addicted2gym<3

Ashley Stott Retires

2009-07-13T08:20:00.000-07:00

:[

This is just a little depressing news for all the Ashley Stott fans. Apparently she will take a break from gymnastics for now. She is entering her junior year in high school and is taking the summer off. She will not compete in U.S. Classics or Nationals.. sad really. But hopefully she will return. It's not really a usual for a gymnast to return after "retiring". Who knows though.

Gymnastics of Today

2009-06-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

Between arguing at Shawn Johnson lovers and watching the 1992 Olympic event finals, I came to a conclusion. WHERE HAS BEAUTY GONE IN GYMNASTICS?

Down the toilet. Okay in 2006 when they introduced the new code I thought it was pretty cool I'm not going to lie. Like everyone would be arguing and was like "this code will be the death of gymnastics" "artistry will be lost" and I full heartedly agreed with everyone...but in the back of my mind I liked the new code. I thought it was cool with the packed routines.

Than people such as Vanessa Ferrari, Shawn, and every single British gymnast started coming on the scene.Although I must admit Vanessa has grown a little since her 2006 days. And THAN I realized that everyone was right. The new code absolutely murdered the sport of gymnastics.

Killed it.

I just recently went back and watched the 1992 Event Finals and the beauty and femininity of the time was simply outstanding. It was a wonderful treat and I was again in awe of the girls. Than I fast forward to the 2009 European Championships and I found myself bored and kind of angry. Almost everyone has the same routines or a variation of the same routine. It gets old.
Where are the Henrietta Onodi's, Svetas (Khorkina and Boguinskaia), or even Pavlovas (who is on the brink of retiring as it is) of our day. Where's the originality? Where is the beauty?
But it is our fault? When to be competitive you must cram in every last skill invented in the COP?
I want to know who will be the next gymnast to incorporate beauty with skill. (NOT JUST NASTIA AND PAVLOVA). Lets hear it.

Is it really Shawn??

2009-06-05T15:19:00.000-07:00

Probably by now you have all heard of this quote. And if you haven't, than read. It's no surprise that it is coming from Shawn Johnson...okay it is a little.

Taken from an interview with MSNBC explaining why she probably won't go to the 2012 olympics
“(On the 2008 Olympic team) I was an outcast,” Johnson told the magazine. “I was the youngest, led a normal life and, I hate to say it, I was good. It’s kind of a jealousy thing. Then when I got (‘Dancing With the Stars’), it was hard because it was (teammate) Alicia (Sacramone)’s dream to be on it.”

Naww... this couldn't have been the Shawn Johnson that every little girl loves!? The role model everyone looked up to!?

Okay okay I agree with everyone that it's probably a misquote. I can't imagine poor little "innocent" Shawn ever saying anything bad about her teammates.

But the truth is. I can see her saying something LIKE it. It's not like she was perfect. And it kills me to know that she thinks people were jealous of her on the OT when SHE DIDN'T EVEN WIN IN THE ALL AROUND. SO IF YOUR NOT THE BEST, WHY THE HECK WOULD ANYONE BE JEALOUS OF YOU!?

Poor Shawn. This whole celeb thing is really getting to your head. No one. Not even Nastia, has any right to act like this. It was crossing the line. And poor dear, anyone who has a lick of sense about the sport doesnt like you too much right now.

happy?

WOW..

2009-04-27T17:32:00.000-07:00

First Shawn on Dancing with the Stars makes me want to die.
I mean I heard she's good but I just really can't bring myself to watch... I might gouge my eyes out.

ANYWAYS news..

Samantha Peszek has verbally committed to UCLA. YAY. Not another gymdog thank the Lord.

Justin Spring has retired (booo...) to take over as head coach at University of Illinios. I'm very very very happy for him, this is so excited to have an opportunity to coach something he loves. And plus he went to my gym, I have to cheer him on in everything. :)

Beth Tweddle opens a gym? Um...what?
So when I first read this I really thought she built her own gym. But its really that she just helped open it.

God I hope England does well at this olympics for this gym..

whoa

2009-04-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a WHILE. And when I say a while I mean like a couple of months, and I am really sorry. I want to continue my blog so here we go again. I'm going to try to update it as often as possible!

Recent news:

Beth Tweddle wins floor and bars at the Europeans. Did you know that was her first medal since...WORLDS 2006!? Whaaattt... I mean thats like mind blowing. I guess it would suck to do a routine SO hard no one could even match it, and than you're always getting beat by people who's routines are actually ridiculous (cough cough Nastia, and every Chinese gymnast)? Well good for her.

Georgia wins NCAA's. Yay. Go red..

Pardon me while I go throw up.

New Years Resolution

2009-01-02T20:17:00.000-08:00

Okay, let me start by saying sorry. I haven't posted something in god knows how long.

My first new years resolution is to consistantly post. Or at least more often.

So its a fresh new year. 2009! The year after the Olympics is always boring. Gymnastics suddenly has a dip of followers, excitement, skill level, and even gymnast! In a sport where everything is about the Olympics the perfect time to peak is every 4 years, meaning the most drama, the most coverage is during Olympic years. I ask my non gymnastics friends and the only gymnast they know is Nastia and Shawn. And I wonder what about Chellsie Memmel, 2005 World CHAMPION, Jana Beiger 2006 silver medalist? I mean NBC didn't even do coverage of 2005 or 2006 worlds I don't think. So I'm going to have to dig for the juicy dirt.

My second new years resolution is to dig for dirt :)

Lastly just wanted to let everyone know that I am co-running a website created by cccam. The site is in the very early days so we don't have everything up, but I want EVERYONE to check it out because it will be incredible.

Check it out!

Post Beijing

2008-11-05T16:32:00.000-08:00

Despite the hectic Olympics, Sandra Izbasa is already starting her comeback. She recently competed at the Swiss Cup and later she heads to Japan for the Toyota Cup, Nov. 15-16, and returns to Europe for the Italian Grand Prix, Nov. 22 in Milan. She ends her year at the World Cup Final, Dec. 12-14 in Madrid. She is currently the only Romanian that is currently in shape for competition however according to Nicolae Forminte:

"Anamaria Tamarjan and Gabriela Dragoi are recuperating [from injuries], and Sandra was the only one prepared to honor her invitation to the Grand Prix meets," Forminte said. "Andreea Grigore has a sprained ankle, and the other girls are still struggling to find motivation." << AKA Steliana Nistor

In other news Jordan Joctchev (you know that 5 TIME OLYMPIAN) will finally hang up his grips after next year. He wants to finish his long career on a good note. Apparently the only reason he has been continuing gymnastics is to win that presidented Olympic gold on still rings, however he has never been able to obtain it. I wish Jordan all the best of luck next year and congratulate him on his amazing career of 5 Olympics, 4 olympic medals (silver and 3 bronze), 12 world championship medals including 4 gold

Cute little Uchimura wins the Japanese national title, and Kashima announces his retirement after Japan's Toyota international. Kashima annouced that he cannot recover from his cronic elbow injury. I also congratulate him on his outstanding career

And of course the Chinese domination lives on as Lu Bo and He Ning capture the Swiss Cup duos title

Fong in the Deep End...typical

2008-11-05T15:11:00.000-08:00

Well Fong's infamous overpushing of his gymnast has landed him in the news again, this time with Ivana.

Ivana Hong Athlete Bio
NBC Olympic Zone
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. - Olympic alternate Ivana Hong says her road to the Olympics was a lot rockier than anyone had known.

Ivana, like many other young gymnasts, moved to Blue Springs to train with Al Fong, who has built up his Gage Gym to national prominence.

At age 11, Ivana left her father behind in California, coming to Blue Springs with her mother and three siblings to train with Fong. It is a decision the Hong family says they regret.

In a gym, Fong looks the part of a master motivator especially through the eyes of a teenage girl.

“I was kind of intimidated by him,” Ivana told NBC Action News. “I always saw him at camps when I was really little."
Al Fong Intimidated or not, Ivana thought she needed Fong’s tough love to make the Olympics.

Fong coached two silver medalists in 2004 and Ivana seemed destined to become his next big success story.

For four years, Ivana trained under Fong. Just four months before Olympic trials, her ankle started hurting.

The 15-year-old says she tried to tell her coach, but he wouldn’t listen.

“They kept telling me that nothing was wrong with my foot,” Ivana said. “I knew what was wrong with it, but I wasn’t going to be like ‘I have a fracture in my foot and I’m not gonna train.’”

Fong discouraged Ivana from seeking medical treatment. Against his wishes, Ivana’s mother took her to a doctor, who confirmed she had a fractured ankle.

With the Olympics looming, Ivana thought she had no choice but to trudge on.

She finished fifth in the team trials, earning an invite to the team’s selection camp.

Her lifelong dream was still in reach, but it had become clear her fractured ankle had fractured her relationship with her coach.
Michelle Hong Ivan’s mother says Fong simply stopped instructing her daughter.

“She wasn’t being coached,” Michelle Hong says, “And I don’t know what I was paying for.”

Fong says Ivana gave up. He refused an on-camera interview, but told NBC Action Sports “It became blatant she flat-out quit. It was almost as we were taken down a deep dark path.”

That path ended with Ivana just missing an Olympic bid.

“Just because I wasn’t crying at the very moment they named the team, they think I don’t really care whether I made it or not,” Ivana says. “I was just trying to keep it all in and now it feels like maybe if I did something or if they did something different, it wouldn’t have ended up this way.”
Ivana Hong Ivana says Fong’s tough love became too tough to take. Ivana soon left Gage Gym and is now conducting a national search for a gym where she will train for the 2012 Olympics.

Her foot still has not healed and some of the pain from her experience might never go away.

“It didn’t end up as big as I wanted it to, but I don’t want to regret for the rest of my life moving here.”

Sadly, this is a common tale in the gymastics world.

A few years ago, a book was written on the subject titled “Little Girls in Pretty Boxes.” That book mentions Al Fong and how two of his former gymnasts died.

One was paralyzed in a training accident; the other died from organ failure after a bout with an eating disorder, which she said Fong contributed to with name-calling.

Fong denied repeated requests from NBC Action Sports for an interview, saying he wanted to focus on the future and the promising gymnasts he has left at his gym.

Listen this is not the first time people are telling the news about the horrible treatment they received at GAGE. I know Courtney Mccool and Terin Humphrey didn't exactly love him either. I also talked to one of my friends who attends GAGE and she hates Al too. She says that Ivana by the end was just tired of them and talked back and didn't do her assignments. I mean thats never a good thing right before the Olympics. I wonder where she'll go and I wonder with the Fongs will do: their image is forever tarnished (although kids still go) I don't think they'll get the business they need and rumors of talks about GAGE going under are in the works.

Other news:
Chuso tears her achillies tendon at the Swiss Cup
Shayla signed with Georgia (booo) and maybe has been kicked off the tour for underage drinking
And camp started this Monday

Natasha Kelly

2008-10-22T14:43:00.000-07:00

Oh

My

God.

What happened!? I recently was just searching around looking for some news on gymnastics when I stumbled on a OU workout and remembered that Natasha Kelly (who had disappeared from the elite sceen only a while ago to keep her college dreams alive) attends OU.

SO I watched a vault and bars workout. And honestly I do understand that sometimes once you go to college you do gain a few pounds, but seroiusly it is only been like less than a year since you dropped out of the elite sceen!

Please don't take my word for it and watch it at gymnastike.org

She is easily the biggest one there! Now I really understand that after going from working out like a crazy person to working out only 20 hours a week, there is a little weight gain, but I also admire those that can stay in shape like Courtney Kupets or Ashley Postel. And the fact that she is only doing halves!? Please do tell me that she is just warming up, because she had such a great 1.5 twisting yurchenco. Her bars also have taking a pretty heavy beating, and I only hope she can return back to her old gymnastics.

Moving on
English Championships: Nicole Hibber wins the juniors and Nina Deerman wins the seniors. I think we will be following the British girls as it is the London 2012 games
Also Imogen badly injures both ankles.

Nina Deerman won with a 50...ouch. Her highest score being a 13.4 on the vault. Do I dare look at what the last place girl was?

Yes. I do. Her score was a 44...double ouch.

Nicole Hibbert British junior superstar wasn't doing much better though with a 51 AA

Man. Not much happening over in England for the moment. I really want them to make a big stride in their gymnastics and maybe wow their audiance and capture the bronze as a team in 2012. Well lets see whats happening in Scotland :)

Glasglow Grand Prix were only a couple of days ago:
Dorina Boczogo of Hungary captures the vault title with a 13.675
(Marissa King of England got 6th)

Sanne Weavers? Of the Netherlands captures the bars title with a 14.00 and little Nathalia Sanchez gets second

Sanne Weavers also gets first on beam with a 14.875 and second is Marrisa King, in third is Alina Kozich who is STILL GOING

Alina Kozich does end up caturing the floor title with a 14.425

News In Gymnastics

2008-10-21T13:55:00.000-07:00

Updates on the current events in gymnastics:

1. Marc Janovics, 29, will join the tour of superstars. He won 3 silver medals (all around, floor, and rings) and 3 bronze (high bar, pommel, and and p bars) in the Special Olympics in Shanghai, China. He will perform after the intermission along with fellow local superstar Mackenzie Caquatto. Marc's favorite gymast performing in the tour of superstars: Shawn! (grr) because she is his size :)
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=241956&src=1

2. USA Gymnastics announces athlete assignments for November, December

MEN:
Toyota Cup November 13-16 (Toyota City, Japan): Guillermo Alvarez, Steven Legendre

Pan American Gymnastics Union Individual Event Championships Nov 19-23 (Rosario, Argentina): Glen Ishino- high bar, and Danell Leyva

WOMEN:
Pan American Gymnastics Union Individual Event Championships Nov 19-23 (Rosario, Argentina) TRANING SQUAD- to be named Nov 12-16 at a training camp:
1. Jana Beiger!!!!
2. Rebecca Bross
3. Mackenzie Caquatto
4. Olivia Courtney
5. Corrie Lothrop
6. BRIDGET SLOAN!!!
7. Cassie whitcomb

Top Gym Nov 28-30 (Charleroi, Belgium): Kamerin Moore and Jordyn Wieber

International Artistic Gymnastics Challenge Dec 13 (Woluwe Saint- Lambert, Belgium)- to be named at the Nov 12-16 camp along with Amanda Jetter and Cassie Whitcomb

3. Dominique Moceanu's father has passed away on October 12. May he rest in peace

4. All of the alternates from the past olympics were in attendence including Shayla which is such a good sign. Gossip from the camp:
1. Cassie Whitcomb has a Hindorff that is huge
2. Amanda Jetter has a Baitova and Patterson dismount, and a DTY
3. Davis has a DLO on floor, hindorff, AND a gienger on bars
4. Shapiro is recovering from elbow surgery

A Day in the Life Of...

2008-10-18T12:58:00.000-07:00

Tasha Schwikert.

I know it's an old interview, but I was trying to do research on the diets of the US gymnast to post it, but instead I stumbled upon this article.

It includes her day starting from 5:20 AM to midnight. It tells you exactly what she does even at school. It's kind of super stockerish but seriously interesting. It talks about having a normal life, boys, teachers, friends, sleep schedules, her family, and other things such as her diet and what she does at practice. Read it: http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2001/Oct-28-Sun-2001/news/17325941.html

EDIT: I forgot to say that my friend just went to the ranch for camp.
1. Mattie Larson was there
2. Jordyn Wieber has an AMANAR WHAT!?
3. None of the Olympians were there as expected

Closure

2008-10-01T20:39:00.000-07:00

Finally realeased by a Chinese News Paper:

" BEIJING, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese women gymnasts are old enough and eligible to compete in the Beijing Olympics, and the controversial age case is now closed, said the Federation of International Gymnastics (FIG) in its official statement.
The gymnastics world governing body "has completed its investigation into the ages of Chinese team gymnasts who competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games", FIG said in the statement posted Wednesday on its official website www.fig-gymnastics.com.
"The FIG has shared its conclusions with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which originally requested the inquiry. It is considered that the case is now concluded," FIG said in the statement.
"Originals of official documents received from the Chinese Gymnastics Association, specifically passports, identity cards and family booklets or 'Household Registers', confirm the ages of the athletes," said the statement.
After the Chinese women gymnasts harvested the Olympic team gold in Beijing, media rumors spread out claiming that the hosts have fielded ineligible athletes, as gymnasts must turn 16 in the year of an Olympics to take part.
Thus, the FIG had asked the Chinese gymnastics federation to submit documents proving the birth dates of five members of the gold medal-winning team, namely He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan, Li Shanshan, Deng Linlin and Yang Yilin.
And the IOC also specifically asked the FIG to investigate double Olympic gold-medallist He, who was registered as 16 while rumors suggested she may have been 14. He also won the uneven bars title with a tiebreak rule against American Nastia Liukin. "

ect. ect.

Of course, everyone knows how I feel. Because I COMPLETLEY agree that those girls look the same age as me, Shawn, Bridget, Sam, or any other normal 16 year old.

Of course I do...

Oh and just some humor involving Sarah Palin about gym moms. Just a laugh before this very important vice president debate. One of the lines: "If hockey mom's are pitbulls than what does that make the group I belong to- gymnastics moms"

Ha Sarah Palin funny woman..
http://http//www.centredaily.com/living/story/870970.html

This is me

2008-09-18T17:54:00.001-07:00

Nothing in the news of gymnastics except child molesters being fired from their gymnastics coaching jobs and kids who are fueled by the olympics to now start their own olympic quest. And hey thats cool and all, but there always seems to be a big dip in stuff to blog about after the olympics are over. I was expecting stories to just come flooding in, but there not.

SO I've been forced to become creative...

I'm going to tell you about my Elite quest. Oh alright I know this isn't the most interesting thing you've ever heard but hey blogs can be personal too.

As of right now I'm a level 10 gymnast. I'm not a bad one or anything, I mean I went to nationals last year and got 3rd on vault. But latley (well not latley, more like a couple of years ago) my aspirations took a turn. About a year ago I decided I wanted to be an elite gymnast and go as far and as big as possible (does that line sound familiar? its the one Shawn used when she described her turning point in gymnastics) Anyways, so my goal is to be an elite gymnast now. I turned 16 a couple of months ago and won't be turning 17 until next year. So no I might not be taking the traditional pathway to elite-ism but hey anything is possible right. I mean my body isn't beat up at all, I'm a decent gymnast, and I will not be competing for the US. Which makes it a lot easier to become an elite, only because this country is so deep. So wish me luck on my quest. I don't know what the final ending point is for my goal as of now, but the London games are in 1407 days just incase you were wondering

;)

Wow Sorry!

2008-09-10T12:19:00.000-07:00

I just started school again and it's basically taken over my life, and between college visiting, homework, and gym, its been hard for me to keep up, but hopefully I can get on a schedule to update my blog periodically.

In the news: the gymnastics tour that just started, it's a 37- city tour. It will air on MyNetworkTV on September 26

It also interviewed more people who are continuing and Johnathan Hortan is continuing for 4 more years and hopefully 8, Morgan Hamm is done, Chellsie Memmel is not counting out the 2009 worlds and might even continue to 2012.

As for the un-resolved age issue. I myself will admit I am getting seriously tired of it. I want them to make a decision and it better be a smart one, and not just "Oh well the governemnt said they were 16!" they better do their research on this.

EDIT to the Last Post

2008-09-03T13:55:00.000-07:00

I forgot to say who was continuing on from the last Olympics. As of now we have a yes from Shawn, Nastia, and Sam P. A maybe from Shayla and a NO NO NO from Alicia. For undecided we have Chellise (who I doubt) and Bridget (who I can't imagine not continuing). Internationally I have no clue. I know Beth Tweddle will be going until 2009 and Becky Downie was thinking about continuing. Um, I think Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs was DONE.

As for Shawn continuing. It really makes me mad that she said that right after she lost and then gave the reason as that she had so much fun. Yes we know you had fun but can't you just ever say what you really feel!? We all know the reason is because you lost the All Around and team. As for Nastia continuing: good for her! I can see a 2-peat AA champion if she went to the Olympics again with the routines she has now only because the new code is down playing the difficulty and beefing up the execution. For Asac it is sad, but I understand. She is even thinking about going into diving for the 2012 games...has she ever dived before?? Sam P I just can't see her getting any better than she was this year. I mean I feel like she reached her almost peak in gymnastics so...

OH and I forgot about some juniors from some countries. Someone pointed out that the juniors from England have very promising juniors! This is very true. 4th at Europeans as a team. They are a very strong group and maybe even more suprising than the French. I think this being their home Olympics they are really pushing hard (maybe not as hard as China, but still pretty dang hard). So yes, the Juniors from Britian are good and one Nicole Hibbert is VERY impressive (I worked out with her once!)

Lastly as much media training as Sam P and Shawn have obviously had, I don't like it (suprising no? haha) but I really prefer Alicia's style of interview. Even Nastia can be a little boring. It's Alicia and Shayla that take the cake for the best interviews.

Now What...

2008-08-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

Well...it's over, and what an amazing thing to watch. These Olympics have truly been remarkable, and I'm so sad to see them go. So the question now is: whose next. We can't disregard those who will be at Nationals in 2009 because look at Nastia 2005 AA champion and lasted all the way to the Olympics, same with Alicia, Chellsie, and Jana. Keep your eye on Rebecca Bross: can it be a WOGA three-peat? I wouldn't doubt it. And Sam Shapiro and Jordyn Wieber are also right there in the mix.
As for international gymnast, I can already see that Russia is not going down without a fight. They have the most impressive juniors out of all of the countries (well maybe not China, but they don't count because I can't tell their juniors from their seniors). Romanians look rather bad on the junior front except for one Ana Porgras who is ace at the beam. Another impressive country is France!! Their juniors look really really good, so hopefully they will be up in the medals by next Olympics? You just never know.

The 29th Olympiad

2008-08-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

I was in such anguish the other night I forgot to celebrate that the post I made was number 100!! So this is 101 now. Exciting I know.

Anyways like always I'll give my thoughts on this 29th Olympiad in terms of gymnastics portion.

1. Despite Alicia's little mishaps, the American girls were still successful getting 2nd. It was kind of a repeat of Athens except with more mistakes which is unfortunate. I just want the Americans to get through a whole meet at the Olympics like 96

2. Men's bronze was AMAZING. That was the one of the best moments. And just to shove it in everyone's faces again: Artemev saved the day on pommel. He was so consistant this Olympics despite EF. I was actually kind of happy the Hamms were not on the team anymore. They were just too overpowering, I think losing the Hamms forced the guys to come into their own and not depend on the the scores of Paul or Morgan. It was benificial in my opinion

3. Women's AA was absolutley incredible. I was so happy for Nastia she is my favorite next to Shayla. What made it so amazing was that she got first to Shawn that had a really good meet. Shawn always takes those steps and wins everywhere else. I think the judges got it right this time. And little Yang Yilin was adorable...and 4 years old...but adorable. I was happy for her. I actually wanted Ksenia from Russia to get into the medals but hey I was happy enough.

4. Men's AA was disappointing for the Americans, but I wasn't really going for Johnathan or Sasha...well I was for Sasha, but I knew he had no chance. I was so incredibly happy for Japan's Kohei Uchimura. He is so adorable. And did anyone watch Yang Wei at the end when he laughed? I was cracking up when he did his little "Ha ha haaaa" So that was a great competition

5. Vault Finals Men: WHAT THE HECK Marian!? What were you thinking?! Urgh he makes me so mad, but he's my favorite and I wanted him to win so badly on floor and vault...but noooo he wants to do it big. He wants to exceed expectations and he ends up face planting.

6. Vault Finals Women: WHAT THE HECK judges!?

7. High Bar Fianls Men: Yay Johnathan. I didn't watch but I heard about it. I was kind of upset after beam plus super tired and I didn't really feel like watching anymore.

8. Bars Final Women: You know where I stand on that

9. Beam Final Women: Grrrr to world. Fair judging, but at the same time upsetting. I wanted Nastia to win because she is actually beautiful on the beam ARTISTIC. I hate Shawn's beam except her standing full and her series. Her leaps suck and so do her jumps and her backtuck is done so incorrectly it kills me. This new scoring system (2009) will kill Shawn Johnson, thank the Lord.

10. Pbars Final Men: I was a little disappointed with the results, but I was happy For Li Xiaopeng I guess...

11. Floor Finals Women: Okay Shawn's floor is nice, and Nastia's floor is very nice, but Anna Pavlova, Cheng Fei, and Sandra Izbasa's routines are just OUTSTANDING. And the commentators are going on about how Shawn didn't win blah blah and she deserved it blah blah blah...oh no. I was very satisfied with the results in floor finals. Not because Shawn didn't win, but because Sandra Izbasa did win. her floor was so so good, much more artistic and beautifully pleasing to the eye than Shawn's will ever be. Congrats Sandra.

12. Floor Finals Men: I cried, for Diego Hypolito. I actually cried. It was so sad because you know how badly it hurt him. He had that gold in the bag after stupid Marian screwed up. I was also sad for Fabian Hambuechen, it just wasn't his Olympics this time.

13. Pommel Finals Men: Ehh I wasn't so depressed that Artemev fell. I was sad yes but he had such an outstanding week already so it wasn't THAT bad that he fell. I hope he continues on until 2012 because I think with an Olympics under his belt he will be much better consistancy wise and his skills will just grow and I can see him becoming Olympic Champion one day.

Ahh nice debrief. Thoughts?

Bars Event Finals

2008-08-18T21:15:00.001-07:00

Outrageous. incredibly insanley outragoues. I was so mad I cried.

1. Nastia's routine was executed so much better than He Kexin's.. Nastia had a leg sepration (that wasn't even a tenth), a missed handstand, and form issues on the dismount. He Kexin had a huge missed handstand that was larger than Nastia's into a dismount that had form issues and a step to the side. Besides that Nastia's routine was just cleaner.

2. Yang Yilin is beautiful and deserved better than that

3. This whole thing with the judging is discusting, this whole bad scoring and overscoring underscoring thing that's going on is ridiculously discusting. HOW (like Bela said) can you have this at an Olympics! It's inconsistant judging that will randomly award some and not others, and it's been sad to watch especially for me because the Americans seem to get the short end of the stick latley :(

4. THE GIRL IS 4 YEARS OLD

5. There should not be a tie breaking rule, and if there is they need to find a better one than that. They are rewarding He Kexin for having an 8.9 and taking away for Nastia having the 9.0

FIG sucks. They have lost all my confidence that it will be a semi fair Olympics. And no, please don't call the US sore losers because today we didn't LOSE we TIED. And exactly that, besides the fact that it was a completley unfair tie, it doesn't matter because they tied.. both deserved a gold, and if I was He Kexin I would of had Nastia stand on 1st with her, she knew full well that they tied, and that wasn't right. She took the gold medal like she won, which she didn't. Excuse me while I go punch someone in the face like I promised.

Just kidding :)

Favorites

2008-08-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

So you guys always read what I think about things and what I like and dislike, but I actually really love to hear what your opinions are. So I have a question for all of you! I want to hear what you think on what your favorite sport was to watch in the olympics (besides gymnastics) and what your favorite moment is of the games so far.

Shawn Johnson. Nationals and Trials 2008. Let Things Happen.

2008-08-15T20:18:00.001-07:00

The best montage in the history of montages. If you don't like this than you don't have taste. Made by ashleyakaflipper

this got 4th place in a montage contest. WHAT KIND OF NONSENSE IS THAT!?

Food at Karolyi Ranch

2008-08-15T18:52:00.001-07:00

HAHAH at alicia

Nastia Liukin Olympic All Around Champion

2008-08-14T23:48:00.001-07:00

Celebrate my friends, because this is history. HA to everyone who thought she was done in 2007, HA to everyone who gave Shawn the upper hand, HA to everyone who doubted, and HA to everyone who said Nastia wasn't a floor worker. pshhhh I knew it.

Congrats Nastia and of course Shawn who gave it a good shot. And little Yang Yilin!!!! Oh man good job!

Men's Team Bronze

2008-08-11T22:02:00.001-07:00

I just want to shove it in everyone's faces that without Sasha we would have been screwed.

2ndly was David Durante crying out of joy or sadness? Both?

Ryan Lochte is my new favorite person

2008-08-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

The Olympians answer silly questions like what would they bring on a desert island and what music would they listen to..ect

Watch it it's really funny: http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/player.html?assetid=19f0a998-9859-4337-a2ee-f0451c966047&channelcode=features

Qualifications: Women's

2008-08-11T08:10:00.001-07:00

Well...wow. I'm at loss for words right now. Here are my thoughts:

Floor:
I hope this injury of Sam's is that bad. Because everyone was feeling so much pressure to hit...I don't know why they would feel pressure to hit because everyone knows they are going to make team finals whether they hit or not. The ONLY thing it effected was Asac let the pressure get to her. She started off so well and I feel so bad. If Nastia makes EF over Asac are they going to switch it out like a '92 Tatiana Gutsu where Nastia goes fighting or kicking...or will it be more like a mutual decision ala Sveta and Zamo in '00?? Do you think Marta has the heart to give Asac another chance? Are they still aloud to switch? I check on that and get back to you.

Vault:
YAY Nastia!! She is just outstanding! She looks so much better now. Everyones vault looked fantastic!

Bars:
wow...for everyone including the Chinese.

Beam: ASAC!!! She almost made EF! Oh man! She was so solid and if she would have connected that first connection she would have gotten .1 higher making her the best score out of everyone. So close!