GYMN-L Digest - 24 Jul 1996 - Special issue

There are 24 messages totalling 619 lines in this issue.

Topics in this special issue:

  1. Kui Yuanyuan
  2. Team Competition
  3. weight
  4. tape swaps!!
  5. It's a crowd... (a bit off-topic)
  6. Li wins AA
  7. The United States and Olympics
  8. The US CROWD
  9. 0.2 deductions
 10. Moceanu's FX
 11. results request (2)
 12. Olympic comments #1,542
 13. NPR spot
 14. Korean vaulters
 15. <No subject given>
 16. Letterman or Leno
 17. Strug news...(yes, more!)
 18. Crowd reaction at team finals
 19. The crowd at Georgia Dome (fwd) (fwd)
 20. Strug to miss all-around finalks
 21. Kerri's out of AA
 22. Day and Date
 23. Strug:  update

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Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 21:47:30 -0400
From:    ***@CAPITALNET.COM
Subject: Kui Yuanyuan

Sharyn wrote:
>
>Little Kui Yuanyuan (sp?) This was like watching Mostepanova and Yang Bo
>mixed together. If she doesnt fall in EF she is the gold medallist..I
>think she scored 9.887 but Im not sure, I know it was high though, I
>thought a 9.9 would not have been overscoring. Ok so to her routine it was
>fast, it had the chinese bodylines, no wobbles (except for a hop on the
>landing) and the acrobatics!!!!!! One pass had 6 elements - leap leap leap
>up one length immed flic layout layout on the way back. But most awesome
>was her RO FF (2 feet) layout full twist, with straight body and legs, no
>Romanian piked shapes here.

I was truly elated to finally see little Yuanyuan perform the layout full
on beam.  I saw her do it in training at Worlds but she didn't make finals
to show it.

However, she won't be appearing in event finals on beam because she fell on
the shoulder roll in compulsories.  I cried.

I'm also dismayed that the World co-champion on Floor didn't qualify for
finals this time. (Mo Huilan & Ji Liya are ahead of her).

I hope she'll be around for another few years.  She just turned 15 on June 23rd.

Regards,

Grace

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Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 19:43:34 -0600
From:    ***@MARCELINE.K12.MO.US
Subject: Team Competition

Does anyone have complete coverage of the women's optional team competition
including awarding of medals/playing of national anthem?  If so, please
email me privately.  I would like to copy it, I will be willing to pay for
postage.  Thanks in advance.

                Allie

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 23:53:02 UT
From:    ***@MSN.COM
Subject: Re: weight

>As gymnasts, 20-40 hour workouts each week keep body fat extremely low.
>Most top gymnasts to not get their period until they stop training so
>that their bodies may gain the fat and go through the changes that
>happen when girls become women.

I just wanted to comment on my weight when training and after I retired.
When I trained I had huge legs like Kerri Strug, lots of muscle!  I weighed
130 pounds.  But I looked thin.

After I retired, I lost 20 pounds because of the muscle.  I also grew a lot
more.  Wow, I'm over 5'0".  But I think also that the girls weight on the
Russian team seems to be a little thin.

Kelly


        I just thought of something since lots of people talk about how "abused"
gymnasts are, NBC said that Tom Dolan only has 3% body fat.Doesn't this seem a
little low?

                Jjeorje

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Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 17:01:26 -0700
From:    ***@PRIS.BC.CA
Subject: tape swaps!!

Hi all,

I know we are doing CBC, SRC, & NBC swaps, but do we have anybody taping
BBC, Or can we??  Even if we could get one VHS copy sent to N. America,
maybe some nice person could copy and duplicate.

Jordynn do you have any interested Europeans listed??

ttyl
Chad

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Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 19:46:29 -0400
From:    ***@CORNELL.EDU>
Subject: It's a crowd... (a bt off-topic)

        This veers off-topic a bit, but if any further evidence is required
about the crowds... (Original Reuters article from clari.sports.olympics, I
won't directly quote because I don't think they'd be too happy about that.)

        The competitors at the shooting venue are rather angry because,
among other things, the crowd has been cheering successful shots, which is
wrecking their concentration.  (Okay, one quote here, exemplifying some of
this insanity...

         ``I'm just glad I didn't have an American in the final
round,'' said [Australian] Russel Mark. ``If he had qualified, he would have
been
immediately to my left.''
         Fans were egged on by a loudspeaker announcement immediately
before the final round.
         ``These pictures are going around the world in a few seconds
so let's have some enthusiastic applause,'' appealed the
announcer.

        Now what does THAT say for this home crowd?

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 16:38:05 +0100
From:    ***@ASUCLA.UCLA.EDU
Subject: Li wins AA

Li X, Nemov, and Sherbo go 1-2-3... nice to know the earth is spinning in
the correct direction again.

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 19:25:32 -0400
From:    ***@AOL.COM
Subject: The United States and Olympics

While my previous few messages seam to speak for themselves, I wish to make
it clear that I do NOT believe that these are the best Games ever held.
 Barcelona will probably hold that credit for a long, long time.  I attended
several events, other than gymnastics, in Barcelona and the crowds weren't
much different from what was evidenced at the Georgia Dome.  I attended the
Gold Medal match in water polo between Spain and Italy with the King of Spain
in attendance and let me tell you that was the most partisan event I have
ever attended.  I think that many Americans are not able to look outside
their countries borders and see things from another prospective.  Nothing in
the US is geard for that.  I feel that the challenge is ours, as
professionals and enthusiasts of the sport of gymnastics is to better educate
our public on what is acceptable and what is not.  Train them to enjoy all
gymnasts regardless of the uniform they wear.  If the best team is the US and
you are an American great, but if the best team is Roumania, good for them
too.  Just enjoy the sport and leave the politics up to Bubba in Washington.

Dean
WA State Judging Director

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 19:25:16 -0400
From:    ***@AOL.COM
Subject: Re: The US CROWD

They anti-US crowd thing is getting a little old.  As a someone said a few
posts back.  It is likely that most of the people in the Georgia Dome were
not true gymnastics enthusiasts, just US team supporters.  Then they would
not be interested in non-US competitors.  However, you will note that they
may not have been supportive, they were not anti-non-US competitors.  Let us
remember the Pan-Am games in Cuba where the US team was booed and jeared at
by the Cubans.  If the Romanians, Russians and Chinese were not used to loud
roaring crowds they have only themselves to blame on not preparing their
athletes for it.  What were they thinking?  The crowd wasn't going to be 100%
behind the best team we have ever put in a competition?

Dean

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 19:22:56 -0400
From:    ***@AOL.COM
Subject: Re: 0.2 deductions


>The 0.2 deduction for not being American and competing at the Olympics in
>Atlanta....in a team event is this deduction per person, or per team?
>
>If it were per person, then per team that would mean a 1.0 deduction, in
>which case if this deduction was not made Russia would have claimed team
>gold!

Russia had to count a fall.  The US didn't.  That's 0.5 right off the top.
 As I have said before, there is only 1 (ONE) US judge on the floor for the
entire competition.  To what advantage would judges from other countries
receive for giving us score we do not deserve.  Our ladies went out there and
WON the GOLD medal all by themselves.  They earned it and they deserved it!

Dean
WA State Judging Director

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 19:23:29 -0400
From:    ***@AOL.COM
Subject: Re: Moceanu's FX


>Could one of the group's qualified judges give us a run-down of how
>Dominique Moceanu's FX came to be scored at 9.837?

While I have not judged the routines, my guess would be a start value
problem.  Dom probably got credit for a 10.0 SV while the others did not.
 Since, we in the USA were not allowed to see the others it's hard to know
why.  Often gymnasts at that level are trying very complicated dance
connections for bonus and usually they are not awarded due to completeness of
the turns.  Just a guess.

Dean
WA State Judging Director

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 19:20:48 -0400
From:    ***@VAXC.HOFSTRA.EDU
Subject: Re: results request

How come in one post it has chow as a qualifier on vault, and in another
Kerri.  Also how come in one post Kerri wasn't in floor finals but in
another she qualified first?  Are they taking her out allready?  That is
stupid considering she has said she might compete.
Alisa

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 25 Jul 1996 09:12:49 +1000
From:    ***@OZEMAIL.COM.AU
Subject: Olympic comments #1,542

>I don't know how anyone can feel worse for the tears of the Russians than
>for a gymnast in pain either.  I am sorry that only one team could win the
>gold, but in Barcelona when the American's finished what people considered
>to be a disappointing 3rd...I didn't see them bawling all over the
>place!!!!!  Part of competition is losing too. The US DESERVED THIS.  I am
>sorry that the Romanians drew the first comp rotation, but it happens.
>And compared to all of the 9.9s and 10.0s that were flying around in
>Barcelona, I think that the scoring here was much more consistent and
>correct.  The US was not overscored nor were the others underscored.  If
>anything, some of the US scores DID seem to be too low.
>In closing, I have just one thing to say....SUCK IT UP AND QUIT WHINING!!!!!
>LMM
>Flame at will, but privately please.

Just a few short comments about this.  Can't be bothered to e-mail privately.

I also felt for the Russians more than for Kerri Strug.  You know why?
Strug was clearly limping after her first vault, and probably didn't need to
do a second one.  Now it appears she won't compete for the rest of these
games, unless she wants to risk further injury.

I felt for the Russians because they have come such a long way since last
year.  Before the Games, I thought the American girls had a definite chance
for the gold medal.  But I wasn't too sure about the Russian girls.  And try
competing for another country and setting up for a beam dismount when you
can hardly hear yourself think because Amy Chow or whoever lands her vault
or whatever.

>From what I saw, the American girls deserved the gold medal.  But some kudos
has to go to the other teams.

Since when is part of competing losing?  Isn't competition all about doing
your best, regardless of where you place?  Why don't you read the Olympic
oath?

Other comments :

* loved Kui Yuanyuan's beam!  For those of you with NBC, you missed a real
treat.  FF, FF, full twisting layout with legs together!
* why was Bogi's BB score so low?  Basically the same routine as Barcelona,
near perfect execution.  Any idea of the start value?
* Marinescu did 2 Healy's on AB in a row to a release (can't remember which
one), and a stuck full out dismount, all to no applause.
* the Spanish women hard the worst leotards!  Black, green and magenta is
not a good combination.
* Liu Xuan had three releases in her AB including the one arm giant to Gienger
* Mo got a 9.8 for her AB, which is probably how she managed to scrape into
event finals.
* Galieva got a 9.862 on BB, but almost scalped herself on her layout mount

The highlight of the final routine (other than Strug) goes to Khorkina one
floor.  This girl was clearly deflated before her exercise, realising that
her team would not win gold.  However, her facial expressions during the
exercise were priceless, and at the conclusion of ther exercise she raised
her eyebrows at someone (possibly judges).  Very cheeky, and nice!

And my favourite topic : floor music.  Most used floor piece is the one used
by Grosheva.  Lisa Moro of Australia also uses this.  Beth Squires, this is
the Frolova 86 piece that you like.  Kalinina also used it in 89.

My choices for AA : Pods, Galieva, Kochetkova and Miller.

Moceanu can't have done much for her stress fracture with those vaults.

:)

Simone

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 19:11:48 -0400
From:    ***@CORNELL.EDU
Subject: NPR spot

        National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" had, like most other
news I've heard today, a bit about last night... they commented on the
offending rabid home crowd, NBC's creation of an entertainment package of
mostly stories with a bit of actual sport mixed in, the accompanying focus
on the Americans--and they spoke with Joan Ryan, who was rather pleased with
the US performance and mentioned that she was also pleased with the older,
happier US team.  I think she's sincere, but it would also have been a bad
move to put down the sport right *now*...  And it was mentioned that Strug,
in making the ultimate team sacrifice, probably won't compete be able to
compete AA :(

        Also, in the same vein the US men at Planet Hollywood: there's a
picture floating around on clari.sports.olympic of Kerri with Demi Moore and
Bruce Willis.  My question for the picture would be "didn't they have time
to get her some pants after the medals ceremony?"

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 16:04:54 +0100
From:    ***@ASUCLA.UCLA.EDU
Subject: Korean vaulters

When I said that Koreans were the best vaulters in the world I was talking
about the QUALITY of their vaults, not their scores.... I dont equate
highest scores with best.

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 25 Jul 1996 05:55:45 -0600
From:    ***@INFOGO.COM
Subject: <No subject given>

Ack.. This gets really annoying.. can someone e-mail me and tell me how I
can get this so that it doesn't send me just one long e-mail? I want
everyone's seperate, because I never have time to sit down and read
500-something lines.

 As for the Olympics, Kerri's performance was great, as was the entire team.
Did anyone catch John Tesh saying that Amy Chow was Team Captian? I know
that I'm not mistaken when I say that Borden was. Just one of John's many
stupid mistakes throughout the coverage of these Olympic games.

Trinity

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Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 17:09:20 -0500
From:    ***@CARLETON.EDU
Subject: Letterman or Leno

So do you think the win will be enough to get any of the US women on Leno
or Letterman?  Both shows had swimmers and Leno had the 17 year old who
women the rifle competition on before the games.  This year Letterman
actually had Michelle Kwan on after she won her Worlds gold. It was a
rather enjoyable show as Dave didn't even pretend to know anything about
the sport.  Which leads me to another question.  Has a gymnast (male or
female) ever made it on either of these two shows?

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 17:41:00 EDT
From:    ***@PSUVM.PSU.EDU
Subject: Strug news...(yes, more!)

Strug also was phoned in to that CNN show talkback live, which wher
parents were on...  I didn't see the show but Kerri had to take a nother
call from Bill Blinton during the show, and the entire team was invited
to the White House (surprise!).  Clinton also asaid that he and HIllary
would be in attendance for the AA, and Kerri said that she just wanted
her picture taken with him!

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 17:39:55 -0500
From:    ***@GATEWAY.US.SIDWELL.EDU
Subject: Crowd reaction at team finals

OK, I'm going to go out on a limb and risk getting burnt to a crisp
here, but this is something I feel really strongly about.

To those of you bashing the crowd at the women's team finals, I was a
member of that crowd. It was a thrilling afternoon. I mean, words
cannot describe how thrilling it was. So I was going to make a post
here talking about how incredibly charged and exciting the atmosphere
was, and how I was crying when they brought Kerri in on a stretcher
before the awards ceremony because *finally* people were cheering for
*her* and not for her famous teammate du jour, and how I continued to
cry when I noticed it was Shannon who broke out of the line and
helped her onto the awards stand, especially after someone surmised
here that there might be some bad blood between the two after their
somewhat chilly hugs at Trials.

Instead, I log on and discover people chastizing the crowd's
reaction. Perhaps out here in cyberspace, criticizing something you
saw on TV, you feel like you're criticizing a general reaction of a
nameless, faceless crowd, but you're not. You're criticizing, in
part, *my* personal reaction to what one of the most unforgettable
nights of my 17-year-old life. You're criticizing my mother for cheering
for gymnasts she actually knows something about after watching their
triumphs and their heartbreaks during the last olympiad, instead of
cheering for the gymnasts that she learns of only through my 5-second
updates right before they perform. Now I'll probably always qualify
my memories of last night with an asterisk. "It was a wonderful
competition, BUT I should have watched the other teams some more." I
shouldn't have to do that. Remember that every single member of that
crowd is a person with feelings, just like you. Perhaps you would
have reacted differently had you been in our shoes, but that doesn't
make our reactions any less valid or your reactions any more right.

Lisa

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 17:21:41 EDT
From:    ***@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: The crowd at Georgia Dome (fwd) (fwd)

Oops....

I meant to say "Opening Ceremonies" in the message below.

Beth-

----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Ilene said:

>I just wanted to say that I, too, am disgusted with the crowd at the
>Georgia Dome and with NBC for turning this into the "go USA" show.
>Whatever happened to the Olympic spirit?

I'm sorry to say the Olympic spirit ends about 1 second after the end
of the Closing Ceremonies and everyone is very naive to think otherwise.

Beth-

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 17:22:46 -0400
From:    ***@GRFN.ORG
Subject: Strug to miss all-around finalks

According to the Washington Post homepage, Kerri Strug
has announced she will miss tommorrow's all-around
finals, her ankle not having recovered enough. She is skipping
tommorrow's competition, but hopes to have healed enough to
compete on vault and floor next Monday.

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 17:17:00 EDT
From:    ***@PSUVM.PSU.EDU
Subject: Kerri's out of AA

Reportedly, Strug has 2 torn ligaments in her ankle (OUCH).
She has been withdrawn from the AA and will be replaced by Moceanu.
Kerri hopes to heal enough to compete in Vault and Floor-ex finals.
With that serious an injury, I doubt that she will be able too, much to her
own disappointment--she wants to compete very badly.
The doctor for the team will make the final decision.
Agents are repordtedly saying she could cash in for 5-10 million dollars,
but Kerri is still saying that she wants to compete collegiately.

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 16:57:42 -0400
From:    ***@GRFN.ORG
Subject: Re: results request

These appaear to be accurate. The other results were the same
as printed in USA Today, listing only optional scores.

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 16:56:22 -0400
From:    ***@GRFN.ORG
Subject: Re: Day and Date

Joy, I'll tell you in one sentence what happened...
JOAN RYAN STRIKES AGAIN!

This was enough to make me sick. I felt like crying. What Kerri
did last night was not abuse. It was her own decision, and at 18,
she is an adult, and capable of making them. I've seen track athletes
do the same thing, athletes in other sports dig into themselves
like Kerri did last night and find some personal reserve to keep
going. Kerri did this for herself, for the team, and had no regrets.

And then Day and Date (and american Journal, running concurently on
our NBC affiliate) both use Kerri's tremendous performance last night
as a lead-in for Christy Henrich's tragic story.

This was not child abuse. This was not anoerexia. This was not
particularly controversial in my mind. It was a gutsy, courageous
performance from a young lady (and she is a lady) who decided
to do what she felt was needed.

May the rest of us ever have motives as pure.

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 24 Jul 1996 16:51:21 -0400
From:    ***@UMICH.EDU
Subject: Strug:  update

Kerri Strug has announced that she will bypass the AA for a chance to win
an individual event medal on Vault or FX.  The story is located at
http://espnet.sportszone.com/editors/atlanta96/sports/gym/0724strug.html

Dominique Moceanu will take her place in the AA.

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End of GYMN-L Digest - 24 Jul 1996 - Special issue
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