Hate this Olympic Story!

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Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by sam tingey » July 27th, 2021, 10:27 am

I cannot accept Simone Biles explanation of why she withdrew. I absolutely hate it. She is supposed to be the GOAT. The GOAT does NOT back away from a challenge. I wish she would have made these feelings known before hand so an alternate could have been inserted. Just hampering her team like that is just hard to take. Good on her teammates for publicly supporting her, but I don't have to be a fan of her choosing to let her team and country and herself down.

I would have had no problem with her trying and failing than to not try at all and put her team at such a disadvantage.
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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by sam tingey » July 27th, 2021, 10:42 am

I will add that I am happy that she owned up to it and addressed it directly instead of hiding behind some other excuse like baseball does for putting their guys on the DL for rest.



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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by slcagg » July 27th, 2021, 10:44 am

How does gymnastics work? Can they not replace her with an alternate? I read somewhere this was mental health related?



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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by USU78 » July 27th, 2021, 10:47 am

My barely seven year old grandson was running the 200 in the regional meet held at uvu a few weeks back. Coming out of the turn he hit his left leg with his right foot and biffed it, hitting the track hard and badly scraping up his elbow and knee

He was on his way to win when it happened. But he got up, jogged along for a couple steps, then ran through to the finish, ending up third.

Nobody had trained him on what to do when flat on your face and dazed.

He just knew.
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You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by sam tingey » July 27th, 2021, 10:51 am

slcagg wrote:
July 27th, 2021, 10:44 am
How does gymnastics work? Can they not replace her with an alternate? I read somewhere this was mental health related?
I am not sure when you can sub in but I would assume it is before the competition starts. Biles started the team competition, did not do well on her first attempt on her first event and then withdrew from the rest of the competition. I wold have had all the respect for her in the world if she would have taken herself out before the competition started and cited mental health issues, but doing it when she did hurt so badly and looked like to me that she was making excuses for a poor performance and didn't want to have more public poor performances. It really just hurt the team's chances though.

Since they only have 3 women compete in each event they didn't HAVE to have Biles perform. but it put all the burden on the other three since they had to do all the other events when they weren't planning on doing some of them.
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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by Olderthandirt » July 27th, 2021, 11:25 am

As I think about it, isn't Simone going to cause herself a whole lot more stress because she let her team down? I hope she is ok, but it seems like she will regret this much more than any individual event.



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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by NVAggie » July 27th, 2021, 12:36 pm

I know our current world would tell me that I should be supportive and think this is great. I just don't. I feel bad for her, but I don't think that you just quit.



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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by sancho839 » July 27th, 2021, 2:16 pm

I'm gonna guess the average age of people in this thread is 67. After my low 30s dropped it down.



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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by sam tingey » July 27th, 2021, 2:41 pm

sancho839 wrote:
July 27th, 2021, 2:16 pm
I'm gonna guess the average age of people in this thread is 67. After my low 30s dropped it down.
why do you assume that?



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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by BigBlueDart » July 27th, 2021, 2:48 pm

sancho839 wrote:
July 27th, 2021, 2:16 pm
I'm gonna guess the average age of people in this thread is 67. After my low 30s dropped it down.
Nah, I've met the OP. He's in his 30's, maybe early 40's.

As for the topic at hand, my gut reaction to this situation is probably more or less in line with the OP, but I'm also trying to learn to wait and listen more. I think what might be the most telling is what Simone's teammates all think. And frankly, we might not really learn that for awhile. It might be that they're just being supportive in public, but will later come out with a tell-all. Then again, maybe not.

I will say this, though. I very much get that bearing the burden of disappointing others will augment anxiety 10-fold. So, my "benefit-of-the-doubt" take on this is that she knew that she was in a bad place and that it was effecting her performance, so rather than continue and possibly start dragging down her team's score, she opted to step to the sidelines, cheer on her team, maybe even provide some coaching, and that this decision may have been made after consulting with the team physician and/or her teammates. If that is the case, then I do applaud her as an individual for learning to take a step back to re-center a bit. I've recently had to do the same.

Of course, if she did use the "mental health" reason as a smokescreen for something else, then that's one of the more shameful things I can think of an athlete doing. Using important causes as an excuse only ends up doing damage to that cause.
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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by GameFAQSAggie » July 27th, 2021, 7:32 pm

I'm sure Abel Porter and Dax Raymond know alot of people that are celebrating this.



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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by tipitup » July 27th, 2021, 8:43 pm

I think tonight Nastia Liukin the commentator made an interesting point about simone's last vault. she said that when she was half way through her routine it was like she forgot where she was and didn't complete the vault. she said that when the athletes mind and mental state is not there those tricks get very dangerous to complete, it makes sense when you are spinning around and you loose focus and get "lost" in the routine that is not a happy place. she also said that she had gone through that when she competed and other also have had that happen. I think as it's been mentioned, i hate the timing of the whole withdrawal but after this explanation today i'm kinda ok with it.



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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by NVAggie » July 27th, 2021, 11:03 pm

That is fair. I don’t have the perspective that they have. I wouldn’t want her to get hurt. I just don’t think we should demonize people who may have a different opinion.



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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by sam tingey » July 28th, 2021, 6:24 am

I applaud Biles decision to pull out of the all-around competition. I am starting to come around more about her reasons. I still feel disappointed that she didn't make the call before the team event started so an alternate could have been inserted into the lineup. I can accept the fact that she wasn't in a good place and that her safety truly was in jeopardy. The gymnastics that she performs are very dangerous.

I work with scouts and see them give up so easily and it really bugs me. it is actually a concern that I have that "kids these days" don't have enough grit and determination to complete anything unless it is a level on a video game. I equated that with Biles decision and realize now that was an unfair comparison.

I still hate this olympic story, but I am proud of the rest of the team doing what they did to earn the silver medal.
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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by sancho839 » July 28th, 2021, 8:45 am

sam tingey wrote:
July 28th, 2021, 6:24 am
I applaud Biles decision to pull out of the all-around competition. I am starting to come around more about her reasons. I still feel disappointed that she didn't make the call before the team event started so an alternate could have been inserted into the lineup. I can accept the fact that she wasn't in a good place and that her safety truly was in jeopardy. The gymnastics that she performs are very dangerous.

I work with scouts and see them give up so easily and it really bugs me. it is actually a concern that I have that "kids these days" don't have enough grit and determination to complete anything unless it is a level on a video game. I equated that with Biles decision and realize now that was an unfair comparison.

I still hate this olympic story, but I am proud of the rest of the team doing what they did to earn the silver medal.
That's exactly what happened. Jordan Chiles was subbed in.

Olympic gymnastics is three competitors, three scores. You have to count a fall if it happens. Normally, you get to drop one score, but this year, they don't. So Biles backing out after having the lowest vault score of the rotation and knowing it was going to get worse actually helped the team.

Don't forget that she has the weight of the gymnastics world on her shoulders, was the most-marketed athlete coming into the games, and recently was at the center of the sexual assault saga within USA Gymnastics.

Did we start a thread for every basketball player that decided to rest rather than compete? No, we didn't. Instead you started a thread to call the greatest gymnast of all time soft for realizing she was about to hurt her team's chances or physically hurt herself after a fall while she was out of it mentally.

You should really try to learn about a sport and its athletes before you start a thread like this.
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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by 3rdGenAggie » July 28th, 2021, 9:06 am

I'm a little torn. I appreciate that the world is focused more on mental health issues and isn't always just saying "suck it up". I also recognize that Biles saying this and doing what she did will likely be very helpful for some kids that are struggling.

Riley Jensen was talking about it this morning on the radio and he made some good points about young athletes today and mental health. With AAU, competitive sports, etc. being all year round, highly competitive at the youngest ages and starting at such young ages, young athletes almost don't have time to practice anymore. More and more they're trying to learn how to do things and improve their skill in games when it matters. He talked about trying to learn how to throw a curve ball and he spent a long time in the back yard with his dad and brothers before he was ever expected to try it in a game. Now, with games all year round, and competition levels being higher than ever, the expectation is that kids will be able to do stuff faster and earlier. It's obvious how this could cause undue stress and anxiety on kids. (In a sense, I'm glad I'm no athlete so my kids probably won't be high-level athletes either. I hope they can play sports for fun and not for all the marbles.)

That is not even mentioning what social media and smart phones are doing to kids' mental health in a general sense.

Now, with all that said, I really, really hope we, as a society, don't lose our desire for grit and sticktoitiveness. Regardless of who you are, grit in the face of adversity is an extremely important part of life and nowhere is it taught better than in sports. Biles clearly has shown grit - you don't make it to the level she did without it, but it could be argued in good faith that this year, at this level, in this competition she should have pushed through...but I'm not in her head.


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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by AGinNEIowa » July 28th, 2021, 9:16 am

I'm gonna say that lots of people here have lost my respect with comments. After spending years coaching cheer -which has strong ties to gymnastics- trying to tie a fall in a foot race or other conventional sports to this situation is ignorant at best.

People are pointing back to Kerri Strug - who was seen as a hero by me, but in retrospect is severely lucky to not have had a career-ending and possibly life-altering catastrophic level injury as she attempted a high-level skill with a nearly debilitating injury. Review the video- look at the fear in her eyes as her coach goaded her on as she said "I can't". Today we call it what that was, abuse. I expect some of you will say that it's snowflake abuse, but had she landed 1 CM off on that ankle with no strength to support and everyone in the world would have been outraged about expecting a teenager to perform in that situation.

I doubt many people at all could comprehend the feeling of obligation to country let alone the difficulty of balancing that with one's own desire to win against the mental anguish of wonder if not feeling right is an acceptable reason to not perform when many see you as the GOAT....

I'll leave this thread with the words of Jim Lord, Director of Education and Programming at USA Cheer -one of the individuals who taught me safety and protection in my certification classes.
Here’s the thing. A baseball player having a “slump” means he misses the ball. A basketball player being “off” means he misses the goal. Every athlete has those moments, even the very best. A gymnast being off, having a slump, or “in her own head,” especially one doing the most difficult skills ever performed, means a potential catastrophic injury or worse. I thank God that we witnessed Simone walking off the floor instead of being carried.
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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by sam tingey » July 28th, 2021, 10:03 am

sancho839 wrote:
July 28th, 2021, 8:45 am
sam tingey wrote:
July 28th, 2021, 6:24 am
I applaud Biles decision to pull out of the all-around competition. I am starting to come around more about her reasons. I still feel disappointed that she didn't make the call before the team event started so an alternate could have been inserted into the lineup. I can accept the fact that she wasn't in a good place and that her safety truly was in jeopardy. The gymnastics that she performs are very dangerous.

I work with scouts and see them give up so easily and it really bugs me. it is actually a concern that I have that "kids these days" don't have enough grit and determination to complete anything unless it is a level on a video game. I equated that with Biles decision and realize now that was an unfair comparison.

I still hate this olympic story, but I am proud of the rest of the team doing what they did to earn the silver medal.
That's exactly what happened. Jordan Chiles was subbed in.

Olympic gymnastics is three competitors, three scores. You have to count a fall if it happens. Normally, you get to drop one score, but this year, they don't. So Biles backing out after having the lowest vault score of the rotation and knowing it was going to get worse actually helped the team.

Don't forget that she has the weight of the gymnastics world on her shoulders, was the most-marketed athlete coming into the games, and recently was at the center of the sexual assault saga within USA Gymnastics.

Did we start a thread for every basketball player that decided to rest rather than compete? No, we didn't. Instead you started a thread to call the greatest gymnast of all time soft for realizing she was about to hurt her team's chances or physically hurt herself after a fall while she was out of it mentally.

You should really try to learn about a sport and its athletes before you start a thread like this.
I understood that there are 4 on a team and they choose 3 of the 4 to do an event. All those scores count. I was saying that I wish Biles could have pulled out before the team competition began so that they could have had the ability to put someone else in on the team to do some of the events. All I heard about on the build up to the olympics was how deep the american women's gymnastic team is.

Why can't I be disappointed? Why am I expected to stand and applaud that she bowed out? Why can't I expect olympians to be ready for their events? I AM coming around to accepting that she indeed did protect herself. I am even starting to have thoughts that she was courageous enough to try when she had doubts, but when those doubts materialized in the first vault she made a tough choice and I can respect that. I just wish, like I assume she does too, that she wasn't "not right." it is still disappointing.

I do feel disappointed in basketball players and baseball players that rest. Its one of the big reasons I don't care for the NBA anymore. I still put up with baseball because I love it and really 162 games is a lot.

Simone Biles is anything but soft. She does the impossible. She does what no one else can. It is disappointing that she couldn't show it again at these olympics.



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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by sam tingey » July 28th, 2021, 10:13 am

AGinNEIowa wrote:
July 28th, 2021, 9:16 am
I'm gonna say that lots of people here have lost my respect with comments. After spending years coaching cheer -which has strong ties to gymnastics- trying to tie a fall in a foot race or other conventional sports to this situation is ignorant at best.

People are pointing back to Kerri Strug - who was seen as a hero by me, but in retrospect is severely lucky to not have had a career-ending and possibly life-altering catastrophic level injury as she attempted a high-level skill with a nearly debilitating injury. Review the video- look at the fear in her eyes as her coach goaded her on as she said "I can't". Today we call it what that was, abuse. I expect some of you will say that it's snowflake abuse, but had she landed 1 CM off on that ankle with no strength to support and everyone in the world would have been outraged about expecting a teenager to perform in that situation.


I'll leave this thread with the words of Jim Lord, Director of Education and Programming at USA Cheer -one of the individuals who taught me safety and protection in my certification classes.
Here’s the thing. A baseball player having a “slump” means he misses the ball. A basketball player being “off” means he misses the goal. Every athlete has those moments, even the very best. A gymnast being off, having a slump, or “in her own head,” especially one doing the most difficult skills ever performed, means a potential catastrophic injury or worse. I thank God that we witnessed Simone walking off the floor instead of being carried.
I really hope I haven't disappointed you. I really am trying to work through how I feel about this. It is very new that the best in the sport would pull out in the middle of competing citing mental health. I am trying to process it. I promise I am trying to get my thoughts figured out about it. My initial thoughts in this thread have changed somewhat.

I do NOT believe that Simone Biles made this decision to cover a bad performance. I really do believe that she made a tough choice to protect herself. I believe that she is sincere in her reasons. Pulling out of the all-around has made that abundantly clear. Her team supports her so I don't believe that she let her team down.
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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by NVAggie » July 28th, 2021, 10:14 am

I personally am just frustrated that there can be no discussion or different opinion on the subject. I find it pretty ridiculous that there are people on this thread that will lose all respect for someone with an opposing opinion. That doesn't help anyone. I would prefer someone offer a different perspective. I really appreciated someone bringing up Nastia Lukin's thoughts on the subject. That really helped me to understand the importance of being of sound mind when performing very difficult routines. I feel that Simone was justified in stepping away for her own personal health. That is beneficial to the discussion. When someone tramps down an opposing view feigning a loss of respect, it only serves to justify a stand that may just need to be refined.

I don't hate @sam tingey for starting this conversation nor do I have a loss of respect. I shared some of their original thoughts. I also respect that @sam tingey was willing to research other opinions and refine their own opinion. I can also empathize with people who are disappointed that the USA didn't win gold and that Simone didn't have the chance to perform at her peak on the biggest stage. It has been pretty obvious from her interviews and routines over the last few months that she had been struggling. I think it should be okay to feel disappointed about that while also understanding that bad things can happen to anyone at any time. I actually find it sad to witness the end of a great career without the deserved pizzazz and recognition.

As for the Kerri Strugg stuff, she is an Olympic Champion. She performed on the greatest stage against the greatest odds. Don't take away her moment so that we can justify our argument for or against Simone Biles. I find it completely out of bounds to suggest that she was forced to perform. That it would be considered abuse is completely ridiculous. I would even bet if asked, she wouldn't change a thing about it. I will never forget watching that competition that night. It was magical even 25 years later.

I also don't think the issues with Simone Biles are an example of the new soft generation. She is an Olympic Champion. She has completed routines that no other woman has completed. She was the best in the world for a long time. She is not a representation of the soft generation that is now finding any and all excuse to not compete, complete, and perform. I find it laughable that weak people are using her situation as an example of why they fail. Mental health is no joke. I know many people that have severe struggles with mental health. People who latch onto mental health as an excuse are much worse for those with real mental health issues than those who chose to ignore that they exist.



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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by brownjeans » July 28th, 2021, 12:38 pm

How would we react if she had a leg injury, tried to play through it and said, "I can't continue, I'll hurt the team?"

I can't help but think that this is a good example of how people just don't view mental health in the same way they view physical health. We have a really hard time relating, empathizing, and supporting those who are unwell mentally.



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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by sam tingey » July 28th, 2021, 12:44 pm

brownjeans wrote:
July 28th, 2021, 12:38 pm
How would we react if she had a leg injury, tried to play through it and said, "I can't continue, I'll hurt the team?"

I can't help but think that this is a good example of how people just don't view mental health in the same way they view physical health. We have a really hard time relating, empathizing, and supporting those who are unwell mentally.
i think you bring up a valid question. I would hope that the outcome of this story is good even if i don't particularly like it right now. i hope that athletes get the mental health care as much as the physical health care that they need to perform at their best in future events. I don't want top athletes backing out because of lack of mental health care.
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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by NVAggie » July 28th, 2021, 1:55 pm

Ultimately, Biles pulled out because her mental health had a high risk of affecting her physical health. I read an article about gymnast getting the "twisties". It helped me understand how this can be dangerous for a gymnast and hard to overcome during a competition. I can accept their experience. I wish I could find the interview they had with Biles during the Qualification Round. They asked her about her age in that interview. Even before bowing out of the meet, her answer hit me funny. It was pretty clear that she had lost confidence in her ability to do her routines. Honestly, it wasn't completely shocking that she bailed on the meet after I heard that interview and saw her poor qualifying performance (even though her scores were pretty good).



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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by BigBlueDart » July 28th, 2021, 2:18 pm

I was curious to get more info on the Kerri Strug thing. Found this article (which mostly refers to the Netflix series 'Athlete A'):

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/t ... y-scandal/

In this article they have some quotes pulled from the series regarding the strict, full-control approach that trainers for the US gymnastics team brought with them from Romania, the same trainers for Kerri in '96. There were quotes from one person involved in US Gymnastics back in the 70's that characterized it as an emotionally and physically abusive environment. The one quote they had from Strug, from a 2008 interview, actually had a different take. Kerri actually defended the difficult training as necessary to perform at a high level. She said that she never experienced any abuse, herself, but didn't discount any others making those claims. For some additional perspective, Larry Nassar was the physician for the team at the time (and the one that first worked on her ankle after the vault), but the earliest claim against him was from 1997, after the Atlanta Olympics.

The one thing I was specifically looking for and couldn't find was a quote from Kerri on whether she felt overly pressured or coerced to do the second vault on the injured ankle. This look back at the video is heart-wrenching as you can clearly see her scared and asking if she had to do it. I'd still like to here her direct take on that, though.

Kerri Strug did tweet out her support for Biles, as well as her support and congratulations for the women's team winning silver.
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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by Imakeitrain » July 31st, 2021, 12:55 am

BigBlueDart wrote:
July 28th, 2021, 2:18 pm
I was curious to get more info on the Kerri Strug thing. Found this article (which mostly refers to the Netflix series 'Athlete A'):

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/t ... y-scandal/

In this article they have some quotes pulled from the series regarding the strict, full-control approach that trainers for the US gymnastics team brought with them from Romania, the same trainers for Kerri in '96. There were quotes from one person involved in US Gymnastics back in the 70's that characterized it as an emotionally and physically abusive environment. The one quote they had from Strug, from a 2008 interview, actually had a different take. Kerri actually defended the difficult training as necessary to perform at a high level. She said that she never experienced any abuse, herself, but didn't discount any others making those claims. For some additional perspective, Larry Nassar was the physician for the team at the time (and the one that first worked on her ankle after the vault), but the earliest claim against him was from 1997, after the Atlanta Olympics.

The one thing I was specifically looking for and couldn't find was a quote from Kerri on whether she felt overly pressured or coerced to do the second vault on the injured ankle. This look back at the video is heart-wrenching as you can clearly see her scared and asking if she had to do it. I'd still like to here her direct take on that, though.

Kerri Strug did tweet out her support for Biles, as well as her support and congratulations for the women's team winning silver.
Not only was she abused by Nassar but USA gymnastics didn't really respond well to that scenario. It's amazing that she is still willing to represent USA gymnastics. Aside from being a victim of Nassar as if that isn't bad enough she was placed into foster care and adopted at a very young age because her mom struggled with addiction. Then when she went to these training camps they didn't feed her all that well and she and the other girls were forced to steal food from the cafeteria just to not starve.

https://www.insider.com/simone-biles-st ... sar-2021-2

In some sports you can maybe compete even if you aren't all that into it mentally. But when you're in a sport like gymnastics where she can paralyze herself, it's a bad idea to risk it.

For me, I dont mess with mental health. If someone needs mental health care, that's the end of the discussion. They need what they need.

I perfectly understand why people would be frustrated. But they honestly have 0 right to be upset with her. She is doing what she has to do- and she's been a better teammate than anyone could ever ask for, for not giving USA gymnastics the bird and suing them into oblivion, and living the rest of her life in a mansion in Scottsdale or the Hollywood Hills just on how much USA gymnastics should probably give her for how dirty they've done her since childhood. She shows incredible emotional strength, far better than almost anyone I know- certainly myself included.



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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by mcaggie1 » August 2nd, 2021, 12:00 pm

Has Biles had “mental health” problems in the past that caused her to not compete? This may have been discussed before, but I haven’t heard . If this is a first, then I have greater respect for the pressure the Olympics puts on those who compete, and I am sure that Simone had much more pressure than most of the US team.



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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by USU78 » August 2nd, 2021, 12:07 pm

Well, she is one of the girls that the creeper perve diddled a few years back. Big scandal.


You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by sam tingey » August 2nd, 2021, 1:07 pm

Pretty cool to me how the british diver works through the stress of competing in the olympics. the dude knits and crochets on the sidelines.



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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by brownjeans » August 2nd, 2021, 8:56 pm

In the late 90s I crocheted a few blankets while watching Goldberg and Mick Foley wrestle. I figured the two helped to keep me balanced.
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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by Imakeitrain » August 4th, 2021, 11:17 pm

mcaggie1 wrote:
August 2nd, 2021, 12:00 pm
Has Biles had “mental health” problems in the past that caused her to not compete? This may have been discussed before, but I haven’t heard . If this is a first, then I have greater respect for the pressure the Olympics puts on those who compete, and I am sure that Simone had much more pressure than most of the US team.
I haven't heard about her mental history preventing her from competing in the past, but gymnastics isn't like basketball or baseball where being "off" means you miss a few shots or struggle to find the zone. Being off in Gymnastics can paralyze you for life.



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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by TheAKAggie » August 11th, 2021, 2:13 pm

USU78 wrote:My barely seven year old grandson was running the 200 in the regional meet held at uvu a few weeks back. Coming out of the turn he hit his left leg with his right foot and biffed it, hitting the track hard and badly scraping up his elbow and knee

He was on his way to win when it happened. But he got up, jogged along for a couple steps, then ran through to the finish, ending up third.

Nobody had trained him on what to do when flat on your face and dazed.

He just knew.
The parallels of these situations are uncanny!


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Re: Hate this Olympic Story!

Post by Aggie formerly in Hawaii » August 11th, 2021, 8:30 pm

:lol:
TheAKAggie wrote:
August 11th, 2021, 2:13 pm
USU78 wrote:My barely seven year old grandson was running the 200 in the regional meet held at uvu a few weeks back. Coming out of the turn he hit his left leg with his right foot and biffed it, hitting the track hard and badly scraping up his elbow and knee

He was on his way to win when it happened. But he got up, jogged along for a couple steps, then ran through to the finish, ending up third.

Nobody had trained him on what to do when flat on your face and dazed.

He just knew.
The parallels of these situations are uncanny!


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