Artistic Gymnastics: Stick the Landing!

[SophiaD]

Oksana Chusovitina is amazing.  41 and still vaulting like that?  How is the possible?

[Minneapple]

It's nice that NBC finally remembered that the gymnasts exist. I get it about the swimming, I do. I enjoy watching the abs as much as anyone! Plus it's a live event. But gymnastics is a popular event too, so to just shunt it off to the side until 11:15 is absurd. Thank God for streaming, I suppose.

And here we go. Back to swimming. Will they have Michael Phelps accept Katie Ledecky's gold?

[SnoGirl]

They just showed Aly's parents watching her compete and it caused me (of all things) to tear up. The way you can tell Mom was saying "come on Aly" over and over and how both parents knew exactly what was going to happen caused the tears to well up and spill. 

I don't even have kids but the pride and agony just got me.

[ExplainItAgain]

1 minute ago, Minneapple said:

Back to swimming. Will they have Michael Phelps accept Katie Ledecky's gold?

I love the snark here!

[MaryMitch]

3 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Granted, I'm not familiar with gymnastics "protocol," but must they do the huggy kissy face with each other every damn time one of them does a routine? Most of the time it just looks so fake.

Young women that age just hug a lot anyway.  When 2 girls meet up in the mall, they hug. So I don't think it's fake; I think it's just part of the culture of that age.

[mojoween]

I remember four years ago how irritated I was with NBC showing Lynn Raisman flailing about and I see nothing has changed.  Dial it back for cod's sack.

Al doesn't need to erase his tweet, we can just play today's tape where he said something about how Simone's parents are her grandparents but she considers them her parents.  I yelled at the TV "they ARE her parents, jackhole."

I have no interest in watching on my phone or iPad so I really resent NBC from making me stay up to midnight to watch the gymnastics.  I assume tomorrow will be the same for the men which sucks.

[gatopretoNYC]

2 hours ago, WhitneyWhit said:

I posted this in the announcer thread but as if we needed another reason to think Al is ass covered in shit sauce this would be it.

Holy shit! I can't believe anyone would say such a thing! What a complete and utter asshole he is.

[Crs97]

My sister was a great gymnast through college, and she never allowed my mom to watch her compete.  She said she couldn't concentrate if she thought mom was cowering in the stands.  My dad drove her everywhere.

I am always amazed at the parents/loved ones who make such a spectacle of themselves in the stands.  How can you think that helps your athlete in any way?

[choclatechip45]

Quote

I am always amazed at the parents/loved ones who make such a spectacle of themselves in the stands.  How can you think that helps your athlete in any way?

Nastia's mom never watched her. When Nastia won the all-around in 2008 they showed Nastia using a cell phone to call her mom to tell her she won. I think they said Madison's mom couldn't watch her compete at trials. Maybe it is a WOGA thing.

[Misslindsey]

Quote

Nastia's mom never watched her. When Nastia won the all-around in 2008 they showed Nastia using a cell phone to call her mom to tell her she won. I think they said Madison's mom couldn't watch her compete at trials. Maybe it is a WOGA thing.

Hee! My mom walks away or turns the channel when she is watching her favorite athletes/teams play. 

I am glad Gabby had a good day, but wished she made the AA, because I prefer her gymnastics over Aly's. I am so sick of hearing the story of how Aly missed out on the bronze medal by the whole tie situation. It isn't just that story, it is all the stories that they reiterate a million of times about certain athletes or teams. It gets old.

Oh four years later and Aly's parents still annoy me. For some reason though I feel like her dad looks like Alan Cumming.

I was impressed by the 41 year old gymnast. 

[cesstar]

Thrilled for Aly. Gutted for Gabby. But she handled it in a very classy manner which is more than most of the social media trolls who have been criticising her the past month can say for themselves. I would love her to go out now and snatch a medal in the UB final although she has a pretty ordinary draw (2nd I think?) which won't help her chances.

Biles is extraordinary. It sounds like they'll put her up on all 4 apparatus in team finals given that Laurie has been inconsistent in training for UB. She will have a pretty packed schedule! So pleased that Laurie did well on beam, she is beautiful to watch on that event.

The AA should be interesting - Raisman should clinch silver relatively easily. She can afford a fall and still win unless the others up their game significantly. But she has such an advantage with difficulty alone. It would be fabulous if Andrade from Brazil could sneak in for bronze, she had a great qualification and the Brazil crowd would lose their minds!

[RedheadZombie]

4 hours ago, DawnDavenport said:

Oh yes. I was living in Seattle during the SLC Olympics and we still didn't get the events live. They were on a one hour delay! The cable provider then had the CBC and I watched everything there (plus the commentators weren't quite as annoying) so I new the results before they actually aired on NBC. I have a feeling NBC would have delayed coverage even if the games were in a West Coast city. They like to create drama and package everything to allow time for the fluff and the athlete backstories. In fact, I remember watching figure skating and all Verne could talk about was some Italian ladies skater's dad who killed himself because he was a manic depressive. Mind you this is during her program! The group I was watching with couldn't believe it. That's why I'm afraid we're going to hear more about the "broken home" Biles is from rather than what a great athlete she is. I'm all for human interest stories but they need to tone it down during the events.

I don't remember completely but I think Josh Tesh wouldn't shut up about Shannon Miller's elbow screw in '92 and always referred to Tatiaa Gutsu as Odessa's Painted Bird, making her sound like some kind of hooker.

Ugh, John Tesh. I couldn't stand his coverage.  Especially his overly dramatic pronunciation of the Chinese athletes' names.  

[selkie]

I remember during the John Tesh years thinking that I had a shiny new tv set that had a button on the remote I could push and it would switch over to the audio track in Spanish on select network programming, and if it was possible to have a SAP button, then why couldn't I have a 'Mute only John Tesh' button on the remote too.

[kittykat]

21 minutes ago, cesstar said:

Thrilled for Aly. Gutted for Gabby. But she handled it in a very classy manner which is more than most of the social media trolls who have been criticising her the past month can say for themselves. I would love her to go out now and snatch a medal in the UB final although she has a pretty ordinary draw (2nd I think?) which won't help her chances.

Biles is extraordinary. It sounds like they'll put her up on all 4 apparatus in team finals given that Laurie has been inconsistent in training for UB. She will have a pretty packed schedule! So pleased that Laurie did well on beam, she is beautiful to watch on that event.

My guess is the lineup will be

Vault - Laurie, Gabby, Simone

Bars - Simone, Gabby, Madison

Beam - Aly, Laurie, Simone

Floor - Laurie, Aly, Simone

Maybe Gabby on beam instead if Aly but I don't see her in just one event if that's the case. 

[choclatechip45]

I think they will put Aly in the Vault finals because of the amanar.

[healthnut]

Chusotovina still competing is amazing. I couldn't believe Marian Drãgulescu is competing in another Olympics as well, he's 35. 

If that tweet finally gets Trautwig fired, I would be oh too happy. Nastia is a huge improvement over Elfie, I'm so glad they made that change. 

[Sew Sumi]

30 minutes ago, choclatechip45 said:

I think they will put Aly in the Vault finals because of the amanar.

I agree. She pulled out a great one today. 

[pivot]

What do we have to do to get rid of Al and Tim? They have been horrible for years. There has to be other options for announcers.

Thrilled for Simone. Gutted for Gabby and hope Aly doesn't choke again in AA final. She's been given lots of favors to get her into finals over more talented US gymnasts and has yet to win an international AA final. She chokes every single time.

[cesstar]

47 minutes ago, choclatechip45 said:

I think they will put Aly in the Vault finals because of the amanar.

Agreed. I would also be inclined to put Gabby as the lead off for vault instead of Laurie. Gabby seemed a tad underscored relative to Laurie today on vault - I think she gets much more distance than Laurie and their form is pretty much the same. Regardless, given how closely they were scored it would make sense to give them two events each to share the load.

[Minneapple]

So. Ahem. Here are the qualifying lists for the team, individual all-around and event finals.

Team

USA 185.238
China 175.279
Russia 174.620
Great Britain 174.064
Brazil 174.054
Germany 173.263
Japan 172.564 
Netherlands 171.929

Canada finished ninth, less than .2 behind the Netherlands. Poor Canada! I saw their floor exercise and they looked good to this untrained eye.

Individual all-around

Simone Biles (USA) 62.366
Alexandra Raisman (USA) 60.607
Rebecca Andrade (Brazil) 58.732
Seda Tutkhalyan (Russia) 58.207
Aliya Mustafina (Russia) 58.098
Wang Yan (China) 57.599
Eythora Thorsdottir (Netherlands) 57.566
Mai Murakami (Japan) 57.265
Isabela Onyshko (Canada) 57.232
Elisabeth Seitz (Germany) 57.098
Asuka Teramoto (Japan) 57.066
Ellie Black (Canada) 56.965
Jessica Lopez (Venezuela)56.932
Giulia Steingruber (Switzerland) 56.899
Lieke Wevers (Netherlands) 56.782
Marine Brevet (France) 56.565
Flavia Saraiva (Brazil) 56.532
Shang Chunsong (China) 56.532
Nina Derwael (Belgium) 56.532
Elissa Downie (Great Britain) 56.466
Louise Vanhille (France) 55.765
Carlotta Ferlito (Italy) 55.032
Sophie Scheder (Germany) 55.598
Vanessa Ferrari (Italy) 55.265

Wow for Brazil! Rising to the occasion at home, both in team and for Rebeca Andrade finishing that high!

Vault finalists

Simone Biles 16.050
Hong Un Jong 15.683
Giulia Steingruber 15.266
Maria Paseka 15.049
Oksana Chusovitina 14.999
Shallon Olsen 14.950
Wang Yan 14.949
Dipa Karmakar 14.850

Uneven bars

Madison Kocian 15.866
Aliya Mustafina 15.833
Gabby Douglas 15.766
Daria Spiridonova 15.683
Elisabeth Seitz 15.466
Sophie Scheder 15.433
Jessica Lopez 15.333
Shang Chunsong 15.300

Beam finalists:

Simone Biles 15.633
Laurie Hernandez 15.366
Flavia Saraiva 15.133
Sanne Wevers 15.066
Catalina Ponor 14.900
Fan Yilin 14.866
Marine Boyer 14.600
Isabella Onyshko 14.533

Floor exercise finalists

Simone Biles 15.733
Alexandra Raisman 15.275
Vanessa Ferrari 14.866
Giulia Steingruber 14.666
Wang Yan 14.666
Amy Tinkler 14.600
Mai Murakami 14.566
Erika Fasana 14.333

No Aly on beam finals, but I'm glad Laurie's there. At least Aly's in the floor exercise. And Madison is truly this year's McKayla Maroney.  

Back to men's gymnastics tomorrow! Go USA, get on the podium!

[kathyk24]

Can they do something about the music used for floor exercise? It isn't music it's noise I especially hated the Chinese floor routines. I thought Aly deserved the all around spot over Gabby. I thought Aly did better than Gabby on floor and vault. Nastia continues to be excellent. I think as long as the US team doesn't have any major mistakes the gold is theirs. I wasn't impressed with China or Russia.

[EVS]

Al needs to look up the definition of 'parent' in the dictionary. 

From Merriam-Webster:

a  :  one that begets or brings forth offspring.

b  :  a person who brings up and cares for another

[katisha]

We Australians clearly suck at gymnastics so the network covering the Olympics here is showing virtually none of it. I love watching gymnastics no matter what countries are involved but Channel 7 seems to think us viewers would prefer tedious hockey and rugby sevens games. So I am keeping up with the gymnastics purely via this thread. Thanks for the great info.

[ketchuplover]

Dear Gymnasts of the world...

CLEAN UP YOUR LANDINGS!!!!!!!!!!!  Move 1 foot if needed but not both!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Have a nice day :)

[EVS]

FWIW, I found this petition online:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/633/135/129/remove-al-trautwig-from-nbc-gymnastics-coverage/

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

It's not a matter of being PC. It's a borderline racist, offensive tweet that he'd never dare say about a white athlete. 

They often used to mention that Michael Phelps was raised by a single mother as his father walked out of his life.  They also point out that Michael Phelps is basically a "baby daddy" as the mother of his child is his "fiancé."  When Gabby Douglas won in 2102, they often showed her military father and did not mention that Gabby wasn't speaking to him ... 

Aside from Al's comment, TV commentators always like to mention the obstacles that athletes overcome ... 

Quote

Can they do something about the music used for floor exercise? It isn't music it's noise I especially hated the Chinese floor routines.

I hate that the Americans always have jarring cuts of music... but at least it's better than years ago when they used to have solo violin music.

Quote

Wow for Brazil! Rising to the occasion at home, both in team and for Rebeca Andrade finishing that high

Isn't the Russian team coach now working for Brazil?  

Edited August 8, 2016 by AuntieDiane6

[choclatechip45]

24 minutes ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

They often used to mention that Michael Phelps was raised by a single mother as his father walked out of his life.  They also point out that Michael Phelps is basically a "baby daddy" as the mother of his child is his "fiancé."  When Gabby Douglas won in 2102, they often showed her military father and did not mention that Gabby wasn't speaking to him ... 

Aside from Al's comment, TV commentators always like to mention the obstacles that athletes overcome ... 

I hate that the Americans always have jarring cuts of music... but at least it's better than years ago when they used to have solo violin music.

Isn't the Russian team coach now working for Brazil?  

I don't blame NBC for showing Gabby's dad. I think she was speaking to him in 2011 I remember her mentioning it in interviews. Even after trials in 2012 she mentioned it was good to see him. I think the two of them had a complicated relationship. Gabby was trying to hide it from the press which is understandable. I blame her dad more than I blame NBC. Yes i believe Alexandrov coaches the Brazilian team he also coached Dominque Moceanu and Carly Patterson in the beginning of their careers.

Edited August 8, 2016 by choclatechip45

[Growsonwalls]

23 minutes ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

They often used to mention that Michael Phelps was raised by a single mother as his father walked out of his life.  They also point out that Michael Phelps is basically a "baby daddy" as the mother of his child is his "fiancé."  When Gabby Douglas won in 2102, they often showed her military father and did not mention that Gabby wasn't speaking to him ... 

Aside from Al's comment, TV commentators always like to mention the obstacles that athletes overcome ... 

But notice how they never said/say these things with the shade/nasty undertone of Al's tweet. Like would Al dare go up to Michael Phelps and say "When are you going to marry your baby mama and how come you don't talk to your dad?" 

Anyway the comment about Simone just goes to an old prejudice people like Al Trautwig have that there has to be a huge sob story because Simone is a minority and she doesn't come from a rich family. I've taught inner city schools and can smell that kind of condescending attitude a mile away.

[choclatechip45]

Ron and Nellie are wealthy. It's been mentioned in interviews. Aimee Boorman wanted to leave her job and asked the Biles if they would go with her and Nellie said " how about we build a gym?" They showed their house on the E:60 special it was very nice.  According to the NY times article on Simone this past winter they live in a 6,000 square foot house with a 6 car garage. I believe Nellie owned 14 nursing homes and sold them to finance the gym.

Edited August 8, 2016 by choclatechip45

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

Ron and Nellie are wealthy. It's been mentioned in interviews. Aimee Boorman wanted to leave her job and asked the Biles if they would go with her and Nellie said " how about we build a gym?" They showed their house on the E:60 special it was very nice.  According to the NY times article on Simone this past winter they live in a 6,000 square foot house with a 6 car garage. I believe Nellie owned 14 nursing homes and sold them to finance the gym.

It's too bad then they couldn't help their daughter with her drug problem (but of course, money can't help an addict who doesn't want help).  Do you know if she's still alive or around?  Or Simone's bio father?  You'd think they'd surface once Simone got famous and rich... (just like fathers of famous white girls) 

[choclatechip45]

10 minutes ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

It's too bad then they couldn't help their daughter with her drug problem (but of course, money can't help an addict who doesn't want help).  Do you know if she's still alive or around?  Or Simone's bio father?  You'd think they'd surface once Simone got famous and rich... (just like fathers of famous white girls) 

On the E:60 special they said Simone has never met her father. They said she has a cordial relationship with her biological mother. I've read in interviews that she watched Simone at the 2014 P&G championships(with the family)  and went on a family vacation with her afterwards. They have said she will not be in Rio because they don't want her  to be a distraction to Simone during the biggest meet of her life. It sounds like they have a relationship, but aren't super close. Nellie isn't Shanon (Simone's bio mom) mother. From everything I read since Simone entered the elite scene Ron and Nellie are very protective of Simone. I know Ron has said he will take Simone on family vacations even if it means she has to miss practice. He said he doesn't care if Martha doesn't approve of that. 

Edited August 8, 2016 by choclatechip45

[Indy]

13 hours ago, galaxygirl76 said:

The girls made the team final, you all have no idea what a big deal this is because this is the first time in 40 years that we even have a team at the Games to begin with!

I'm so excited for the Dutch girls! I love that team so much and I'm not Dutch, just a fan of beautiful gymnastics.  If Sanne gets a beam medal I'll be thrilled.  I want an OrangElegance t-shirt :)

Al's tweet pisses me the f off. I thought his comment at Trials or P&Gs about Simone's "grandfather and his wife" was bad enough.  Whoever Simone says is her parents are her parents, full stop.  The headlining story about Simone should be that she's the greatest damned gymnast of her era, if not all time, not whoever happens to raise her.  Mention it once, that's fine, but don't keep harping on it and then insulting her parents. 

Al is harshing my gymnastics buzz and that's not cool. He can suck it. I'm going to go back to being excited for the Dutch girls and for Chuso and Dipa. 

[topanga]

1 hour ago, choclatechip45 said:

Ron and Nellie are wealthy. It's been mentioned in interviews. Aimee Boorman wanted to leave her job and asked the Biles if they would go with her and Nellie said " how about we build a gym?" They showed their house on the E:60 special it was very nice.  According to the NY times article on Simone this past winter they live in a 6,000 square foot house with a 6 car garage. I believe Nellie owned 14 nursing homes and sold them to finance the gym.

I like that you called them wealthy and not rich. In the words of TV mom Claire Huxtable, "Rich is when your money works for you. We work hard for our money." 

Is this the article where you got the information on Ron and Nellie? Apparently, Nellie started her career as a nurse and "ended up" owning 14 nursing homes. I don't know what kind of work Ron does, but he grew up in a Cleveland housing project. So they obviously have worked very hard in their lives. Unless the article failed to mention that they'd won the lottery somewhere along the way. 

Gymnastics does seem like an expensive sport once you progress to the team and then the elite level. But not every gymnast comes from a wealthy family. That's one thing I enjoyed learning about Gabby Douglas's story--that her single mom and the rest of her siblings all worked hard and sacrificed so she could continue her gymnastics training. 

[Quilt Fairy]

8 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

Can they do something about the music used for floor exercise? It isn't music it's noise I especially hated the Chinese floor routines. I thought Aly deserved the all around spot over Gabby. I thought Aly did better than Gabby on floor and vault. Nastia continues to be excellent. I think as long as the US team doesn't have any major mistakes the gold is theirs. I wasn't impressed with China or Russia.

I think the music Laurie Hernandez uses is terrific. I prefer it when they manage to use music that is all of a piece during the entire floor exercise rather than a few bars of this and a few bars of that and back to a few bars of this again.

[blackwing]

I'm disappointed for Gabby Douglas.  Especially since she seems like such a nice person and a gracious competitor.  I think it's fantastic that she knew that she was no longer the best and had been eclipsed by Simone Biles, yet came back to compete anyways, just for the experience and the chance.

For whatever reason, I just can't stand Aly Raisman.  I don't know if it's because of her Resting B Face, or her parents, or what, but she just seems like such a cold person.  I will admit it, I was actively rooting for her to fall on the balance beam.  USA already had a spot in the finals locked up, so at this point, the team score didn't matter.  Would much rather have had Douglas in the AA.  Nonetheless, Gabby should be proud of herself, she was #3 in the world for qualification.

[choclatechip45]

25 minutes ago, topanga said:

I like that you called them wealthy and not rich. In the words of TV mom Claire Huxtable, "Rich is when your money works for you. We work hard for our money." 

Is this the article where you got the information on Ron and Nellie? Apparently, Nellie started her career as a nurse and "ended up" owning 14 nursing homes. I don't know what kind of work Ron does, but he grew up in a Cleveland housing project. So they obviously have worked very hard in their lives. Unless the article failed to mention that they'd won the lottery somewhere along the way. 

Gymnastics does seem like an expensive sport once you progress to the team and then the elite level. But not every gymnast comes from a wealthy family. That's one thing I enjoyed learning about Gabby Douglas's story--that her single mom and the rest of her siblings all worked hard and sacrificed so she could continue her gymnastics training. 

Yeah that's the article. They both have worked hard I believe Ron was in the military at one point and Nellie was a nurse. I think both of them have handled the media very well. I actually think the elite gymnasts get a stipend and they pay for their airfare to and from the ranch. 

Re Laurie's floor music apparently Maggie Haney fiancée (who is the son of the Rutgers women head basketball coach) does all the music for her gymnasts. When Matha heard she said "I used to dance to that music when I would go out."

Edited August 8, 2016 by choclatechip45

[shoregirl]

It sucks that Gabby was like 1.5 points ahead of the 4th place woman as a individual and because of rules she doesn't get to compete.  She did well last night and should be proud of herself.  I get why the limit the gymnast per country that can compete in the all around but it still disappointing that she was pretty far above the next highest competitors.  

[KenyaJ]

11 hours ago, cesstar said:

Thrilled for Aly. Gutted for Gabby. But she handled it in a very classy manner which is more than most of the social media trolls who have been criticising her the past month can say for themselves.

Yeah, she handled herself really well, despite her obvious disappointment. Until NBC showed it again last night, I'd forgotten how much Jordyn Wieber cried after missing out on AA in London. I don't blame her for that at all, especially with all the expectations that were heaped on her, but talk about awkward. I felt uncomfortable all over again watching that.

Anyway, really excited to watch the men this afternoon. I'm so happy my two weeks off in between switching jobs coincided with the Olympics.

[emma675]

When do the US men start today? I'm at my sucky job, but I've got the NBC app so I can watch the live feeds.

[KenyaJ]

15 minutes ago, emma675 said:

When do the US men start today? I'm at my sucky job, but I've got the NBC app so I can watch the live feeds.

3 p.m. EDT.

[topanga]

What site again for live-streaming? I can't find the original post.

[Ohwell]

56 minutes ago, blackwing said:

For whatever reason, I just can't stand Aly Raisman.  I don't know if it's because of her Resting B Face, or her parents, or what, but she just seems like such a cold person.  I will admit it, I was actively rooting for her to fall on the balance beam.  

Same here.  Although, like you, I don't know if it's more that I don't like her parents mugging in the stands, or if it's Aly herself.  All I know is, she leaves me cold. 

[Harry24]

Quote

I don't know if it's more that I don't like her parents mugging in the stands, or if it's Aly herself.  All I know is, she leaves me cold. 

I think Aly is delightful (and beautiful in a Sarah Silverman-esque at the DNC kind of way), but her parents can take a hike.  I also think Aly has improved her grace, stretch and overall look by leaps and bounds over 2012.  Well done.

[topanga]

19 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

Same here.  Although, like you, I don't know if it's more that I don't like her parents mugging in the stands, or if it's Aly herself.  All I know is, she leaves me cold. 

While I think Aly is a well-trained, exceptional gymnast who works hard and doesn't make many mistakes, her gymnastics don't wow me in any way. Oh, and she's humble and friendly in interviews, so that's not it. Her routines are consistently high scoring, but they never blow me away or make me say, "Oh, wow." Unlike Simone Biles' routines. Or even Gabby in 2012.  Even this year's great vault, while technically flawless, made me shrug.  I know that sounds mean. Just to clarify, in no way do I want to minimize Aly's talent, hard work, or perseverance. I just don't respond emotionally to her gymnastics. 

[choclatechip45]

I like Aly plus I've heard from people who have met her that she is a sweetheart. I think she is great team player and USA gymnastics should hire her as a mentor to the young elites. However her interviews and gymnastics have were never the most exciting. I do think she is really good on floor and beam I hate her bars. Her interviews have improved a lot she was monotone in 2012. I find Gabby exciting mostly because you never know what Gabby you will get. By the way Gabby has improved so much since 2011. I remember how petrified she was in 2010 & 2011 in interviews to not making any sense P&G Championships in 2014 when being asked about her coaching change. She is giving great answers this Olympics. I'm so proud of her it's strange I feel like in some ways we have seen her grown up since 2011 P&G championships were she fell off the beam three times to all around Olympic champion to the confident veteran tablesetter. What an amazing transformation for one gymnast to go through in the public eye.

Edited August 8, 2016 by choclatechip45

[Ohwell]

Yeah, I think that, while technically she's very good, she's simply not that exciting to me.  

Whereas Simone Biles, that little firecracker, scares the shit out of me when she's tumbling and flipping up in the air but she is so electrifying.  I just breathe a sigh of relief when she's done.

[MaryMitch]

Well, I became an Aly fan yesterday... she looked great and I hope to see her on the podium with an all-around medal! (and team and floor!)

[choclatechip45]

4 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

Yeah, I think that, while technically she's very good, she's simply not that exciting to me.  

Whereas Simone Biles, that little firecracker, scares the shit out of me when she's tumbling and flipping up in the air but she is so electrifying.  I just breathe a sigh of relief when she's done.

So true I always felt the same way with Kyla Ross who is an excellent gymnast. I just never found her to be exciting. I think my favorite Kyla moment is when she tried to make herself cry when making the Olympic team. I also never found Jordyn that exciting either.  I think out of Kyla, Jordyn and Aly. My favorite is definitely Aly by a mile.

Edited August 8, 2016 by choclatechip45

[kittykat]

1 hour ago, shoregirl said:

It sucks that Gabby was like 1.5 points ahead of the 4th place woman as a individual and because of rules she doesn't get to compete.  She did well last night and should be proud of herself.  I get why the limit the gymnast per country that can compete in the all around but it still disappointing that she was pretty far above the next highest competitors.  

I agree.  I get the limit in terms of fairness for smaller countries and know that other sports do is as well I'm not disputing that, which is why I proposed a Top 5/6 no matter what.  Even in that case, at most, 3 from one country is getting in (because of qualification lineups 3 or 4 at best from each team can try for AA so you're not going to have 5 people from the same country up top).  I'm sorry but if 3 people from the same country finish 1-2-3 you all deserve to go.  Again I'm not saying this because it's the US.  If it were the Russians, Chinese or British and so on I would say the same thing.

Like the men I'm glad all the ladies made an event final.  Hoping Gabby lands on the podium for bars this time.  I'm also hoping Aliya Mustafina has a good final, she was shaky in qualifying but we know she's better than that and a gorgeous performer.

GO MEN!  It's so tough.  I know China and Japan are the ones to beat but I want US to medal, I want Brazil to medal, Britain to medal.  But's that what will make it so enjoyable, so many teams I want to have success.

[choclatechip45]

It would be awesome if all the girls won an individual medal. I think the toughest will bars because people tend to do their upgraded routines. Hopefully after the team final Gabby, Madison and Laurie can just focus on their training for event finals since they won't have time do all the extra press for AA. I remember reading Gabby couldn't train as much after she won AA in 2012 because of her media obligations. 

I hope the men do well today. Is it bad I really like Naddour because he is married to Hollie Vise? Who was one of my favorites. 

Edited August 8, 2016 by choclatechip45