THE OLYMPICS: Official Thread of All-Things Games! (Sportsmanship Required)- Page 12

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 1:17pm

LaurenB - thanks. I knew she seemed familiar somehow!

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 1:20pm

Can Phelps mom be any more proud and supportive? I love watching her emotion when they show her during and after his swims.

I know! I just found out last night she's a middle school principal! I bet she'll have lots to talk about with the staff when she goes back to work.

[EugLoven]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 1:23pm

I'm still a little sore from last night's win (and admittingly, it has to do a bit with national pride). Regardless of their "age" it is undeniable that the Chinese girls performed excellently. They fell and balance-checked VERY few times compared to the USA women in the second-half. All-around, they gave the better and more invigorating show. I LOVE our US girls and all the hard-work they've done to keep our country proud. Silver is a fantastic medal!!!

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 1:43pm

anybody who buys that them lil things were 16 should come up to manhattan. i have a bridge i can let you have. reeeeaaaal cheap.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 1:45pm

The Chinese floor exercise routines were far superior. Mistakes also killed the chance for gold.

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 1:46pm

I'm super sore about the Chinese winning by cheating and the fact that nothing can be done. BUT the U.S. women did make some pretty serious mistakes, which might have cost them the gold regardless of the age of their competitors.

And that woman that did the story on the Pandas - man, I really disliked her. She was the epitome of the ugly American asking stupid questions.

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 1:53pm

That, again, is Mary Carillo. I think the stupid questions were actually supposed to be funny. They didn't always work. But I love her. Especially during the major tennis championships. She is very sharp and she knows her stuff. And I don't find her to be ugly at all.

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 1:56pm

The questions made me cringe.

And by "ugly American" I did not mean physically ugly, more the general term used to describe annoying Americans abroad.

[joe5]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 1:57pm

The Chinese women were superior last evening. They are saying the US women had to wait to long to perform.

I do believe the Chinese woman are underage. But the IOC is not going to address it. And personally I'd rather see them having fun. Than working in a sweat shop for Kathy Lee.

Updated On: 8/13/08 at 01:57 PM

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 2:01pm

yeah, the fact that the chinese were using a buncha hgh'd up preteens aside, you can't fall off the freakin balance beam and fall flat on your back on floor ex and win gold. i feel bad for alicia. she's gonna be talked about as the girl who cost america the gold.

i grew up around gymnasts and anyone who says a 10 year-old couldn't do any of those routines dosn't know their ass from their elbow. not only could they do them, but at that age they aren't matured enough to really get nervous about it or really know the fear that creeps in as you get older. they just go out and do it. i've seen 5 and 6 year-olds do routines that i would never have thought possible.

especially in cases like this where they've really been bred for it since like they say at age 3 or so when they are taken from their families to train. and don't think for a minute that their training doesn't include serious psychological work. i feel bad for these girls wondering where they will be after they have served their purpose for the great red dragon.

Updated On: 8/13/08 at 02:01 PM

[Jon]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 2:04pm

Joe 5 - Do you mean "Rather see them having fun, THEN working in a sweatshop for Kathie Lee", or "Rather see them having fun THAN working in a sweatshop for Kathie Lee"?

[NYadgal]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 2:05pm

Interesting article... Have to agree that the Karolyi's have been a bunch of crybabies.

BEIJING – Marta Karolyi kept staring over at these tiny Chinese opponents, their faces caked in makeup, and the disgust would rise within her.

“Little babies,” she kept telling her team in the middle of the Olympic women’s gymnastics team final. “Oh, look at the little babies.”

The Americans would laugh about it, laugh at their coach bashing their opponents.

But for Marta, the U.S. national team coordinator, and her husband Bela, the NBC commentator, this was no joke. The Chinese had figured out how to upset their gymnastics dynasty, churning out these little athletic machines, perhaps so young they couldn’t even sense the pressure of the moment.

The Karolyis couldn’t handle the results on Wednesday, a precise Chinese team, powered by three girls under suspicion for being just 14 years old, blowing out a stumbling crew of Americans. Courtesy of a 188.9-186.525 score, China took gold to the Americans’ silver.

What kills the Karolyis isn’t that the Chinese would risk the health of their children by throwing them out here before their bones and muscles mature. It’s that the Americans won’t allow the Karolyis to do it, too.

This isn’t a morality play here. In truth, no matter Marta and Bela’s bleating, no one knows how old the Chinese girls were. This was a myopic focus of the Karolyis on someone outfoxing them.

Full article continued in link...


Karolyis’ sour grapes makes bad whine

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 2:07pm

They told a story last night about how one of the Chinese girls was taken from her home at the age of three to focus on gymnastics, and how she wanted to come home repeatedly, but her parents wouldn't let her. They told her to stick to the program and trust the government because if she succeeded, she and her family would be much better off.

It was frightening.

[Pippin]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 2:08pm

so much lying going on in these olympics. (though I am sure it's no more than any other olympics). first it's the chinese about the age. As has been said, there is NO WAY that those girls were 16.

And this morning in Women's volleyball, one of the player from Cuba stated she was 5'7". No friggin' way. she practically came up to the top of the net. I would understand a fudging of an inch, maybe an inch and a half. But that girl looked like she was at least 5'11".

oh, and speaking of that game....who won? I had to leave for work after the second set. The Americans' focus was non existent in that 2nd set.

[Q]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 2:14pm

"anyone who says a 10 year-old couldn't do any of those routines dosn't know their ass from their elbow."

Well, that might explain some of the difficulties I've had in the past . . .

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 2:17pm

i'm glad to see you have a fine ohio-edumacted actor in your av there.

[madbrian]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 2:43pm

Don't we bring alternate gymnasts to the Olympics? When Mimmel and Slezak were injured prior to qualifying, why weren't they replaced? I feel sorry for Sacramone, but she was visibly not up to the task last night, but Marta had no depth to replace her.

[supportivemom]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 3:34pm

Jane- to answer your question, I cannot prove the ages of any of the gymnasts. I cannot assume they are lying. The little boy in the opening ceremony holding Yao's hand didn't look like he was 9 either. All I am saying is that the girls were throwing serious skills and poise that I do not believe someone of a younger age can perform. The problem with gymnastics is that it is such a subjective sport and there is a lot more to the judging than most people think. I mean how did that Argentine judge give Shawn Johnson an 8.8 for execution on her beam routine the first night when she was rock solid. The Chinese girls were just more superior and stable. People have always questioned the ages of gymnasts from China because they are so small. I hope I answered your question alright. Madbrian- I don't think there was enough time to replace the gymnasts with alternates. Maybe they could have replaced Chelsie because her injured happened on the 3rd but Samantha's happened at warm-up. My guess is that they didn't have anyone as good as Chelsie for the bars.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 3:43pm

that's what we get for taking a damn sleestak there in the first place! they can't be trusted i tell you!

[LaurenB]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 3:52pm

NYadgal - Thank you for posting that article. I have never been a fan of the Karolyi's. After Alicia fell from the beam, did you notice Marta's facial expression when she was talking to Alicia? I wanted to smack Marta's face.

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 4:08pm

I just had to share this....




Ok...back to the Chinese girls.

[clever name]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 4:17pm

What Chinese girls?

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 4:20pm

I think they won the gold last night. It was the Chinese team wasn't it?!

Updated On: 8/13/08 at 04:20 PM

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 5:19pm

I have lost a lot of interest and respect for the olympics now. Besides the officials of the games allowing little preteen girls to pass for 16, now I"m hearing someone lied about their height? For chrissakes, aren't these people MEASURED? Aren't there any standards that are held up?

I guess I'll go in next olympics, say I'm 20, 5'11", and enter in the women's volleyball games!

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/13/08 at 5:22pm

mom-I wanted to know if you thought they were 16, I wasn't asking for proof, just your opinion like we're all posting our opinions.