Artistic Gymnastics: Stick the Landing!

[Dots And Stripes]

Or maybe Gabby realizes it's more important to be happy than to look happy. She seems fine to me and Aly has said Gabby has been gracious about everything. I think Gabby has also earned the right to sit and watch a competition in peace. As long as Aly and Simone aren't offended I don't see why anyone else would be.

[Daisy]

Just now, Dots And Stripes said:

Or maybe Gabby realizes it's more important to be happy than to look happy. She seems fine to me and Aly has said Gabby has been gracious about everything. I think Gabby has also earned the right to sit and watch a competition in peace. As long as Aly and Simone aren't offended I don't see why anyone else would be.

This is true and Im not offended in anyway. she just looks sad and has since competition started. so if she IS sad she needs a hug and whatever is bugging her, i hope she gets through it, and if she just has resting sad face, that's cool too.

[choclatechip45]

16 minutes ago, Avaleigh said:

Given the way people jumped all over the poor girl for not putting her hand over her heart, I'd think she'd be more conscious of not wanting to appear sullen since that was where a lot of the criticism during the anthem was coming from when people were saying that it was her slumped body language in general and lack of smiling in comparison to that of her teammates.

I was surprised to see that Gabby actually *did* put her hand over her heart during the medal ceremony for the team event in 2012. She also smiled more. Clearly she seems to be going through something IMO. 

She hasn't had her hand over heart during the playing of the anthem all year at any of the meets. I was watching a snapchat video from Laurie's coach of Laurie doing an impersonation of the PA announcer her and Madison are giggling and in the background you see Gabby staring in space she looking bored out of her mind. It will be interesting when her and Madison are in the uneven bar finals if Madison medals and she doesn't how she acts.

[briochetwist]

1 hour ago, catray said:

The Chinese trampoline leos are freaking gorgeous.

They are, I also like Japanese one and despite the fact that I'm not big on the Swarovski/bedazzled look (I think they are starting to look like drag queens) I love the Canadian leo too.

[Daisy]

Bryony Page scores a 56+ (and now she's crying and I am trying not to cry LOL
@briochetwist I am liking the Canadian Leos this year, and I agree. I am not liking all the bedazzledness either.

Belarus girl traveled and fell right on the index. her day is done. (ouch. she got 5.7)

[Daisy]

Britain 1-2 with 3 athletes left. 
He Wenna just went, she travelled a lot. 
she gets a 55.570 (Page is still first). 

[Daisy]

Rosie gets 56.465 - she's secured a medal. YAY! 
Li Dan just Chinese'd that tramp. it was amazing. 
wow. 55.885
Bryony page just won a medal too and she just lost it. 

[Growsonwalls]

Well here's the thing. If the cameras were constantly focused on Missy Franklin I bet you wouldn't see a lot of happy cheering either because her Olympic experience has been miserable. I have no idea but I have this feeling Gabby's Olympic experience has not been all that great. She's returned to a sport that in many ways has left her behind -- four years ago she was praised for her elegant line and form. This year the premium is on powerful tumbling because Simone Biles is now the dominant star. So she might simply want to go home. Idk. She doesn't look happy and I wish she could work out those feelings off camera. All the camera scrutiny certainly isn't helping. 

[emma675]

I just started a separate trampoline thread (hopefully that's okay!)--I don't think of it as part of artistic gymnastics, but maybe I'm wrong.

[Daisy]

Rosie Wins! ROSIE WINS! yaaayy!
CAN, GBR, CHINA. your final. 

[briochetwist]

Rosie was awesome! I was worried that the extra pressure of trying to defend the gold would get to her. Fantastic!

Um...totally OT, but did we send any male athletes to Rio?

[TobinAlbers]

Catching up on women's gymnastics team and all around and the one thing I love over and over again about Laurie is that she's the sweetest doll except when she's about to execute a tumble or vault and then she gets this determined eye of the tiger straight up SNARL on her face like she's about to rip the throat out of something and kill it and she does because she nails the tumble or the vault and then she lands and the sweet smile reappears on her face and it just cracks me up and makes me love her even more.

Edited August 12, 2016 by TobinAlbers

[Avaleigh]

2 minutes ago, choclatechip45 said:

 It will be interesting when her and Madison are in the uneven bar finals if Madison medals and she doesn't how she acts.

I thought about this scenario too. I hope they both do well and are both gracious if one of them ends up winning/medaling and the other doesn't. I'd love for them to go one two though in either order. 

3 minutes ago, choclatechip45 said:

She hasn't had her hand over heart during the playing of the anthem all year at any of the meets. I was watching a snapchat video from Laurie's coach of Laurie doing an impersonation of the PA announcer her and Madison are giggling and in the background you see Gabby staring in space she looking bored out of her mind. 

I thought she just didn't know that it was generally expected for athletes but now that I've seen that she used to put her hand over her heart, it seems like a conscious choice and one that she is perfectly free to and has every right to make. 

I have to say that I kind of wish this was like skating where worlds are right around the corner after the Olympics and we'd get to see who decides to stay and compete and who will shine in the (usually) diluted field. (Kristi Yamaguchi is still the only example I can think of in the past 25 years where a female Olympic champion also competed in the worlds that followed her Olympics--and she won.) Plus you get the occasional rematch or a person who just brings the performance of a lifetime because they're so disappointed with how their Olympics turned out. Mao Asada was a brilliant example of this.

[Daisy]

7 minutes ago, briochetwist said:

Rosie was awesome! I was worried that the extra pressure of trying to defend the gold would get to her. Fantastic!

Um...totally OT, but did we send any male athletes to Rio?

(laugh) it's starting to look like not. this is amazing I have never seen Canada do a 9 woman medal run before in my Olympic life. 

Trampoline - technically isn't artistic gymnastics, but I know before we stuck all gymnastics (Trampoline/Rhythmic) in the mother thread, because it didn't get a lot of traction. but I don't mind talking about men's tramp tomorrow  in there :) whatever is easier!

[choclatechip45]

23 minutes ago, Growsonwalls said:

Well here's the thing. If the cameras were constantly focused on Missy Franklin I bet you wouldn't see a lot of happy cheering either because her Olympic experience has been miserable. I have no idea but I have this feeling Gabby's Olympic experience has not been all that great. She's returned to a sport that in many ways has left her behind -- four years ago she was praised for her elegant line and form. This year the premium is on powerful tumbling because Simone Biles is now the dominant star. So she might simply want to go home. Idk. She doesn't look happy and I wish she could work out those feelings off camera. All the camera scrutiny certainly isn't helping. 

I don't think the sport has left Gabby behind at all. She won an individual silver at the World Championships in October in the all-around.  Her first ever individual medal at a worlds. She seemed very happy to have won the America Cup in March probably because she wasn't able to win it 2012. Gabby's bar routine looks much better than 4 years ago. Granted they weee over scoring everyone on bars but she scored higher than she did all year and qualified third. In London she qualified in sixth for the bars finals. Gabby didn't approve as the year went along and Aly did. 

Edited August 12, 2016 by choclatechip45

[annzeepark914]

I don't know why Gabby returned to the O's.  She already has the Gold Medal and all the acclaim.  Heck, I don't understand why any of the repeaters return (Phelps, Ledecky, and then from way back in skating Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt).  In a way, I wish there were no repeaters allowed.  It's so hard to make it to the O's and to lose an opportunity because a gold medalist feels the urge to return (even though they have to qualify like everyone else), that must feel bad.

[Daisy]

2 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

I don't know why Gabby returned to the O's.  She already has the Gold Medal and all the acclaim.  Heck, I don't understand why any of the repeaters return (Phelps, Ledecky, and then from way back in skating Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt).  In a way, I wish there were no repeaters allowed.  It's so hard to make it to the O's and to lose an opportunity because a gold medalist feels the urge to return (even though they have to qualify like everyone else), that must feel bad.

Closure. a lot of people return  - and it's not even about winning some times, (but for most I think it is to know they still have it), and Olympic Depression is a serious thing, you retire, and then you wonder what do you do with the rest of your life - your life up until you retire has been ALL about your sport. you don't train, you don't compete, what is your life now? and a lot (i mean a lot) of athletes can't adjust. some come back (get their closure) and then they feel okay now i can move on. 

[Ceindreadh]

16 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

<small, shallow voice> I hate Aly Raisman's hair bun. Always have. Don't know why.

From an aesthetic/fashion point of view it doesn't look great.  But I suppose from a 'keeping her hair out of place so she can get shit done' POV, it does indeed serve its purpose!

2 hours ago, aquarian1 said:

I don't usually watch trampoline.  What's that belly flop type move they all do in the beginning?  It looks odd.

ETA: And the last few have not done it.

Sounds like it's a Front drop.  Down onto the stomach and then back up (with or without a twist)

[EVS]

5 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

I don't know why Gabby returned to the O's.  She already has the Gold Medal and all the acclaim.  Heck, I don't understand why any of the repeaters return (Phelps, Ledecky, and then from way back in skating Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt).  In a way, I wish there were no repeaters allowed.  It's so hard to make it to the O's and to lose an opportunity because a gold medalist feels the urge to return (even though they have to qualify like everyone else), that must feel bad.

I don't mind repeat competitors. I feel like, as hard as they train, as much time as they sacrifice, as much money as some of their families spend, they should be able to continue as long as they want to and as long as they are able, provided, of course, that they truly earn their spot on merit. 

[Snickerdoodle]

1 hour ago, Avaleigh said:

Given the way people jumped all over the poor girl for not putting her hand over her heart, I'd think she'd be more conscious of not wanting to appear sullen since that was where a lot of the criticism during the anthem was coming from when people were saying that it was her slumped body language in general and lack of smiling in comparison to that of her teammates.

I was surprised to see that Gabby actually *did* put her hand over her heart during the medal ceremony for the team event in 2012. She also smiled more. Clearly she seems to be going through something IMO. 

 You don't have to put your hand over your heart for the national anthem.  You "have to" do it for the Pledge of Allegiance.  There's no need to criticize anybody.

[dcalley]

What ever happened to the fancier mounts of the balance beam? I miss them.

On Eythora Thorsdottir's name, I agree, Icelandic names are cool!

[Daisy]

2 minutes ago, dcalley said:

What ever happened to the fancier mounts of the balance beam? I miss them.

On Eythora Thorsdottir's name, I agree, Icelandic names are cool!

me too. but i remember hearing that Marta just wants you to get on the beam, and then do your routines. (and I can imagine that's what most coaches want too). 

[choclatechip45]

3 minutes ago, Daisy said:

me too. but i remember hearing that Marta just wants you to get on the beam, and then do your routines. (and I can imagine that's what most coaches want too). 

I bet it has to do with Alicia Sacramone falling in team finals '08.

[Crs97]

I always liked Chris Everett's answer when asked about going out on top: "I won't know what top is until after I start going down."  Gabby can still clearly compete, even if she isn't considered the best anymore.

[Dots And Stripes]

Let's not forget, Gabby just won a gold medal with the team. She and Aly are the first U.S. Women's gymnasts to come back to the Olympics in years. She did seem happy with that team gold, as she should be. 

[Indy]

17 minutes ago, dcalley said:

What ever happened to the fancier mounts of the balance beam? I miss them.

Risk vs. reward.  Better to just get up on the beam and do your hard stuff up there than screw up before you even start. For the American women, Martha has never liked acrobatic or fancy mounts, even before Alicia Sacramone's fall.  Nastia Liukin briefly had a unique beam mount (a sort of front flip via the side of the beam) but she only did it once or twice - it got vetoed after she messed it up in competition because it wasn't worth it. 

But I agree, I miss them. It would be nice to see them rewarded with enough difficulty to make them worth doing again. I feel the same way about fun bars mounts. 

[choclatechip45]

6 minutes ago, Dots And Stripes said:

Let's not forget, Gabby just won a gold medal with the team. She and Aly are the first U.S. Women's gymnasts to come back to the Olympics in years. She did seem happy with that team gold, as she should be. 

They are both currently tied with having the most gold medals of any US women's gymnast at the Olympic Games.

[Ceindreadh]

Just thinking about the trampoline and wondering if some of the gymnastic skills would translate to trampolining and then was thinking that if Simone ever switched to trampolining they'd probably need to double the height of the arena  ;-)

[Mumbles]

Quote

I felt for Aly when her coach was trying to talk to her about what went wrong in her bar routine and she was just trying to focus on beam.  Like, really dude - I think the analyzing can wait until tomorrow.

I go back and forth on Aly but this was one moment I wanted to hug or high-five her. I have no idea what her coach thought he was going to accomplish by pointing out what she had done wrong, when it was over and done with. She handled it very well, so calm. Plus her attitude was right - I can't go back in time, all I can do is look ahead.

[selkie]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

I don't know why Gabby returned to the O's.  She already has the Gold Medal and all the acclaim.  Heck, I don't understand why any of the repeaters return (Phelps, Ledecky, and then from way back in skating Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt).  In a way, I wish there were no repeaters allowed.  It's so hard to make it to the O's and to lose an opportunity because a gold medalist feels the urge to return (even though they have to qualify like everyone else), that must feel bad.

So you've got a job that you enjoy quite a bit- it's fun to get up to go to work in the morning, you get paid to travel all around the world, and you are making a a paycheck that puts you in the top 10-20% of American salaries. Why give that up for an office job that pays less than your old job and will bury you underneath enough TPS reports that you'll feel the joy sucked out of life for you?

Some athletes reach a point where they think the office job would be an enjoyable next part of life (swimmer Maya DiRado comes to mind this Games) but for others, why make a move that feels like a life downgrade if sport still pays the bills?

[Minneapple]

Here's the thing. I don't know Gabby Douglas. I'm not in her head. I don't know why she didn't jump up with joy for her teammates. Aly and Simone and her other teammates have never had a bad word to say about Gabby. But we as a society have made assumptions about athletes before and we've been so very wrong. That's why I said that Aly and Simone seem like sweet girls. We don't know the reality of what they're like. 

[Avaleigh]

1 hour ago, Snickerdoodle said:

 You don't have to put your hand over your heart for the national anthem.  You "have to" do it for the Pledge of Allegiance.  There's no need to criticize anybody.

I understand that you don't have to and don't think that I suggested that in my post. 

I was noting my surprise that she put her hand over her heart during the last Olympics along with the rest of her team, so I was mistaken when I'd initially assumed that it was simply something she'd never done and wondered why people are piling on her now.

I don't think there's anything wrong with criticizing her attitude in terms of seeming as though she's happy for her teammates. Athletes reactions to their competitors and teammates are commented on all the time,  soI don't see why this is any different.

It's when people start criticizing her for ridiculous things like her hair where I will defend her all day long. 

[Enero]

12 minutes ago, Minneapple said:

Here's the thing. I don't know Gabby Douglas. I'm not in her head. I don't know why she didn't jump up with joy for her teammates. Aly and Simone and her other teammates have never had a bad word to say about Gabby. But we as a society have made assumptions about athletes before and we've been so very wrong. That's why I said that Aly and Simone seem like sweet girls. We don't know the reality of what they're like. 

Thank you. I'm so tired of people judging these folks for every.little. move. they make or don't make. Let them be who they are. If Gabby didn't feel like jumping up and screaming at her teammates win. Then that's her right, her choice.  Frankly I don't need her to fake cheer on her teammates, love them or even like them. I just enjoy seeing her compete. 

Regarding the hand over her heart nonsense during the Team medal ceremony, I just can't. When I heard about the whining that ensued over that I wanted to get a Twitter account just to tell those people to STFU. 

[candall]

Napped out during Track 'n Field and woke up to the sproing of trampolines.  YAY!!

Boy, one miscalculation in Trampoline and you really go balooie.  It was like someone came off the bars and flew into the stands.  I was able to feel the individual shards of her heart break off during the excruciatingly long slow-mo replay. 

 

Shut Up Al said, "It must be amazing to spend four years in obscurity and suddenly find yourself at the Olympics."  Hmm?  Do the trampolinists (and the rhythmic gymnasts) go to the AG meets or have their own circuits?  I'm sure they don't just pop out of caves every four years, AAAL.

 

Rosie's happiness was a joy to watch.  She broke down in tremble-y happy tears from the moment a medal, any medal, was guaranteed.  She didn't need a gold to be proud--which made it even nicer to see when gold is what she got.  Good job, Canada.

[BitterApple]

1 hour ago, Mumbles said:

I go back and forth on Aly but this was one moment I wanted to hug or high-five her. I have no idea what her coach thought he was going to accomplish by pointing out what she had done wrong, when it was over and done with. She handled it very well, so calm. Plus her attitude was right - I can't go back in time, all I can do is look ahead.

I agree. I didn't understand the point of her coach hassling her over bars when it was likely the last time she'd ever do a bar routine in competition. Aly knew it was going to be her Achilles heel, and it was, but it's not like she faltered so badly it ruined her chances. I think she had the right attitude in wanting to move on and focus on the final two events that played to her strengths. 

[scarynikki12]

Plus that routine was way better than 2012 (she actually pointed her toes!) so he should have just applauded her for that and then shut up.

[Talky Tina]

19 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

<small, shallow voice> I hate Aly Raisman's hair bun. Always have. Don't know why.

It's much better than that white stuff around Simone's eyes, that shit looks awful.  Why has nobody told her how bad it looks?

[BitterApple]

1 minute ago, Talky Tina said:

It's much better than that white stuff around Simone's eyes, that shit looks awful.  Why has nobody told her how bad it looks?

I'm actually surprised they don't bring a makeup artist in to get the girls ready. It's not like they need to be in Kardashian-level spackle, but artfully applied cosmetics would look much better than all the glitter and blue eyeshadow. 

[Thumper]

Gabby was the darling of 2012.   What is she now, 20 years old?  I'm really only an Olympic viewer, but just from what I have read here, it sounds like she may have a lot of pressure from family or sponsors.  Or herself.

To me, she just has a look like her mind is elsewhere.  Depression/anxiety can sometimes come across as "stuck up" or "zoned out."  I am reluctant to make a judgement, but I do feel bad for whatever she is dealing with.  I hope she'll be ok.

[briochetwist]

14 minutes ago, Talky Tina said:

It's much better than that white stuff around Simone's eyes, that shit looks awful.  Why has nobody told her how bad it looks?

She looked hideous. She is such a beautiful girl and she looked like a drag queen in training. I get it though, my teenage daughter does the exact same thing. And yes, she also looks like a drag queen...

[IdleBrook]

Simone's eye makeup was tacky but endearing.  I think the glam process is a way for them to bond since Simone has mentioned that Gabby will sometimes let her do her hair for competition.  Photos last forever, however, so it would have been nice if they had a professional makeup artist come to the ranch to give the team a tutorial before the big event.  

[Aliconehead]

It's possible it reads better in real life to the judges, and that who they should be focused on, then on high def TV.  

[rubyred]

Simone's eye makeup was distracting, but to me it read as an attempt at some kind of glam red, white and blue thing, with red lids and white and blue underliner. Distracting and borderline tacky in glorious HD, but probably not even that noticeable from a few feet away. What drives me nuts is all the sparkly hair shit. The Russians had a lot of it this year, in previous years the Americans were primary culprits. The hair is shellacked with some kind of sparkly glue, and then on top of that ALL.THE.BOBBY.PINS. How many flyaways do these girls have that they have to scrape back their hair with all the barrettes and pins in the southern hemisphere. 

I have never been able to master a smokey eye like Aliya Mustafina. Props.

And my completely speculative POV on Gabby D; my own resting face, which I think is neutral, probably borders more on "bitch", so I empathize with her having to deal with criticism (and the fact that she's on super-zoom focus) whether she's sitting, walking, talking, whatever. Everything,  even if it's not during a routine is minutely recorded, so I applaud them all for being able to seemingly ignore the camera dudes crouching in front of them and crab-walking backwards constantly to get SUPERZOOM in their every facial twitch, pimple, and enlarged pore. Additional (and completely ignorant) speculation: I hope, if there is something else on Gabby's mind, it doesn't have to do with being the freaking breadwinner of her family, because it boils my blood when the family dynamic turns to someone not being a sister or a daughter but being a "brand" aka ATM machine. I KNOW NOTHING. I just wonder, in a completely nosey and inappropriate way.

[Cherpumple]

I always just thought Gabby seemed very guarded, which is not a criticism. She's polite and professional and gets the job done, but doesn't give us spontaneous outbursts of dramatic emotions like others do. Even after 2012 I remember thinking that all the interviews she gave were very bland. Polished, but bland. As someone who is very private myself, this seems perfectly natural and doesn't make me suspect that anything is "wrong". She's more an Anne Hathaway than a Jennifer Lawrence.

[choclatechip45]

Quote

I always just thought Gabby seemed very guarded, which is not a criticism. She's polite and professional and gets the job done, but doesn't give us spontaneous outbursts of dramatic emotions like others do. Even after 2012 I remember thinking that all the interviews she gave were very bland. Polished, but bland. As someone who is very private myself, this seems perfectly natural and doesn't make me suspect that anything is "wrong". She's more an Anne Hathaway than a Jennifer Lawrence.

Gabby's been much better at interviews since she left Sheryl Shade and signed with CAA. Somehow Sheryl Shade made Shawn Johnson unlikeable hopefully she doesn't try to get rid Laurie's personality.

I just read this article on Gabby http://sports.yahoo.com/news/the-life-lessons-gabby-douglas-has-learned-from-the-2016-olympics-174556778.html

It's kind of sad she talks about how she has to watch how she reacts to everything now. Gabby did say she was nervous for Simone and Aly.

[Stuffy]

I missed out on everyone's gymnastics reminiscing, but I wanted to share. We had a balance beam that our dad had rigged in the backyard. It was only a foot or so off the ground. We'd do a few tricks but not much we didn't do gymnastics growing up.

However the best thing we did was set up a small exercise trampoline a bit of distance from the swing set. It was adjusted based on how far we flew in trial runs. We'd take off at a sprint then jump on the trampoline and fly towards the swing set doing tricks in the air. The real objective was to fly as far as we could and grab the side of the monkey bars mid-flight. I can't believe we didn't break anything due to sometimes doing it barefoot. We also could've dislocated a shoulder because we'd hit that bar hard during our trial runs. 

[Steph619]

I just finished watching the women's all-around final on demand (yay! No commercials!) and I loved the result. Congratulations to Simone and Aly for finishing 1st and 2nd, respectively. Both girls have worked very hard to get to this point and it's awesome to see that hard work pay off. Both of their parents' reactions to them winning were just adorable to see.

I honestly think that 2016 Olympics Aly is a lot better than 2012's. Her floor exercise is even more impressive to me this time around. I never thought she'd come back to the Olympics and I'm so happy she proved me wrong.

What else can be said of Simone? She withstood the pressure surrounding her of people who expected her to win the all-around and triumphed. I think she has a very strong possibility of winning 3 more gold medals.

[BlackberryJam]

36 minutes ago, Stuffy said:

I missed out on everyone's gymnastics reminiscing, but I wanted to share. We had a balance beam that our dad had rigged in the backyard. It was only a foot or so off the ground. We'd do a few tricks but not much we didn't do gymnastics growing up.

However the best thing we did was set up a small exercise trampoline a bit of distance from the swing set. It was adjusted based on how far we flew in trial runs. We'd take off at a sprint then jump on the trampoline and fly towards the swing set doing tricks in the air. The real objective was to fly as far as we could and grab the side of the monkey bars mid-flight. I can't believe we didn't break anything due to sometimes doing it barefoot. We also could've dislocated a shoulder because we'd hit that bar hard during our trial runs. 

That is amazing. I also loved doing floor routines in the grass, even though I was never better than a roundoff back handspring. 

I was never able to rig up a vault...

[cesstar]

That article with Gabby breaks my heart. I have never seen a gymnast as scrutinised and criticised like her. If she had jumped up and down like Laurie and Maddy she would have been accused of being fake. The girl can't win. What confuses me is that she seems like a really sweet, kind of goofy girl, quite shy, with lovely gymnastics who has always pulled it out in competition when the US needs her. Shrugs. 

For both her olympic experiences to be tainted by these manufactured 'controversies' of her hair or her selection or the anthem seems a real shame.

[Matryoshka]

On August 11, 2016 at 6:51 PM, AuntieDiane6 said:

Ok ... can someone tell what Tim means when he says "the big solid"?!  It sounds like something you'd say to a toddler!  

I just cringe ... I can't bear to rewind the DVR to hear the context  of his inanity.

Without rewinding I think what he said was that she "did herself a solid," meaning she did herself a favor.

(Apologies if this was already answered and I missed it in the thread traffic.)