# WTF? Gymnastics Gala? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 21, 2008, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-gymnastics-gala/460751 "2008-08-21T01:39:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Great\_Dave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-gymnastics-gala/460751/1 "2008-08-21T01:39:33Z")
Why are we watching this tripe rather than a real competition? For those who missed it, it’s some medal winners showing off for kicks. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-gymnastics-gala/460751/2 "2008-08-21T02:01:09Z")
Because it gets ratings. They do this every Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-gymnastics-gala/460751/3 "2008-08-21T02:07:11Z")
I actually wish I had seen it. I’d like to see the crazy stuff that they don’t dare compete. I wonder if anybody did a triple back on the floor. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-gymnastics-gala/460751/4 "2008-08-21T02:22:38Z")
The figure skaters do this in the Winter Olympics too, and it’s one of my favorite parts. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-gymnastics-gala/460751/5 "2008-08-21T02:28:41Z")
Didn’t it have something to do with charity too, some sort of disaster relief? Also, it’s just ceremony, done to close out the gymnastics section of the Olympics. No different than any other ceremonial tradition, really. ---
**Author:** ![Windwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@Windwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windwalker)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-gymnastics-gala/460751/6 "2008-08-21T08:39:38Z")
I don’t think it should be an Olympic sport, but some of those group rhythmic gymnastics shows were pretty damn cool. Those 30-40 Chinese college students doing some lame sexy dance, not so much, especially when they weren’t doing anything athletically interesting and _coming right after the Olympic medalists_! ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-gymnastics-gala/460751/7 "2008-08-21T13:46:11Z")
Because it’s awesome. How could you like watching the competitions, and then not like watching the gold medal winners fooling around and having a good time? Put me in a good mood last night, that’s for sure. Although, to be fair, it might have been the Captain. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-gymnastics-gala/460751/8 "2008-08-21T14:22:05Z")
It certainly helps dispel the idea that some of those Chinese gymnasts were robotic automatons. I loved the pommel horse routine. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-gymnastics-gala/460751/9 "2008-08-21T15:25:59Z")
Tripe? The horse bit was hilarious and the guys looked awesome on the highbar. I just wish Shawn and Nastia would’ve taken some risks on the balance beam. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-gymnastics-gala/460751/10 "2008-08-21T22:11:23Z")
Just be glad we in the US got the extremely cut down version. I think the real thing was hours long. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-gymnastics-gala/460751/11 "2008-08-22T01:14:00Z")
I caught the replay tonite on (I think) Oxygen, and holy crap! the Chinese tumbling team was AWESOME! Why the heck isn’t that part of the gymnastics events at the Olympics – they could easily swap it for the rhythmic gymnastics, which, although pretty to watch, is basically choreographed dancing with few gymnastic elements. The tumbling flips were ridiculously astonishing, and so good even those jackasses NBC has commenting were occasionally impressed into silence. That, alone, should get the sport a spot in the Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-gymnastics-gala/460751/12 "2008-08-22T01:26:40Z")
Someone please tell me this is available online somewhere. I’d love to see these people goofing off when they’re not being judged. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-gymnastics-gala/460751/13 "2008-08-22T01:32:06Z")
[QUOTE=Lightray] Why the heck isn’t that part of the gymnastics events at the Olympics [/QUOTE] Because it’s not a competition. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-gymnastics-gala/460751/14 "2008-08-22T01:47:03Z")
[QUOTE=Lightray] Why the heck isn’t that part of the gymnastics events at the Olympics [/QUOTE] I remember watching a tape of the eighties Soviet team working out. I don’t know hoe this tape came into our possesion. Somebody knew somebody who knew somebody who made some copies I guess. It was a long time before youtube. The shit these gymnasts pull in the gym when nothing is on the line is out of this world. I saw someone throw a quadruple flip off of the highbar. But nobody will ever compete that stuff because there are too many possibilities for mistakes and deductions. The quad off the highbar was done into a pit and would pretty much be a guaranteed face plant, but they would have made it (ie lived without being placed in traction). ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-gymnastics-gala/460751/15 "2008-08-22T01:48:10Z")
[QUOTE=Telemark] Because it’s not a competition. [/QUOTE] It wasn’t a competition _here_, because it was a demonstration for the gala. But there is absolutely no reason it could not be scored exactly the same as the vault or floor exercise – assign difficulties to various moves, and define deductions. Heck, they’re even revising the scoring system for gymnastics _again_ after this Olympics; perfect timing! **levdrakon** , your best bet is probably over at NBC. The women’s routines were rather more-of-the-usual, IMO. Some of the men did some routines that had elements they’d never do in competition – multiple releases on the high bar, for example. The rest was kind of an odd mix of rhythmic gymnastics prancing about, and expressions of Chinese culture. But the tumblers were great. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-gymnastics-gala/460751/16 "2008-08-22T02:27:52Z")
[QUOTE=Lightray] It wasn’t a competition _here_, because it was a demonstration for the gala. But there is absolutely no reason it could not be scored exactly the same as the vault or floor exercise – assign difficulties to various moves, and define deductions. Heck, they’re even revising the scoring system for gymnastics _again_ after this Olympics; perfect timing!. [/QUOTE] But it’s so free form that it would be nearly impossible to come up with a scoring system that makes any sense. They were doing things that appeal to the crowd because they look spectacular, but aren’t necessarily the most difficult. How do you score a gymnast petting the pommel horse? Think of how badly people react to the current judging controversies. At least with standardized moves you stand a chance of getting a reasonable judging equality. Besides, the reason it works so well is that there’s no competition pressure. These athletes have been scrutinized for the past two weeks, every move, every step, every single motion has to be perfect. This is only time they can have fun without being judged. They couldn’t be as free and light hearted if they were being judged. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Dave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-gymnastics-gala/460751/17 "2008-08-22T12:36:10Z")
Perhaps I gave up on it too quickly. I’m not much of a gymnastics fan to begin with (the inane announcers don’t help) and I tuned in to watch a real event, not an exhibition. I can see how fans would love it. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-gymnastics-gala/460751/18 "2008-08-22T12:59:53Z")
[QUOTE=Telemark] But it’s so free form that it would be nearly impossible to come up with a scoring system that makes any sense. They were doing things that appeal to the crowd because they look spectacular, but aren’t necessarily the most difficult. How do you score a gymnast petting the pommel horse? Think of how badly people react to the current judging controversies. At least with standardized moves you stand a chance of getting a reasonable judging equality. Besides, the reason it works so well is that there’s no competition pressure. These athletes have been scrutinized for the past two weeks, every move, every step, every single motion has to be perfect. This is only time they can have fun without being judged. They couldn’t be as free and light hearted if they were being judged. [/QUOTE] You are talking about the _gala_. I am talking about the _Chinese tumblers_. The tumbling runs they were doing are essentially the same as tumbling runs in floor exercise, except that they were fancier because they only had to do one pass, and because the floor they were tumbling on was springier than that of floor exercise. They could be scored in exactly the same way that current gymnastics are scored. It is not an ideal system, but it would certainly be no worse than how they score floor exercise or vault. _I am not talking about gymnasts petting the pommel horse_. I am talking about adding the _tumbling run_ as an Olympic event. The Chinese tumblers weren’t in the Olympic competition; there was no competitive pressure for them, and they haven’t been scrutinized at all during the Olympics. This was the first – and only – time they did anything here. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-gymnastics-gala/460751/19 "2008-08-22T13:08:16Z")
[QUOTE=Lightray] You are talking about the _gala_. I am talking about the _Chinese tumblers_. The tumbling runs they were doing are essentially the same as tumbling runs in floor exercise, except that they were fancier because they only had to do one pass, and because the floor they were tumbling on was springier than that of floor exercise. [/QUOTE] Ah, my mistake, carry on.