Are You Planning to Watch the Olympics?

[Katie77]

what you saying? Straight men can't be cute??!

 


 

Ironically, I just started watching the mens gymnastics, they are swinging on bars and stuff, and one of my thoughts were.....what wonderful eye candy for all the gay guys here.

[Jeff Wrangler]

It is, indeed, a shame. However, it is my understanding that Ian Thorpe voluntarily retired from competitive swimming. It was his own choice. I'm sure I can speak for most Australians, as well as swim fans everywhere, when I say what a shame it is that he has retired. 

He was in the stands "last night" to watch the swimming. The commentators mentioned that he had retired. 

[Jeff Wrangler]

Agreed !!!

On the subject of gymnastics anyone else think half the Chinese team are closer to 12 than 16??
Because my daughter is a gymnast we are glued to it and also the tennis for son. But there is no way some of the Chinese gymnasts are 16. Or do they just hit puberty several years later in China?

I agree that they look younger than they are supposed to be. It occurs to me that if those kids are undergoing strenuous training regimens from a very young age, perhaps that delays puberty? We  know that strenuous athletic training can cause women to stop menstruating, so I wonder if such training can also delay the onset of puberty? 

While I admire what all gymnasts, male and female, can do, I sometimes wonder about broadcasting so-called "women's" gymnastics. I mean, very young, or very young looking, girls cavorting in skintight costumes?    At least the men don't look like little boys. 

[Jeff Wrangler]

The girls probably have no clue.  I remember watching a PBS special where some former East German female athletes never realized they had been given steroids in their competitive days - despite the body hair, bigger muscles, etc., - they were told they were getting vitamin shots and they never questioned their coaches.

I saw that PBS show, too. It was just horrible--and horribly sad, what they did to those girls. 

[Jeff Wrangler]

Congrats to the U.S. men's gymnastics team!!!

They were THIS close to a spectacular silver!  But oh, well.  They're a young team and will do great things.

Dammit, I'm so cross with myself that I just got too sleepy to stay up and watch.    I'm sure we will see some of them again in four years (four effen years. ...  ). The whole team, including David Durante, the alternate who didn't get a chance to compete (and who has biceps the size of my thighs. ...  ). They really did come off as a team, like a bunch of brothers. I'm so happy for them. 

I've been thinking, too, about the ethnic make-up of the American team (Russian, Indian, Chinese, Irish, Italian, and maybe even a WASP or two!), and I think those guys are wonderful representation of what America is when we are at our best. 

So cute.  Some MUST be gay. 

   None of them are setting off my gaydar, but a guy can dream about one or two of them. ... 

On the other hand, a certain young diver whom I watched compete last night (who shall be nameless). ... 

[Kelda]

You bet! All those beautiful young men. ... 

Added: It is a little strange, however, to see athletes from Asian nations walk into the stadium while the music in the background is "Scotland the Brave" played on bagpipes. 

I did wonder about that - I caught a bit of the opening cermeony while sitting int he airport waiting to get my flight to Brussels... why was that!?!

London will have a hard job beating that opening ceremony.

I was also watching the gymnastics today - its def one of my fave olympic sports. I prefer the female gymnastics though.

I was dissapointed to hear little Tom Daley didn't do too well at the synchronised diviing - I had planned to watch him but didn't get back in time to watch it. Have you heard of Tom Daley - the 14 year old european champion in diving?

He's a little cutie... its funny though all the start ages are different - he is only 14 yrs and 81 days and he was allowed to compete..

Yet some of the chinese gymnastic girls look about 8... I reckon there is a few birth certificates that have been doctored to make them 16...

[Fran]

Read "Little Girls in Pretty Boxes;  the making and breaking of elite gymnasts and skaters" by Joan Ryan. Things have certainly improved since she wrote this back in 2000-2005, but I'm sure a lot hasn't.  Read it and weep.

Fiona,

There's a new book out on women's gymnastics called "Chalked Up."  It was written by Jennifer Sey, who was the 1986 U.S. national champion at age 17. 

[delalluvia]

I agree that they look younger than they are supposed to be. It occurs to me that if those kids are undergoing strenuous training regimens from a very young age, perhaps that delays puberty? We  know that strenuous athletic training can cause women to stop menstruating, so I wonder if such training can also delay the onset of puberty? 

Not sure, but I think so.

While I admire what all gymnasts, male and female, can do, I sometimes wonder about broadcasting so-called "women's" gymnastics. I mean, very young, or very young looking, girls cavorting in skintight costumes?    At least the men don't look like little boys.

There's a whole argument going on in women's sports about just this subject.  "Women's" gymnastics and "Women's" ice skating have been given over to little girls because the elite level requires athletic skills that only the body of a child can manage.

Men don't have this problem because they gain muscle mass as they get older, so the older they get, the stronger they get, their body shape doesn't change much.  Not so with women.  The older women get, the more fat tissue they gain along with hips and breasts and weight and change of center of gravity.

You noticed the age of women ice skaters plummet when the mandatory 'figures' were taken out of competitions.  Mastery of the figures took years to learn by which time women were actually women who were graceful and skilled but couldn't do the huge jumps that are de rigueur these days.

When little Nadia and Olga Korbut and their amazing tumbling came on the scene in women's gymnastics, the days of women being in women's gymnastics were over.

Nowadays women are fighting back, trying to not be 'too old' when they turn 18, but what successes you do see are only women who are naturally small whose strict dieting keeps their weight low.

[delalluvia]

Dammit, I'm so cross with myself that I just got too sleepy to stay up and watch.    I'm sure we will see some of them again in four years (four effen years. ...  ). The whole team, including David Durante, the alternate who didn't get a chance to compete. They really did come off as a team, like a bunch of brothers. I'm so happy for them. 

He was in the stands crying as they won.  It was really sweet.

I've been thinking, too, about the ethnic make-up of the American team (Russian, Indian, Chinese, Irish, Italian, and maybe even a WASP or two!), and I think those guys are wonderful representation of what America is when we are at our best. 

They brought that up as well on the broadcast.  Winning the silver medal depended on the apparatus our guys were worst at - the pommel horse.  The 3 guys chosen as best for this machine?  The Indian, Chinese and Russian guys - the Americans!!    It was great to hear that.

None of them are setting off my gaydar, but a guy can dream about one or two of them. ... 

On the other hand, a certain young diver whom I watched compete last night (who shall be nameless). ... 

How young? 

I'd have to watch them longer to get my gaydar in gear, but hey.     I like gymnasts better than swimmers, divers better than swimmers.  Swimmers are really smooth, they have that thin layer of fat (to keep them warm) over their muscles and have huge shoulders (a swimmer posing for Vogue or some woman's magazine was asked to take off her shoulder pads - she replied, "I'm not wearing any.") a look I'm not particularly fond of.

[Jeff Wrangler]

David Durante was in the stands crying as they won.  It was really sweet.

I saw film of that. It was really sweet. 

How young? 

Eighteen. Whew!  (And great abs. ...  )

  I like gymnasts better than swimmers, divers better than swimmers.

Me, too. Today at work one of my colleagues was saying she keeps confusing Mark Spitz and Greg Louganis. I'm like, "Girlfriend, how can you confuse Mark Spitz and Greg Louganis?"