Olympic Gymnastics!

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After some awesome performances at the Olympics, I thought I would start a fresh thread.

So WOW.

In the team competition, what about this vault is not perfect? It's so good that this less than five seconds of competition is getting all the press (and a dramatic recreation on the Colbert Report.) And what's up with NBC not broadcasting the top Russian's absolutely beautiful floor exercise because it ended in disaster and essentially took all the excitement out of the final rotation for the US. (Note that NBC is denying embed privledges to all other web sites so links that might have been working before are broken now.)

And how about Gabby "Flying Squirrel" Douglas, our all around winner? Is that really a good nickname? Carly Patterson had the best nickname ever given to a sports figure, one that any NFL player would die for, one that only a group of teenage girls could have come up with - Snarly Carly. All Gabby gets is "flying squirrel".

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@engineer,

That was perfect - she was robbed. They're all awesome, actually - and think of the hours of sweat and effort they have put into their routines. Amazing.

What's with all the crap about Gabby's hairdo? Google it and you'll see what I mean. Who gives a hoot about her hair? Her performance was outstanding.

Love the Kiwi who won the Gold in the single man whatever-it's-called - sculling? Mahe something-or-other.

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@Mame,

I saw a lot of Internet noise about gymnasts' hair. Something about messy buns. I didn't pay it much attention but I'll go back and look. What I liked best about Gabby's performance was the overall consistency. It's not that she's the dominate world champion on the vault or the floor or the beam, but that she's among the best on all of them.

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@engineer,

We've watched this so many times! It has to be one of the greatest moments of athleticism in this Olympics! The way she stuck that landing is simply jaw-dropping...

And speaking of jaw-dropping...look at this judge's face lol...

http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/terminal05/2012/8/1/9/enhanced-buzz-14311-1343826764-0.jpg

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@Irishk,

i'd like to think that the judge was merely yawning, and was not bowled over by the routine...

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@Region Philbis,

Yeah -- she probably does that vault every morning...just before breakfast Smile

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@Mame,

huh? didn't know this was a topic of conversation - it is pulled back into a pony the same as pretty much any gymnast - why to keep it outta her face!

What's the deal with the Russia girl's hair with all the damn glitter?

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@Irishk,

this girl - her vaulting is incredible...how high she gets - how the h*ll does she get so high?

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http://cdn.eurweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/gabby_douglas_corn_flakes.jpg

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@Linkat,

I looked up Gabby and hair and you are right about the quantity of articles on it although a lot of people have come to her defense. She's an athlete not a model. The glitter thing is all the rage and has been for a few years. I remember the US team in '08 being all glittery and girls do it at kids meets around here. A few years ago when my son was doing gymnastics I was amazed at the prep for the girls meets. It was all about doing hair the night before, getting matching ribbons, glitter, etc. I think it was more about bonding than hairstyles. I know that once I went to a joint meet (boys and girls) and the boys were completely stunned when all the girls' parents would hoot and yell for them before their routines. Normally the best the boys get is polite appause.

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@Linkat,

Linkat wrote:

this girl - her vaulting is incredible...how high she gets - how the h*ll does she get so high?

One thing you can say about all the Americans is that they look like the powerful athletes they are. You know intellectually that the Russians are world class athletes but they look like fragile dolls out there. When they stand beside each other, the US gymnasts look much stronger. I think that really shows in the vault where it is as much about power as grace.

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@engineer,

Did you watch her face at the beginning? No slightest doubt about what she was going to do.

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@engineer,

yeah you know -I hadn't really thought about that - but you are right - those girls look like athletes. The Russia's don't have that same strength look to them. They do look very beautiful in their moves those - they look I'd almost say more artistic where as the American girls are seem physically stronger.

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@engineer,

I second your WOW about these gymnasts--what magnificent athletes these young women are. It was very exciting watching them. They were all fantastic.

I would have liked to see both Jordyn Wieber and Gabby Douglas in the best all-around competition, but it didn't turn out that way.

And Aly Raisman was denied a bronze medal in the all-around due to rules I wasn't aware of.

Quote:

The U.S. women’s gymnasts are dominating the London 2012 Olympics.

Still, they have fallen victim to some of the most absurd rules in gymnastics history.

Jordyn Wieber was wrongfully denied a slot in the individual all-around finals, and Aly Raisman was unfairly left off the all-around podium.

Wieber was burned by the two gymnasts per country rule. Gabby Douglas and Raisman placed 2-3 in the all-around during prelims and claimed America’s slots. Wieber, who finished in fourth and is arguably better than both of them, was left watching from the stands.

Then when Raisman competed in the all-around, she tied for third place with Russia’s Aliya Mustafina. She didn’t receive a medal because of a tie-breaker rule that dropped the lowest score from each gymnast's four apparatuses.

Mustafina got to drop a fall on balance beam, while Raisman, who performed consistently on all four events, suffered.

Do these controversial rules need to be changed?
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1283248-whos-the-bigger-victim-of-controversial-rule-aly-raisman-or-jordyn-wieber

They all exhibited great sportsmanship, and true team solidarity, and they did seem genuinely happy for each other.

Quote:

And how about Gabby "Flying Squirrel" Douglas, our all around winner? Is that really a good nickname?

I don't like the nickname, which she was supposedly given by Martha Karolyi, I think it sounds silly, but apparently Gabby does like it, she said so on the Today show. If she likes it, it's her call.

And why was anyone looking at her hair? Or anyone else's hair? What does hair have to do with anything?

I don't remember seeing overhead close-up shots of just the the feet on the balance beam at previous Olympics, but I am really glad I got to actually see them this time around. I never realized quite how narrow that beam is until I saw close-ups of the feet on it and how very small a surface they have to rest on--that made my WOW go to WOW , particularly when they did backward somersaults and jumps.

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@firefly,

yeah I've taken gymnastics and have been on those balance beams - not any where near the level of competition these girls are at. I can't imagine doing the things they do on the beam. Walking across the beam for the average person is difficult. I loved the way that Russia girl held onto the beam with her toes so she wouldn't fall off.

My favorite in my own personal experience was the vault. Loved that. Closest thing to flying I guess - what kid doesn't like to take air like that.

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@roger,

A magnificent vault, and I agree: it was all the more magical for the sheer confidence she exhibited all throughout.

How d'yall think Maroney's vault compares to Kerri Strug's in 1996? Which one produced more goosebumps? I can't quite put my finger on why, but I find Maroney's more moving.

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The girls, just like many dancers, tied their hair back away from their faces in order to avoid scaring their corneas.

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@Shapeless,

Funny you should mention Kerri Strung's vault on her injured leg in 1996. I watched the program NBC had on tonight about the 1996 team and saw that vault again. What a display of courage and sheer determination Strung demonstrated with that great vault--it was remarkable to witness in 1996, and it still stands as a remarkable feat.

Maroney's vault was just breathtaking--the height and the sheer perfection of execution I think put it in a class by itself. It was just incredible.

For me, Strung's remarkable performance elicited enormous admiration, but Maroney elicited awe. Both delivered an electrifying, but quite different, unforgettable Olympic moment.

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@Irishk,

Irishk wrote:

We've watched this so many times! It has to be one of the greatest moments of athleticism in this Olympics! The way she stuck that landing is simply jaw-dropping...

And speaking of jaw-dropping...look at this judge's face lol...

It's nice when the mathematics works out so that a specialist gets selected to go to the Olympics.

Usually when a country is aiming for team gold, they only pick gymnasts that are "reasonably good in all events" as opposed to "extremely good in one event".

It would be nice if they changed the rules to allow specialists to try to compete for their best event even if they don't fit into the team calculations. As it stands now, many great specialists never get to attend the Olympics, and the apparatus finals are much poorer for it.

(Imagine what the 100 meter sprints would be like if only competent decathletes/heptathletes were selected to participate in Olympic track and field events.)

Anyway, speaking of McKayla Maroney and apparatus finals, the women's vault finals are today (Sunday), and she'll be competing in that event.

Also, Gabby Douglas is in the uneven bars finals on Monday.

And on Tuesday, Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman are in the balance beam finals. And Jordyn Wieber and Aly Raisman are in the floor exercise finals.

How much any of this will make NBC's abysmal coverage is another question though. It might be worth trying to catch it even if they don't bother to put it on TV.

1 Reply

@oralloy,

If they medal, NBC will cover it, otherwise it will be a side mention. Good luck watching athletes from other countries.

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