My Rant About Olympic "Achievement"

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dimmzy · #1 Post by **dimmzy** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:37 am

I wondered if anyone else noticed the new attitude towards "winning" and "achievement" in the Olympics.

Yesterday the US mens gymnastics team had a real chance to win the silver medal. Instead, one gymnast TOTALLY CHOKED. We won the bronze instead.

In Olympics past, any gymnast who had blown a routine that badly would have been greeted with an uncomfortable silence by his teammates. Instead, everyone said GREAT JOB and gave him BIG hugs. Great job? Uh, NO ...

When Andrea Joyce interviewed them afterwards, he said, "We all performed." Uh, no. SHE DIDN'T EVEN ASK HIM HOW HE FELT ABOUT ALMOST BLOWING IT ALTOGETHER. Nothing to hurt the "mood."

Well, folks, this is why a "C" is as good as an "A" in our schools.

China won the gold.

Rexer25 · #2 Post by **Rexer25** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:52 am

The Americans were competing without 2 standouts from 2004, the Hamm brothers. Both brothers made the team, but were injured and could not compete. Without the Hamms, the U.S. was not expected to medal. They had no one with previous Olympic or World Championship experience. One of the Americans had fallen off the pommel horse 4 times in qualifying, yet performed without falling in Beijing. I think that most of the disappointed people are the ones who don't know the whole story.

More of the story...

BackInTex · #3 Post by **BackInTex** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:59 am

If 'totally choked' means not beating the overwhelming favorites yet still exceeding all expectations by winning a medal, then I guess they did choke.

What 'confused' me is the Chinese (Chen) on the floor exercise clearling blew his dismount, stepped out, and his feet were about a meter apart. The announcers said 'a manditory 3 tenths deduction', yet he only got a single tenth deduction and no one commented.

NellyLunatic1980 · #4 Post by **NellyLunatic1980** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:01 am

BackInTex wrote:What 'confused' me is the Chinese (Chen) on the floor exercise clearling blew his dismount, stepped out, and his feet were about a meter apart. The announcers said 'a manditory 3 tenths deduction', yet he only got a single tenth deduction and no one commented.

Don't tell me the French judges are at it again.

dimmzy · #5 Post by **dimmzy** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:02 am

One of the Americans had fallen off the pommel horse 4 times in qualifying, yet performed without falling in Beijing. I think that most of the disappointed people are the ones who don't know the whole story.

Actually, the US team DID perform well and I was absolutely AMAZED at Jonathan Horton who gave the clutch performance of his life.

But if Kevin Tan -- a SPECIALIST -- hadn't totally BLOWN IT on the ONLY event he performed on, we would have had THE SILVER MEDAL. (Props to Sasha for HITTING on his big event)

C'mon, I live outside Buffalo. Nobody told Steve Norwood HE did a "good job" when he missed that Super Bowl field goal ...

NellyLunatic1980 · #6 Post by **NellyLunatic1980** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:05 am

dimmzy wrote:C'mon, I live outside Buffalo. Nobody told Steve Norwood HE did a "good job" when he missed that Super Bowl field goal ...

Uh-oh. I think you just woke the Merry Man.

Scott Norwood · #7 Post by **Scott Norwood** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:06 am

dimmzy wrote:C'mon, I live outside Buffalo. Nobody told Steve Norwood HE did a "good job" when he missed that Super Bowl field goal ...

Ain't that the truth. Now nobody can even remember my damn first name!

Can I have a hug from someone? *SNIFF!*

dimmzy · #8 Post by **dimmzy** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:06 am

If 'totally choked' means not beating the overwhelming favorites yet still exceeding all expectations by winning a medal, then I guess they did choke.

The team didn't choke--the team did great.

But there was no "sense" of individual responsibility for the one person who DID choke. I don't mean that he should have been shunned. But if you compare the reactions of teams in the past when a member blew it, you'd notice the difference.

Scott Norwood · #9 Post by **Scott Norwood** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:09 am

NellyLunatic1980 wrote:
dimmzy wrote:C'mon, I live outside Buffalo. Nobody told Steve Norwood HE did a "good job" when he missed that Super Bowl field goal ...
Uh-oh. I think you just woke the Merry Man.

I just wish TBone hadn't stolen my alarm clock....

BackInTex · #10 Post by **BackInTex** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:09 am

dimmzy wrote: C'mon, I live outside Buffalo. Nobody told Steve Norwood HE did a "good job" when he missed that Super Bowl field goal ...

Sure they did. Go about 350 miles southeast and you'll find lots of folks saying he did a fabulous job.

dimmzy · #11 Post by **dimmzy** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:09 am

Now nobody can even remember my damn first name!

I thought he changed it.

He should have.

--dimmzy, who's impressed at how quickly that avatar went up. GOOD JOB! (and that I mean : )

John Rocker · #12 Post by **John Rocker** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:11 am

BackInTex wrote:
dimmzy wrote: C'mon, I live outside Buffalo. Nobody told Steve Norwood HE did a "good job" when he missed that Super Bowl field goal ...
Sure they did. Go about 350 miles southeast and you'll find lots of folks saying he did a fabulous job.

But nobody cares what those &*@#@ scumbucket subway riders think anyway!

NellyLunatic1980 · #13 Post by **NellyLunatic1980** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:12 am

John Rocker wrote:
BackInTex wrote:
dimmzy wrote: C'mon, I live outside Buffalo. Nobody told Steve Norwood HE did a "good job" when he missed that Super Bowl field goal ...
Sure they did. Go about 350 miles southeast and you'll find lots of folks saying he did a fabulous job.

But nobody cares what those &*@#@ scumbucket subway riders think anyway!

Go crawl back under your rock, Rocker.

MarleysGh0st · #14 Post by **MarleysGh0st** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:13 am

dimmzy wrote: --dimmzy, who's impressed at how quickly that avatar went up. GOOD JOB! (and that I mean : )

A certain person may be going through Merry Man withdrawal while his partner in merriment is on vacation.

I'm just sayin'...

earendel · #15 Post by **earendel** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:14 am

dimmzy wrote:I wondered if anyone else noticed the new attitude towards "winning" and "achievement" in the Olympics.

Yesterday the US mens gymnastics team had a real chance to win the silver medal. Instead, one gymnast TOTALLY CHOKED. We won the bronze instead.

In Olympics past, any gymnast who had blown a routine that badly would have been greeted with an uncomfortable silence by his teammates. Instead, everyone said GREAT JOB and gave him BIG hugs. Great job? Uh, NO ...

When Andrea Joyce interviewed them afterwards, he said, "We all performed." Uh, no. SHE DIDN'T EVEN ASK HIM HOW HE FELT ABOUT ALMOST BLOWING IT ALTOGETHER. Nothing to hurt the "mood."

Well, folks, this is why a "C" is as good as an "A" in our schools.

China won the gold.

I'm not sure whether it's a matter of not wanting to hurt someone's feelings or a commentary on the state of journalism these days - no one asks the hardball questions any more.

#16 Post by **littlebeast13** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:14 am

dimmzy wrote:--dimmzy, who's impressed at how quickly that avatar went up. GOOD JOB! (and that I mean : )

Actually, Mr. Norwood's been hanging around here since last January, just waiting for a reason to post....

lb13

Not Mini · #17 Post by **Not Mini** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:15 am

MarleysGh0st wrote:
dimmzy wrote: --dimmzy, who's impressed at how quickly that avatar went up. GOOD JOB! (and that I mean : )
A certain person may be going through Merry Man withdrawal while his partner in merriment is on vacation.

I'm just sayin'...

And just who would that be?

mellytu74 · #18 Post by **mellytu74** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:17 am

Tan is their captain.

He brought them together on the fly as a team, with two 11th-hour replacements.

At that point in the night, the one thing that group IS going to do is buck him up.

After the job he did bringing them together, they aren't going to greet him in stone silence or lackluster pats on the back.

As far as blowing it, I'm not sure that the silver medal didn't start to slip away the event before when Joe Hagerty blew his floor exercise.

Yeah, he got a 14-something and not a 12-something but if Hagerty performs what he can, it's another 1.5 or so and it's not down to Sasha Artimev at the end, either, or at least the margin of error is bigger (the first two pommel horse performances not withstanding).

Note: A couple of friends who have been in gymnastics all their lives and were at the US Trials here said they weren't sure that, if Morgan Hamm didn't have that name, he would have even made the team based on his performance in Philadelphia.

One called it so-so, the other said he "stunk up the joint." Both thought that David Durante should have made the team, with Raj Bhavsar, Sasha Artemev and Sean Golden as the alternates.

But, that would have lessened the drama. And what's US Gymastics if not drama.

BackInTex · #19 Post by **BackInTex** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:17 am

dimmzy wrote:The team didn't choke--the team did great.

But there was no "sense" of individual responsibility for the one person who DID choke. I don't mean that he should have been shunned. But if you compare the reactions of teams in the past when a member blew it, you'd notice the difference.

That is a GOOD thing. It is TEAM competition. That team stuck together and won the medal together. I hate teams made up of snobby individuals.

Tan contributed 12.775 points.

MarleysGh0st · #20 Post by **MarleysGh0st** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:18 am

Not Mini wrote:
MarleysGh0st wrote:
dimmzy wrote: --dimmzy, who's impressed at how quickly that avatar went up. GOOD JOB! (and that I mean : )
A certain person may be going through Merry Man withdrawal while his partner in merriment is on vacation.

I'm just sayin'...

And just who would that be?

Oh, I don't know.

I can keep track of some of the major characters, but I have no chance with the "extras" among the MM.

JoeBobBillyWayneTucker · #21 Post by **JoeBobBillyWayneTucker** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:18 am

NellyLunatic1980 wrote:
John Rocker wrote:
BackInTex wrote: Sure they did. Go about 350 miles southeast and you'll find lots of folks saying he did a fabulous job.

But nobody cares what those &*@#@ scumbucket subway riders think anyway!
Go crawl back under your rock, Rocker.

Hey! Y'all leave my redneck friend alone!!!!

1OfLBsMerryMen · #22 Post by **1OfLBsMerryMen** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:20 am

MarleysGh0st wrote:
Not Mini wrote:
MarleysGh0st wrote: A certain person may be going through Merry Man withdrawal while his partner in merriment is on vacation.

I'm just sayin'...

And just who would that be?
Oh, I don't know.

I can keep track of some of the major characters, but I have no chance with the "extras" among the MM.

I'm glad I don't belong to one of those major characters....

mellytu74 · #23 Post by **mellytu74** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:23 am

Tan also contributed a 15.4 or 15.5 on the rings.

First or second rotation.

I didn't see the interview but I am surprised that she didn't ask something like, "Were you worried?"

It's a legitimate question that I doubt would have hurt anyone's feelings.

dimmzy · #24 Post by **dimmzy** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:42 am

I didn't see the interview but I am surprised that she didn't ask something like, "Were you worried?"

It's a legitimate question that I doubt would have hurt anyone's feelings.

Why does a legitimate question "hurt" anyone's feelings?

If we're so worried about feelings, then let's call these the Olympic Friendship Games and give everyone a gold medal.

Like they do in American schools. Where everyone is above average (apologies to Garrison Keillor).

dimmzy · #25 Post by **dimmzy** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:46 am

That is a GOOD thing. It is TEAM competition. That team stuck together and won the medal together. I hate teams made up of snobby individuals. That is a GOOD thing. It is TEAM competition. That team stuck together and won the medal together. I hate teams made up of snobby individuals.

Good point. That's where I would have expected team members to ACKNOWLEDGE his poor performance and say that DESPITE that, they were a team. Instead, they said, GOOD JOB!!!

Right.

WWTBAM Bored

My Rant About Olympic "Achievement"

My Rant About Olympic "Achievement"

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