# Olympic Gymnastics Discussion (spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 19, 2004, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527 "2004-08-19T08:28:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527/21 "2004-08-19T22:06:51Z")
> [@NotWithoutRage](#): > > I think Kerri’s was sprained, does that count? The “broken leg” comment was an oblique reference to the 1976 Olympics. A Japanese gymnast, Shun Fujimoto, completed an outstanding high bar routine and stuck the landing, all while having a broken leg. He badly dislocated his knee on the landing, yet still managed to remain on his feet. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527/22 "2004-08-19T22:41:22Z")
> [@lavenderlemon](#): > > But oh my oh my was it wonderful television! It was one of the best sports competitions I’ve ever seen. I rewound my PVR and watched it four times just because I was so astonished at the way it played out. If I were the sort to start pit threads I’d probably pit NBC for this. They chose to spread what was possibly the most dramatic competition of this Olympiad over four hours to drag out their ratings. I have to work early, Mrs. Shibb was dead tired, and finally I went to sleep about 11:15 just after Hamm had his great fall. I didn’t get to see the big comeback or witness the emotions displayed. I spent time this weekend with my father (a high school gymnast) and my son (a little boy) watching this. My son was mesmerized. Too bad they couldn’t keep most of this to a decent hour. Wonder where they think their future audiences will learn to appreciate this stuff? Idjits! ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527/23 "2004-08-19T23:33:21Z")
Almost as bad was the stupid decision to spray graphics for upcoming coverage across the screen while gymnasts were in the middle of performances. Couldn’t they have waited and obscured the all-important “walking away from the apparatus” shots instead? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527/24 "2004-08-19T23:39:15Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > Almost as bad was the stupid decision to spray graphics for upcoming coverage across the screen while gymnasts were in the middle of performances. Couldn’t they have waited and obscured the all-important “walking away from the apparatus” shots instead? They broke into a crucial part of a race here so that instead of the crawl on the bottom of the screen (announcing a tornado warning 75 miles away) the local idiot weather guy could explain about the storm’s progress in geek-like detail. My father wisely pointed out that they never interrupt commercials for this kind of stuff… ---
**Author:** ![pilot141](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e0b2c6/32.png) [@pilot141](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pilot141)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527/25 "2004-08-20T04:56:52Z")
Oh, come on…I would expect my local news idiots to break into ANY type of show for whatever they deem to be “important” coverage. If they break into commercials they have to compensate the buyer, and that’s just not worth it for a weather report. Back to the Olympics… Yes, they stretched out the men’s gymnastics coverage. But DAMN - that was some good stuff, regardless of the coverage! I watched the entire coverage a second time and was amazed at the restraint of the commentators after Hamm’s vault fiasco. The most prevalent comment was silence, until someone finally (bravely) suggested that his Olympic medal hopes were over. As for long coverage, would you rather watch Hamm nail his final two events (likely in past Olympic coverage), or would you rather see the other athletes either stumble or nail their events, setting up the most dramatic final event in gymnastics history? I was amazed at the progression of the contest: the comment “Who wants it?” would be meaningless without seeing everyone else’s faults. Remember, the commentators are doing it live: the editors select what we see. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527/26 "2004-08-20T06:58:10Z")
Women’s all around finals: One more time, the final competitor turns in an outstanding performance to take th gold, and again it’s a comeback. Gymnastics just doesn’t get any better than this. ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527/27 "2004-08-20T12:57:44Z")
I generally try to avoid “me too” posts, but… > [@Number Six](#): > > Gymnastics just doesn’t get any better than this. … ditto!!! ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527/28 "2004-08-20T15:22:06Z")
Both individual all-around finals have been good. I’ve been impressed with the gymnastics competions, even knowing as little as I do about the sport. I admit to being one of those “oooh, that looked pretty.” and only knowing errors when they’re big errors. But…ok, at the risk of sounding snarky, did Svetlana Khorkina look that much like a skeleton the last time around? I admit that it’s been a while since I saw a competition with her in it, and she just looked that way to me - but I also know that she’s taller than the others, with those longer body lines that can fool the eye, especially on television. I have been trying to find a decent site with pictures of her over time so I can judge from those. If anyone has a link, that’d be great. ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527/29 "2004-08-20T15:27:02Z")
> [@Lsura](#): > > But…ok, at the risk of sounding snarky, did Svetlana Khorkina look that much like a skeleton the last time around? I admit that it’s been a while since I saw a competition with her in it, and she just looked that way to me - but I also know that she’s taller than the others, with those longer body lines that can fool the eye, especially on television. I have been trying to find a decent site with pictures of her over time so I can judge from those. If anyone has a link, that’d be great. No, she most certainly was not that thin before. I’m surprised the commentators didn’t mention it - my uncle and I just could not get over how unhealthy she looked. As for pictures, just do a Google image search, but you may not want to at work - she has done nudes, and I’m sure those will come up. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527/30 "2004-08-20T15:38:54Z")
> [@liirogue](#): > > No, she most certainly was not that thin before. I’m surprised the commentators didn’t mention it - my uncle and I just could not get over how unhealthy she looked. Gymnastics is supposed to be graceful and lovely to watch, but we had to avert our eyes several times during her performances because she looked terrible! :eek: Made Lara Flynn Boyle look like Kirstie Alley. I won’t begrudge Carly’s victory, but I thought the US uniforms were too tarty, and I personally hate any of the floor exercises that involve the cutesy-pie dance moves (especially to music that could come from a burlesque house). I liked the floor exercise of the Chinese bronze-winner–interesting music and good performance without being “dancy” (though I know that’s how you win now-a-days). ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527/31 "2004-08-20T16:04:42Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > Gymnastics is supposed to be graceful and lovely to watch, but we had to avert our eyes several times during her performances because she looked terrible! :eek: Made Lara Flynn Boyle look like Kirstie Alley. I felt badly for her, so I was rooting for her to go all the way. She seems like she’s had it rough. In fact, pretty much all of the gymnasts except the American team seem like they’ve had it rough. It’s sad to hear that some of them pose nude just to make ends meet. It’s interesting, the other teams make the American girls look heavy, even though they’re all muscle. I just wonder what their lives are like in Romania and Russia, and if they ever let them eat. I noticed that when an American girl would mess up, the coach would still hug her and kind of reassure her, but on the other teams the girls got the cold shoulder if they made an error. Svetlana’s coach seemed especially hardass. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527/32 "2004-08-20T16:09:26Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > I personally hate any of the floor exercises that involve the cutesy-pie dance moves (especially to music that could come from a burlesque house). Amen to that! The American team needs a new choreographer immediately. I can only take so much “jazz hands.” It’s silly. The other teams prove that you can incorporate dance without making it cheesy. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527/33 "2004-08-20T16:35:03Z")
> [@Indygrrl](#): > > Amen to that! The American team needs a new choreographer immediately. I can only take so much “jazz hands.” It’s silly. The other teams prove that you can incorporate dance without making it cheesy. There are two different types of female floor excercise styles: dancing and prancing. The only prancing that should be allowed in the Olympics is in the equestrian events. Though some of the other countries’ gymnasts looked young, they still resembled miniature women in how they performed and carried themselves. But the US team, what with the prancing and the sequins, seemed like girls playing “dress up”, remarkable athleticisim notwithstanding. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527/34 "2004-08-20T16:42:44Z")
We we’re discussing last night that Svetlana Khorkina was starting to look like an egret. Didn’t know that she’d gotten skinny. Just thought she’d grown very tall (she is 25) and hadn’t filled out properly. This made a lot of her routines look “awkward” to me. The sport is just geared towards short, muscular (or at least graceful) atheletes. She did get second, but in the two events I saw her she seemed to get slightly higher scores than merited. FWIW, I thought the Ukranian was pretty sturdily built. Another Ukranian gymnast named [Svetlana](http://gymnet.org/bogins-photos.htm) could teach Khorkina that it’s okay to grow up and gain some weight. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527/35 "2004-08-20T16:45:15Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > FWIW, I thought the Ukranian was pretty sturdily built. Another Ukranian gymnast named [Svetlana](http://gymnet.org/bogins-photos.htm) could teach Khorkina that it’s okay to grow up and gain some weight. :smack: She’s from Belarus, not Ukraine. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527/36 "2004-08-20T18:35:14Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Any thoughts on the Korean’s comment that he was, in fact, disappointed and a little angry? Was he angry at the judges for Hamm’s marks, his marks, or angry about something else? It’s certainly an honest emotion, but not one that’s usually spoken. It looks like he may have been angry because of a [judicial error](http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2004/08/20/korea_gymnast/index.html) they were too late in catching. The South Koreans have lodged a protest, but any review of the proceedings won’t take away Hamm’s medal. > [@](#): > > South Korea’s gymnastics federation complained because Yang’s parallel bars routine received a start value of 10 in team preliminaries and finals, but only a 9.9 for the same set in the all-around. > > Had Yang received the extra tenth of a point, he would have finished first. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527/37 "2004-08-20T18:56:02Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > And personally, I think all the Japanese men looked like they could use some really good styling products for their hair. They all looked dry and dead and like they’d been cut with a lawnmower. > > StG Especially since there’s a one tenths deduction for bad hair (two tenths for really bad hair). Paul Hamm has good hair, which explains how he can fall and still win the gold. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527/38 "2004-08-20T19:12:20Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > And personally, I think all the Japanese men looked like they could use some really good styling products for their hair. They all looked dry and dead and like they’d been cut with a lawnmower. Actually, the same thing could be said about most of the women volleyball players, too. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527/39 "2004-08-20T20:45:46Z")
On the topic of judge’s decisions, what was the deal with the rules change that affected Blaine Wilson in the prelims? Something was up with his high bar routine and he had to change it (leading to his fall) but I missed what the issue was. ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527/40 "2004-08-20T21:00:22Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > On the topic of judge’s decisions, what was the deal with the rules change that affected Blaine Wilson in the prelims? Something was up with his high bar routine and he had to change it (leading to his fall) but I missed what the issue was. The head judge decided that some (I don’t know how many) elements weren’t going to count for as many points as they had previously been scored at. At Worlds, the routine would have been scored on a, say, 9.8, while at the Olympics they decided it would only be a 9.5 (I’m just pulling these numbers out of my ass, but it should give you an idea). This ruling affected another American, and he also FUBARed it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-gymnastics-discussion-spoilers/260527.md?page=3)