Artistic Gymnastics: Stick the Landing!

[Daisy]

2 minutes ago, Scovies said:

Is anyone else annoyed at the "Oleg's country has never won a gold medal in gymnastics" narrative? It's like Lilia Podkopayeva never existed. Qualify your hyperbole, NBC!

Or Tatiana Gutsu. Also from Ukraine (FIG/IOC recognizes her as Ukraine even though she was on the Unified team).  I am thinking they mean male. 

[Thumper]

Why don't the guys do the floor exercise to music?  Is it "unmanly?"   Guys gymnastics don't have to be "artistic?"

Signed,

Casual viewer. :-)

[Daisy]

(sigh). NBC. This was one of the best MAG's AA in a while... 
and that's all you show?

[healthnut]

And they didn't bother to show how the Americans ended up either

[greendog78]

I can't believe I just saw a fluff piece about Kohei Uchimura on NBC.

[Growsonwalls]

I watched the men's AA livestream from work today and it was actually panic attack inducing. I can't even imagine what it was like for Kohei and Oleg. The ping-ponging of leads and the fact that it came down to a hop on the landing on the high bar. That's IMO what every gymnastic AA competition should be like. It was an amazing competition.

I'll be happy when/if Simone wins AA tomorrow but the fact that she can make a major mistake and still win will take away some of the excitement. 

I kind of liked in the livestream:

"This is fun."

Jon Horton: "This is NOT fun." You could feel the anxiety even on an internet feed.

[pivot]

42 minutes ago, Daisy said:

No one here has wished Simone to have a disaster. I know I certainly haven't. 
and I am team give the gold medal to the person who has the best meet. I'd like someone to have the meet or her life and beat Simone. That's all. 
 

No one can beat Simone unless she has an epic meltdown. Her D-score is so much higher than all the rest of the competitors. So you are rooting for Simone to fail. I find that pretty gross.

[BitterApple]

5 minutes ago, Daisy said:

(sigh). NBC. This was one of the best MAG's AA in a while... 
and that's all you show?

I'd love for all the NBC execs to be paraded through King's Landing while frustrated viewers pelt them with rotten vegetables and cow shit. Shame!

[Sew Sumi]

Just as long as they are clothed! We've been tortured enough! 

[pivot]

No it is not possible for Aly to beat her without Simone making massive mistakes. If you want to root for an athlete to fail because you find that super fun to watch, so be it. But, at least own it.

Aly's E-scores are also way, way lower than Simone's because her form is terrible. Simone is considered the best gymnast of all-time so let's root for her to fail. 

[BitterApple]

In fairness, I don't think anyone said they wanted Simone to fail, just that they wanted the other gymnasts to keep it competitive so the results aren't such an obvious foregone conclusion.

[photo fox]

Speaking only for myself, I'm a casual viewer. I don't know their D, E, or any other letter scores, but I'll take your word for it. So I'm not rooting for anyone to fail. I'm just rooting for a fun competition.

My final $0.02.

Exactly, @BitterApple!

[Growsonwalls]

Nice story about Kohei. I had no idea he was married with two kids. 

[Cherpumple]

Oh my goodness, that story made me love him even more! I love my divas, but there's something even more endearing about his modesty and shyness. And I love that his mother fainted when he won!

[blackwing]

Count me as another who was taught hand on heart for pledge of allegiance but not national anthem.  I agree that Gabby was criticised because it's Gabby, and people need to find fault with her.  Meanwhile, no criticism of Phelpstopia for laughing during the anthem.  Le sigh.

I will say it.  I think the USA men's team has issues because it's seemingly much less common for parents to send their little boys to gymnastics than little girls.  I am a parent of elementary school age children.   I know lots of little girls in gymnastics, but only one boy.  And that's because his mom was a gymnast.   Sad to say, but I think there is a stigma against putting boys in gymnastics.  I think many are afraid to admit that they don't think it is manly.   Boys who are tall and big will get put into flag football, basketball, baseball and hockey.  If they are average to shortish which would suit them better to gymnastics, I think parents would put their boy into soccer.

Add to that the (perhaps mistaken) belief that gymnastics stunts your growth, and I can see why many American parents don't push their boys into gymnastics.  This is still a very height-conscious society. It's ok for their little girls to grow up short but heaven forbid their boys end up unusually short, they'll never get married!

[twoods]

What a great story about Kohei. It's nice of him to shield his family from the media- I'm sure the Japanese media are ruthless following him all the time. No wonder Horton sounded so nervous for Kohei at the end- that anecdote was touching.

[Daisy]

55 minutes ago, pivot said:

No one can beat Simone unless she has an epic meltdown. Her D-score is so much higher than all the rest of the competitors. So you are rooting for Simone to fail. I find that pretty gross.

 

47 minutes ago, pivot said:

No it is not possible for Aly to beat her without Simone making massive mistakes. If you want to root for an athlete to fail because you find that super fun to watch, so be it. But, at least own it.

Aly's E-scores are also way, way lower than Simone's because her form is terrible. Simone is considered the best gymnast of all-time so let's root for her to fail. 

I think I - and several others have articulated what they'd like to have happen rather well, and explained our reasons why. Trust me. I don't have any problem owning anything. If I wanted Simone to crash and burn with the power of a 1000 suns, I'd say so. I don't. so I didn't. What I want is a competitive match. Its the Olympics. Literally, anything can happen. Team Canada soccer team (ranked 10th), faced Germany (ranked 3rd) They hadn't beaten them in 12 meetings. they were a woman down (she was red-carded), Herdman was resting a few of the good player and everyone thought okay. 13-for 13 we lost. But no. We actually beat them 2-1. We dominated play. Who saw that coming? no body. 

I've seen many an Olympics where someone was hands down better - but didn't walk away with the gold, because someone had the performance of their lives. That's what I want. and if Simone still wins. fantastic. If she doesn't. Fantastic. All I want is a fun, memorable, competition like we had tonight where - the best gymnast, the one who was uber dominate, and didn't make a lot of mistakes won. The guy who was second? was pretty damned good who had a pretty damned amazing meet up until he hopped his landing away. I don't think that's too much to ask for. 

So if you think i am rooting for her to fail - that's your prerogative and your perception. You're wrong - but that's simply my opinion. So since we clearly don't see eye to eye on this we'll agree to disagree because our millage varies on this. 

Edited August 11, 2016 by Daisy

[cesstar]

That's a great story about Kohei - and Horton's anecdote was hilarious! I'm looking forward to watching the men's AA when I get home if I can find it somewhere. Probably just as well I couldn't watch it live, I would have been just as nervous as Kohei's mum!

It's a real shame that Gabby felt the need to apologise when she did nothing wrong. She has been the epitome of class and good sportsmanship and represented her country so well. I have even more respect for her after this Olympics than before - even though she won't be as successful in terms of medals, she has shown such grace and character. While it's probably unlikely (given her lower difficulty score), I would just love for her to take out gold in the Uneven Bars so that she gets some of the credit that she truly deserves. Having said that, Aliya somehow managed the top score in team competition with a similar 6.5 difficulty score so it's not impossible!

While gold should be a foregone conclusion tomorrow, I think the race for silver/bronze is very open . There is probably 6-8 girls who could medal in those positions whereas in London there was quite a clear-cut top 4 after Iordache's injury and it was really more about placement. I'm excited to see who steps up!

[Quilt Fairy]

3 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

Maybe wrestling, but boys who grow up to be gymnasts are generally too small to be competitive swimmers. Kohei is only what, 5'3"? So was Horton, if memory serves. 

He probably still is.

ETA: Anyone who wants to see proper "respect" for the National Anthem needs to check out any major league baseball game when it's being played. 1/3 of the people are looking for a hot dog vendor, 1/3 of the people are looking for a beer vendor and the final 1/3 are looking for a bathroom.  I'm pretty sure most of the people only stand because the announcer tells them to.

Edited August 11, 2016 by Quilt Fairy

[GreyBunny]

1 hour ago, cesstar said:

That's a great story about Kohei - and Horton's anecdote was hilarious!

That was adorable.  I want to know what a "triple kaboom" is.

[choclatechip45]

I hope Aly does not make any silly mistakes like she has in past all-around competitions. I'm excited for Simone and her coach Aimee. I hope Mustafina does well I hope her and Aly don't tie! Also does anyone else think they won't let an American win gold in every event? 

[choclatechip45]

2 hours ago, PoshSprinkles said:

D-score isn't everything. Team China MAG always has the highest D-scores every year, but their bad execution finally caught up to them and they got bronze medal served this year. It's not about failing, it's about someone else maybe rising to the occasion and executing their program better than Simone. It's unlikely, but possible for Aly to beat her. 

Simone's E scores are also incredibly high while Alys aren't. It's really too bad Gabby didn't stay with Chow who would have raised her difficulty since Gabby e score are also really  high. 

[Harry24]

For those of you who haven't seen it, I can't recommend the full stream of the men's all-around final on nbc.com strongly enough.  It is well worth the investment of an hour or two.  There are SO MANY great performances (Swiss guys, Colombian guys; Cuban guys, Russian guys - all fantastic! - in addition to the leading players); the announcers are excellent, relaxed, informative and entertaining; and the build up of drama is almost excruciating!  The way NBC presented it on TV drained about 80% of all the drama.  The announcers on the stream said it was hands down the best all-around competition they've ever seen.

ETA: I was glad that Daggett mentioned the overly harsh judging of Uchimura on the pommel horse and rings.  Mind you, he didn't EXPLAIN it ( heaven forbid), but at least he mentioned it.  He also said something kind of garbled about how the judging panels changed at some point (During the competition?  Between the qualifying, team, individual?  No idea).  And then of course he didn't get into any, you know, actual informative details, but it sounded potentially interesting.  As lovely as Horton and Kupets were on the stream, they didn't even mention it, although they registered a little surprise at a few results.

Edited August 11, 2016 by Harry24

[katisha]

All I know about Alexa Moreno is what I have read in this article but I was wondering if anyone else in this thread could shed some light? To my extremely untrained eye, there is no way she could compete at that level if she really was too big, so is it a case of fitness looking different on different body types?

[PepSinger]

On August 7, 2016 at 9:00 PM, Quof said:

Even more annoying is the constant "Go Gabby" or whoever throughout the entire routine.  I get cheering on your teammate, but they are doing their job.  Should someone stand behind me and scream "Go Quof" throughout my work day?

LMAO! Yeah, it truly baffles me.

[NUguy514]

It's fine to want an exciting (i.e. close) race for the gold tomorrow, but it is impossible for anyone other than Simone to have the meet of her life and beat Simone unless Simone herself falls at least two or three times; that is the reality.  Frankly, it's highly unlikely that anyone can beat Aly for the silver.  The race will be for bronze, barring catastrophe.  I do want everyone to do her best (or close to), so I hope that that is exactly how things shake out tomorrow.  That would be exciting for me personally.

I was rooting for Oleg to upset Kohei, but the latter's high bar routine was really special.

[Quilt Fairy]

I'm really enjoying the overhead cameras at each apparatus. It gives an added perspective of how centered and balanced (or not) every trick and landing is.

[kathy42977]

All I want for tonight is a good competition where everybody puts in a great performance.

Simone will most likely win tonight. And that doesn't kill my enjoyment any more then the US women winning the team gold medal. Yet again. I still enjoyed watching. 

I don't care who is dominating or if the same person wins every competition.  Just as long as that person is doing amazing tricks.

I just love watching gymnastics. Especially when they are on balance beam and uneven bars. I'm hate watching floor exercise and vault. Floor exercise  is the WORST  though. I just loathe watching that.

What makes gymnastics so boring to me is how cutesy it is now. I miss the diva personalities.

I want to see somebody look pissed at themselves after a mediocre performance. I want scowling at the cameras.

[Daisy]

5 minutes ago, kathy42977 said:

What makes gymnastics so boring to me is how cutesy it is now. I miss the diva personalities.

I want to see somebody look pissed at themselves after a mediocre performance. I want scowling at the cameras.

 

LOL I know. I miss Sveta in times like this. I honestly don't get this either.  You are so so or had a disaster and everyone just shrugs it off, or looks sad, or is like it's okay you'll get it. lol i know for me I'd throw some epic Bogi-Bitch Face if i wasn't how i was supposed to be. 

[Minneapple]

Even Mustafina has mellowed. Still I'd love to see her rock a good bitchface in the event final as Madison is peforming on bars.

[topanga]

10 hours ago, BitterApple said:

I don't know, I think the race card is overplayed any time people dare to criticize a black athlete. I don't think Gabby did anything disrespectful or wrong, nor do I think it warranted this kind of attention, but in context, it looked odd for Gabby to be standing with her arms at her sides while the rest of her teammates adopted the same posture. 

I think you underestimate the racism of people on the Internet. Sure, people might have started out wanting to criticize Gabby for not putting her hand over her heart, but comments quickly became about that monkey, animal, jungle bunny, N*****, black slut, black C***, black B****, etc, who didn't deserve to be on the team in the first place.

[Growsonwalls]

11 minutes ago, Minneapple said:

Even Mustafina has mellowed. Still I'd love to see her rock a good bitchface in the event final as Madison is peforming on bars.

Aliya has never been about being bitchy to competitors. I remember in London she dragged a crying Komova over to congratulate the Americans. Other girls (including the Chinese team) have always said that she's very nice and will give them hugs or gifts if they fall. She cheers on competitors. She's not a bad sport.

Where Aliya has truly rocked the bitchface is with her coaches after events. I've seen her give her coaches a "talk to the hand" gesture after a routine. Such a diva <3

By the way I found this. Since every female seems to be performing the "Onodi" here's Henrietta Onodi doing an Onodi:

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

I think you underestimate the racism of people on the Internet. Sure, people might have started out wanting to criticize Gabby for not putting her hand over her heart, but comments quickly became about that monkey, animal, jungle bunny, N*****, black slut, black C***, black B****, etc, who didn't deserve to be on the team in the first place.

They're just trolls.  Don't feed the trolls.  

[topanga]

9 hours ago, Daisy said:

No one here has wished Simone to have a disaster. I know I certainly haven't. 
and I am team give the gold medal to the person who has the best meet. I'd like someone to have the meet or her life and beat Simone. That's all. 
 

But why? If Simone is the best gymnast we've seen in years, and an American at that, why would you root for someone to beat her? Just curious--I'm not making any judgments or suppositions. 

 

7 minutes ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

They're just trolls.  Don't feed the trolls.  

But they're out there. And they comment. And they're making the issue racial, so the original poster wasn't the one playing the race card. 

I hope Gabby is okay emotionally. In 2012 she faced criticism largely from black women for having a "jacked-up bun." In 2016, she's facing much more criticism. The poor girl can't get a break. 

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

I hope Gabby is okay emotionally. In 2012 she faced criticism largely from black women for having a "jacked-up bun." In 2016, she's facing much more criticism. The poor girl can't get a break. 

She's a champion.  As Oprah says, "What other people think of you is none of your business."  

[andromeda331]

22 minutes ago, kathy42977 said:

All I want for tonight is a good competition where everybody puts in a great performance.

Simone will most likely win tonight. And that doesn't kill my enjoyment any more then the US women winning the team gold medal. Yet again. I still enjoyed watching. 

I don't care who is dominating or if the same person wins every competition.  Just as long as that person is doing amazing tricks.

I just love watching gymnastics. Especially when they are on balance beam and uneven bars. I'm hate watching floor exercise and vault. Floor exercise  is the WORST  though. I just loathe watching that.

What makes gymnastics so boring to me is how cutesy it is now. I miss the diva personalities.

I want to see somebody look pissed at themselves after a mediocre performance. I want scowling at the cameras.

So do I. For me the vaults the worse. Ever since Sang Lan was paralyzed on the vault during warm ups at the Goodwill Games in 1998 I've hated the vault. Ever since then I can't wait until all of the teams are done with the vault. That was horrible and that poor girl.

[topanga]

6 minutes ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

She's a champion.  As Oprah says, "What other people think of you is none of your business."  

I agree...but we're human. Words hurt. Especially when you're young, and the insults come one after another. And this is the social media age, so the comments are everywhere. 

31 minutes ago, Growsonwalls said:

By the way I found this. Since every female seems to be performing the "Onodi" here's Henrietta Onodi doing an Onodi:

Which skill was the Onodi? I found her entire routine a joy to watch. Some of the skills she was able to do were jaw-dropping to me. With her slim frame, the strength she showed was surprising. Like the tumbling pass with--okay, I'm going to show my ignorance--the two back aerials (?) from a standing position. No back handspring to give her momentum. And when she was straddling the beam then went into a handstand? SMH. 

[Growsonwalls]

The Onodi was the tumbling pass at 0:39 in the video. In particular the second element where she reverses direction.

Speaking of tiny people who were able to get an enormous amount of power on beam, here's Tatiana Gutsu. Watch her dismount. In today's CoP I believe that's a G level skill. It's the same dismount as Simone Biles.

Edited August 11, 2016 by Growsonwalls

[Jillibean]

Quote

I kind of liked in the livestream:

"This is fun."

Jon Horton: "This is NOT fun." You could feel the anxiety even on an internet feed.

My favorite part also. I do agree with others that Horton talks about himself a lot and is clearly a USA supporter, at times biasedly so. But I still like him way, way more than Tim. For one thing, he explains moves--what they are called, why they're difficult, even the types of grips gymnasts wear to complete them properly. But moreso for the way he called yesterday's AA final--I just thought he narrated so well the experience he was having, which paralleled the audience experience--anxiety, tension, excitement, disbelief. He enjoyed that final in addition to commentating on it, and it added to my viewing experience. I don't feel Tim has ever added to my viewing experience, nor do I think his own personal experience watching gymnastics parallels the viewing audience in any way.

[Gurkel]

8 minutes ago, Growsonwalls said:

The Onodi was the tumbling pass at 0:39 in the video. In particular the second element where she reverses direction.

Speaking of tiny people who were able to get an enormous amount of power on beam, here's Tatiana Gutsu. Watch her dismount. In today's CoP I believe that's a G level skill. It's the same dismount as Simone Biles.

Yes, the Onodi was good. I had to watch it like 3 times to really grasp the difficulty of how she changed directions. She was like a magician doing a slight of hand trick. 

And I remember Tatiana Gutsu.! She was always fun to watch. 

 

9 hours ago, blackwing said:

I will say it.  I think the USA men's team has issues because it's seemingly much less common for parents to send their little boys to gymnastics than little girls.  I am a parent of elementary school age children.   I know lots of little girls in gymnastics, but only one boy.  And that's because his mom was a gymnast.   Sad to say, but I think there is a stigma against putting boys in gymnastics.  I think many are afraid to admit that they don't think it is manly.   Boys who are tall and big will get put into flag football, basketball, baseball and hockey.  If they are average to shortish which would suit them better to gymnastics, I think parents would put their boy into soccer.

Add to that the (perhaps mistaken) belief that gymnastics stunts your growth, and I can see why many American parents don't push their boys into gymnastics.  This is still a very height-conscious society. It's ok for their little girls to grow up short but heaven forbid their boys end up unusually short, they'll never get married!

When my sons were young, I took them to gymnastics classes at the local gyms, and there were an equal number of boys--if not more--in the younger classes. It wasn't until the kids turn about 8 that there were almost no boys in the classes. 

Boys in the United States, including mine, tend to be steered towards team sports once they reach a certain age--baseball, basketball, soccer, flag football.  Team sports are what we see most on TV and what the world seems to value. Trust me, I wanted my younger son to stay in gymnastics--I actually kept signing him up for classes until he was almost 10, but his heart wasn't in it. And I didn't want to force him to do something he didn't particularly enjoy. 

[onyxrose81]

I finished the article on Kohei.  He is precious.

Everything with Gabby is getting old.  I am not a fan of her at all but every little thing she does is nitpicked to death and I'm sick of it.  She could cure cancer tomorrow and people would get on her about not finding a cure sooner.

I'm sending good vibes to Simone.  I don't understand how anyone can root for someone to beat her, in the sake of entertainment.  Someone beating her wouldn't just mean they had the competition of their life; it would mean Simone had at least a mini-implosion.   She is and has been the best gymnast for the whole quad, why shouldn't anyone want her to cap off this quad with the ultimate prize?  I would like a good competition with minimal falls but if Simone does what Simone usually does, then she'll be the AA champ.  My wish is that Aly is scored fairly.  Her vault scores being that close to Simone is beyond appalling.

Edited August 11, 2016 by onyxrose81

[pivot]

7 hours ago, choclatechip45 said:

Simone's E scores are also incredibly high while Alys aren't. It's really too bad Gabby didn't stay with Chow who would have raised her difficulty since Gabby e score are also really  high. 

I think Gabby's problem wasn't the coach change but her growth spurt. She's gotten quite a bit taller and that hurt her tumbling ability on floor and vault.

Aly doesn't have the D or E scores to keep up with Simone. If Aly gets the best scores of her her life and Simone has only an OK day, Simone beats her by about .9. That's why people cheering for Aly to win are cheering for Simone to have a meltdown. There is no possible way for Aly to beat her even if she has the best meet of her her life.

[Gurkel]

10 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

I kind of liked in the livestream:

"This is fun."

Jon Horton: "This is NOT fun." You could feel the anxiety even on an internet feed.

A friend of mine is married to Jair Lynch, who won the silver medal in parallel bars at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. I actually saw him during this year's Opening Ceremonies, and I asked him if he missed competing. He told me missed training but not competing. We were in a loud restaurant/bar, and I didn't have a chance to talk to him more about it, but I always thought that athletes loved competition more than anything else. Maybe the anxiety level really is that high. 

[Apocalypse Cow]

I'm not wishing Simone to have a disastrous meet.  I just want there to be a level of competitiveness to it.  And yeah, I'm pulling for Aly to have the meet of her life.  I just want the AA final to be exciting. If this makes me a terrible person for wanting some drama in the AA final, then I'm a terrible person and I own it. I'm not taking my Simone voodoo doll and breaking legs on it or anything, but I am hoping for this competition to not be a complete runaway.

[choclatechip45]

12 minutes ago, pivot said:

I think Gabby's problem wasn't the coach change but her growth spurt. She's gotten quite a bit taller and that hurt her tumbling ability on floor and vault.

Aly doesn't have the D or E scores to keep up with Simone. If Aly gets the best scores of her her life and Simone has only an OK day, Simone beats her by about .9. That's why people cheering for Aly to win are cheering for Simone to have a meltdown. There is no possible way for Aly to beat her even if she has the best meet of her her life.

I disagree Gabby was performing well in the beginning of her comeback and didn't improve very much as the year went on. She peaked too early   Gabby has so much natural talent and even though she won the all around in London I don't feel like she has ever reached her full potential. I think Gabby would have reached her full potential with Chow. I also think she would have been one of the best bar workers in the world if she stayed with Chow. 

[choclatechip45]

8 minutes ago, Apocalypse Cow said:

I'm not wishing Simone to have a disastrous meet.  I just want there to be a level of competitiveness to it.  And yeah, I'm pulling for Aly to have the meet of her life.  I just want the AA final to be exciting. If this makes me a terrible person for wanting some drama in the AA final, then I'm a terrible person and I own it. I'm not taking my Simone voodoo doll and breaking legs on it or anything, but I am hoping for this competition to not be a complete runaway.

I understand what you are saying. 2008 was very exciting because it was Nastia vs Shawn. It was a huge debate would the powerful gymnast or the artistic gymnast win out? In the months leading up to 2012 it was a huge debate between Gabby Jordyn and Komova who would win? When Jordyn didn't qualify it became a debate between Gabby and Komova.  I remember holding my breath during Gabbys beam routine hoping she would pull it out. Going into both of those meets I thought either gymnast could win it. It's been a forgone conclusion that Simone will win. Only one gymnast  beat her and that was her first ever senior completion and Ohashi never competed again after that meet. I know she lost 2013 classics but I consider that a mental breakdown since she didn't even compete vault. 

[Gurkel]

7 minutes ago, choclatechip45 said:

I disagree Gabby was performing well in the beginning of her comeback and didn't improve very much as the year went on. She peaked too early   Gabby has so much natural talent and even though she won the all around in London I don't feel like she has ever reached her full potential. I think Gabby would have reached her full potential with Chow. I also think she would have been one of the best bar workers in the world if she stayed with Chow. 

Too bad the business aspect of their relationship got in the way of their great coaching-student relationship

[Bean421]

11 hours ago, PoshSprinkles said:

Men's Gymnastics faces an uphill battle in the USA. Boys tend to get steered to football, soccer, baseball, and basketball when they are young. Gymnastics is never on the radar as even an after-school activity. If a boy does have some flexibility he's likely to get sent to wrestling or swimming before gymnastics. 

Yup, yup, yup. Little Boy Bean has been on his team for 3 years and loves the sport. The challenge we've had having to teach him to defend choosing a "girl sport". It's utter bullshit but it happens all the time. With other sports kids are able to try football in the fall and basketball in the winter. Gymnastics tends to be all consuming. 

[IdleBrook]

If Aly had the meet of her life and Simone did her normal performance, Simone should still win by a healthy margin if the judging was fair.  That is not a knock on Aly, but a testament to Simone's high difficulty and execution across the four events.  I see Simone being more vulnerable in the event finals where she faces off with specialists who are not doing a full all around program and have the opportunity to rest between events.

I want Aly to do well, but I also selfishly want her and Gabby to have motivation to continue onto the next quad.  Aly is peaking wonderfully, and is only getting better.  Gabby's lines have improved tremendously and if she dropped floor to focus on upping her difficulty she could be a fantastic bars and beam specialist with a solid vault in her back pocket.  

[choclatechip45]

14 minutes ago, Gurkel said:

Too bad the business aspect of their relationship got in the way of their great coaching-student relationship

I agree. I hope after the Olympics Gabby realizes some of the people in her life arent doing things that are best for her. It's sad when I think Martha Karoyli might be the only one who has Gabbys best interests in mind. 

Edited August 11, 2016 by choclatechip45