What's Up?!! with Gymnastics and Jenn Stuczynski's Coach?

The Olympic Committee needs to meet up again and fix the rules for gymnastics scoring. Nastia was tied with the Chinese gymnast, Kexin He, in the uneven bars individual standing. Tied for the gold, mind you. But, because of RULES in gymnastics...you can't have 2 gymnasts winning gold. What?!!! Let me shout that one out again,

WHAT?!!!??!!

And, and, AND...they took away the perfect 10 score? Huh?!!! Uh...why?

There should have been 2 bright, smiling ladies on that gold podium: Kexin and Nastia. Nastia's program, though, was superior, I believe. But, away from that, they shoulda BOTH been up there.

Even when Marta Karolyi (Bela's wife) was explaining the scoring and the tie-breaking rules to both Nastia and her father...I was still confused! Even when the commentators explained...I was scrunching my forehead. Even when things seemed to be clearer in my head about the scoring...I was wanting to slap the Australian judge! Ha! But, not many things are judged objectively these days. It's all subject.

Get it straight for the next Games, Olympic Committee! Don't be robbing future athletes.

And, now...for the coach of pole vaulting silver-medalist, Jenn Stuczynksi. If I were the people standing next to him, I would have DECKED him. No doubt in my mind. How dare he talk to her in that way. He was so defensive with her, so angry. He couldn't even look her in the eye and was holding on to his Blackberry the whole time he was chastising her.

Coach! Your girl won the silver! Shut the hell up and be proud.

I Hate douchbag, ass-wipes like that. She needs to get a new coach.

Three Cheers for you, Jenn! You placed in the Olympic games against Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia (who broke her own world record!) who was the gold-medalist the last Olympics.

Jipped at the Olympics, the Emotional Bela and a Post-Script

What the hey-ho? What was up with the judges for the women's vault? Alicia should have gotten atleast bronze and she ends up in that awful place of 4th?!!!

What?!!

And how much do I adore Bela Karolyi? I've always loved him and having him choke up while in reaction of ghastly sadness about Alicia? He was so choked up that I finally let my tears out for Alicia.

C'mon!!!

Alicia hit her vaults. Tiny steps on her landings. But, I'm sorry...did she fall out of bounds? No. Did she almost land on her knees? No. Did she ever put her hands down on the mat when she landed? NO.

And who did? China and Korea. I have had great support for China in gymnastics. They were amazing in the team performances. But, HELLO! I understand the start values of their vaults were high BUT there were some obvious mistakes those girls made. Mm-mm-mm.

I don't get it.

But, let me give *three cheers* to Oksana competing for Germany (not her native Russia). That woman is 33-years-old. Hello! She had gold and was knocked down to silver after Korea went (and made her mistakes. Mm...).

PS I love Shawn Johnson. I wish she won the gold for her floor exercise. She's adorable (I mean that in a great way...because I know what it feels like to always be called, "cute," *ugh*) and illuminating.

One More Thing About the Torres That is Dara...

I was watching her on NBC. She was giving an interview and I loved her honesty. She said that she was disappointed. She's a competitive person, so, of course she would be. And she was saying, Thank God, that what happened to Cavic against Phelps 2 nights ago had never happened to her. She added with, maybe she had jinxed herself. She's supreme, man.

Wouldn't it be aMAYzing if she came back for the London games? *whew*

She's got a great spirit.

Here's an article on Dara done last year in November:
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/meet-dara-torres

I Love Dara Torres

"Don't put an age limit on your dreams."

What an amazing woman she is. I remember looking at photos of her in Olympics special magazines in Olympics years past. What an inspiration. 41-one-years old? Get out! 11 Olympic medals? Missing 2 Olympics and then coming back this year? C'mon!!! She's got a kid? And she chats her competitors and her teammates off like a 16-year-old school girl! She's great.

Last night, she showed sportsmanship. The kind of sportsmanship that is worthy of the Olympics. One of the swimmers (I believe the one from Sweden) had ripped her suit and went to put on a new one right before the semi for the 50m freestyle. Dara went over to one of the refs (is that what they're called? Beats me) and told her about what was going on with the Swedish swimmer. Lane 2 was empty. Dara then went to splash herself on the side, went back to her place, and let every one know that things would be okay and to calm down, that they just had to wait a couple of minutes for the Swedish swimmer to get her suit on.

With all that that COULD HAVE marred her focus, she pulled out to be first place in that semi to secure a place in the final in which she won silver. She almost had the gold. She needed that Phelps miracle.

I know what that feels like, on the minutest of levels. I played basketball for 6 1/2 years. Was MVP for 3 years and Most Inspirational for 1. I'm very competitive and hate to lose. There were games where my team would lose by 1 point to which I would have rather lost by 20. It was always hard to swallow but you always continue on. But, I can only imagine (yet, perhaps not) what kind of disappointment one must feel in the Olympics when they are so close to gold.

BUT, that does not take away anything at all from one competing in the Olympic Games. They are one of hundreds of the greatest athletes in the world. Amazing.

I love the summer Olympics. I always have. There's nothing like it. The intensity of the demands made on these spectacular individuals; physically, mentally, emotionally. Mm-mm-mm. The strain, the pressure, the Want. These athletes have an objective and they will do what it takes (hopefully, legally) to win.

I love it. I'm inspired not only by the ones who win gold, silver, bronze; but by the personal stories, the people behind the athletes, the sportsmanship, the teamanship, the Great support. NEVER have I not cried during the Olympics. Never.