Are You Planning to Watch the Olympics?

[Jeff Wrangler]

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.

Doesn't seem right, does it? That you have to be a child to succeed at women's athletics? 

[Katie77]

While watching the opening ceremony, I thought to myself, I had never seen so many people with straight black hair in once place at one time....

[delalluvia]

Doesn't seem right, does it? That you have to be a child to succeed at women's athletics? 

In such sports, yes.  Luckily you can still be an Amazon in the track events.

Ah, the poor U.S young woman's gymnast team.  They choked and gave the gold medal away.

It's a shame that nowadays, the competitions are so fierce, you hardly ever see them crack a smile on the floor.  You wonder if they're even enjoying doing their sport anymore.

[Jeff Wrangler]

In such sports, yes.  Luckily you can still be an Amazon in the track events.

It's probably an advantage to be an Amazon in track and field.

Tell you what, I even wonder when somebody gets a gold instead of a silver because he touches the wall eight hundredths of a second ahead of someone else. Eight hundredths of a second? That difference is only detectable by machine. 

[Kelda]

Not sure, but I think so.

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.

Apparently there was a 30 something gymnast in the german womans team?

[Fran]

This article offers a glimpse into the gymnastics training program in China for girls who show promise:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/05/sports/gymnast.php

Apparently there was a 30 something gymnast in the german womans team?

Yeah.  Her name is Oksana Chusovitina, and she was born in 1975.  This is apparently her fifth Olympics.  She defected to Germany from Uzbekistan to get medical treatment for her son who was diagnosed with leukemia. 

She has qualified for all-around and vault, so hopefully we'll get to see her compete in the next couple of days.

Here's more info on her:  http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=801/qa/index.html

And here she is on vault at the 2008 World Cup competition:

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyWBDWBM028[/youtube]

Pretty amazing.  I hope she does well in Beijing.

[delalluvia]

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

Owwwwwwwwww!! 

But I see what you mean - finally caught the men's synchro diving.  OMG!!! [pant pant]

Is it just me or is there no real reason the women's beach volleyball team

1) wear bikinis

2) that are all a size too small for them?

I really don't like watching them because I keep getting distracted by their asses hanging out the bottoms.

The men wear baggy shirts and shorts.  Either put the women in t-shirts and shorts or put the men in Speedos.

[delalluvia]

This article offers a glimpse into the gymnastics training program in China for girls who show promise:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/05/sports/gymnast.php

Yeah.  Her name is Oksana Chusovitina, and she was born in 1975.  This is apparently her fifth Olympics.  She defected to Germany from Uzbekistan to get medical treatment for her son who was diagnosed with leukemia. 

She has qualified for all-around and vault, so hopefully we'll get to see her compete in the next couple of days.

Here's more info on her:  http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=801/qa/index.html

And here she is on vault at the 2008 World Cup competition:

Pretty amazing.  I hope she does well in Beijing.

Good for her!  She's small and has that boy body.  My goodness, I can't imagine being her age and having to go through the rigorous training gymnast at the world level have to go through.  She definitely feels it every single morning.

Laughably, the American girl gymnast who injured her ankle 'shocked' viewers by telling everyone that her ankle was actually broken but didn't tell anyone and performed anyway.  This isn't unusual.  You can't see the hairline spinal fractures and other injuries some girls can suffer and I wonder what the bandages and wrist supports the other gymnasts signify.  I read how a few years ago one gymnast broke a bone in her foot, but didn't want to give up her place on the team or training for the months it would have taken her to heal properly, so right before she performed, she bounced up and down on her injured foot to 'deaden' it, so she could perform.  I watch the girls with ankle wraps and wonder when they jog up and down if they're just warming up or doing something more desperate. 

[Jeff Wrangler]

Is it just me or is there no real reason the women's beach volleyball team

1) wear bikinis

2) that are all a size too small for them?

I've been wondering about that myself. 

At least the women could wear something like bike shorts. ... 

[delalluvia]

I've been wondering about that myself. 

At least the women could wear something like bike shorts. ... 

I was thinking the same thing about 'women's' gymnastics.  The men are in shorts and tank tops.  The women are in little leotards cut way too high for their muscled asses.  They're obviously all too young to need a bikini wax so when they spread their legs for the international world to see, the hedge isn't showing. 

Put 'em in fucking shorts for the gods' sake. 

Even Martina Navaritalova started to wear shorts instead of skirts on the tennis courts.