Gymnastics #24 - The Road to Paris

I think Sam is a more skilled commentator than Nastia, but I also think NBC really clamps down on them to not get too much into detail. Which then just makes anyone who has the job kind of sound the same. Sam is a bit better at wedging in some technical information, which Nastia very rarely did. But again, hard to know how much of this was NBC telling her not to. I clearly remember one moment in the lead up to Rio when Nastia and Tim went back and forth about whether Gabby was going to get a skill credited on bars and Nastia pretty adeptly explained when she would not get credit, and I was like “oh, she can give us more value in the commentary”. But it was very rare that she did that.

Sam has put in the work for years with NCAA and I think is a good fit personality wise with Terry and John, happy for her to get the job.
 
honey said:
I think Sam is a more skilled commentator than Nastia, but I also think NBC really clamps down on them to not get too much into detail. Which then just makes anyone who has the job kind of sound the same. Sam is a bit better at wedging in some technical information, which Nastia very rarely did. But again, hard to know how much of this was NBC telling her not to. I clearly remember one moment in the lead up to Rio when Nastia and Tim went back and forth about whether Gabby was going to get a skill credited on bars and Nastia pretty adeptly explained when she would not get credit, and I was like “oh, she can give us more value in the commentary”. But it was very rare that she did that.

Sam has put in the work for years with NCAA and I think is a good fit personality wise with Terry and John, happy for her to get the job.
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It's weird how with the men, Tim Daggett gives a running commentary about the deductions and whether skills count, but with the women, it's like they're instructed to only talk about the gymnast as a person. A Jordan beam routine will be all about her Air Jordans collection, a Suni bars routine will be about how she has her hometown cheering for her.
 
Theatregirl1122 said:
These outfits for the women are a CRIME
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Well, crime or not, I thought they looked amazing.

moebius said:
Wishing that Shilese and Skye were healthy to compete :(. Jade is very lucky to be on the team.
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Still in shock Shilese is not an Olympian. :(

I think Jade would have been on the team for vault, though. It is probably Jo or Hezly, both really, who benefited from the injuries. It would have been close though. Chiles is so useful everywhere except beam.
 
canbelto said:
It's weird how with the men, Tim Daggett gives a running commentary about the deductions and whether skills count, but with the women, it's like they're instructed to only talk about the gymnast as a person. A Jordan beam routine will be all about her Air Jordans collection, a Suni bars routine will be about how she has her hometown cheering for her.
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I also like that Tim cues us as to what's coming up in a routine, or if the gymnast omits a particular skill that they did in practice, or if they are watering down or attempting something new. I also love it when Tim and John are in disbelief about how hard men's gymnastics is nowadays.

OTOH, Sam's commentary is basically: "She is so great on this apparatus/skill" -- and then the gymnast falters
 
just tuned in said:
I also like that Tim cues us as to what's coming up in a routine, or if the gymnast omits a particular skill that they did in practice, or if they are watering down or attempting something new. I also love it when Tim and John are in disbelief about how hard men's gymnastics is nowadays.

OTOH, Sam's commentary is basically: "She is so great on this apparatus/skill" -- and then the gymnast falters
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Tim's adoration of Brody Malone inadvertently led to him keeping a frantic count of Brody's errors and deductions. "Uh-oh, that's a .3 deduction, and that there is another .1 deduction, and he has to connect this next skill and I don't know if judges will count that connection, but I think Brody will still be on the team. They have to take him. Right? Right???"
 
just tuned in said:
OTOH, Sam's commentary is basically: "She is so great on this apparatus/skill" -- and then the gymnast falters
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OTOH, while Roethlisberger was merrily over exaggerating Lee’s most important routine ever, Peszek was the one identifying that Lee’s feet hit the mat during her bar routine.

Mostly, though, this is a production issue where they seem to think fans don’t want to know/learn about technique. I’d much rather hear about that than see someone’s parents in the stands again.
 
Ok so I've compiled a list of things NBC wants you to know about each gymnast:

Simone - GOAT. Tokyo twisties. Has a football player husband.

Suni - from MN. Kidney issues. Reigning Olympic AA champion. ETA: had to leave Auburn bc of kidney issues

Jade - Brian Carey (her dad) is also her coach. And uh ... that's it. Commentators always ignore poor Jade. ETA: Confident on beam now.

Jordan - named after Michael Jordan. Has a billion Air Jordans. Trained with Simone. ETA: Beyonce-inspired leos

Hezly - ... ETA: she doesn't even drive!!! She's YOUNG!!!

Shilese, Skye, Kayla - injured. RIP.

For the men:

Brody - knee exploded a year ago

Asher - DOES THE HARDEST VAULT IN THE WORLD!

Frederick - He is so fun!!!

Paul - ...

Steve - PH dude. The end.

ETA:

Yul - he gets hype after routines.

Donnell - been trying to make Olympics for three straight quads. Too bad so sad.

Shane - didn't make it. Oh well.

Khoi - his parents are worried about how bad he's doing.

Did I miss anything?
 
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Suni had to leave Auburn because of her kidney issues.

Jade used to be super-nervous about beam but competing every week on the apparatus while at Oregon State has given her confidence on it.

Jordan has Beyoncé inspired leos when she isn't in Team USA gear.

Hezly doesn't even have a driver's license!!!! And Simone suggested they teach her how to drive before they go to Paris... cue incoming fluff piece.
 
Karen-W said:
Suni had to leave Auburn because of her kidney issues.

Jade used to be super-nervous about beam but competing every week on the apparatus while at Oregon State has given her confidence on it.

Jordan has Beyoncé inspired leos when she isn't in Team USA gear.

Hezly doesn't even have a driver's license!!!! And Simone suggested they teach her how to drive before they go to Paris... cue incoming fluff piece.
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I added those to the master list thanks!
 
Also remember when Aliya Mustafina was "diva" and everything she did was connected to her being a diva? Like she'd be chalking at the uneven bars: DIVA. Stretching her legs? DIVA. Waiting for her scores? DIVA.
 
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honey said:
I think Sam is a more skilled commentator than Nastia, but I also think NBC really clamps down on them to not get too much into detail. Which then just makes anyone who has the job kind of sound the same. Sam is a bit better at wedging in some technical information, which Nastia very rarely did. But again, hard to know how much of this was NBC telling her not to. I clearly remember one moment in the lead up to Rio when Nastia and Tim went back and forth about whether Gabby was going to get a skill credited on bars and Nastia pretty adeptly explained when she would not get credit, and I was like “oh, she can give us more value in the commentary”. But it was very rare that she did that.

Sam has put in the work for years with NCAA and I think is a good fit personality wise with Terry and John, happy for her to get the job.
Click to expand...
I actually think the opposite. Nastia wasn't a great commentator by any means, but IMO she was much better than Sam. I can't easily remember a single time Sam has actually named a skill, and it is especially annoying when she goes on and on about how difficult a certain vault is, but then doesn't actually explain or even name what vault it is.
 
So Mykayla Skinner posted this video about her thoughts on Trials:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

She's weirdly nostalgic for the Marta era, considering how much she's also spoken out about how uncomfortable Marta made her.
 
canbelto said:
So Mykayla Skinner posted this video about her thoughts on Trials:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

She's weirdly nostalgic for the Marta era, considering how much she's also spoken out about how uncomfortable Marta made her.
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I get a "this video is private" announcement. Any hot takes?
 
barbk said:
I get a "this video is private" announcement. Any hot takes?
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She privated it but you can find summaries in places. The part I saw that someone put on twitter had her saying that there was basically no depth besides Simone and that some of them had bad work ethic. Then she said that there was really no competition for the US which was why they didn't need to work. She seemed to come at Suni complaining that the person who was second in the all-around fell twice and also had to ask her husband how Hezly's name was pronounced. I didn't hear this part but someone said she also said gymnasts can really only be good if they have intense, aggressive coaches (and complained about SafeSport or something??).

She's also blocking anyone who disagrees with her so

Editing this because I actually heard more of it, but in this part she said teams just hadn't been the same since Marta. She said the team in 2020 wasn't the best and it had all been going downhill because no one has the work ethic they used to have. She was like "you can't do college numbers and get elite results, you just can't." She also complained that she hadn't made a comeback this year because she was pretty sure she could have made the team which, lol, girl, you barely made it to the Olympics last time.
 
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She says the gymnasts aren't as "clean" and "crisp" as they were in her day. That other than Simone, no one was really all that great. That Safesport has made it difficult for gymnasts to be trained with the vigor they need to be. Talked about how lax the camps are compared to Marta's era. She admits that even seeing Marta caused her to shake and get a panic attack, but how it's different now. Says she could have made the team had she come back.

Saying she's horrified by the amount of falls. How Marta wouldn't have tolerated it.

Her Olympic team would have been: Simone, Suni, Skye, Shilese, Kayla (obviously 3 girls got hurt). She keeps mispronouncing Hezly's name as Haze-ly and her husband keeps correcting her.
 
canbelto said:
She says the gymnasts aren't as "clean" and "crisp" as they were in her day. That other than Simone, no one was really all that great.
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Huh. Skinner had bent knees and flexed feet in her day. Every US team has taken people who have fallen at trials. This pining for Marta is just bull$$$$.

We all wanted a team with Shilese and Skye, but thanks to the depth of the women, we still have a great shot at the team gold.

And to go after Suni of all people just shows how callous she is.

I do think in a fair world she would have made the team event in 2021, except they decided to go by all around and not the highest scoring team.
 
It seems like, unfortunately, Shilese pushed her body too far in order to be back by a deadline. Most likely overcompensating via certain muscles in order to stay off the previously injured ones. One thing I will say about this scenario is that there seems to be no question. Her body just was not ready to make it back:(.
 
Rukia said:
She privated it but you can find summaries in places. The part I saw that someone put on twitter had her saying that there was basically no depth besides Simone and that some of them had bad work ethic. Then she said that there was really no competition for the US which was why they didn't need to work. She seemed to come at Suni complaining that the person who was second in the all-around fell twice and also had to ask her husband how Hezly's name was pronounced. I didn't hear this part but someone said she also said gymnasts can really only be good if they have intense, aggressive coaches (and complained about SafeSport or something??).

She's also blocking anyone who disagrees with her so

Editing this because I actually heard more of it, but in this part she said teams just hadn't been the same since Marta. She said the team in 2020 wasn't the best and it had all been going downhill because no one has the work ethic they used to have. She was like "you can't do college numbers and get elite results, you just can't." She also complained that she hadn't made a comeback this year because she was pretty sure she could have made the team which, lol, girl, you barely made it to the Olympics last time.
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Also, she only walked away with Olympic silver on vault because Simone withdrew and Jade had her fluke trip in the vault finals. Biles and Carey had both made that final and Skinner only got her opportunity to medal because of Simone’s twisties and WD.
 
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Abuse produces abuse. We see it with parents who abuse their children who then often/sometimes do the same to their children.
Some of it is love and some of it is trauma and trying to explain to yourself that it was all okay and you are not broken by it. Some of it is just not knowing any other way.
That is why it is so hard to stop abuse.

That being said, I found her always to be a bit of an a$$.
The Golden documentary especially did her no favors :shuffle:
 
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