Welcome to my blog...soon to be the most influential blog for single, fulltime-working, school-attending, gymnastics-crazed mothers with gay ex-husbands. I hope you enjoy my posts.
This is so amazing. Louis Vuitton is using Larissa Latynina in their new print advertisement. She was a gymnast for the Soviet Union in the 1950s-60s, and she won 18 Olympic medals. Michael Phelps beat her "most Olympic medals won" record last week. Latynina wanted to present Phelps with his 19th medal (the one that made him surpass her), but the International Olympic Committee wouldn't have it...which is beyond lame. Glad to see she's being honored regardless.
Also featured last in this lovely video tribute of the top ten most successful Soviet gymnasts of all time.
What you need to know about the Olympic Gymnastics competition:
1. The preliminary competition is on Sunday. From the prelims, the top 8 teams qualify to finals, top 8 gymnasts in each event qualify to event finals, and top 24 gymnasts to all around finals. For individual finals, there is a two-per-country rule. So even though the USA will have three gymnasts in the top 24, only the top two will qualifiy.
2. What's a good score? All of the events are scored slightly differently, but a good rule of thumb is anything in the 15 range is good; above a 15.5 is excellent.
3. The USA is the favorite to win. They the won last year's world championships by a LANDSLIDE. Having said that, the USA won worlds the year before the Olympics in 2004 and 2008, and then went on to take silver at the Olympics. If they hit, the USA will win, but it will be very close if Russia and Romania also hit. China could factor in too, but only if they're flawless.
4. NBC's Olympic commentators are 75% idiot, 25% right. Take anything they say that's extreme with a grain of salt.
5. Larrisa Iordache, Romania's star, is apparently suffering foot pain and will not compete all around. If they're pulling a fast one, which wouldn't be a surprise, and she competes all around, she'll be a threat. Also, if she competes they will challenge for gold in the team finals.
6. Catalina Ponor from Romania (triple gold medalist in 2004) has made a comeback and is killing it. She's known for wearing way-too-high-cut leos (seriously, gross) and always hitting beam. I can't stand her b/c on her constant arm flailing, spastic back arching, and karate chop things with her arms, but I am impressed with her comeback.
6. Why didn't Nastia make it? Nastia started her comeback about 6 months too late. She just wasn't ready.
7. Why didn't Shawn make it? Although she retired due to a "knee injury", she really deep down knew she wouldn't make the team. Her strengths/weaknesses didn't "fit" the team. They needed someone who could score high on bars; she can't. Her vault used to be a huge asset, but now there are three USA gymnasts who do it better than she. In other words, she's not good enough.
8. I despise Marta Karolyi as the team coordinator. She's has way too power and has a habit of over-training, physically and mentally, the gymnasts. Many think she is the reason we are so successful, whereas I think it's because of the influx of amazing coaches from abroad, specifically China and the former Soviet Union. Only one of the our the US girls is coached by an American. She gets the credit that rightfully belongs to the girls' personal coaches. I will give her credit for implementing the monthly team camp approach, although I think it should be bi-monthly.
PREDICTIONS:
Team Prediction My Ideal Team Podium 1. USA 1. USA 2. Russia 2. Russia 3. Romania 3. Great Britain
All Around Prediction My Ideal All Around 1. Jordyn Weiber (USA) 1. Gabby Douglas (USA) 2. Viktoria Komova (RUS) 2. Jordyn Weiber (USA) 3. Gabby Douglas (USA) 3. Vika Komova (RUS)
I am working on creating a "preview" of sorts for the gymnastics competition at the Olympics. It will include who you need to know, what you need to know, and predictions.
First, however, I want to post some videos about how gymnastics SHOULD look (IMHO). Note: vault and bars will be pretty good at this Olympics; beam and floor - yuck, no innovation.
VAULT
Luckily the best vault of all time should happen at this Olympics. Unless she's injured (which is entirely possible with Marta Karolyi leading the team), she will get gold.
McKayla Maroney - USA - 2012
BARS
Bars should always be innovative, with good form, straight body lines, and good swing. Luckily, like vault, we have the potential to see some amazing bar routines during THIS Olympics.
Svetlana Khorkina - Russia - 2000
Beth Tweddle - 2011 - Best UK gymnast of all time - Will compete this year!
He Kexin - China - 2009
She may have been underage in 2008. She'll be at this Olympics too,
but many think it is unlikely she'll hit this well again:
BEAM
Beam is horrible right now due to the code of points. It is just trick-trick-trick. No artistry. There are bonus points for weird connections, which has led gymnasts to string together many mediocre skills instead of the big, innovated skills. You really won't see anything much like these...with amazing tricks, beautiful dance, perfect extension, and handstand work!
Olessia Dudnik - USSR - 1989
Yang Bo - China - 1989
FLOOR
Floor is HORRIBLE right now. There are too many requirements and artistry is almost nonexistent.You will see NOTHING like these.
Thank you to the NCAA for handing out an appropriate punishment to PSU:
$60 million fine; money goes to child sex abuse awareness
4-year bowl game ban
Scholarship reductions
All wins from 1998-2011 vacated
5 years probation
Now, if only we could get the Catholic Church to reprimand its child abusers. The NCAA has MUCH higher standards for its coaches than the church does for its priests. Hmmmm.
