks Al is still getting from his douchery). 

[AuntieDiane6]

A new drinking game ... how many time NBC mentions Simone's PARENTS.  Al, first.  Then Nastia (with camera on Simone's parents): "Mom and Dad rooting for their daughter."  

[Daisy]

1 minute ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

A new drinking game ... how many time NBC mentions Simone's PARENTS.  Al, first.  Then Nastia (with camera on Simone's parents): "Mom and Dad rooting for their daughter."  

But I like my Liver. 

[KenyaJ]

Even if she wasn't, I'm going to pretend Nastia was shading Al by saying (as the camera focused on Ron and Nellie), "Mom and Dad, very proud of their daughter." LOL. I see you, Nastia.

[Arynm]

I never noticed how negative the primetime announcers are until tonight. Maybe it's because I streamed the events and the announcers were so upbeat and positive. It's really jarring. I noticed when NBC showed Great Britain, not the part where Elissa Downie nailed her floor routine after landing on her head the day before, but the 5 seconds where she fell of the beam. And that's it. That was all they decided was fit to show us of GB. Seems so mean spirited.

[Growsonwalls]

1 minute ago, KenyaJ said:

Even if she wasn't, I'm going to pretend Nastia was shading Al by saying (as the camera focused on Ron and Nellie), "Mom and Dad, very proud of their daughter." LOL. I see you, Nastia.

I have a game for how many times I think I "see" Nastia rolling her eyes at Al. Sometimes you can hear the exasperation in her voice.

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

Seems so mean spirited

Not really.  To the casual viewer, all these routines look alike.  They either need to be spectacular (like high bar) or epic fails (like falls).  

[Dots And Stripes]

Al really is the worst. I like Tim and Nastia. NBC has like a million broadcasters in Rio. We can't get someone better for gymnastics?

[Daisy]

I love Flavia. 

it's good to know that the United States only had to beat Russia, China, Downie and Flavia. 

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

Al really is the worst. I like Tim and Nastia. NBC has like a million broadcasters in Rio. We can't get someone better for gymnastics?

No.  

[Chelsea girl]

Yeah they haven't even shown Japan at all. 

[ParadoxLost]

11 minutes ago, Arynm said:

I never noticed how negative the primetime announcers are until tonight. Maybe it's because I streamed the events and the announcers were so upbeat and positive. It's really jarring. I noticed when NBC showed Great Britain, not the part where Elissa Downie nailed her floor routine after landing on her head the day before, but the 5 seconds where she fell of the beam. And that's it. That was all they decided was fit to show us of GB. Seems so mean spirited.

I think the problem is that the announcers or producers are too committed to selling the narrative. Like how often their commentary during the event just happens to fit perfectly to the pre-recorded package they narrate.

Monday is was Simone Biles overcomes being adopted by her grandparents until they got in trouble on twitter.

Now the theme is the only chance other countries have is to be perfect and USA to screw up. So the opposite of that is all they show so the announcers seem knowledgeable and wise.

Edited August 10, 2016 by ParadoxLost

[Dots And Stripes]

The grandparents thing was never a theme of Monday. That was just Al being an ass.

As for everyone needing to be perfect, that's kind of a given after Team USA dominated qualifying. Storylines help for the audience, but pretending that it was a close competition for gold wouldn't have matched what was happening. 

[ParadoxLost]

5 minutes ago, Dots And Stripes said:

The grandparents thing was never a theme of Monday. That was just Al being an ass.

 

I agree he was being an ass.  But I saw multiple packages and comments that were classic Simone Biles overcomes on the subject of her family.  Which were all BS, but classic NBC 'everyone needs a tragic backstory that they overcame to be at the Olympics.'

[ExplainItAgain]

Guys...how did they announce they were the "Final Five"? I was expecting tshirts or a banner or something...but I totally missed it, lol.