Artistic Gymnastics

Feels like we're back in time. Hi @kristenthegreat @cheerKT @NJ Coach @CoachTamara all here. Hi old friends.

 

I find this article interesting:

Comparing men's and women's gymnastics is futile: they're barely the same sport | Sport | The Guardian

They list a few reasons that have already been talked about here but a couple other big reasons were 1. loss of/less resources like NCAA mens gymnastics programs and scholarships; as well as 2. the difference in building teams for men, who have 6 events to cover, vs the building womens team, who have 4 events, all with 5 athletes. Leaves room for specialists for women while the men have to be better all arounders on 2 additional events.

 

Interesting- I hadn't thought of the complication of 2 extra events with the same amount of athletes.

Also- poor Suni. Not the showing she would have wanted

 

Ellie Black out and Kara back in to beam finals. What a wild ride for her. Hope she's able to stay focused. I'm not sure how much routine re-working can be done at this point, but I hope she ends on a high note.

 

After today I’ve decided I’m wayyy too emotionally invested in Sam Mikulak. Pretty sure my neighbors heard me wailing in agony when he fell on PH.

I swear the poor guy is cursed.

 

Anyone able to explain how Jade Carey managed to get silver over Ellie? I know she has more difficulty on one vault but Ellie's seemed to be so much better executed than Jade. Was it the .4 in difficulty that clinched it for her?

 

I also think that it is also the culture. I mean look at Russia, they basically normalized ballet as also something young boys could do and wouldn’t be teased about despite being on their toes, doing turns and wearing fitting practice wear.

 

He just can't get it when it matters. I think I read somewhere that he and a lot of guys on the men's team struggle with the mental aspect of competition, something that is compounded in International meets vs. American ones.

Beam was particularly aggressive in terms of deductions- but GOOD. Get that apparatus cleaned up. I hope Kara's coaches learned their lesson and give her a better routine, one that is more realistic to her strengths. It's just a shame she had to suffer for that construction.

 

Not artistic, but Hope Bravo was named to the Trampoline and Tumbling Team USA for World Championships.
USA Gymnastics | USA Gymnastics announces U.S. T&T Teams for 2019 World Championships, World Age Group Competitions

 

I think the common thread between Russia and China is that their cultures run on the idea of doing what’s best for the group (the family/country), rather than the individual (collectivism vs. individualism).

So in China, if a kid’s parents put him in gymnastics because they’ve decided this is how he’s going to bring pride to his family/country, stereotypes don’t hold much weight. Their worldview is so much more sprawling and really doesn’t have time to acknowledge fleeting discomfort.

It’s not like in America where we put a lot of emphasis on the individual (“Follow your dreams! Be yourself!”) If a kid doesn’t want to take gymnastics classes anymore, we’ll acknowledge their individual desire and take them out. Not so in collectivist cultures. If you do something, you’d better do it and do it well out of respect for the people/country that made it all possible for you in the first place.

And I have to say: looks like it works. China and Russia are pretty dominant in the gymnastics scene — as well as many other arenas — and I have to think it’s got something to do with this worldview that emphasises big-picture thinking.

 

Not gymnastics related but Jordan Chiles related. Was watching the first 30 mins of The Great Christmas Light Fight last night because a local family was on it and guess who else was featured? The Chiles fam! Spoiler alert: they ended up winning the episode's competition.

It was neat to see the activities of the rest of the family and the property they manage. You can see some pics here.