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Artistic Gymnastics: Stick the Landing!

HartofDixie

By HartofDixie
in 2016 Olympics

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GreyBunny
GreyBunny

Gabby has worked her ass off for years, has been a proud member of the US team, and is a great role model for young kids who are up and coming. To say that her not putting her hand over her heart nega

KBrownie
KBrownie

It's not about being "PC" as you put it.  He literally tried to erase her parents from her life to fit whatever narrative he has in his head about what family means.  It's not some trite quibble over

walnutqueen
walnutqueen

Protocol is not law, and has nothing to do with being an American.  Fortunately, Americans live in a free country where they have the right to disagree with your sentiments and still be Americans (and

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windsprints

windsprints

I give up trying to watch the entire Gala. I dvr'ed 1.5 hrs that was listed as 'Gymnastics Gala'. Well, there was about 6 minutes of the gala at the end after soccer, badminton and wrestling.  Then I went to nbcolympics.com and found full event replays of Gala 1 and Gala II.  To save you the time - they are the same exact thing. The website also lists clips as being from the gala (ones that I didn't see in the full replay) but when clicked it just plays Gala 1 or Gala II.  I'm annoyed, I was looking forward to watching.  You win NBC, I officially give up.

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windsprints

windsprints

Those recaps are fantastic. Thanks for posting them.

Quote

Note Al’s overt resentment of any selection system that might require a single moment of explanation. 2020 is going to be a real treasure. And if you think he might not still be commentating then, please. He will outlast us all.

Haha, NBC has the Olympics through 2032.  That's a lot of Al.

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dcalley

dcalley

35 minutes ago, Bewitched said:

I believe the commentators mentioned that he had spent time away from competition recently due to a concussion so it was doubly worrisome.   He may not have realized he lost consciousness, but it was pretty obvious to me.

This clip had a prominent place on NBC's Olympics page last night, which is really gross of them.

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DawnDavenport

DawnDavenport

(edited)
18 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

I had forgotten, or blocked out, the shitshow that was the 2000 US team trials. I remember that I loathed Jamie D., got a giggle out of Morgan's epic bitchface, felt awful for Shannon and feared that Elise Ray was going to split the skin at her temples pulling her hair back that tight.

Then the total horrorshow in Sydney. I so wanted Khorkina to go freaking Svetzilla on them for the vault. 

I agree about Khorkina up to a point. Going back and watching the Sydney team final and the way she treats her teammates is especially disturbing. She basically swats at Ekaterina L.'s arm when she's sitting there upset after falling off beam. Mind you Khorkina fell off bars so she blew a potential 9.850 score for the team and she has the gall to yell at others. Then she falls on vault in the AA and just gives up. Contrast that with Elise Ray almost killing herself in vault warmups and this she goes out and hits bars and adds a freaking double-double layout dismount off bars. Mind you this is before anyone knew about the vault height. Khorkina gives up and falls on bars on the exact same skill she fell off in team finals. Khorkina was only happy when things went her way but she bitched and whined when things didn't. Also, go back and watch the way she treat Zamolochikova (sic.) after wins floor over Khorkina. She's visibly irritated and poor Zamo is standing there celebrating by herself. It's really sad actually.

I think I remember some Euro Cup competition from '98 or something where she just leaves the arena and doesn't watch other competitors after she falls off beam. She did the same thing after falling off bars in event finals in Athens. After 2003 Worlds, she insinuated that Patterson would "run to fat" before Athens and wouldn't beat her.

She was an ungracious twat that had no respect for her competitors and treated anyone who beat her with contempt even when she made mistakes. I'm glad she never won an Olympics all-around to be perfectly honest.

Edited by DawnDavenport
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choclatechip45

choclatechip45

(edited)
10 hours ago, DawnDavenport said:

I agree about Khorkina up to a point. Going back and watching the Sydney team final and the way she treats her teammates is especially disturbing. She basically swats at Ekaterina L.'s arm when she's sitting there upset after falling off beam. Mind you Khorkina fell off bars so she blew a potential 9.850 score for the team and she has the gall to yell at others. Then she falls on vault in the AA and just gives up. Contrast that with Elise Ray almost killing herself in warmups and this she goes out and hits bars and adds a freaking double-double layout dismount off bars. Mind you this is before anyone knew about the vault height. Khorkina gives up and falls on bars (mind you it's on the exact same skill she fell off in team). Khorkina was only happy when things went her way but she bitched and whined when things didn't. Also, go back and watch the way she treat Zamolochikova (sic.) after wins floor over Khorkina. She's visibly irritated and poor Zamo is standing there celebrating by herself. It's really sad actually.

I think I remember some Euro Cup competition from '98 or something where she just leaves the arena and doesn't watch other competitors after she falls off beam. She did the same thing after falling off bars in event finals in Athens. After 2003 Worlds, she insinuated that Patterson would "run to fat" before Athens and wouldn't beat her.

She was an ungracious twat that had no respect for her competitors and treated anyone who beat her with contempt even when she made mistakes. I'm glad she never won an Olympics all-around to be perfectly honest.

Remember when she said the 2004 all around was fixed. Pretty sure she sure walked out of the 2004 uneven bar final after she fell.

Edited by choclatechip45
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proserpina65

proserpina65

(edited)
Quote

Finally saw the high bar competition. Wish Kohei had been in that competition :( 

I wish cute Dutch guy hadn't fallen.  (Can't remember his name off-hand, but I want to call him 'Zoolander'.)  His routine looked amazing, much more impressive than the winner's was.  I still remember how crazy his 2012 performance was.

Edited by proserpina65
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choclatechip45

choclatechip45

(edited)

The articles on Arthur Nory and Simone are cracking me up. One article I read tried to paint a cat fight over him saying he has been linked to Simone, Gabby and Aly. Best part they used photos from the World Championship banquet. None of the photos are with Aly and Gabby are alone. They also used a snapchat of Nathan Adrian saying it was Nory.

Laurie has her first endorsement deal 

Edited by choclatechip45
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DawnDavenport

DawnDavenport

(edited)
5 hours ago, choclatechip45 said:

Remember when she accused the 2004 all around fixes? Pretty sure she sure walked out of the 2004 uneven bar final after she fell.

Yeah. She was a classless competitor and I never bought into the hype around her gymnastics. By '04 she really was a 1 event gymnast with one good vault. Her floor was a hot mess of "look at me poses" and poorly executed tumbling combinations. Don't even get me started on the abortion that was her beam. YUCK! How she got away with doing the same bar routine for 4 years is beyond me. In fact, she had the same routine since '96, she just added one additional combination (the one she fell on in Sydney) and was able to maintain a 10.0 start value. I believe the '07-'00 code was essentially built around her to prop her up. 

15 hours ago, windsprints said:

Those recaps are fantastic. Thanks for posting them.

Haha, NBC has the Olympics through 2032.  That's a lot of Al.

We can only hope he's worm deli by 2024. 

Edited by DawnDavenport
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choclatechip45

choclatechip45

This article from the Houston Chronicle says Valeri, Mary Lee Tracy, Mihai, Chow and Kim Zmeskal are on the list as candidates for the National Team Coordinator Job. Steve Penny said Rhonda is not a candidate. I hope Chow gets it even though I think it's a long shot. 

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/olympics/article/U-S-gymnastics-riding-high-but-already-looking-9161838.php

DawnDavenport

DawnDavenport

(edited)
3 minutes ago, choclatechip45 said:

This article from the Houston Chronicle says Valeri, Mary Lee Tracy, Mihai, Chow and Kim Zmeskal are on the list as candidates for the National Team Coordinator Job. Steve Penny said Rhonda is not a candidate. I hope Chow gets it even though I think it's a long shot. 

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/olympics/article/U-S-gymnastics-riding-high-but-already-looking-9161838.php

Please not Mary Lee Tracy. Everyone will end up with 14 stress fractures and the team will only be capable of doing full twisting Yurchenko's. Although I'm sure she'll teach them all about Jesus and how to suppress their gag reflexes.

Edited by DawnDavenport
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choclatechip45

choclatechip45

(edited)
36 minutes ago, DawnDavenport said:

Please not Mary Lee Tracy. Everyone will end up with 14 stress fractures and the team will only be capable of doing full twisting Yurchenko's. Although I'm sure she'll teach them all about Jesus and how to suppress their gag reflexes.

Ha! "How Many Times Alyssa?" Seriously imagine her dealing with Gabby and her beam issues through the years. Mary Lee would have flipped her shit.

 

I'm still bitter that she broke Lexi Priessman the only gymnast to ever looked her older than her age (not in a bad way).

 

Also still bitter with Valeri about Ohashi.

Edited by choclatechip45
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DawnDavenport

DawnDavenport

Just now, choclatechip45 said:

Ha! "How Many Times Alyssa?" Seriously imagine her dealing with Gabby and her beam routine! Mary Lee would have flipped her shit.

 

I'm still bitter that she broke Lexi Priessman the only gymnast to ever looked her older than her age (not in a bad way).

 

Also still bitter with Valeri about Ohashi.

What about Simone's coach Boorman? Does she not have enough experience coaching elites? Reading about the way she helped Simone with her ankle injury in '14 and the way she let her rest when she had the overuse issue with her shoulder, seems like she understand how to pace and train an athlete pretty well. I bet she would have a great relationship with the athletes and coaches based at least on what we see and hear from her. 

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choclatechip45

choclatechip45

4 minutes ago, DawnDavenport said:

What about Simone's coach Boorman? Does she not have enough experience coaching elites? Reading about the way she helped Simone with her ankle injury in '14 and the way she let her rest when she had the overuse issue with her shoulder, seems like she understand how to pace and train an athlete pretty well. I bet she would have a great relationship with the athletes and coaches based at least on what we see and hear from her. 

Simone is her first elite. She has two in the junior ranks. Aimee does work for Simone's parents since they own the gym. Part of the reason why they decided to own the gym is because Aimee wanted to leave her previous gym. I love Aimee she always responds or likes my tweets. I agree the way she worked with Simone is very impressive. I also loved this tweet very refreshing that she didn't take 100% credit for her athletes success. 

Aimee and Chow would be my dream picks for running USA Gymnastics.

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Shangrilala

Shangrilala

I'm still watching the 2000 trials, but good lord, what a shit show.  Everybody looked like there going to have a mental breakdown except Ray and Dantzcher.  And WHY were they so god awful to Atler, even the announcers?  It was so painfully obvious that something was wrong at that point. Even the announcers were atrocious to her.  And Kristen Maloneys hair.  OMG.  What were those bangs?  What were those cornrows?  And how did nobody notice that the girl was emaciated and completely discolored at that point?  Morgan White looked like her head was going to pop off, and if Alyssa was more tightly wound she'd snap in two.  Those poor women.  

Why was the focus all on the Rybacki's, or however they spell their name?  I mean, maybe the fucked with Vanessa's head too terribly and it's THEM who should be apologizing?  Maybe Vanessa should be giving her sob story, not the coaches?  

And Shannon Miller.  No, not Shannon.  Steve Nunno.  How Shannon did not punch him in the throat I do not know.  For one, stop helping her off the floor and into the pit (or whatever you call it).  She's 23 years old. She's grown up at that point - she's taller, has boob and hips.    She's not the 14 years old pipsqueak who needed somebody to lift her up to reach the low bar.  If she's a big enough girl to land a full twisting Yurchenko she's a big enough girl to slide down 5 inches to the floor.  I'm convinced every time he hugged her or "helped her down" it was to cop some side boob.  It was beyond skeevy.  

And he just yells in her face.  He was probably spitting too.  He always looked like a spitter.  At one point Shannon just walks away from him, and he just keeps following and yelling.  Like dude, SHUT UP.  It was her third time at this rodeo.  You yelling to stay tight and straight is just further proof of how irrelevant you are at this point.   Go crunch score numbers. Or go wipe the spittle off your 'stache.  And speaking of that 'stache, was the 70s porn star/Ron Jerermy look still a thing in 2000?  That alone is good enough reason for him to go away.  Keep the porn star wannabe away from the adolescent girls, thank you very much.  But for the love of god and all his angels and seraphim and all things holy, JUST. GO. AWAY.  

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Minneapple

Minneapple

Quote

Everybody looked like there going to have a mental breakdown except Ray and Dantzcher.

That struck me as well! At one point one of the gymnasts -- I think it was Morgan White -- fucked something up and came off the apparatus going, "Oh my God, Oh my God." Vanessa Atler looked like she was going to have a meltdown at any minute. And how bizarre were the Rybackis about Vanessa and Jamie? I swear it's like a Lifetime movie. QUICK, SOMEONE WRITE THE SCRIPT.

  • Love 2
Shangrilala

Shangrilala

10 minutes ago, KFC said:

While Kim seems like a rather sane individual for the world of elite gymnastics, I'm surprised she's in the running, considering she's still yet to have a competing athlete on a World or Olympic team.

Maybe it's because the gymnastics world all still secretly loves those 3 whipbacks to In the Mood?  

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choclatechip45

choclatechip45

18 minutes ago, KFC said:

While Kim seems like a rather sane individual for the world of elite gymnastics, I'm surprised she's in the running, considering she's still yet to have a competing athlete on a World or Olympic team.

I was surprised as well. One of her gymnasts Chelsea Davis was selected for the 2010 world team, but was injured in Rotterdam. They usually name the alternate right beforehand. 

CeeBeeGee

CeeBeeGee

18 minutes ago, Shangrilala said:

I'm still watching the 2000 trials, but good lord, what a shit show.  Everybody looked like there going to have a mental breakdown except Ray and Dantzcher.  And WHY were they so god awful to Atler, even the announcers?  It was so painfully obvious that something was wrong at that point. Even the announcers were atrocious to her.  And Kristen Maloneys hair.  OMG.  What were those bangs?  What were those cornrows?  And how did nobody notice that the girl was emaciated and completely discolored at that point?  Morgan White looked like her head was going to pop off, and if Alyssa was more tightly wound she'd snap in two.  Those poor women.  

Why was the focus all on the Rybacki's, or however they spell their name?  I mean, maybe the fucked with Vanessa's head too terribly and it's THEM who should be apologizing?  Maybe Vanessa should be giving her sob story, not the coaches?  

And Shannon Miller.  No, not Shannon.  Steve Nunno.  How Shannon did not punch him in the throat I do not know.  For one, stop helping her off the floor and into the pit (or whatever you call it).  She's 23 years old. She's grown up at that point - she's taller, has boob and hips.    She's not the 14 years old pipsqueak who needed somebody to lift her up to reach the low bar.  If she's a big enough girl to land a full twisting Yurchenko she's a big enough girl to slide down 5 inches to the floor.  I'm convinced every time he hugged her or "helped her down" it was to cop some side boob.  It was beyond skeevy.  

And he just yells in her face.  He was probably spitting too.  He always looked like a spitter.  At one point Shannon just walks away from him, and he just keeps following and yelling.  Like dude, SHUT UP.  It was her third time at this rodeo.  You yelling to stay tight and straight is just further proof of how irrelevant you are at this point.   Go crunch score numbers. Or go wipe the spittle off your 'stache.  And speaking of that 'stache, was the 70s porn star/Ron Jerermy look still a thing in 2000?  That alone is good enough reason for him to go away.  Keep the porn star wannabe away from the adolescent girls, thank you very much.  But for the love of god and all his angels and seraphim and all things holy, JUST. GO. AWAY.  

Steve Nunno was a Karolyi protege at one point, hence the mustache.

Actually I think he dealt with Shannon pretty well for the most part. I think the pre-set pep talk was just part of their routine. Of course she knew what to do, he was just helping her stay focused. (Not that I'm a Nunno fan, by any means. But I think he was a good coach for her.)

Re: the cornrows--for some reason Parkette's at some point decided cornrows were the thing for their gymnasts.

Every time I watch that Rybacki fluff I'm more and more embarrassed for Beth. Especially that "I don't see how they're allowed to just leave us like that..." what the fuck?!?! Honey, unless you're training her out of the goodness of your heart, your gym is a business. A lucrative one, at that. I'm sure the Danztchers paid a tidy sum for Jamie's time at the gym. If they don't feel you're worth it, they have every right to walk away and train somewhere else. Who the HELL are you to take it so personally? How dare you lay a guilt trip on her and Vanessa? And airing all that business to NBC? So unprofessional and pathetic. Good for Vanessa for keeping it polite--when the teenager with an eating disorder whose life is falling apart acts more appropriately than the ADULT, you know things are messed up.

1 hour ago, choclatechip45 said:

Aimee and Chow would be my dream picks for running USA Gymnastics.

I want to like Chow but the rumors of his conditions for training Gabby after the Olympics (reportedly he wanted a cut of her earnings--then why the hell are you charging her as well? Your cut comes from your increased business, I'm sure after Shawn and Gabby, kids were beating down your doors) and the pro-Republican picture he posed for with some of his gymnasts turn me off. Don't use your kids as props in your politics.

  • Love 6
DawnDavenport

DawnDavenport

(edited)
24 minutes ago, Minneapple said:

That struck me as well! At one point one of the gymnasts -- I think it was Morgan White -- fucked something up and came off the apparatus going, "Oh my God, Oh my God." Vanessa Atler looked like she was going to have a meltdown at any minute. And how bizarre were the Rybackis about Vanessa and Jamie? I swear it's like a Lifetime movie. QUICK, SOMEONE WRITE THE SCRIPT.

I'm convinced the Rybackis are 99% to blame for Atler's issues. I bet Beth was a real beast it he gym. Other than Steve yelling at her at '99 Nationals, I got the sense that he really cared for her.  The first sign they were bad for her was that they didn't immediately get her surgery to repair the ankle injury she sustained at a meet in France. They basically had her "rest" for 5 months leading up the '99 Nationals and she didn't get surgery until after '99 Worlds. I imagine the time away from the gym probably contributed to a weight gain that either started or exacerbated the eating disorder, which I believe she said was bulimia. I think it was clear after '99 Worlds she was done and '00 Nationals confirmed it. 

The Rybacki's blamed Atler and didn't appear to have any self-awareness about the roll they played in her demise. Maybe if she would have left in '98 someone could have salvaged her but she essentially trained at home in CA and probably wanted to stay close to home. I also got the sense that her family saw her more as a meal ticket (shades of Kristi Phillips) than anything else and probably would not have supported her leaving them. It's really said because so many people, including international coaches, thought she was one of the most talented gymnasts they had ever seen. But I also believe she bought into the hype and unlike Simone, crumbled under expectations. 

Edited by DawnDavenport
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DawnDavenport

DawnDavenport

4 minutes ago, CeeBeeGee said:

and the pro-Republican picture he posed for with some of his gymnasts turn me off. Don't use your kids as props in your politics.

That's really low of him to do that, even if the parents or gymnasts themselves are Republican. Ironically, Shawn Johnson led the Pledge of Allegiance on the last night of the '08 Dem Convention in Denver.

  • Love 1
choclatechip45

choclatechip45

3 minutes ago, DawnDavenport said:

That's really low of him to do that, even if the parents or gymnasts themselves are Republican. Ironically, Shawn Johnson led the Pledge of Allegiance on the last night of the '08 Dem Convention in Denver.

Gabby also led the Pledge of Allegiance at the 2012 Democratic Convention. 

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DawnDavenport

DawnDavenport

(edited)
4 minutes ago, choclatechip45 said:

Gabby also led the Pledge of Allegiance at the 2012 Democratic Convention. 

I didn't know that. That's cool. I remember Mary Lou and Kerry led it at the '04 Republican convention. They appeared together and someone superimposed Animal's head (the Mupplet) onto Mary Lou's body and Miss Piggy's onto Kerri's. There was also some letter a bunch of retired and current sports "celebrities" wrote in support of GWB and Mary Lou was one of them. 

Mary Lou was the reason I did not want Shawn to win in '08. I didn't want to have to see/hear her overly hyper face plastered anywhere near Shawn (I do like Shawn). I was Nastia all the way because of that. Mary Lou was visibly pissed when they panned to her in the stands in Beijing after the all around.

Edited by DawnDavenport
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choclatechip45

choclatechip45

(edited)
4 minutes ago, DawnDavenport said:

I didn't know that. That's cool. I remember Mary Lou and Kerry led it at the '04 Republican convention. They appeared together and someone superimposed Animal's (the Mupplet) onto Mary Lou's body and Miss Piggy onto Kerri's. I think I remember some letter a bunch of retired and current sports "celebrities" wrote in support of GWB and Mary Lou was one of them. 

Mary Lou was the reason I did not want Shawn to win in '08. I didn't want to have to see/hear her overly hyper face plastered anywhere near Shawn (I do like Shawn). I was Nastia all the way because of that. Mary Lou was pissed when they showed her in the stands in Beijing.

That's funny. I guess you are not a fan of Mary Lou? I remember a whole controversy about Carly not being in Beijing and she thought it was unfair USA gym flew out Mary Lou and not her. Turned out Mary Lou's sponsors flew her out. I remember reading somewhere that Mary Lou appeared in a bunch of Ronald Reagan ads. 

Edited by choclatechip45
DawnDavenport

DawnDavenport

1 minute ago, choclatechip45 said:

That's funny. I guess you are not a fan of Mary Lou? I remember a whole controversy about Carly not being in Beijing and she thought it was unfair USA gym flew out Mary Lou and not her. Turned out Mary Lou's sponsors flew her out. I remember reading somewhere that Mary Lou appeared in a bunch of Ronald Reagan ads. 

I just never really care for her all that much. I vaguely remember '84 but was only 6 then. Watching her in '84 today, I can see where some might minimize her accomplishment since the Soviets weren't there but they weren't and she is the rightful AA champion. 

I'm surprised Carly wasn't in Beijing considering she was the '04 AA champion and her and Nastia trained in the same gym. I think most people thought it was going to be a Shawn Johnson coronation (shades of Kwan '98) but I knew as soon as Nastia landed her vault, she was ready to bring it on. 

I don't mind a person's political beliefs but I got annoyed with her constant "as a Christian mother" BS that she used to spout constantly every time she was interviewed. 

I remember NBC let her commentate during the '88 Olympics and she contributed NOTHING except when they tried comparing herself to Shushunova. Plus, she sounded drunk and slurry when she talked and it was obvious she didn't know squat about anything. Then everyone had to get her opinion in '96 so there were the endless interviews and talking heads that just got irritating and she really had nothing to say. 

  • Love 1
choclatechip45

choclatechip45

(edited)
5 minutes ago, DawnDavenport said:

I just never really care for her all that much. I vaguely remember '84 but was only 6 then. Watching her in '84 today, I can see where some might minimize her accomplishment since the Soviets weren't there but they weren't and she is the rightful AA champion. 

I'm surprised Carly wasn't in Beijing considering she was the '04 AA champion and her and Nastia trained in the same gym. I think most people thought it was going to be a Shawn Johnson coronation (shades of Kwan '98) but I knew as soon as Nastia landed her vault, she was ready to bring it on. 

I don't mind a person's political beliefs but I got annoyed with her constant "as a Christian mother" BS that she used to spout constantly every time she was interviewed. 

I remember NBC let her commentate during the '88 Olympics and she contributed NOTHING except when they tried comparing herself to Shushunova. Plus, she sounded drunk and slurry when she talked and it was obvious she didn't know squat about anything. Then everyone had to get her opinion in '96 so there were the endless interviews and talking heads that just got irritating and she really had nothing to say. 

Yeah I knew as soon as Nellie Kim was getting involved in Nastia's scores she was going to win. I wanted Shawn to win. I don't really like some of the comments Shawn has made saying she would have made the 2012 team and saying she was the team capitain.

re Carly that's why she was asked why she wasn't in Bejing because of Nastia winning. 

Edited by choclatechip45
DawnDavenport

DawnDavenport

10 minutes ago, dcalley said:

NBC is currently (starting well before 4 ET) airing a piece on the Károlyis, with interviews with them, Nadia, and Mary Lou.

It's hard to believe that for all of the legendary status the the Karolyi's get, their last Olympic champion was in '84. Everyone after that either burned out before (Kristi Phillips in '88) or was too over-trained/injured to peak at the right time (Zmeskal in'92 and Moceanu in '96). Seems their true lasting success was not training individual athletes, but coordinating the women's program into a centralized system and leaving the coaching to others. 

  • Love 1
DawnDavenport

DawnDavenport

(edited)
42 minutes ago, selkie said:

My issue with Mary Lou was mostly that, even then, there could only be one designated America's gymnastics sweetheart, and I was a Julianne McNamara fan who felt like my girl got lost in the shuffle despite a bars gold and floor exercise silver. 

Yes. I did like Julianne's gymnastics better than Mary Lou's. It's too bad she had problems on beam in '84, otherwise, I think she would have been in the running for the AA title. She actually placed 4th overall despite the beam problems. I thought he had a better body line, posture and extension than Mary Lou. Every time Mary Lou did a "split" on beam, an angel died.

Edited by DawnDavenport
choclatechip45

choclatechip45

Quote

I want to like Chow but the rumors of his conditions for training Gabby after the Olympics (reportedly he wanted a cut of her earnings--then why the hell are you charging her as well? Your cut comes from your increased business, I'm sure after Shawn and Gabby, kids were beating down your doors) and the pro-Republican picture he posed for with some of his gymnasts turn me off. Don't use your kids as props in your politics.

I've heard 3 different rumors about Gabby leaving Chow including this one I find all of them  believable. I don't think we will ever know the truth until Gabby writes a tell all. The one thing I do respect about Chow is that after the second time Gabby left he never went to the press. Since Natalie consistently tries to bring it up in interviews. It really wouldn't surprise if it is some simple explanation like Natalie interfering in Gabby's gymnastics. I agree with you about the Jeb Bush commercial. The one thing I like about Chow is that he is realistic with his gymnasts. Well until Shawn decided she wanted to rewrite history in her mind. So many of these gymnasts  seem clueless  Ashton thinking she had not shot as an alternate or Alicia still thinking she would have been a better choice for the 2012 team. The whole MyKayla fiasco. I chalk that up to bad coaching.

DawnDavenport

DawnDavenport

7 minutes ago, maraleia said:

To echo what a lot of people have been saying here I hope Martha's successor isn't a right-wing Jesus first person. They need someone who is focused on them (the gymnasts) not some ideology that's warped.

That's why I think Valeri might be a good choice. He seems fairly neutral with respect to religion and politics. I've never read anything from him or Nastia to indicate otherwise. Also, Patterson and Vise didn't seem to outwardly express their views or "give glory to the Lord" for their successes. So it seems the gym was pretty neutral in that regard. In fact, I recall a couple of the male gymnasts that trained their and went on to NCAA were gay so I assume everyone was there to train and do a job, not proselytize or shill for a political party.

  • Love 1
selkie

selkie

14 minutes ago, maraleia said:

To echo what a lot of people have been saying here I hope Martha's successor isn't a right-wing Jesus first person. They need someone who is focused on them (the gymnasts) not some ideology that's warped.

Over the past 20 years, the American international teams have had their fair share of religious diversity. Mohini Bhardwaj is Hindu, Aly Raisman is Jewish, lots of Asian athletes from populations that aren't typically Christian, etc. I'd like to think that the federation wants to keep a pipeline that sees and nurtures extraordinary talent in a pretty diverse group of girls and young women. 

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choclatechip45

choclatechip45

Quote

That's why I think Valeri might be a good choice. He seems fairly neutral with respect to religion and politics. I've never read anything from him or Nastia to indicate otherwise. Also, Patterson and Vise didn't seem to outwardly express their views or "give glory to the Lord" for their successes. So it seems the gym was pretty neutral in that regard. In fact, I recall a couple of the male gymnasts that trained their and went on to NCAA were gay so I assume everyone was there to train and do a job, not proselytize or shill for a political party.

My only issue with Valeri is that he seems super competitive. I don't how he will handle gymnasts who might screw up in a domestic meet.  For example Simone classics in '13 and Gabby '11 nationals. I do worry if any team get second place because he hates second place as Al would love to tell us. The one good thing about Valeri is I don't think he will put up with anyone's bullshit. I feel like Martha would put up with bullshit from her favorites. Valeri doesn't strike me as someone who really has favorites.

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