Womens Gymnastics

[Triker]

I was watching the women compete in Olympic gymnastics. Like a lot of people, I only watch it every four years, but I am always very entertained and highly impressed by the athletic ability of those ladies. I think this is due in part to the fact that I can't do any of that stuff. Not purposely anyways! I mean I'm better than average when it comes to athleticism. I can hit a baseball. I can shoot hoops. I can catch a football. I can swim laps, ect. ect. But, on my best day I know that I couldn't do three backward flips on a beam that is only a few inches wide. The mental toughness and discipline that they have to posses to compete at that level is amazing. Particularly when you take into consideration how young most of them are. My hat goes off to them. Anyone of those ladies would be incredible at the martial arts with that kind of flexibility, explosive strength, and body control.

[usmc1]

We're with you there. They are an incredible group of athletes. Aside from the rigors of training, the physcial pain, self-discipline, and mental focus the level of internal mental and psychological strength that is required to put one's self on the line, before the world, when one is just a wisp of air away from misstep or crippling injury and disaster is a remarkable achievement for people so very young.

They are truly warriors.

In person they are so teensy. Hard-wired little bundles of gristle, grit and muscle.

As my wife and I watched them the other night, we remarked and agreed that they seem a completely different species, strange little female aliens, full of intensity and focus at one moment and all sobbing or giggling girlish emotion the next.

They took, as a team, silver. That, it seems, is not good enough for some sports writers, as though somehow, anything less than gold was failure.

That is wrong. They competed, they did well, and came in second, to a china team, which may or may not, be in violation of the age rules. Nevermind, I'm proud of them, and all the athletes of the Olympics etting a fine example for the world, of how to rise above paltry issues and jealousies, and compete in true Olympic spirit.

But, I'm ecstatic about out men's relay swimmers, escaping being "crushed" by France, by a fingertip! How damned cool, was that?

[brazhunter]

It's too bad because I'm sure in their minds, because they didn't win gold, they lost.

It's curious the mindset that motivates many top athletes. To some, it's that they MUST win, to others it's simply an abject hatred of losing.

You see Phelps is eating 12,000 calories a day? Wish I had some of that metabolism.

[Qikdraw]

My problem with female gymnastics is that it actually retards their natural growth. Some of those girls are 17-19 but they look like they are 12. (I think you have to be 16 to compete am I right?) While they are amazing athletes, I do worry about how this effects them long term.

Phelps is a machine! Even though I'm not American I am pulling for him to beat Spitz's record of 7 gold medals. Phelps has already won more gold medals than any one olympian before. He is amazing.

[Naturist Mark]

Women gymnasts warriors?

Perhaps.

In a sad way.

Many of them seem to be tiny little girls robbed of their youth, especially the Chinese team. One wonders if there is not some sort of reverse doping going on to prevent puberty and adult growth in these children.

-Mark

[MoonShadow]

Sorry, Quikdraw, but there is nothing I could find where gymnastics "retards" growth! These girls look the age they should look.

You have to remember that here in the states and some other western countries, girls are raised and taunted by the media to look older than they do.

A 16 year old really does look young if left to grow up naturally, be active and athletic.

Guess, we are so use to seeing 16 year olds looking older than they are that when we see a 16 year old without the aging make up and dress, we are surprised.

[jon71]

It's entirely possible that they look so young because they are so young. A lot of people speculate that some of the Chinese gymnast are underage, perhaps by several years. All they need to "prove" their age is a govt. issued passport. I find it all too plausible that the Chinese govt. would give a talented 13, 14, 15, year old gymnast a passport saying she's 16. Four years ago a gymnast (I think from N. Korea but I'm not sure) was exposed when she flashed a smile after winning and people noticed she was still losing her baby teeth.

[brazhunter]

...too young...
Saw 'em in half and count the rings?

[Naturist Mark]

Sorry, Quikdraw, but there is nothing I could find where gymnastics "retards" growth! These girls look the age they should look.

You have to remember that here in the states and some other western countries, girls are raised and taunted by the media to look older than they do.

A 16 year old really does look young if left to grow up naturally, be active and athletic.

Guess, we are so use to seeing 16 year olds looking older than they are that when we see a 16 year old without the aging make up and dress, we are surprised.

There is a lot more (http://www.center4research.org/children11.html) to it than that. It has now become common for American girls to begin puberty at 9 or 10 years of age, and some begin at 6 or 7 - among the suspected culprits are obesity, hormone like substances in food (especially soy products) and believe it not - pesticides and plastics.
Other cites: Grist (http://www.grist.org/feature/2007/09/26/puberty/), LA Times (http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jan/21/health/he-puberty21).

Exercise can delay puberty, in that it reduces body fat which is a source of estrogen. But this doesn't so much delay normal puberty as it avoids one of the factors that cause early puberty.

There are hormone treatments to delay pathological early puberty - called precocious puberty (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precocious_puberty). It is worth questioning if these treatments are also being used to keep child athletes immature.

Of course in the case of the Chinese team, the may also be duping (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/sports/olympics/27gymnasts.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin) as well as doping.

-Mark

[usmc1]

Women gymnasts warriors?

Perhaps.

In a sad way.

Many of them seem to be tiny little girls robbed of their youth, especially the Chinese team. One wonders if there is not some sort of reverse doping going on to prevent puberty and adult growth in these children.

-Mark

C'mon Mark. Yeah warriors! Damned straight. I are one, and recognize others when I see them

Courage, sacrifice, dedication, overcoming fear, taking risk, overcoming physical pain, mental focus, mental and physical discipline, extending ones abilities, harmony between body and mind, sublimating one's ego and allowing one's self to be guided and coached by more experienced persons, committment to something outside one's self, and individual skills and talent honed to fine edge within the context of advancing team goals. All traits shared by warriors.

I don't see that any of the American girls were lacking in age appropriate body development. I also didn't witness any displays of inappropriate emotional response. They weren't emotionless automatrons...in fact, the girl with the bobble, managed to summon up a grin, at a comment from one of her team-mates shortly after she busted her routine.

Their coach was a delight to watch with them. Imagine guiding nearly a dozen teens through an event like that.

The girls who succeed and advance to the level of world competition are of a certain stature and body type, generally very small when measured against the rest of the world. Great female gymnasts are almost all little teensy things. Long, lanky string beans, or chubby and heavy-boned lasses just do not possess the physical attributes conducive to world-level competition in that sport.

If you look carefully, you will see that certain body types within the group are more specialized and competitive in different events within the sport. Some are "better" at floor routines and at the beams, and so forth.

But, if you go to a gymnastics competition, say at a high school or college, you'll see all sorts, shapes, and body types participating---it's just that a certain size and type transcends all that to be able to train and compete at a world class level.

I wouldn't argue that gymnastics, as any other competitive endeavor, does not have a dark side--I used to love thoroughbred racing, until I became aware of how bad things really are.

I'm not so sure that they are robbed of their youth. I think that one might argue with some success that young athletes are better off for having had the "warrior" experience with its development of self-discipline and measureable achievement as opposed to mooning about the mall and text-messaging OMG about some boy's butt!

They are just having a different set of experiences than other youths.

But, I do agree, that if children are farmed, drugged, and medicated to achieve a competitive type, then that is a monstrous abomination.

I think, there could have been an age violation thing with the Chinese, with one or two pre-pubescent or barely pubescent girls competing, which might lead one to think some sort of developmental repression took place.

[JeepNude]

When my youngest sister was in gymnastics, I remember watching the meets with the same awe for the sport that you have. I also remember the attitude of all participants that "Second place is the first LOSER!" My sister would be just devastated if she did not place first at a meet in her events. For weeks sometimes. Which would make her practice even harder. She would hardly eat a thing because of nerves. We used to get worried about her sometimes. Then, when she hit puberty, she finally started to grow a little and her coaches told her she was no longer going to be competitive, and dropped her from the competitive part of the sport, sending her to recreational coaches and giving up on her. That crushed her. Standing back and looking in from the outside, I couldn't understand, and still don't. But, from the inside, apparently, it is everything to those kids and nothing less but the best will do. Unfortunately, nearly every one of those kids will end up in therapy!

[Bob S.]

MoonShadow:"Sorry, Quikdraw, but there is nothing I could find where gymnastics "retards" growth! These girls look the age they should look."

At Sports Injury Bulletin (http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/female-gymnasts-injury.html), they talk about whether gymnastics training retards growth and they found that the intense practice of the elite gymnasts may indeed cause a temporary slowdown in growth, but the normal growth can return after the training slows down. Also, elite gymnastics may just be better suited for those who are naturally smaller.

As for the drugging aspect, that is another question altogether.

I love gymnastics but this year, I wasn't as interested. Realize, however, that gymnastics is not over. Starting Aug 21 and continuing every day until Aug 24, the Rhythmic Gymnastics will take place.

Bob S.