US Women's Gymnastics SPOILER

I'm so glad that someone is finally saying something about the scores. It's been driving me insane in these games. Go Tim Daggett!

and I watch every Olympics, but I just knew it wasn't going to be scored fairly. I just can't get my hopes up and see wins snatched away from the men and women who deserve it. I did catch that American on the Pommel Horse last night, amazing! But was there some controversy with that one, too?

I just don't understand how one step can mean that they take off a whole point when everything else has been perfect. They work so hard to get here and then get screwed on scoring. I'm sure that a lot of it comes from political issues, but it's unfair to the athletes.

One handstand not held long enough should not be that big of a deduction. What a shame.

The lead up to the election and my kids are enough to handle. Now Russia . . . the Olympics should be a nice distraction, but it starts out with smirk there embarrassing all Americans, Putin pretty much giving us the finger with smirko sitting right next to him, dumdedum. Maybe I shouldn't post tonight. Paul Newman. Sorry.

I'm just frustrated with it and was venting.

Sorry if I added to your distress.

Have a :hug:

for mucking up your thread. Thanks for the cyber :hug: I'm okay. I'm also watching the rebroadcast of Hanutty and Colmes which is making me want to bust up the TV.

May I suggest staying away from Hannity and Colmes? They would incite anyone to violence.

Take care of you. If you ever want to chat, PM me. I'm always willing to lend an ear.

:hug:

Dick Morris came on and off it went. Thanks for the support VenusRising. :)

It never seems to matter with Olympic judging problems, it's so rare that anything can be, or is done about it. I do recall a judging controversy with skating a few winter Olympics ago, but was anything changed by it? Any sports with judges and scoring are so subjective.

And the French were banned from judging in competition for a period of time.

http://sports.jrank.org/pages/4164/Sale-Jamie-Pelletier-David-Salt-Lake-Scandal.html


Anytime, Sugarcoated. :pals:

to challenge the scores?

I know that there has been some of that in Boxing already.

There's definitely something fishy going on tonight with the judging.

which...do you know? Scoring in boxing generally sucks.

This is getting beyond ridiculous. :grr:

It's like they have no idea what they are doing. They are grabbing that phone every other routine.

~shakes head~

:mad:

Very fishy.

:bounce:

it's nice to see one score that makes sense for a change.

Jeez...I'm nervous for her. :scared:

the spin fell apart there

At least in my living room.

:hi:

:woohoo:

This shit has been going on the whole time.

:hi:

I guess the Chinese team suddenly goes invisible when they bobble/big step/fuck up in any way.

x(

But it just seems more and more obvious tonight.

Now that my Svetlana Khorkina is retired. :)

She looked almost unnatural in her movements.

I adored her... :D



And only 5'5" :rofl:

It wasn't her height as much as her lank. She looked like she could have been blown over in a strong breeze.

and she's beautiful in that photo, she looks like a model.

The Chinese girl (can't remember her name)?

And some music that actually seemed to match. Good for her!

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they score it.

And know we were bitchin'..lol

Who could pay attention with "The Lounge" going on? :rofl:

:woohoo: Fuck yes! That was kickass!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

YAY!!!! :woohoo:

WOOHOO!!! :woohoo:

From August Rush

:woohoo:

Awesome score!!

WOW.

:bounce::bounce::bounce:

Way to go, Shawn!!!!! :yourock:

Hey! That was Mary Lou!!! Cool! :D

Fuck, yeah!!!!

:applause::applause:

:woohoo:

AND that's on top of getting screwed by the judges

They were at their best tonight...so much pressure. I am beyond impressed. Yay!!

And it's the first time this entire Olympics where I have felt like the US gymnasts haven't gotten screwed.

I'm so happy for them!

:woohoo:

USA! 1-2

:rofl: That was hilarious! I'm glad NBC showed that.

He was pumped up for sure, haha. Great stuff. Costas was great too, Bela was cracking him up. Tough to be unflappable while that is happening right next to you. :)

Just amazing.

do you think he was thrilled? :D

She generates some awesome power, very explosive. The American girls were something else. Nastia and Shawn, what a nice job. The pressure they perform under is awesome. I wrestled in a state finals match in front of several thousand people, and I looked up at the crowd and it threw me totally off my game. The nerves got to me. I was slightly older than these girls. But the Olympics? The pressure, I couldn't imagine it. Those kids are something else.

I danced ballet and modern in front of hundreds when I was young, and that was nerve rattling... I can't imagine the pressure they feel. Magnificent performances, both. :)

But that one particular match, they drew record crowds and there was like 6 thousand people in the stands, with only 6 people out wrestling on 3 mats at one time. Plus, one school was going for a national record in state titles in a row, so ESPN and other sports channels had cameras there. Like I said, it threw me off bad. Just the week before I won my first division title in my hometown in front of oh, at least, 1000 people, on one mat and under a spotlight. I thought I was prepared for a big crowd, yeah right. I looked up at all those people and felt like I was going to faint, lol. Plus the pressure was higher. But like I said, the Olympics? I mean seriously, that's just insane. Those girls are amazing to be able to handle that.

I would have liked to have seen what Alicia Sacramone would have done in the all-around, too. We had a really great women's team this year.

She had a tough time, she's great too. I remember seeing those girls the other night they were shook up. Almost fearful, as if they didn't quite know what hit them because things went south there for a while. Sometimes it's easy forget, they are just kids. It was nice watching them, they all did well and made our country proud. I thought the two top ones, Shawn and Nastia, were truly interesting to watch because of their contrasting styles. One taller and elegant, the other short and powerful. Lots of fun, it's great if you can sit back and have an appreciation for the little things. I especially like Tim Daggett because he explains those little details so well, it makes it nice for a novice to understand just how great these competitors are.

You could see on their faces how much one mistake effected them all. It's such a huge amount of pressure. I would crack like a dropped egg. They work so hard, and it's got to really hurt when one simple mistake throws everyone's game. It's mind boggling really.

I used to watch a show called Starting Over. It was basically a house for women, where they had life coaches and worked through issues and dealt with baggage from their lives. Anyway, Vanessa Atler from the US Gymnastics team went into the house just devastated because she felt like she let down the entire country by not getting a medal. The responsibility these girls take on themselves is unbelievable. I felt so bad for her and worry about that for other gymnasts that may not medal. It's very sad.

Tim Daggett has done a great job with the commentary. I prefer him far more than John Tesh during the Atlanta Olympics. I mean wtf does John Tesh know about gymnastics?! :rofl:

I forgot about that. Wow, the 90s were whacked at times.

I've personally seen tough guy athletes break down after losing a big one. Like at rodeos and wrestling tournaments. I was freaking devasted when I was upset at state when I was a senior. I had to stand there and watch a guy I beat before win it. I thought I let everybody down, my family, coaches, my town. It took me years to reconcile it, it has literally driven me to be good at other things in life, because I would hate to feel that sense of loss again. I still hate to think about it, and it's been almost 15 years. Now magnify a loss on that stage compared to the world stage. OMG, I couldn't think of it. Inconceivable. But you really do feel like you let people down, not just yourself either. But imagine that burden of feeling you let your whole country down? That pressure is crazy.

I know a guy who made the Olympic wrestling team this year. Problem is the US didn't qualify at his weight, which hardly ever happens. So he made the Olympics but doesn't get to wrestle. That is heartbreaking!

:(

He should be very proud that he qualified to go. Did he get to walk in the Opening Ceremony? I think that would be the second best thing next to medaling. Tell him we're proud of him. :)

I always root that way, when it's USA vs USA. It made me sick beyond description when it went the other way in '98 Winter Olympics, Tara Lipinski given the gold over Michelle Kwan.

I guess I can't relate to the little tanks like Shawn Johnson. Mary Lou Retton wasn't exactly my favorite either.

I was glad volleyball got plenty of coverage tonight. It's comical how beach is popular but the 6 man indoor game is so far superior as a sport.

Thankfully she got the silver anyway, but it seemed like the judges maybe didn't care for her small powerful style as opposed to the more ballerina style of the other gymnasts. She always is consistent and brings it. Yay to Nastia and her for their accomplishments!!!!!

I just kept thinking, am I crazy or are the judges really biased against the Americans this Olympics? It seemed like they were incredibly hard on Nastia's and Shawn's routines and then gave everybody else (esp. the Chinese girls) the benefit of the doubt. I kind of felt that way about the men's side too.

But it all ended ok, so I was happy! The girls pulled it all out even despite being slighted by the judges.

Nastia is a terrific gymnast. She reminds me of the old-timey cold war era Romanian and Russian gymnasts - something about her poise and her body lines give her that flavor. She's not really an "American" style gymnast at all. Maybe that's because of her dad's influence, I don't know. But she's really lovely. One of the best on beam I think I've ever seen, so elegant and graceful and poised. She looks like a little Russian ballerina with her mile long legs.

And I loved Shawn Johnson's little interaction with Mary Lou Retton up in the stands after the floor routine.