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I would guess most Olympic athletes from the US come from pretty cush backgrounds , with parents who can afford to shepherd them through elite athletic programs.
Notwithstanding the truth that rarely, someone with equally hard lives surprises everyone with their successes.
Why can't you give her credit for rising above her situation?
What would it cost you to say, wow, she's really thrived in a very tough atmosphere?
Not everyone shares your gift of humility and grace.
You ever been POTUS? Ever criticized the POTUS? Have you ever criticized any other athlete? Or a movie star or a singer?
People are allowed to have opinions about people in the public realm.
Huge difference between being POTUSand being a competitive athlete.
The POTUS's actions and decisions affect the entire country.
An athlete pulling out of a competition or failing to place in a competition doesn't affect anyone other themselves. They don't owe anyone any explanations, either. Or medals. Last time I checked we live in the USA, not the USSR or GDR, two countries that put a lot of pressure on their athletes because they used them for political propaganda purposes.
And the so-called opinions espoused by the people who have been trashing her all week are just that- stupid comments made by stupid people who have no clue about the sport of gymnastics from a technical, physical or mental aspect, and they conveniently ignore any efforts to correct their misconceptions, as I have tried to do here, because they are proud of their ignorance, because that would mean they would have to find a new target for their scorn or derision. Nor do they have any idea what it is like to compete at the top-level of any sport for an extended period of time, like 2 Olympic cycles, because the rules always change after each Olympics.
They really need to sit down, shut up, and stick to what they know. Calling her a quitter, for example, when it has been explained over and over and over and over and over again, by the analysts on NBC, all of whom are Olympic Champions, other present and former gymnasts have also weighed in on what the "twisties" are, and how dangerous they can be - and seriously, EVERY SINGLE SPORT has its own lingo and terms for different aspects, so just because lay people have never heard of them doesn't mean this is something she just made up - so it's idiotic for people who've never done gymnastics to be questioning any part of that. Spatial awareness is key for being able to perform aerial twisting skills, because you can't set up a landing and check out of the rotation otherwise, if you lose that ability. And it can happen to ANY gymnast at ANY level. Most people giving their "opinion" can't even turn a simple cartwheel with perfect form, or walk the length of a beam without wobbling, so how are they experts on what goes on in the mind of a competitive gymnast, or what it takes to actually perform elite-level skills, all of a sudden???
Last edited by ContraPagan; 08-03-2021 at 08:26 PM..
I would guess most Olympic athletes from the US come from pretty cush backgrounds , with parents who can afford to shepherd them through elite athletic programs.
Notwithstanding the truth that rarely, someone with equally hard lives surprises everyone with their successes.
Why can't you give her credit for rising above her situation?
What would it cost you to say, wow, she's really thrived in a very tough atmosphere?
Huge difference between being POTUSand being a competitive athlete.
The POTUS's actions and decisions affect the entire country.
An athlete pulling out of a competition or failing to place in a competition doesn't affect anyone other themselves. They don't owe anyone any explanations, either. Or medals. Last time I checked we live in the USA, not the USSR or GDR, two countries that put a lot of pressure on their athletes because they used them for political propaganda purposes.
And the so-called opinions espoused by the people who have been trashing her all week are just that- stupid comments made by stupid people who have no clue about the sport of gymnastics from a technical, physical or mental aspect, and they conveniently ignore any efforts to correct their misconceptions, as I have tried to do here, because they are proud of their ignorance, because that would mean they would have to find a new target for their scorn or derision. Nor do they have any idea what it is like to compete at the top-level of any sport for an extended period of time, like 2 Olympic quadrennials.
They really need to sit down, shut up, and stick to what they know. Calling her a quitter, for example, when it has been explained over and over and over and over and over again, by the analysts on NBC, all of whom are Olympic Champions, other present and former gymnasts have also weighed in on what the "twisties" are, and how dangerous they can be - and seriously, EVERY SINGLE SPORT has its own lingo and terms for different aspects, so just because lay people have never heard of them doesn't mean this is something she just made up - so it's idiotic for people who've never done gymnastics to be questioning any part of that. Spatial awareness is key for being able to perform aerial twisting skills, because you can't set up a landing and check out of the rotation otherwise, if you lose that ability. And it can happen to ANY gymnast at ANY level. Most people giving their "opinion" can't even turn a simple cartwheel with perfect form, or walk the length of a beam without wobbling, so how are they experts on what goes on in the mind of a competitive gymnast, or what it takes to actually perform elite-level skills, all of a sudden???
Yeah, she's a quitter. We know your opinion is of greater value because you have been watching gymnastics for a long time lol...
But why use so many words to demonstrate you missed the point of the post you were responding to? You actually disagree with the poster he was responding to. One need not have won Gold medals to comment, which was the point, or else you wouldn't be here so often telling us how much gymnastics you have watched on TV.
The best thing about this whole episode is the new additions to our lexicon. "Biles it up" for tapping out, and "I've got the twisties" for when the going gets too tough...
I would guess most Olympic athletes from the US come from pretty cush backgrounds , with parents who can afford to shepherd them through elite athletic programs.
—the majority of US Olympic athletes are absolutely not from “cush” backgrounds; for every Nancy Kerrigan there are two Tonya Harding’s. Most families make tremendous sacrifices to pay for the level of elite training Olympic caliber athletes need. I’m sure you could research and find many inspirational stories.
Quote:
Why can't you give her credit for rising above her situation?
—Because she DIDN’T rise above her situation. Rising above her situation would mean that she competed and didn’t withdraw, OR that she withdrew before the competition because she was honest with herself about her mental state. And if she is truly the GOAT, she would not have gotten bronze.
Quote:
Notwithstanding the truth that rarely, someone with equally hard lives surprises everyone with their successes.
—No one is surprised by Simone’s success. Why would we be? Because she’s black or poor or had a hard family life?
—As to your assertion that this is “rare”....no, it is NOT rare. Frankly, that is what is remarkable about the US—that despite humble or difficult circumstances in childhood, talent still can find a way to shine...
...Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Dolly Parton, Wynonna Judd (and her sister Ashley). Oprah, Jennifer Hudson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Halle Berry, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ed Sheeran, Henry Winkler, Audrey Hepburn, Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand, Ralph Lauren, half of the the NFL, olympians too numerous to name, Tyler Perry, Charlize Theron, and Aretha Franklin...
...and that is just off the top of my head.
Hard lives doesn’t preclude success. Sometimes hard lives causes success. Nor does mental illness prevent success. With treatment, even those suffering from depression, anxiety, OCD, or other conditions can find remarkable success. (Incidentally, David Beckham has severe OCD, although since he is British I am excluding him from my list).
Because it was HER decision whether or not to compete, and beam gives her the least trouble, because there was only one twisting element, the dismount, which she changed to a plaindouble back somersault.
Gee for our resident gymnastics aficionado, I would have thought you would know the difference between a Pike and a Somersault...
Status:
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Quote:
Originally Posted by calgirlinnc
—the majority of US Olympic athletes are absolutely not from “cush” backgrounds; for every Nancy Kerrigan there are two Tonya Harding’s. Most families make tremendous sacrifices to pay for the level of elite training Olympic caliber athletes need. I’m sure you could research and find many inspirational stories.
—Because she DIDN’T rise above her situation. Rising above her situation would mean that she competed and didn’t withdraw, OR that she withdrew before the competition because she was honest with herself about her mental state. And if she is truly the GOAT, she would not have gotten bronze.
—No one is surprised by Simone’s success. Why would we be? Because she’s black or poor or had a hard family life?
—As to your assertion that this is “rare”....no, it is NOT rare. Frankly, that is what is remarkable about the US—that despite humble or difficult circumstances in childhood, talent still can find a way to shine...
...Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Dolly Parton, Wynonna Judd (and her sister Ashley). Oprah, Jennifer Hudson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Halle Berry, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ed Sheeran, Henry Winkler, Audrey Hepburn, Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand, Ralph Lauren, half of the the NFL, olympians too numerous to name, Tyler Perry, Charlize Theron, and Aretha Franklin...
...and that is just off the top of my head.
Hard lives doesn’t preclude success. Sometimes hard lives causes success. Nor does mental illness prevent success. With treatment, even those suffering from depression, anxiety, OCD, or other conditions can find remarkable success. (Incidentally, David Beckham has severe OCD, although since he is British I am excluding him from my list).
I don't understand you, at all. This is the most successful female gymnast of all time.
Reading through your list, I don't see all that many who were in foster care in their developmental years. Or really, any who were.
Yes. There were people who came from poverty, but they had loving, supportive parents and extended families.
The original poster hit the nail on the head! When things get tough.....cry and claim mental problems. She planned it well. Funny that she came back to the competition and took home a bunch of medals. All of a sudden, she was "well" again. Her handlers taught her well!
She won ONE individual medal, bronze on beam, besides the silver from the Team Final. I'm not sure where that "bunch" of individual medals came from.
Seriously, read and at least try to educate yourself:
Two-time Olympic gold medal trampolinist Rosie MacLennan of Canada struggled with her own version of “the twisties” while training for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. She recovered in time to top the podium in Brazil, but only after painstakingly relearning her skills over time.
“There (are) mental pieces to all sports, but in aerial sports where you’re slipping and twisting, there’s a huge mental component,” MacLennan said Friday after finishing fourth. “And when you get lost in the air, it’s one of the most terrifying experiences you can have.”
A terror that never really fully goes away.
“It sticks with you,” the 32-year-old MacLennan said. “So it’s something that like even to this day that you second guess yourself sometimes and it just takes a lot of really diligent work and a lot of patience and a lot of support around you.”
American trampolinist Nicole Ahsinger was a 12-year-old prodigy in southern California when she developed a case of what she calls “the flippies.” She would over-rotate time and again. Ground would become sky and vice versa.
It got to the point where Ahsinger, now 23, became too afraid to do one flip let alone the two — or more — required for a sport that sends athletes three stories into the air.
“I would cry every day,” said Ahsinger, who came in sixth in the trampoline finals in her second Olympics.
She ended up moving from San Diego to Louisiana in an effort to recalibrate. The “flippies” eventually eased, but only after she rebuilt her skills literally from the ground up. Biles doesn’t have that kind of time.
You going to say the two gymnasts in the quote are liars and fakers, too?
If you've never been a gymnast, you really shouldn't be commenting.
Huge difference between being POTUSand being a competitive athlete.
The POTUS's actions and decisions affect the entire country.
An athlete pulling out of a competition or failing to place in a competition doesn't affect anyone other themselves. They don't owe anyone any explanations, either. Or medals. Last time I checked we live in the USA, not the USSR or GDR, two countries that put a lot of pressure on their athletes because they used them for political propaganda purposes.
And the so-called opinions espoused by the people who have been trashing her all week are just that- stupid comments made by stupid people who have no clue about the sport of gymnastics from a technical, physical or mental aspect, and they conveniently ignore any efforts to correct their misconceptions, as I have tried to do here, because they are proud of their ignorance, because that would mean they would have to find a new target for their scorn or derision. Nor do they have any idea what it is like to compete at the top-level of any sport for an extended period of time, like 2 Olympic cycles, because the rules always change after each Olympics.
They really need to sit down, shut up, and stick to what they know. Calling her a quitter, for example, when it has been explained over and over and over and over and over again, by the analysts on NBC, all of whom are Olympic Champions, other present and former gymnasts have also weighed in on what the ”twisties” are, and how dangerous they can be - and seriously, EVERY SINGLE SPORT has its own lingo and terms for different aspects, so just because lay people have never heard of them doesn't mean this is something she just made up - so it's idiotic for people who've never done gymnastics to be questioning any part of that. Spatial awareness is key for being able to perform aerial twisting skills, because you can't set up a landing and check out of the rotation otherwise, if you lose that ability. And it can happen to ANY gymnast at ANY level. Most people giving their ”opinion” can't even turn a simple cartwheel with perfect form, or walk the length of a beam without wobbling, so how are they experts on what goes on in the mind of a competitive gymnast, or what it takes to actually perform elite-level skills, all of a sudden???
I could really give a hoot about the difficulties of elite gymnasts. And you are right, I don’t know all that much about Olympic level athletics.
But you know what I do know about?
Mental illness.
Most people with mental illnesses don’t get to quit when their head is messing with them. They still have to get up, every damn day, and go to work, go to school, take care of the kids and house, do their homework, fulfill their commitments.
I don’t want one more word from you about injuries and life threatening moments.
Mental illness causes injuries and life threatening moments. You know how I know? I have witnessed it. I have been through hell and back because of mental illness and self harm and suicidal ideation. And you presume to lecture me?
So excuse me if I’m not sympathetic enough for you about Simone Biles and her difficulties, while she has millions in endorsements and a sympathetic media and doesn’t have to worry about the real world for the rest of her life.
Simone screwed up, and she was a head case. That’s fine. That happens. But don’t act like she is some kind of hero. My hero has gone through just as much and back again, but he never makes excuses for it and he doesn’t get a pass because of it.
Last edited by calgirlinnc; 08-03-2021 at 08:52 PM..
I don't understand you, at all. This is the most successful female gymnast of all time.
Reading through your list, I don't see all that many who were in foster care in their developmental years. Or really, any who were.
Yes. There were people who came from poverty, but they had loving, supportive parents and extended families.
Give her a break.
You’re kidding right? Only foster families count as difficulty? Poverty, homelessness, not enough food to eat, are no big deal?
Aretha Franklin had two children by the age of 14. Oprah was raped and had a child at age 12 (?). Charlize Theon’s father tried to kill her and her mother. Tyler Perry was molested by a family member beginning at the age of 5.... “Loving, supportive parents and extended families”... give ME a break.
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