2343 replies to this topic

[seashellez]

I figure we would need one for gymnastics and I'm surprised one hadn't been started after the Athens games. The American Cup competition is today and I just found out that FIG adopted a new scoring system!

[cwih57]

the American Cup was today!?! What channel was it on? Was it on TV? AAAH

[Leelee51]

In my area (New York), it was on NBC from 1:00pm - 3:00. Nastia Liukin won the women's title. There were a number of falls off the beam from her and the other competitors. There is also a new scoring system like in skating. No more perfect 10's.

Edited by Leelee51, Mar 4, 2006 @ 6:51 PM.

[cwih57]

I see that Brett McClure represented the US, isn't he retired yet? I miss the Hamm twins, I really hope they actually do come back from this "break" that they are taking.

[cabbage kid]

I see that Brett McClure represented the US, isn't he retired yet?

I was able to watch and they didn't show Brett McClure on TV, I didn't even know he was there! All they kept showing was Daniel Durante and Jonathon Horton (who ended up wining). For the women, Nastia Liukin ended up winning and Shayla Worley (who I think is a spunk of fire, she just knew where all the cameras were during her Floor) wound up with silver. They kept saying Nastia comes from a lineage of gymnasts, but I don't remember her dad or her mom. I actually liked Shayla more than Nastia, maybe because I had an aversion to Nastia's hairline/hairstyle that made her seem bald and emaciated.

The new scoring system didn't seem that complicated to me, unlike the figure skating system where I was utterly confused. In the new system (if I understood correctly) they give you two scores- one is your difficulty, the other is for execution (which is still out of 10). Your difficulty can range from anything because it depends on the tricks you do, kind of like in diving I guess. Unlike diving though, even if your difficulty score is 5.9, you can still get a 10 (though highly unlikely) if you execute it perfectly, thereby making your score a 15.9. Other differences, a fall is a deduction of 0.8, instead of the previous 0.5, also, they were talking a lot about angles. In women's uneven bar (or even men's parallel bar), if their body was more than 30 degrees away from a handstand, then the deduction would be 0.3 (if I remember correctly). Those are the main things I remember, but I didn't see it as all that complicated. Right now, it seemed like the gymnasts were weighing whetere it was better to go with a less difficult routine that's probably a 5.2 in difficulty and be able to execute that better thereby getting a higher execution score, than go with a routine that's score a 5.9 in difficulty, but have a whole bunch of points taken off in execution.

Edited by cabbage kid, Mar 5, 2006 @ 3:23 AM.

[cwih57]

maybe because I had an aversion to Nastia's hairline/hairstyle that made her seem bald and emaciated.

That is very ugly hair, but Nastia has always looked bald and emaciated. I don't like her, but I'd be hard pressed to name a female US gymnast that I do like.

Oh well, I've always been more interested in the men anyway.

[Indy1]

They kept saying Nastia comes from a lineage of gymnasts, but I don't remember her dad or her mom.

Her dad, Valeri Liukin, competed very successfuly for the Soviet Union in mens gymnastics. Her mother, Anna, was a world champion Rhythmic Gymnast (hence Nastia's body type) for the Soviet Union as well.

I was able to watch and they didn't show Brett McClure on TV, I didn't even know he was there!

Brett didn't make the finals, which is all that they showed on NBC. The prelims were Friday and the top 8 (?) men and women, including only two from each country, competed on Saturday. For the women, this meant that although Bianca Flohr and Jacqueline Johnson finished 3rd and 4th in prelims, they couldn't compete on Saturday because they finished behind their teammates. I'm not sure how the other US men finished in prelims.

[smakelijk]

Nastia looks competely miserable to be there.Like her puppy just died or something. She looks like a conetration camp survivor w/ that skinny body and the bitch face. She probably hates competing,but her daddy wants her to.

[hilaryvm]

I watched the Tyson "don't call it Visa" American Cup this weekend, and the thing that struck me is that Nastia is 16, and by the time the Olympics will come around in 2008, she will be 18, which is pretty old for a women's gymnast. There is a chance she won't make it (if her body changes and she can't keep up with it) and then it's just sad that a really good gymnast won't make the Olympics because her age just put her out of the running (IIRC she didn't make the 2004 Olympics when she was only 14).

[Indy1]

I watched the Tyson "don't call it Visa" American Cup this weekend, and the thing that struck me is that Nastia is 16, and by the time the Olympics will come around in 2008, she will be 18, which is pretty old for a women's gymnast. There is a chance she won't make it (if her body changes and she can't keep up with it) and then it's just sad that a really good gymnast won't make the Olympics because her age just put her out of the running (IIRC she didn't make the 2004 Olympics when she was only 14).

I don't know. 18 isn't as old for a gymnast as it used to be, especialy since they raised the age cut off (the reason Nastia wasn't on the 2004 Olympic team was because she was still a junior and therefore not eligable). Two of the members of the 2004 team, Annia Hatch and Mohini Bohardwaj, were in their 20s and were both important parts of the team. Annia even got a medal on vault.
Nastia is certainly not the oldest US girl planning on sticking around to try for Beijing. So long as she stays healthy, I think she has a pretty good shot at making the team, at the very least as an event specialist.

[seashellez]

That is very ugly hair, but Nastia has always looked bald and emaciated. I don't like her, but I'd be hard pressed to name a female US gymnast that I do like.

She needs some bangs! Well according to the usa gymnastics site the next televisied competition won't be till Nationals but ESPN usually airs NCAA Gymnastics.

[emace]

Nastia looks competely miserable to be there.Like her puppy just died or something.

She's probably surviving on 700 calories per day. That and training at least eight. Poor kid.

[Anna101]

I thought Nastia's receding hairline was pure snark, but...wow, that looks scary. Something must be wrong and I tend to agree it' s living on 700 calories.

[seashellez]

Does anyone have any updates on the 2004 Olympians? I know Courtney K. and Terin are in the NCAA and the Hamm's went back to school but what about everyone else?

[Kris223]

I don't know if they'll be airing it again, but GSN had a show about the 1996 Olympic team. The series is called Anything to Win (Sundays at 8:00). I didn't see all of it, but it looked like they had interviews with all 7, plus Bela. Bart Conner was providing commentary too. What I saw was pretty good - hard to believe that was almost 10 years ago.

[Indy1]

Does anyone have any updates on the 2004 Olympians? I know Courtney K. and Terin are in the NCAA and the Hamm's went back to school but what about everyone else?

Courtney McCool will be going to college and competing NCAA in the fall, though I can't remember where.

Annia is retired. I'm pretty sure Mohini is as well, at least from competitive gymnastics.

Carley is embarking on a singing career (with the help of Joe Simpson, I believe).

Edited by Indy1, Mar 20, 2006 @ 5:10 PM.

[Indy1]

You're joking right? Right?

Oh how I wish I was. But alas, I am not.
I heard a clip of her singing and while she's not terrible (she sings better than I do that's for sure), she's certainly not America's next great singing talent - of course, that's nothing a good producer can't fix. I'm sure she'll wind up sounding just like all of the other manufactured pop princesses out there when it's all over.

[seashellez]

New movie about gymnastics coming out soon...featured on myspace...

http://www.myspace.com/stickitmovie

[Allison Lynn]

I watched the PAC-10 championships yesterday. They mentioned Tasha Schweikert, but didn't show her. I thought she had graduated? Anyway, Tabitha Yim won the all-around, which was sweet. I like womens' college gymnastics much better than Nationals, because the women look as though they eat. And have a life. Much less creepy!

[seneca724]

McCool is going to join Courtney Kupets at Georgia. I know it's a longshot, but I hope she makes it back to the Olympics because the kid received some raw treatment from Maaatha.

[missknowitall]

They mentioned Tasha Schweikert, but didn't show her. I thought she had graduated?

She is just a sophomore, but having injury problems.

[ElectricBoogalo]

Mr. Boogalo went to San Francisco yesterday and said he saw the gymnastics team from Virginia on BART (the train). They are in town for nationals which are being held at Berkeley.

[seashellez]

Anyone planning to go see the gymnastics movies "Stick It" coming out in late April? According to http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0430634/

Nastia, Carly, and Allana Slater are in the film.

Also you can vote for gymnast of the year for IG mag till April 28 and the April issue of the mag also features the movie.

http://www.internati...t.com/goty2005/

Edited by seashellez, Apr 11, 2006 @ 3:00 PM.

[ElectricBoogalo]

Hee, my sister and I have been counting the days until that movie is released for months! We are big gymnastics loving nerds. I'm interested to see it mostly because there are real gymnasts in the movie. I'm not sure how much gymnastics experience the three main characters have, but it looks like at least one of them (Tarah Paige) has some. It will be cool to see the familiar faces of the gymnasts though!

[Kris223]

Saw the preview for Stick It last night. My husband will totally mock me, but I'm going to see it.

[seashellez]

here's a great gymnastics site that lists the recruits for next season.

http://www.collegegy...ruits/index.htm


ETA: Didn't anyone catch the Pacific Alliance Championships that aired yesterday?

Edited by seashellez, Apr 17, 2006 @ 12:19 PM.

[Gemini84]

I saw the Pacific Alliance Championships, my first with the new scoring system intact, and I thought it was. . . okay. I have to keep reminding myself that come trails/2008 is when the real superstars will come out, not to take anything away from the current crop of competitors. But there just isn't any one athlete (or athletes) I'm really rooting for right now.

Nastia Liukin is little overrated, I'm not really floored with her gymnastics just yet. Speaking of bitchface, does Chellsie Memmel ever smile?! Goodness.

[EatShootLeave]

Nastia Liukin's giants make my eyes bleed. Who on earth let her swing get that sloppy?

I've gotta learn this new system. So far I think it actually makes more sense than the new skating system, but that's probably because I'm completely misunderstanding it.