Gymnastics News #21 - Tumbling on to Tokyo

[DimaToe]

From what I've seen from Iordache she is a sweetheart and has handled this whole situation as well as she could have (remember when she didn't have a gym to train at?) Ponor medalling was always going to be a long shot, she did about as well as I thought she would TBH. I know being a target on social media is probably part of the reason she and her family feel that they need to defend Cata's every move. But trying to start something with a gymnast as beloved as Iordache is such a trashy and bad move. Ponor should take a couple pointers from Douglas when it comes to dealing with her so called haters.

 

[Xela M]

From what I've seen from Iordache she is a sweetheart and has handled this whole situation as well as she could have (remember when she didn't have a gym to train at?) Ponor medalling was always going to be a long shot, she did about as well as I thought she would TBH. I know being a target on social media is probably part of the reason she and her family feel that they need to defend Cata's every move. But trying to start something with a gymnast as beloved as Iordache is such a trashy and bad move. Ponor should take a couple pointers from Douglas when it comes to dealing with her so called haters.

BIB - I'm really liking Gabby Douglas. I don't know much about her, but she's dealing with a tricky situation in a very reserved and mature way

 

[skatesindreams]

I hope that everyone here is able to access this video.

"Karolyi"
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/martha-and-bela-karolyi-documentary-gymnastics-legends

 

[VGThuy]

I hope that everyone here is able to access this video.

"Karolyi"
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/martha-and-bela-karolyi-documentary-gymnastics-legends

Thanks!

I'm 16 minutes in, and though it seems a bit sanitized, I'm happy they talked about how "cruel" their defection was to their daughter and family back home in Romania and to the young gymnasts they traveled with who had no idea what was going on and who probably got interrogated about what they knew/didn't know. That part of the defection story always seemed to be glossed over when told in the U.S.

 

[bardtoob]

I hope that everyone here is able to access this video.

"Karolyi"
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/martha-and-bela-karolyi-documentary-gymnastics-legends

It is remarkable that they developed basically three National team training facilities.

 

[Allskate]

It looks like Laurie Herndandez is going to do well with sponsors and endorsement deals:

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/sp...-gets-first-brand-deal-after-olympic-success/

Maybe Aly can get a deal with a pizza company.

 

[DAngel]

I don't have a problem with the Chinese gymnasts bodies per se. I have a problem with the fact that they don't look "proportionally correct". They look like what we call "children's scheme" in German which means that their head is proportionally larger than their body. That is a characteristic of a child and that is the problem that I have because no 16 to 20-year-old should have physical characteristics of a child 12 or younger. That makes me suspicious as it could mean that either their age is incorrect or they got something to stop their growth. It is one thing to look young - Kocian doesn't look 19 either - it is another when your body proportions looks far too young, especially when that is the case for all but one gymnast. That is the issue that I, personally, have with the Chinese gymnasts. Not their bodies per se, just what their bodies seem to suggest.

Short body height, small breasts, round face - the "children's scheme" as you put it, come naturally to many Asians.

Here's an article talking about the "small head is beautiful" phenomenon in Japan.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/opinions/view/size-matters-in-your-face

After some Internet research and real-time consultation with my Japanese lady friends, I learned that the head-body-ratio for the Japanese is slightly askew with a proportionately larger head, compared to those of their Western counterparts. The result here seems to be a rather alarming complex about the size of one’s head. I asked men and women alike and they both agreed—the smaller the face, the better. “It’s cute… sexy. Much more beautiful,” I was told.

Where there is demand, there is supply. Solutions have been created to make any head appear smaller. These vary in extremity. There are features in beauty magazines focusing on hairstyles that will specifically hide “excess” face. Such looks include a heavy fringe, layering and pushing glasses over the hair.

Then there are the beauty products. A guided tour down the neon isles of the cosmetic section at my local department store opened my eyes to products I didn’t even know existed, such as chinstraps, creams and face masks all dedicated to minimizing the face—even a product called “Lostalot” (as in “she lost a lot of face”). Before Japan my make-up vocabulary was limited to “moisturizer” and “foundation.”

 

[pinky166]

Random shallow question, is there any correlation between being an elite male gymnast and balding at a young age? Something I first noticed during US trials was that Orozco, Whittenburg, and Leyva all have balding/receding hairlines despite being in there early 20s.

Then at these Olympics the cameras liked to zoom in on the athletes a lot and I noticed Hambuchen and Verniev are also balding. Oleg is 22 and otherwise looks 16 but has the hairline of someone middle aged. This seems to be a trend in gymnastics. Just curious if there is any reason for it.

 

[Seregil]

Maybe chalk causes balding.

 

[Gazpacho]

Random shallow question, is there any correlation between being an elite male gymnast and balding at a young age? Something I first noticed during US trials was that Orozco, Whittenburg, and Leyva all have balding/receding hairlines despite being in there early 20s.

Then at these Olympics the cameras liked to zoom in on the athletes a lot and I noticed Hambuchen and Verniev are also balding. Oleg is 22 and otherwise looks 16 but has the hairline of someone middle aged. This seems to be a trend in gymnastics. Just curious if there is any reason for it.

I can't imagine there would be for male pattern baldness. I think it's coincidence. Hambüchen isn't that young. It's common to show that level of baldness at his age.

Ethnic groups differ in prevalence of baldness, rate of progression, etc. Maybe those happen to be areas that produce a lot of top gymnasts? No idea.

There are definitely health factors that can cause hair loss, but the hair loss wouldn't occur in the typical pattern of progression.

 

[just tuned in]

Random shallow question, is there any correlation between being an elite male gymnast and balding at a young age? Something I first noticed during US trials was that Orozco, Whittenburg, and Leyva all have balding/receding hairlines despite being in there early 20s.

Then at these Olympics the cameras liked to zoom in on the athletes a lot and I noticed Hambuchen and Verniev are also balding. Oleg is 22 and otherwise looks 16 but has the hairline of someone middle aged. This seems to be a trend in gymnastics. Just curious if there is any reason for it.

Figure skating, also. Kurt Browning, Scott Hamilton, Baldwins, John Coughlin...

 

[ballettmaus]

Short body height, small breasts, round face - the "children's scheme" as you put it, come naturally to many Asians.

Here's an article talking about the "small head is beautiful" phenomenon in Japan.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/opinions/view/size-matters-in-your-face

Then why do only the Chinese female gymnasts look like that? Every other female Asian athlete I've seen competing in gymnastics or diving (and figure skating for that matter) look their age or not like children of the age of 12 or younger/somehow disproportional.

 

[AYS]

Years ago, my dad asked me if the skating gene was linked to male pattern baldness.

 

[DAngel]

Then why do only the Chinese female gymnasts look like that? Every other female Asian athlete I've seen competing in gymnastics or diving (and figure skating for that matter) look their age or not like children of the age of 12 or younger/somehow disproportional.

I don't know.

Maybe you're right, these gymnasts are underage or they're doing some harmful training regiment that stunts their growth. Maybe they weed out gymnasts by body types. I don't follow gymnastics so I don't know if past Chinese gymnasts look entirely different after quitting the sports.

All I'm saying is that many Asians have different body proportions and so may not look "proportionally correct".

 

[clairecloutier]

Then why do only the Chinese female gymnasts look like that? Every other female Asian athlete I've seen competing in gymnastics or diving (and figure skating for that matter) look their age or not like children of the age of 12 or younger/somehow disproportional.

I don't know.

All I'm saying is that many Asians have different body proportions and so may not look "proportionally correct".

The Japanese gymnasts looked normally proportioned. The Chinese gymnasts didn't. To me, anyway.

 

[altai_rose]

Then why do only the Chinese female gymnasts look like that? Every other female Asian athlete I've seen competing in gymnastics or diving (and figure skating for that matter) look their age or not like children of the age of 12 or younger/somehow disproportional.

Probably a combination of the selection process and training. Likely the selection process for divers, at least, favors a taller, more long-limbed body.

I personally know 2 Asian (1 Chinese, 1 Vietnamese) girls who are 20+ in age and look very much like the Chinese gymnasts. If I know 2 university students who look like that, then I'm sure China can find a team of gymnasts with that body type.

 

[MAXSwagg]

Japanese men's hair is always perfect. Maybe its their special chalk...

 

[vesperholly]

Oh and if you don't know her, here's a prettty cool FX https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBwQ5JHYxpM

Oh man, name that skating music at :40. I'm positive someone has skated to that but I can't think of who. Hubert?

ETA: Yep (2:35): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfdeco_kA_E

 

[mtnskater]

Hmmm. Just watched the medals ceremony with the 3 U.S women who swept the podium in hurdles. Not one of them put their hand on their heart during the national anthem. Let's see if they are declared "unpatriotic" on social media like Gabby was. Somehow I doubt they will get near the blow back that Gabby did.

ETA: Also just watched the men's shot put gold medal ceremony with two U.S. men on the podium. No hands over the heart either......scandalous

 

[just tuned in]

Wonder if there will be a 2-per-country rule on the horizon for track events....

 

[VGThuy]

I wonder what the background political landscape is for track and field. That will reveal whether that is something that may happen.

 

[Clay]

Oh man, name that skating music at :40. I'm positive someone has skated to that but I can't think of who. Hubert?

ETA: Yep (2:35): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfdeco_kA_E

Bonus points for bringing Laetitia Hubert into a 2016 Olympic gymnastics thread

 

[DAngel]

The Japanese gymnasts looked normally proportioned. The Chinese gymnasts didn't. To me, anyway.

okay?

 

[Loves_Shizuka]

Oh man, name that skating music at :40. I'm positive someone has skated to that but I can't think of who. Hubert?
ETA: Yep (2:35): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfdeco_kA_E

Bonus points for bringing Laetitia Hubert into a 2016 Olympic gymnastics thread

+5 GOE

Clare Balding seems to approve as well

Laetitia

 

[casken]

Random shallow question, is there any correlation between being an elite male gymnast and balding at a young age?

Figure skating, also.

Pairs skating, in particular.

 

[floskate]

I hope that everyone here is able to access this video.

"Karolyi"
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/martha-and-bela-karolyi-documentary-gymnastics-legends

Alas no. Hopefully a video will appear somewhere soon.

 

[VGThuy]

Alas no. Hopefully a video will appear somewhere soon.

Is it a VPN issue or do you need to be a cable subscriber? I also watched that NBC Nancy and Tonya special did for Sochi through NBC Sports Network online, and in some ways it was even better than ESPN's 30 for 30 Nancy and Tonya special. The NBC one seemed more about the skating.

 

[floskate]

VPN as I'm in the UK.

 

[VGThuy]

VPN as I'm in the UK.

Have you tried the free Hola extension you can add to your browser? It allows you to change your vpn to any country on a particular website. You can have one tab set to the U.S. and another one to a totally different country.

 

[skatesindreams]

VPN as I'm in the UK.

Check your PM.