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twoflipstwotwists · 3 years

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It’s a late afternoon in April, and Sunisa “Suni” Lee is where most people find themselves a year into the pandemic: Home, in a sweatshirt, talking into a webcam. The 18-year-old gymnast is poised to make history at the summer Olympics, but over Zoom, she’s just like any teenager, reflecting on everything she’s balancing behind the scenes.

While training for a wildly unpredictable Games, Lee has been caring for her recently paralyzed father, mourning the deaths of her aunt and uncle from COVID, and recovering from a broken foot that jeopardized her lifelong dream to win gold. Now Lee, whose parents emigrated from Laos, is also fighting to qualify as the first-ever Hmong American Olympic gymnast—all while her community contends with a national surge in anti-Asian violence. “People hate on us for no reason,” Lee says from her parents’ house in St. Paul, Minnesota. “It would be cool to show that we are more than what they say. I don’t know how to explain that...”

Lee’s father inches his wheelchair closer into the Zoom screen, and answers for her. “It would be the greatest accomplishment of any Hmong person in the U.S. ever,” he says. “It will go down in history.”

Before the Tokyo Olympics were postponed in March 2020, Lee’s family was preparing for the trip of a lifetime. Though she hadn’t actually made the team yet, her parents John Lee and Yeev Thoj had no doubts. They bought plane tickets to watch their daughter compete, and planned to celebrate afterward with a trip to Laos to show Lee and her siblings where they grew up. Both John and Yeev are Hmong, an ethnic group made of people primarily from Southeast Asia and areas in China who fought alongside the U.S. in the Vietnam War. After losing most of their land in the war, many Hmong fled to Thailand as refugees. By the late ‘70s and ‘80s, around 90 percent of the refugee population had resettled in the U.S., where there are now 18 Hmong clans, the largest residing in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Lee describes her community there as “really close.” More than 300 people come to her family’s annual camping trip, and she can’t go to a local Asian store without someone asking after her dad. She has become something of a local celebrity herself. At Hmong events, Lee gets stopped for photos by people who tell her how proud they are. “It’s nice knowing I have them to fall back on,” she says. “The support is amazing.”

But last May, just two months before the Olympic opening ceremony was originally scheduled to take place, Lee’s family and the rest of the Twin Cities Hmong community found themselves thrust into the national conversation over race and policing. Kellie Chauvin, the now ex-wife of Derek Chauvin, the officer who murdered George Floyd, is Hmong American. So is Tou Thao, another officer on the scene who is set to stand trial in August on charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in connection to Floyd’s murder. As part of the ensuing protests, several nearby Hmong American businesses were vandalized. John says it got “scary” when several homes on their block were broken into.

“I was trying to make the Hmong community more known,” Lee says. “When that happened, I felt like it was a setback.”

Lee’s journey to the Olympics started with a lumpy mattress and a piece of plywood. Her parents were eager to preoccupy their energetic, gymnastics-obsessed seven-year-old, and a balance beam seemed like the perfect distraction. John built a four-foot-long structure from a spare mattress that, to his credit, still stands in their yard today. He also taught Lee, who’s one of six kids, how to do flips on the bed.

By then, Lee had captured the attention of Jess Graba, a coach at Midwest Gymnastics. “It was super raw and she was just a little kid, but she had some talent,” Graba says, remembering when they met. “Her flips were kind of crazy—she had been practicing in her yard—and she clearly had some ability to go upside down without fear.”

In 2016 when she was 14, Lee was named to the U.S. junior national team, and it became clear Graba could be coaching one of the next great American gymnasts. They traveled around the world together for competitions, and by 2018, Lee had won a gold medal on uneven bars at the National Championships. Five-time Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin, Lee’s longtime hero, took notice of the high-flying athlete. “Her abilities as a gymnast, especially her bar routine, are incredible,” Liukin tells ELLE. “But it’s the unparalleled mental strength that she has shown during the most difficult time of her life that make her the person she is.”

Just two days before the 2019 National Championships, John fell from a ladder while trimming a tree. He was paralyzed from the chest down. At the time, Graba thought Lee shouldn’t compete out of concern for her safety: A distracted athlete is a danger to themselves because they are much more likely to lose focus and get injured. It would have been a devastating end to a decade of training, as nationals are like an unofficial pre-qualifier for the Olympic Games. But John remained confident in his daughter’s ability to compete under pressure. Before Lee stepped onto the mat, they FaceTimed and he advised her to clear her mind—and remember to have fun. “She can stay focused when she puts her mind to it,” he says.

As John watched the competition from his hospital bed, beaming with pride, Lee won the silver in all-around competition, nailing one of the hardest bar routines in the world. One month later, at the U.S. World Championships selection camp, she came within four-tenths of a point of beating Simone Biles in the all-around—the closest anyone has come to Biles in years—and landed one step closer to fulfilling her Olympic dream.

In March 2020, Lee was scrolling through Twitter after practice when she saw the news: The Olympics were postponed, for the first time in modern history, due to COVID. Lee wiped tears away with chalky hands as years of carefully laid plans were thrown into limbo. “To have that taken away from us without having any control is very hard,” she says. “I went through a depressed phase, and it was hard to get out of.”

For weeks Lee could do little more than sleep and cry. Her gym was closed for three months— practically an eternity in the unforgiving timeline of an elite gymnast. When it did reopen in June, Lee broke her foot, meaning three more months of downtime. “If you were 100 percent ready for the 2020 Olympics, then you’re spending the year going, ‘Let’s just not get injured. Let’s just not make any mistakes,’” Graba says.

Lee found an unexpected source of comfort in Biles, who went from being her biggest competition to one of her closest friends after they competed in 2019. “She was there for me,” Lee says. During lockdown, they Snapchatted and texted—two of the only people in the world who truly understood the gut-punch of waiting another year for the Games to begin.

Then, as the country continued to face rising COVID rates in summer 2020, Lee’s own family was devastated by the virus. Her aunt and uncle—close family members who babysat her as a kid—both died of COVID less than two weeks apart. Lee’s uncle, a Hmong shaman, had helped heal her hurt foot with hot ginger and other herbal medicines. Like so many others did during the pandemic, Lee said goodbye over Zoom.

As the nation slowly starts to heal, so has Lee. She can now spot small silver linings from the past year, like spending more time with her siblings and driving her dad to doctor’s appointments, which she calls “good for me mentally, because typically I’m never with them.” It has taken months and months to get back to the peak shape she was in pre-pandemic, but now it’s full steam ahead. The U.S. Championships are the first week of June, and the Olympic trials are later that month. Lee says the extra year has strengthened her performance on the uneven bars and made her more consistent overall. “I just didn’t want to see myself fall back,” she says. “I don’t want to disappoint my coaches or my parents.”

Still, a spot on the team isn’t guaranteed. For the first time in history, U.S. women’s gymnastics has only four open spots (down from five at the 2016 Games), one of which will almost definitely go to Biles. At this point, it might be harder for a U.S. gymnast to make the Olympic team than it is to actually win a medal once they’re there.

Unsurprisingly, none of this seems to phase Lee. She is no stranger to finding the best version of herself under intense circumstances—the version that wins medals, defies gravity, and advocates for her community. Before falling asleep at night, she visualizes herself sticking a perfect landing and coming home as the first Hmong American Olympic gymnastics champion. History made.

#sunisa lee #i want nothing but good things for her

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flowerwreaththings · 3 years

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let’s catch up! I love olympics so much! there aren’t many things that make me feel as proud to be a hungarian as the olympics! I was so dissappointed last year that they postponed it and I couldn’t wait for it this year. my dream is that in my lifetime there will be an olympic held in Hungary! we had a real chance for 2024 with our application but thanks to some people’s protest it was withdrawn, but that’s another story, I still haven’t gotten over it. back to the current olympics... I’m so proud of all our athletes. We already got a few 4th places and it makes me so sad bc it’s always the top 3 that’s a huge deal but a 4th is right there, I mean it’s still pretty cool to be the 4th best in something on the earth, and their dissappointment always makes me so sad. also I kinda prefer bronz to silver, cause in most sports, silver means you lost the last match and you can’t get over that when you get your medal, unlike with bronz where you end with a victory and you had to get over the dissappointment before it, so when you win you can really celebrate that win. also I prefer team sports to individuals so much. even in swimming I much more enjoy the relay swims, as in facing the group competition atc.. ofc I love handball and waterpolo the most. I’m rooting hard for our men & women water polo team as well as our women handball team through their group matches!!! I just love when you compete together with others, when you’re not just there for yourself but for your team, when you have each other to fight for and I love the relationships it can foster. also it’s better when you can share that same victory with others as well as the defeats. also I know there are a lot of athletes at the olympics from hungary and many of them don’t end up in the top 3 or even 10 in their sport but i’m still so proud of them. I see how much they put into it and they don’t owe us anything. just like I heard about some people’s outrage over Naomi Osaka or Simone Biles, the same happened with our best swimmer Hosszú Katinka. she won 3 gold and 1 silver in Rio 2016, but now she ended in 5th and 7th place in 2 of the 3 races where she won gold last time, she withdrew from one and has one still left and people attacked her for it. idk why some people think that the athletes owe them something. they are human, they make mistakes, no human can give 100% all the time, and their health is the most important, both physical and mental. what kind of supporters are those who turn on someone when they don’t win? they still deserv respect. also I always really want everyone of my nation to win, but I know I can’t expect that, also some people don’t have the potiential (at least not yet) to be in the top 3, but they are there at the olympics that has to mean something. all supporters should hope is that their athletes can bring out their best. and whatever place that best is worth, it should be applauded. I think when things don’t go according to plan the athletes are the ones who are the most hurt, the most dissappointed, they don’t need to be attacked. also this is so different from the other olympics bc of the pandemic. on one hand I very much miss the spectators, hungarian fans are very passionate and supportive and their absence is huge even through tv. also the medal ceremony is so weird with the athletes giving themselves the medal and not being allowed to hug with each other etc. it’s also weird that their family can’t be there to support and celebrate with them. i also miss all the royals cheering their nation on and interacting with each other. i can’t wait for 2024 lol. on the other hand it’s interesting that lot of the time i can understand what the coaches say to the them or what the athletes themselves say while competing or what the few people who are able to be there to support are shouting during the cometition and usually this is not the case.

special mentions to our medal winners:

1. szilágyi áron: he won our first medal, gold!!! he defended his title from 2012 and 2016. he is the first to do so in sabre. it’s amazing that he did it 3 times in a row, over a span of 9 years. I was so happy and proud. he is so humble and he always gives others credit, and he also won bronz in team, and he is such a team player always encouraging, appluading and lifting others up. when reporters asked him about his individual medal after the team won bronz, he kept the focus on the team and their succes, and he was fighting just as much for the team as individually. also our guy who won silver in épeé said he has been a wonderful support

2. siklósi gergely: he won our second medal: silver. my heart hurt bc it was a lost last game and that’s dissapointment. but he is very young and this was his first olympics. also he said that he is happy and proud, obviously came for gold but he is satisfied. i was so happy to hear that. i’m so proud of him too

3. milák kristóf: he won gold with an olympic record in 200m butterfly today. he is very talented. when he won he didn’t seem happy lol idk why but I saw memes of it. he too seems to be a good egg cause he shows respect for his opponents and he also comforted hosszú katinka, after her 7th place instead of celebrating.

4. decsi tamás, gémesi csanád, szatmári andrás és szilágyi áron: sabre team won bronz. i’m so so proud. they fought so hard for each other, i love their bromance. i love how they gave each other their medals instead of everyone picking their own. they deserv it so much

5. tóth krisztián: he won bronz in judo (our 3rd medal of the day). he won with golden point. it was a very difficult game. he was so sweet, he was crying aftterwards during the interview. he said thanks to everyone and wished a happy birthday to his dad! he was so happy

all of them have been humble, respectful, eager to share credit with their team, coach, thank their families and spectators for their support even through just a screen. and all the other competitors wheter they won or lost, became first or last, had to give up due to injury or yet to compete: I’m so proud of you.

to be continuoud, there’s still a lot to look forward to

#tokyo 20/21

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lettersforbye · 3 years

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Three-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman may be retired, but she's doing everything she can to make gymnastics safer for young girls who aspire to be the next Aly or Simone.

In 2017, Raisman released her book Fierce, describing the sexual abuse she experienced at the hands of the USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar and in 2018, delivered her powerful testimony at Nassar's 2018 sentencing hearing. (He has since been convicted and has been sentenced to 175 years in prison.) Since then, she's been working to provide young athletes with the abuse-free environment she wishes she had by speaking out against USA Gymnastics and working with organizations like Darkness to Light, the nation's leading advocate for the prevention of child sexual abuse. She's also become a vocal mental health advocate, shedding light on the often silent mental health struggles that survivors of sexual abuse experience.

As an Aerie ambassador since 2018, she has always released collections that are deeply personal, both in design and cause. (In a previous collection, a sports bra was printed with 'Trust Yourself', something Raisman says was hard to do after the abuse she experienced.) Her newest capsule collection, OFFLINE by Aerie x Aly Raisman, available February 26, will be Raisman's third collaboration with the brand that has benefited Darkness to Light.

Ahead of the collection launch, we talked to Raisman about her journey to healing — and why the fight for justice is far from over.

You've been involved with Darkness to Light since 2018. What are they, and you, doing to ensure athletes have abuse-free environments?

I started working with Darkness to Light very soon after I spoke in court a couple of years ago. They actually reached out after they saw all of us speak and it's just been really incredible to be able to learn from them. I've taken the course that they have and I really believe in it. It's something I wish that every single adult took because if we want to prevent child sexual abuse, we have to have the adults educated — we can't expect the children to know something's wrong. One of the things we're working on is the Flip the Switch campaign, which offers training for free because we recognize trying to convince adults to take training is hard, especially when it's about sexual abuse. A lot of people don't want to talk about it or think about it. So the collaborations with Aerie are so amazing because it donates a lot of money to the campaign and allows people to take this training for free, which is so important.

Simone Biles said in a recent 60 Minutes interview that she wouldn't feel comfortable with her future daughter being part of USA gymnastics because she's not confident the abuse won't happen again. Do you feel the same?

I've thought a lot about this question and, you know, I realized it's not the sport [that's the problem]. I love gymnastics so much and it has brought me so many incredible lessons and friendships and so many amazing experiences. So it's not the sport, it's the corrupt system — that's the problem. It's the organization, it's the people that enable these things to happen. And so you know, I agree with Simone that USA gymnastics, the United States Olympic Committee, haven't done what we've been asking them to do to ensure this doesn't happen again. A really important thing that has not been done that we've been asking for for years is: We want answers. It's so important to have an independent investigation because you can't say that things are better if we don't understand who knew exactly what, when, how this happened and what [aspects] of the system were flawed or corrupt that allowed this to go on for so long. And it's really important for us to understand that for us to be able to believe in a better USA gymnastics. And they still haven't done that. In fact, I feel like they're still trying to get away from acting like they did anything wrong, which is not okay.

I also think it's important to recognize that the way survivors feel can be greatly impacted by how their abuse is handled or not handled. Ours has been really poorly handled. So it really impacts survivors because this has been going on for so long and we're still having to talk about it in interviews because nothing has changed. It's always triggering when you have to talk about it; when you see things in the news about it. It's taking years and years and years, when it should not, it shouldn't be like that.

You've been outspoken about the anxiety and PTSD you've experienced as a result of your experience and you've also been a big mental health advocate these past few years. What do you want people to know about the healing process and what has that looked like for you as of late?

The last couple of months I'm starting to feel a little bit more like myself, but I have, you know, ups and downs just like everyone else. Healing isn't one size fits all and every day I feel differently. Some days I feel calmer and other days I feel triggered by the smallest things. I still get triggered often, but I think that's normal when there's so much trauma that I've experienced. I'm trying to take it day by day, but multiple times a week I will spend time writing in a journal and talking to an expert, and just really working on myself, but it's a process.

But I'm also hoping to help educate people that healing takes a long time and abuse isn't something that you just suffer in the moment; it can really carry on with you. And I think a really important thing for people to understand is that survivors being supported and heard and believed is really, really crucial to their healing because when you've gone through abuse, there's often so much gaslighting. There's a lot of manipulation. It's really can be very confusing. You start to second-guess your own thoughts. You start to feel like you can't trust yourself anymore. You don't know what's right. I just hope that we get to a point one day where when a survivor shares their story publicly, people understand that you can't know what anyone else is going through. We just have to be compassionate.

You recently partnered with Woodward gymnastics camp, which you actually attended when you were younger, to help with their program and also champion a safer environment for the campers. All staff will undergo Darkness to Light training, but how else are you helping to create a different experience for this next generation? I imagine mental health is much more of a conversation.

We want the kids to have fun and recognize that they're more than just an athlete, whether it's a gymnast or a skateboarder or whatever they come to camp for. It's also important to recognize that when the kids come to camp, they may be struggling with, you know, being bullied back home or maybe they're having trouble with something going on at home or at their gym. So we want to give tools to help kids so that they really trust their gut, and empower them to ask questions. I wish I asked more questions growing up. I'm trying to learn from the things I wish I had when I was younger by talking to other survivors or other athletes.

I definitely think the [mental health] conversation is getting so much better — I have seen a shift even in the way I feel talking about [mental health]. In the first interview I did a couple of years ago talking about anxiety and depression, I felt really embarrassed and now I don't feel like that at all. If anything, it feels freeing. I know that so many people are experiencing it, so it just feels nice to be able to connect with people and it makes it a little easier to navigate because I don't feel like I'm suffering alone.

Some people are saying that it's a new era for gymnastics right now; there are all of these fun routines going viral and it's more joy-filled and less uptight. What's your take on that?

I'm not competing anymore so it's hard to say, but I think it's so great to see the collegiate gymnasts and how their routines, I mean, they look like they're having so much fun. I think that it's sort of like anything else — of course, there are a lot of gymnasts that might be enjoying themselves and may feel like there are certain parts of [the sport] that are better. But there are also a lot of collegiate gymnasts that have spoken out in the last few years about different types of abuse, including verbal abuse. And it's the same with the elite world — there are some coaches that I hear from the gymnasts that are great, and certain coaches that aren't. So, it's hard to generalize, but overall, it's really nice to see. There was so much about abuse, and we're so grateful for the support, but I think it's also really great for the fans to see gymnasts having fun as well.

But again, it's important that we also recognize that the leadership still at USA gymnastics is not doing the right thing. They need to investigate and they have to be transparent about what happened and why it happened. In fact, Darkness to Light had been working with USA Gymnastics for about six years. And they said they weren't doing the things they were suggesting and so they decided not to work with them anymore — they just want to put out a press release [and be done with it]. You can look at their press statements that they put out now and they're very similar to what they were decades ago. It's just a lot of the same talk, but no action behind it.

#aly raisman #gymnastics

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sally-mun · 5 years

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♆, †, ☂ for Janelle-Li!

♆ for a BODY headcanon

One thing I don’t like about the canon depictions of Janelle is that she seems sort of… delicate? The worst example is in that pic that’s a line up of all the Guardians.

I just really don’t like it. Her posture, the way she has her hands folded, the way she kind of shrinks in on herself… None of it connects with the idea of her being a Guardian. She looks incredibly uncomfortable to be part of this image. And don’t even get me STARTED on the fact that she doesn’t have the spiked gloves. Edmund is the only one for whom it makes sense not to have them, because it wasn’t a tradition during his time. Janelle is the 14th Guardian in the bloodline, it’s not only a tradition by now (and we know how the BH just loves its traditions) but it’s also a vital tool for them. By all accounts she should have them, but instead it’s just another way the canon others her and intentionally makes her seem less legitimate.

When I think of a Guardian, I think of someone who’s both mentally and physically strong, confident, and courageous. Someone who commands attention when they enter the room and has an air of authority about them. Nothing about this depiction of Janelle has any of those qualities.

When I picture her in my head, I see Janelle as being just as athletic as the other Guardians in her bloodline. I would compare her build to someone like Simone Biles or the Williams sisters. She’s by no means a body builder, but she could probably run straight through a wall if she wanted to. Also, given that I see her confidence as one of her defining traits, I don’t see her as this meek and shy little waif, either. She carries herself boldly and proudly, standing up straight and keeping her chin up, and not afraid to project her voice. AND SHE HAS THE DAMN SPIKED GLOVES!! And not only that, but they very specifically keep her on a level playing field with the rest of the Brotherhood because, as we all recall, in this canon all males have spurs, not just Knuckles. Janelle really would be the odd one out in this regard by virtue of the fact that they don’t grow in naturally for her, so it’s something she had to come up with herself to compensate for that. It’s just another example of her drive and determination.

SORRY THAT GOT A LOT RANT-IER THAN I INTENDED.

† for a RELIGION headcanon

I think it’s safe to say that Janelle at least believes in Aurora (or at least that such a being is possible), if just because I see that as something the Guardians would believe in general based on their extensive knowledge of chaos. If Aurora exists, it’s probably safe to assume that chaos has something to do with it one way or another, and the things we DO know about chaos have proven to be some crazy shit.

That said, I don’t see her as someone that would worship Aurora. I think it kind of falls in line with how most of them view the Ancient Walkers, aka something unconfirmed but that probably has a logical (chaos-based) explanation if in fact true. With that in mind, worship probably isn’t a good term here. Maybe just a very deep respect.

☂ for a FOOD headcanon

Well, I see Guardians in general as having a very high metabolism in order for their bodies to keep up with the insane shit they put themselves through, so safe to say Janelle probably eats like a hog. I’m sure it’s something that made Nemo feel a lot better about himself, as he was always so self-conscious of his chubbiness that he didn’t to look like he was eating too much. But how could he appear to be over-eating when his girlfriend is literally having 3 entrees and all of the sides?

#SallymunRPs #The Brotherhood #finimun

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tsubychan · 5 years

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On this “He/She must retire already!!!1!” Bull**it

Ok, now, I maybe be new to figure skating fandom but I’m not new as a figure skating fan and as a sport fan. I keep reading things about why various athletes need to retire and being called names for not doing it already. So, I apologize only for my terrible english (I know, my bad), but sorry not sorry, you’re gonna hear me rant and it will be long.

When I say I’m not new as a figure skating fan I mean I’m around watching competition since the 90′s. Literally, I was a child but I still remember 1992 Olympics. Over the years I admire various skater for all kind of reasons. I started with the fandom only recently (what can I say, I’m weird and akward, sue me), and I need to say it, as always fandom can bring the better and the worst from a fan, but in sports fandom we all need to remember that we are talking about real people who work hard every day.

Now, in the last couple of weeks I found myself more and more angry, yes angry, while reading comments or tweets about people who want Yuzuru to retire, Alina to retire, Evgenia to retire, Liza to retire... and the list actually goes on, you get the point.

First of all, I do believe that, for every athlete, retirement is a very personal and delicate choice. If is not forced, like for some serious injury, everyone has the right to decide when and why ending their career. Like, it’s a life-changing choice for an athlete! You actually build your entire life untill that point on your sport and you have to change basically everything. Even in a sport like figure skating where you can be good/popular enough to do shows, but training for shows is totally different from competition training.

That said, let’s get into the “””reason””” on why some people must retire already.

“They already won enough! They had gold medals/are WC/ecc....” askhfdgkljfaa like, ok, they’re all COMPETITIVE ATHLETES WINNING IS KIND OF THE POINT. Sure, once you arrive at the top of your sport you set goals, and not everybody can realistically win, but you do your best every time to get the best result. And sometimes, even the middle pack can have their glory, you know. Sometimes a Steven Bradbury wins an olympic gold or Leicester FC wins the Premier League. THERE’S NOTHING WRONG IF SOMEBODY WANT TO WIN EVEN MORE. (louder from people in the back). Yuzuru and Alina have to retire because they already won enough? Oh please, whyyyyyyyy. You all want to tell me that if Boyang or Nathan won gold at Pyeongchang they had to retire? Or Sui/Han? Or Papadakis/Cizeron? Don’t even get me started with the ladies. That’s totally crazy. We need fresh blood after the olympics? Yeah, I’m always open to new faves here, but you don’t need to put out the old leaders in order to do so. PLus, it’s how you grow up as an athlete, competing and try to beating the top dogs. For example, Simone Biles won everything, so she had to retire? Let me tell you, my poor stan ass will cry all the tears when she retire for good, because she’s a real queen and I love her. Or do you want to tell Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo that they won enough? Like, they dominate the last decade in football but we are all here dreading the inevitable end of an era. Or Roger Federer, he clearly won everything, right? I hope you see my point, because the desire to win more it’s not a crime. And if someone compete for that, that’s good.

“They want to win because they need attention/are insicure/are divas/ecc....” I spare you all the variation. So, again, we are talking about real people here. They are all perfect? Absolutely not. We know them personally? Again, no. We can watch everything, read every interview, following them on social media, but we still don’t know them, not really. In most case, we can speculate or have an idea on somebody. And ok, I have some opinion myself. But please, remeber to not let that get out of hand. Spread hate or bombarding a person on every social media on the internet, saying something like “You’re just a narcisist, retire already!!!” (just an example, but you get it), it’s wrong. YOU DON’T KNOW IF THEY ARE REALLY LIKE THAT. And even if they are, what’s the problem? If they are willing to keep training hard and fight and doing things in the right way, who cares? Look, I personally never had a particulary sympathy for Patrick Chan outside the competition, but he is a wonderful skater and I enjoyed his skill over the years. I never wish him retirement, I was just really curious on who would finally beat him (and I’m still salty about 2012 and 2013 worlds but it’s on the judges, not him, so not the point here). Plus, for the insicure part, we entering a delicate field here. Athletes are not immune to insicurities or worst, don’t treat it like it’s a flaw please.

“They’re oooolddddd” My favourite really. So, I’m italian but I don’t want to play it easy and tossing Carolina Kostner on your small pity party. But let’s analize.....Liza needs to retire because she’s old for a lady???????Like, first of all, how dare you, disperect our queen like that. Second, I know that now figure skating seems to be on a dangerous path, but the ladies don’t actually have an exphiration date around 18, you know. You can still get better every year, it’s not you are always the same. Puberty hit hard? Yes, but it doesn’t mean you are worth nothing after. Liza has an oustanding personality and charisma. Seriously, how many ladies have that actually? You gain that with experience (or you refine it, if you’re naturally gifted like Kostornaia for example). It’s so stupid, wishing them to retire because they’re not teenagers anymore. I can’t wait to see what some of the ladies will give us next season. For example, Satoko has great competitors even at home, but I hope she keep skate forever because she’s wonderful. Do you want Michal Brezina to retire? He basically gets better with the age, pleeeeease! Oh, and what about our dear Voronov, he puts the rink on fire at NHK and he keeps survive at everything. If he wants to keep skating, why he has to stop? You literally had Aljona Savchenko fighting with everything she has for an olympic gold medal and get it at the age of 34. I admire all of them! Want to talk about age? Let me introduce you to Ski Jumping and two of my darlings, Simon Amman and Noriaki Kasai. They both won a lot in their careers and already suffer injuries, but they keep going because they feel like it and can still be competitive. Oh, Ammann is 39 and Kasai 47, just saying....

“They’re never going to win again/win something” ok, now, like I said earlier winning is kind of the point, but it’s not the only one. You can go on with your entire career, being good but not good enough to win and still be satisfied, because at the end of the day you did your best. Can I say Misha Ge here? Just one, or I can stay here all day, listing people. Look, doing a sport at high level is all about motivation. Maybe you never win, but your goal is to be satisfied with your performance, and that’s ok. Or you won years ago but you keep competiting for the joy of it. Good too. You keep enjoy competition. Perfect. I saw some nasty comments about Brian asking Evgenia if she still love skating. And in my opinion it’s a fair question. We have many example of athletes who resented their sport at some point. Evgenia keeps going because she want a chance and she still love it? GOOD. She will never win again? It can be, but THAT’S SO NOT THE POINT. For example, I’m into motogp and we had a real champion like Casey Stoner cutting his career relatively early because he has other priority (his family) and he didn’t feel like risk his life anymore (there were some deadly incident in that period, like Marco Simoncelli’s death). And we all respected his decision, he has no motivation anymore. Than you have Valentino Rossi, who is 40 now and started his career at 16. Winning is difficoult now, he still can but it’s difficoult and his last 1 place was in 2017, but he keeps going because, and he said so, he still love it. Or like, Alex Zanardi (and if you don’t know who he is, doing yourself a favour and googling him). He won as a pilot and after the incident where he lose both his legs, he did everything to return on a car. He also discovered paralympics discipline and he won gold in 2012 and 2016 paralympics. He partecipated at the Iron Man competition. And the point wasn’t even winning, but discovering his limits, something new, what a man can do. I think it’s wonderful.

So, I probably talk to much and not clear enough, but please stop tossing retirement around like it’s nothing.

Ok, rant over for now :)

(I applaude everybody who read all of this nonsense XD)

#figure skating #sport #retirement #figure skating fandom #rant #basically #don't be a dick to an athlete u.u

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castellankurze · 5 years

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FSF: Someone (or multiple someones?) takes a bubble bath.

fanfic for Completely Normal RPG, run by @lordcaliginous. Also tagging @mystictheurge and @tamsynspeaks as per what is now standard procedure.

Takes place sometime in the month of December.

A Completely Normal Week

Monday

The motorcycle’s engine throbbed as its rider took the final turn into the driveway and slowed to a stop. Shouko dismounted and unlocked the carport before walking the bike inside, pulling her helmet and hanging it off one of the handlebars. The interior of the carport was a disaster, with her mom’s car tucked snugly up against the left side where it had accumulated a fine layer of dust while the rest of the available area was full of tools and spare parts. Some had been left behind by her father, and Shouko had added to the motley collection over the years until the back wall of the carport was hardly accessible, but it wasn’t like they ever used the decorations stored back there.

“Hi mom, I’m home,” she announced as she stepped through the front door, tossing her keys into the nearby basket with a jingle. The Kogawa household was a snug, two-story place with a pair of bedrooms and a bathroom on the upper level with everything else downstairs, and the only response to the girl’s voice was the slow churning of the ceiling fan she’d left on last night.

Once she’d stripped off her riding leathers, Shouko settled down at the table in the family room to do her homework. This consisted of a block of time lasting no more than one solid hour, subjects broken up by use of an egg timer. Over the years she’d gotten pretty good at judging how to mostly finish any given piece of homework in the time allotted, and if she was off, well, partial credit was better than none. She answered questions as fast as she drove her bike, though with considerably more guesswork. 'You could be an A-rank student if you wanted it,’ more than one of her teachers had groused at her. Shouko had come up with any number of excuses over time, but by and large as long as she maintained a D most had learned to live and let live.

At the conclusion of her hour, Shouko packed away her school stuff and left it by the door, there to be grabbed tomorrow morning. That done, she ran upstairs to change her clothes into a set of gym shorts and a plain white shirt, stuffing her earbuds in her ears before heading off to the treadmill.

Most of Shouko’s teachers had guessed at her athletic ability, but those who dismissed the girl as a slacker would have been shocked to see the utter concentration on her face as she sprinted at top speed on her mother’s treadmill, a dumbbell clutched in each hand, stopping only for the occasional drink of water. There once was a time when she would have been soaked with sweat at the end of the workout, but an hour’s run nowadays was little more than maintenance.

When all was said and done Shouko retired to her bedroom, a cavern of rebellious rock music and video game posters from both Japan and America and a battlestation that looked like something that might have been ripped from a NASA installation. Shouko spent her stipends on two things: her bike, and her computer. Lately Saika had been a third, but both longstanding habits were things that that she’d dove into headfirst until she could take apart either and put them both back together blindfolded.

“Oh great, a Genji,” someone complained almost as soon as she’d locked her Overwatch character in. "Nice match everyone, better luck next time.“ Thirty-nine kills and two deaths later Shouko wished everyone a nice day. Quickplay was so damn stupid, and on the next match she chose Roadhog just to mix it up. Someone else whined about multiple tanks and Shouko rolled her eyes. 60% of team damage taken. It wasn’t her fault nobody else could find the point.

"I’m going back to TF2,” she growled aloud, grabbing for her pack of cigs. Of late she’d taped a warning to the front in black capital letters: TWO A DAY. Miyumi always got squirrely when she lit up and Saika always winced. Since she couldn’t avoid the former and felt bad about the latter she’d been cutting down. Given her life lately, it wasn’t like she was gonna live long enough to die of cancer.

She showered and collapsed in bed, lit by the soft red glow of her electronics.

Tuesday

The motorcycle thrummed and growled as she cut the engine and stowed it.

“Hi mom, I’m home.” The keys jingled as they landed in the basket.

An hour for homework. She finished all of it this time.

Today was arm day, and Shouko spent her workout hour doing curls and lifts while Netflix ran some anime she barely payed attention to.

“Hey Eowyn,” someone said as soon as she logged into FFXIV. "Can you craft me a thing?“

"Sure.”

Ten mintues later. "hey are you up for a Castrum Abania run"

“Patch is in like three weeks,” she said with a bit of a sigh in meatspace.

“ya but I really want that sword for glamour plate its ok if you dont wanna go”

“It’s fine I can blow it up with you.”

“thx youre the best blm”

“Hey, Eowyn.” She blinked. That last one had been a whisper instead of guild chat.

“What’s up?”

“I just wanted to say, you don’t seem yourself lately,” her guildmaster said. "Just wanted to check and make sure you’re alright.“

"Yeah I’m good. Just been super busy with all the schoolwork lately.”

“I know the feeling. Are you gonna be full-time again in January?”

Shouko frowned. "I’ll try.“

"Just take care of yourself. Game comes after real life.”

“:) I will.”

She showered and slept a little fitfully that night.

Wednesday

A series of whispers alerted her to the attention of several classmates glancing her way. "Hey, Shouko, can you…“ one of them asked with a blush, curling one arm.

With a grin, she pulled up her sleeve and flexed, to a flutter of giggles. Shouko was never gonna be as strong as Erika, but her daily regimen was having noticeable effects, like leaving her look cut as hell. She was probably down to 15% body fat by now, looking lean and mean.

"Hey, Shouko?” Saika asked at the end of the day. "Would you like to do something Saturday?“

"Sure,” she said, hefting her bike helmet and making sure Saika clipped the spare’s chinstrap in place. "What did you have in mind?“

"Nothing much, just…dinner somewhere?”

Shouko turned the ignition and revved the throttle. "Sounds great.“

After she dropped Saika off she made for the gym, where she could get the type of workout that wasn’t so easy at home. Balance beam, rings, parallel bars - it all came back as easily as breathing. Shouko could spin rings around any of the other girls there. When she wanted to, she could sprint down the balance beam and leap to the vault and from there catch herself on the rings in a split-second one-two-three move that sometimes provoked gasps from newbies.

As little as three years ago, Shouko had been doing this kind of thing pretty much daily. She wondered, sometimes, what her old teammates were up to these days. She didn’t wonder enough to come in on any day but Wednesday, thought sometimes it was extremely tempting to show up jsut to show the lot of them what she could pull off nowadays. She’d never been a Simone Biles, and probably never would be - in fact now that it crossed her mind she wondered if Simone had had an awakening of her own? - but she could have thrashed the regionals nowadays. Funny how things worked out.

She swam a few laps in the pool to cool down and showered before heading home.

"Hi mom.” Jingle.

An hour for homework.

She played a little Mortal Kombat and crushed some jackass who made fun of her tag.

Thursday

The Honda thrummed as she pulled into the drive.

“Hi mom.” Jingle.

Her phone buzzed while she was doing her homework and she didn’t bother looking up until she was done.

“Hi Shouko, they asked me to visit our office in Melbourne while I’m down here, so I’ll be hopping a plane tomorrow. I’ll be a few more days. Have my phone if you need me. Love you!” read her mom’s text.

Shouko stared at it for a minute and texted back “k lu2

Her feet slapped hard against the treadmill. She needed to replace the damn thing when nobody was looking. She was getting to the point where she really needed a higher top speed.

Her Star Wars RPG group canceled again, so instead of playing her Jedi she just spent some more time in CoD blowing holes in people while Fullmetal Alchemist played in the background.

“How are you even watching that,” someone complained in voice chat at one point.

“Listen,” she growled around a cigarette, “don’t hate because Olivier Mira Armstrong has my back.”

He responded with an insinuation that technically wasn’t wrong, but still got him blown to smithereens several times before he finally ragequit.

Shouko stayed up until almost three in the morning before she slumped into bed.

Friday

“A 99. Excellent as always, Ms. Aratani,” the teacher said as she handed out papers. Shouko could see the way Miyumi’s lip trembled as she took the proffered test like it was about to bite her hand off.

“87. Good step up, Shouko,” the teacher said when she reached her.

“Thanks,” she said as she took the paper.

“I mean it,” the woman said, leaning closer. "When you put your mind to a subject you really show your potential.“

Shouko was silent as the teacher moved on. "Thanks,” she grumbled under her breath. The paper crinkled as her hand crushed it.

“Um…excuse me, Kogawa?” the voice caught her as she was walking to her bike.

“Yo?” she said, turning with a blink of her eyes to see a semi-familiar face. One of the girls who’d been looking at her the other day.

“Do you mind if I ask you for a piece of advice?”

Shouko blinked again. "Uh?“

"It’s just…you and Saika…” The girl was blushing hard. "How did you. Um?“

Shouko couldn’t help a chuckle, and she pulled out her customary after-school cig and lit it with a snap of flame from her dagger. The girl didn’t even double-take. Normal people saw what they expected to see. Shouko didn’t even bother carrying her lighter anymore. "Look. You want my advice? Just go talk to her,” she said as she straddled her bike and pulled out her favorite wraparound shades. "Life’s too fucking short and we gotta make time with the people we got before we get left in the dust, you know what I mean?“

"Um…I guess?” the other girl said, rubbing her cheek.

“Trust me. Jump on it,” she said before she revved the throttle.

“Hi mom.” Jingle.

She did her homework so fast her handwriting looked like the fevered sprinting of a deranged chicken.

Her fingertips ached with so many push-ups.

She ended up mostly just browsing the net that night and went to bed.

Saturday

She came out of the bathroom that morning to the sound of her phone buzzing insistently.

“Saika?!” she asked sharply, heart racing.

In the little mirror on the opposite wall, she could see the way her own face dropped.

“Oh. Hi dad.”

She did the math. It was eight in Hitachinaka, which meant it was ten in Ontario. PM.

“It’s super late. You should get some sleep. The plant won’t want their engineer showing up super tired. No, not her, I haven’t seen her in months. Saika’s nice. Yeah, bike’s running great. School’s fine. Mom’s in Australia now, they called her down from Jakarta. I’m fine. Dad, I dropped gymnastics like two years ago. Yeah, tell Karen I said hi. Maybe in a year. Yeah. Bye. …love you too.”She threw the phone against the pillow and did her daily run outdoors. It was cold as hell and overcast besides, but sweatpants and a sweatshirt were all she needed with the way her heart was pumping.

She was gone two hours. When she got back she had a missed call and another text. Saika.

“Hi Shouko, I’m sorry but I don’t think I can go out tonight. I think I must have eaten something bad. x.X I feel like crap. Call me when you can.”

“Want me to bring over some soup?” she asked when the phone picked up.

“No,” said a mewling voice. "I just want to curl up under ten blankets.“

"I’m sorry,” Shouko said.

“No, I’m sorry. I don’t want to leave you hanging. Promise we’ll make it up, k?”

“You know it. Get some rest. L- …later.”

She looked at herself in the mirror.

The flame daggers hissed as they glanced off Shizuka’s katana. Shouko was fast, but the Eventide rep was more experienced and fast as hell for her own part. The open field was about the only place where the pair of them - any of the girls - could really throw down and get a workout in the most important manner. Dojo masters tended to take it bad if you blew up a wall.

“Your concentration is bad today,” Shizuka observed when they finally broke in the late afternoon.

“Yeah. Hey, Shizuka, got a question for you,” she said around the butt of a cigarette. Typical for her, Shizuka didn’t reply verbally, but only raised an eyebrow. “You ever heard of anyone who stayed friends if one went Eventide and one went Radiant?”

Shizuka glowered.

“Didn’t think so."

The Honda chugged as she parked it in one of the narrow bike-only, and she didn’t bother taking off her leathers since it wasn’t like she was going mallratting. She stopped off at the pharmacy and bought some soda, some beer, some chocolate, and some soap.

"Rough day?” the attendant asked in a sympathetic tone. She barely even glanced at Shouko’s ID.

“Uh huh,” she confirmed. In the parking lot, she slid the candy bar she’d palmed out of her jacket sleeve and munched it.

Once home, she dumped the soap in the tub and ran hot water until the foam threatened to spill over. Then she lit a cigarette and slipped in, groaning slightly as it almost scalded her. She let her phone play American synthwave until the battery ran low and the water was cold and she was prune-fingered.

She looked at the battlestation and threw herself into bed, wrapped around her spare pillow. The wind blew hard that night.

Sunday

Two hours for homework instead of one. Weekends.

There was no meeting of the study group this week and so the day was uneventful, except for one instant when she was flipping channels and there was a news report on the ongoing decommissioning of Fukushima which caused her to mash the power button. Natural disasters were not something she wanted to think about right now.

She ordered pizza and spent the evening playing Brutal Doom and listening to Rage Against the Machine.

Tomorrow was a brand new week.

#kurze writes #asked and answered #fanservice friday #Shouko #completely normal RPG #:)#starcunning

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firelord-frowny · 2 years

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im making myself warm and fuzzy by watching youtube videos of people saving other people’s lives and stuff and like

there’s one about a man who jumped off a bridge into the chessapeak bay to save a baby that had been thrown from a truck after a bad accident, and then of course there’s a comment like

~pEopLe likE THIS shOuld bE oN tHe CovErS of magAziNes, noT CelEbrItIEs~ and then everybody is cosigning like ~yeah!!!1! this man deserves more praise than stupid bitch kim kardashian!!1!!!1~

and just?????

it amazes meeeeee how much energy people put into being mad about ~so and so being famous just for being rich~ or whatever bc like...

i literally never hear shit about kim kardshian unless it’s from somebody complaining about her being famous ~for nothing~omggg i don’t know shit about kim kardashian! or any other rich person who’s not, idk, beyonce or jason momoa. and it’s not like i specifically go out of my way to avoid hearing news about ~famous pretty people~. i’m literally just... not interested in the kind of media that focuses on those kinds of things.

and then when people bitch about someone being ~famous for doing nothing~ or whatever, all that really does is make me wonder why this person consuming so much media that they clearly disapprove of?? like omfg maybe stop watching E! if you don’t care about celebrity news??? maybe stop watching TMZ if you don’t want to hear about The Bachelor or whatever??? there is SO. MUCH. MEDIA. that focuses on so many different kinds of things, and there’s no reason why someone who doesn’t want to hear about kim kardashian should constantly find theirself somehow still hearing about kim kardashian against their will.

AND ALSO lmfao this is a dumb detail to be annoyed about, but like....

not everyone who’s famous is famous for ~being rich~ or Doing Nothing??? like omfg lots of famous people become famous specifically BECAUSE they have done something incredible for or among humankind, whether it’s through activism or art or whatever... simone biles??? venus and serena??? greatest athletes of all time? malala yousafzai??? SHOT IN THE HEAD by people who are pissy about Girls Being Smart, and not only does she continue being smart, BUT SHE CONTINUED BEING SMART IN PLAIN SIGHT OF THE WHOLE WORLD, essentially telling the people who tried to murder her to kiss her well-educated ass??? greta thunberg, the beleagured teenage girl who had to tell the grownups of the world to get their fucking act together and that it shouldn’t be her job, or any other young person’s job, to keep THEM from wrecking our habitats?? Dominique Jackson?? Ava Duvernay??? Artists whose work continues to open people’s minds and share moving stories with the world?????

and even in the case of people who simply have inherited fame from their parents/family, not all of them are undeserving of recognition, either omfg steve irwin’s kids???? are such a huge and visible inspiration to so many people, and i’m glad they’re active in continuing their dad’s work in ways that suit their own goals and personalities. i’m so proud of them. i’m so HAPPY for them! there is no reason for me not to feel positive feelings for them while I watch them do all the same things their dad did, that taught me so many of the values I have today.

i mean ok sure, there’s a lot of room to criticize the way the western world chooses and treats its celebrities, but it’s just???? an annoyingly vapid assertion to suggest that all fame is shallow and all celebrities are talentless and useless.

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ralphlayton · 3 years

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5 Olympic Lessons for Marketing Project Managers

Shattered world records. Nail-biting competition. Limitless sportsmanship. The Olympic Games are a sight to behold.

via GIPHY While we had to wait a little longer for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, they’re still captivating audiences with competition that pushes the limits of athletes and of humans. As a long-time spectator of the games, however, I’ve found that some of the most memorable Olympic moments hold real-life lessons and even happen outside of the competition floor. Already at these Olympic Games, I’ve taken note of several moments that are unforgettable in life and in work. Especially as a marketing project manager, where we often have to coach our team members, I’ve learned several lessons from the first week of competition. To learn what those lessons are and how they can impact your marketing projects, read on.

Lesson #1 — It’s okay to say, “no.”

Simone Biles, the GOAT ?, shocked the world when she pulled out of the women’s artistic gymnastics team final. And shocked us again when she pulled out of the women’s individual all around.

via GIPHY But when you learn the reason why, wanting to avoid personal injury due to the “twisties” and to focus on her mental health, it’s easy to see why she withdrew. In fact, it makes complete sense. There are times where saying, “no” is the best, most brave thing you can do. In marketing, business, and even in life, it’s really hard to say, “no.” When clients or execs come to you with requests, it’s only natural to want to say yes. We want to please and delight those that we work with. But there are times where saying, “yes” could lead your team to become stretched too thin, stressed, and overworked. “No” can be a powerful term in those situations and can help safeguard your team against unnecessary crunch. I would also advise that “but” can be a very useful word here as well. “Yes, we can service your request, but it means your other deliverables may be delayed.” With a small “but,” you’re able to make room for the new request while still safeguarding your team.

Lesson #2 - Celebrate the victories, big and small.

When Australia’s Ariarne Titmus won the gold in the women’s 400 meter freestyle, I don’t think anyone was more excited than her coach, Dean Boxall:

via GIPHY It was an epic celebration that went viral shortly after. It’s hard to watch that and not feel the excitement, the hype. Energy like that is infectious. As a marketing project manager, you want that energy among your team. You want morale to be high so team members are engaged in the work and motivated to achieve success. And this Olympic moment is a good reminder to celebrate your project’s success, both big and small. Those wins can do wonders for your team morale and energy.

Lesson #3 - Persevere.

This Olympics, Hidilyn Diaz won the first ever gold medal for the Philippines. And it came in women’s weightlifting.

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A post shared by USA Weightlifting (@usa_weightlifting)

But what I find so inspiring about Hidilyn’s story is when you look at her history in this sport. In 2008 in Beijing at the age of 17, she finished second to last. In London in 2012, she missed all of her clean and jerk attempts, resulting in a DNF (did not finish). But she shook it off and persevered. In Rio in 2016, she took home the silver medal becoming the first Filipino woman to win an Olympic medal. And even then she wasn’t satisfied, competing and training for another five years to compete in Tokyo, where she took home the gold and made history yet again. That’s amazing dedication, determination, and perseverance. Perseverance is a great quality to have as a marketing project manager, and Hidilyn’s story is a great reminder of that. It’s not uncommon for marketing projects — or any projects or work for that matter — to experience setbacks. But it’s important that when setbacks happen, we forge ahead. We pivot. We adapt. And who knows, if we persevere long enough, we may break records and barriers not unlike Hidilyn.

Lesson #4 - Experience isn’t everything.

Watching the women’s skateboarding street finals was a trip! I could not believe the ages of these young athletes. The gold and silver medalists were both just 13 years old and the bronze medalist wasn’t much older at the age of 16.

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A post shared by NBC Olympics (@nbcolympics)

And in watching them perform, I couldn’t help but be reminded that age is just a number. In work environments, it can be easy to judge someone based on their age or level of experience. After all, reviewing one’s experience is how we determine one’s role on the team and the work they can make the greatest impact on. These skateboarders just go to show that excellence can come from anywhere and anyone. All we need to do as project managers is give individuals the tools and resources to get there. Experience isn’t the end-all be-all we sometimes think it is.

Lesson #5 - Diversity breeds success.

206 countries. Over 11,000 athletes. 309 medals up for grabs in 33 sports. It’s the most diverse gathering of athletes in terms of sport, race, and nationality. I also think it’s the perfect case study for why diversity drives excellence and innovation. Just take a look at the current medal count and imagine if only certain countries could compete. While those countries would go home with more medals, it might be a hollow victory. An athlete that might not have been on the podium or even in the final heat, is suddenly a medal winner. Current Olympic and world records might stand when they would have been shattered otherwise. It’s the wide range of international competition that continues to push athletes to their limits. When it comes to forming the teams for your marketing projects, make sure they are diverse ones. The more perspectives you have, the better your project will be in the long run and the more success you’ll find.

Take Your Team to Olympic Heights

Project management and people management are one in the same. For our projects to be successful, we have to effectively manage people in the process. Watching the Olympics, it’s clear to me that there are a lot of people management lessons we can learn from Olympians, their coaches, and their actions. For your own marketing projects, use the advice above to keep the people on your teams motivated, happy, and successful. In need of more marketing project management advice? Learn about the common barriers to marketing project management and how to overcome them.

The post 5 Olympic Lessons for Marketing Project Managers appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

5 Olympic Lessons for Marketing Project Managers published first on yhttps://improfitninja.blogspot.com/

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twoflipstwotwists · 5 years

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Lots of big stuff happening in sports at the moment. We are days away from one of the most intriguing NFL championship Sundays in ages. The Golden State Warriors just scored 51 points in the first quarter of a game, an NBA record. Andy Murray sadly plans to leave tennis because of injury. Heisman winner Kyler Murray appears to be forsaking baseball for football. And President Trump held a White House reception for the triumphant Clemson Tigers, complete with a fast food buffet he paid for, because of the government shutdown. You may have read a thing or two about that last one. It was in the news.

But I’d rather move on to another sports moment that people are talking about this week. They’re thrilled by it, enchanted by it, wonderstruck by it, moved by it. I played the clip for my wife the other night, and she smiled, then laughed, then wept. Wept! She usually does that only when I attempt to sort the recycling. I know we have 11 and a half months to go, but this clip will be hard to top as the sports highlight of 2019:

Katelyn Ohashi.

Ohashi is a 21-year-old UCLA gymnast whose perfect 10 floor routine in a recent college meet became a viral video phenomenon on par with all the world’s clumsy kittens, windsurfings dogs and Justin Bieber conspiracies. I hope by now you’ve had a chance to see it. If you haven’t seen the clip of Ohashi’s performance, go watch it right now. It’s barely a minute long. I’ll wait right here.

OK, are we good? That was something, wasn’t it? I think there are a number of reasons why tens of millions of people are responding so positively—and emotionally—to this. First of all, Ohashi is an incredible athlete—she does about 20 things in this routine that if an ordinary human like you or me ever did, we would never stop talking about it for the rest of our lives. She makes extremely difficult maneuvers like tumbling passes look as normal as strolling down the sidewalk. I act like I know what I’m talking about, but I really don’t—I’d be lying to you if I claimed to know the first thing about gymnastics. The Journal’s Olympic correspondent Louise Radnofsky had to tell me about tumbling passes. But that speaks even more to what Ohashi has done—the excellence of her floor routine needs no translation, even for idiots like me.

There’s also the grim but important context that elite gymnastics in the U.S. remains a sport in crisis, one where adults and institutions in charge failed to protect hundreds of athletes from a serial sexual abuser. It is a scandal devastating in its reach and negligence. But it shouldn’t be allowed to define the sport. Athletes like Ohashi should.

There are other things that make Ohashi’s performance great. Her music choices are spectacular—who doesn’t want to listen to some vintage Tina Turner, Earth Wind & Fire and Jackson 5? Right there, she’s hooked 90% of the ears on the planet. There’s also the rapt enthusiasm of her UCLA teammates, who aren’t just cheering supportively for her—they’re pantomiming elements of her routine along with her, like a rock show audience chanting back lyrics to a lead singer. You don’t do that for a teammate if you don’t love them.

There’s also the plain truth that, as sports media, and as a species, we do a really lousy job of celebrating women athletes, and the wide jubilation over Ohashi’s routine has reminded us of that embarrassing gap.

But here’s the main reason I think people are sharing the Katelyn Ohashi video:

It’s joyful.

It’s so, so joyful. It radiates warmth and glee. There’s a playfulness to her routine, to be sure—UCLA coach Valorie Kondos Field, aka Miss Val, is a college gymnastics legend for the way she’s injected happiness into a rigid, often cruel sport—but it isn’t a goof, not at all. What Ohashi is doing is extremely hard to do. (Louise also helped me on this.)

This is going to sound pretentious, but whatever: I think Ohashi’s routine is a radiant expression of what it means for a human being to be very, very good at something—and to want to share that with everyone. She projects a confidence that only great performers project, whether Olympic champions or concert pianists, that every eye is upon them. Instead of shirking from that, instead of getting rattled, Ohashi rushes toward the moment. The moment becomes her.

These instances are rare, but they’re really the reason why we watch sports, aren’t they? Sure, we come up with all kinds of rationalizations for our sports obsessions—tradition, regional loyalties, very bad bets on the Minnesota Vikings—but what truly keeps the audience coming back is the chance that every once in a while, you’ll see a radiant expression of human greatness and joy. An Odell Beckham Jr. one-handed grab. A Patrick Mahomes sidearm touchdown pass. Mikaela Shiffrin crushing a turn in the giant slalom (Shiffrin’s absolutely bananas World Cup season is the most underappreciated sports story of the moment.) A Roger Federer one-handed backhand down the line. Pretty much everything Steph Curry does. Ditto Simone Biles.

Elite gymnastics is a small world, so of course Ohashi and Biles are connected—Ohashi beat Biles for the all-around title at the 2013 American Cup, but pressures and repeated injuries nearly drove her from the sport. (“I was broken,” she told The Players Tribune.)

So I’d like to thank Ohashi for staying with her sport, and for being awesome. These are volatile, angry days, with outrage real and phony serving as the currency of our time. It’s the middle of January, and it already feels like a long year. Every one of us sees 10 things a day that makes us want to pound our heads against a wall. But not this. Not Katelyn Ohashi. Thank you for the joy.

#katelyn ohashi #ncaa #ucla #this writer basically fangirled in the WSJ #I love that #and it's a good article

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cpbandr · 3 years

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Final Reflection

In this class, I learned the value of being an independent woman. After reading so many different stories about women in other cultures that are often forced to marry in order to be protected, and how they have to cover their beauty so they are not physically assaulted I believe no woman should be told how to dress or have their role assigned. Growing up in a free country I know that I am fortunate because I can make my own decisions and I have decided that the best way to help women stuck living with outdated cultures or governments (those that do not believe in women’s independence) is through education. A great meme in our course syllabus states, “Write what should not be forgotten.” This is true for teaching women that they deserve to live equally with men and that joining feminist movements can help in the fight for equality. We are identified based on our gender, race and so much more, but at the end of the day we all are human and for that alone we should have equal rights. Being homosexual, a different race or gender should not determine how we dress or how much we get paid, but it does in many cases. Using the media to shed light on the discrimination women face in everyday life is a most valuable way to end stereotyping. A powerful woman such as Ms. Crenshaw and Ms. Okpranta are just two women that are helping to increase change through their writing. TedTalks can help reach women that are not allowed to live freely. In order to live in a world that allows independence, the value of acceptance is another important lesson I learned this semester. When people accept who you are, you are able to express yourself freely and not feel forced into a box that society chooses for you, based on gender. I am only nineteen and have no clue who I am, yet, but I choose to live every day with an open mind allowing me to become the person I will grow into, and having the support of my family and friends is the best thing for me. After reading Three Daughters of Eve, I felt as if I understood so much about how her mom viewed religion and the struggle people face every day when their parent’s views do not align with their own. However, after doing some research through the weekly powerpoints, I was distraught to learn the author, Ms. Shafak was prosecuted for “insulting Turkishness” and would face up to three years in prison. Her book is so important in helping women understand the way gender and tradition are typically viewed by some religions or cultures, or statuses (class structure). Issues are just a few of the important themes discussed in the book. Not having literature bring to light the way things are in other countries is the way governments stop educating women on how they could live their lives. Not having writings also stops the effort that people go through in order to spark change. Women often try to break the stereotypes that culture forces them into believing. A valuable lesson Mohanty shared is that we are often blind to a perspective outside our own. This reminds me of a horse that has blinders on, stopping him from looking around at things that might cause distractions. Knowing that so many women are raised not being allowed to see life choices and opportunities is horrible. However, this brings us back to educating women through writings which can help to remove the blinders some women are forced to wear. Finally, they can see how other women are living independently and choose which way of life they really prefer. There have also been many words I have learned throughout this semester including androcentrism and ethnocentrism, but the words that taught me the biggest lesson were the difference between sex and gender. Until this semester, I had assumed that both words meant the same thing. However, I now know that sex is what you are assigned at birth while gender is how you are assigned culturally/ socially. With my generation focusing on being more “woke” I think this is a powerful thing to educate others about. Luckily with the use of gender-neutral pronouns, we are able to easily recognize how someone chooses to identify themselves rather than just assuming based on outward appearance. I have always been terrified to identify myself as a feminist due to the many men I know who would think I do not like them based on their gender. However, I was able to be educated on what the term feminist means and can confidently identify myself as one because I believe in equal rights and especially equal pay. The thought of being judged for a gender I was born with and not have any control over is sickening to think about. After searching ‘What it means to be a woman?’ I found an article that states “Being a woman means being able to be powerful and assertive, yet kind at the same time. It means being compassionate and vulnerable towards those we love in our lives without feeling weak for doing so. It means striving for our goals even in the face of the adversity we may encounter along the way.” As women, we are told to hide our emotions unless they are deemed nurturing, but for men, they are able to show their emotions and be told it's because they are “men.” I work in an athletic store and when there are sports questions by customers they typically never ask females to help them in our golf department rather, but our most qualified staffer in that department is indeed a woman. Oftentimes men would rather hear things from someone of their own gender because they feel as if we are “lacking qualification” just because we are women. Even though we all have to go through the same exact training, they prefer to hear it from a male.

A quote found in the same article mentioned above is a better representation of what it means to be a woman “To me, being a woman also means using my own privilege to support others—Black women, disabled women, and trans women—who face even more barriers than I do. I love being a woman, and I love having the privilege to fight for my right to be a woman with full control over my body, future, and life.” said Tegwyn Hughes. We have the power to control our future, our bodies, and our life based on taking a stand against things we consider sexist and by using our voices to create change and against things that are unfair. We are fortunate to be able to educate women in countries such as India whose culture believes “a woman’s sole purpose in life is to be a good wife and mother.” Nowhere in this statement does it mention that a woman’s role is to provide and have a job and live an independent life outside of the home. These women are raised this way by their mothers and the culture is causing them a lack of education so they don't ask for equal rights. Thankfully, powerful women all over the world are writing books and starting movements with other women to bring about change. As found in the ‘Radical women, embracing tradition’ one woman spoke up about how she felt about injustice happening in her country and talked about the issue with other women, “first just 10 or 20, then 50, and finally hundreds of women---- wearing white, singing, dancing, saying they were out for peace.” As a woman I know I would have the support of so many other women if I ever spoke out against feeling upset about the way I was treated. I remember being younger and thinking I wish I was a boy, it would be so much easier. Now after taking this class and learning about the movements and goals women have created to help create gender equality makes me proud to be a woman. Every day women are a force to be reckoned with, especially in sports. A woman currently in the news that has had the support of so many other women is Simon Biles. After deciding to not be in the final of the 2021 Olympics, women from around the world took to social media to stop any hate she was receiving. At first, I had no idea why they were supporting her because as many articles stated she had lost us the gold medal. However, Ms.Biles is so much more than an athlete and a medal. She is a woman who has been assaulted by her own doctor and used her voice to speak against him alongside many other girls on her team. Oftentimes, sports allow male doctors to get away with what occurs by paying off the athletes, but instead of letting that happen, the gymnasts used their collective voice to show that it is okay to speak out and stand up for themselves.

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floridaprelaw-blog · 3 years

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Simone Biles Withdraws From Olympic Individual All-Around Competition

By John Famiglietti, Florida State University Class of 2021

July 28, 2021

Early Wednesday morning Simone Biles was seen doing something she had never done before. Arguably the greatest gymnast of all time was seen exiting the floor during the first rotation of the team final for team USA. The world wondered what could be the problem as some speculated that she had been injured on her previous vault in which she was set to attempt to do 2.5 twists, but only managed to pull off 1.5 with an awkward landing [1]. However, Simone did not limp or show any other signs she had been injured in the run, leaving viewers to question what was actually going on as she packed up her bag and left the floor. Simone was facing a battle that was unseen from the spectators, her mental health was not up to the immense challenge of being the workhorse of the nation with expectations nothing short of perfection, also saying on Monday that she felt the “weight of the world” on her shoulders [2]. Added pressure as being one of the last solidified household names with the retirement of olympic athletes Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt. At the end of the competition the United States of America received a silver medal coming behind the Russian Olympic Committee. “Once I came out here [to compete], I was like, 'No, mental is not there, so I just need to let the girls do it and focus on myself”’ Simone said in a statement after the competition [1]. Simone told the Associated Press “We also have to focus on ourselves, because at the end of the day, we're human, too. We have to protect our mind and our body, rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do” [2]. A statement from Simone’s social media read “I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn't affect me but damn sometimes it's hard hahaha! The olympics is no joke!" she wrote. "BUT I'm happy my family was able to be with me virtually🤍 they mean the world to me!” [3]. “After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games, in order to focus on her mental health. We wholeheartedly support Simone's decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many”, The United States of America gymnastics team said in a statement on Wednesday [1]. The 24 year old was physically in the best shape of her life qualifying for the finals on all four apparatuses, something she didn't even do during her five-medal haul at the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016 [1]. Gold medal hopes seem at an all time low as Jade Carey will now take Biles’ place in the individual all-around competition Thursday, Jade qualified 9th for the individual all-around earlier.

Simone’s decision to walk away for mental health follows a trend of athletes who feel the pressure to perform is not worth the spoils of victory. Number 2 women’s tennis player in the world Naomi Osaka stepped away from the French open and withdrew herself from the Wimbledon this year to focus on her mental health as well. Michael Phelps commented on his thoughts of the situation saying “I hope this is an eye-opening experience, I really do. I hope this is an opportunity for us to jump on board and to even blow this mental health thing even more wide open. It is so much bigger than we could even ever imagine,” Phelps said. “This is something that’s gonna take a lot of time, a lot of hard work and people who are willing to help” [3].

______________________________________________________________

[1] Maine, D. A. (2021, July 28). Simone Biles withdraws from INDIVIDUAL all-around gymnastics competition at Tokyo Olympics to focus on mental well-being. ESPN. https://www.espn.com/olympics/gymnastics/story/_/id/31902290/simone-biles-withdraws-individual-all-competition-tokyo-olympics-focus-mental-health.

[2]Silva, D. (2021, July 27). 'We're human, too': Simone biles highlights importance of mental health in OLYMPICS WITHDRAWAL. NBCNews.com. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/olympics/we-re-human-too-simone-biles-highlights-importance-mental-health-n1275224.

[3]Dragon, T. (2021, July 28). 'The Olympics IS OVERWHELMING': Michael Phelps says he can relate to Simone biles' situation in Tokyo. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2021/07/27/michael-phelps-reacts-simone-biles-gymnastics-team-event-withdrawal/5397177001/.

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laceypruett · 3 years

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Who Defines Strength For You?

I think it’s important that you do your absolute best at anything you set out to do. This statement is subjective to the person, and nobody can tell you when you are giving your absolute best, when you are at your breaking point, or when you need to take a break. Why is anyone criticizing Simone Biles? Despite what you, personally, feel you would do in her shoes, you’re not in her shoes, nor are you in her body or mind. While YOU may have stuck it out, risked injury, or just dealt with it—so to not let anyone else down, SHE was already at her DONE point. You need to catch up to her. Better yet, drop the criticism altogether.

Knowing what I know about athletes, competitors and over-achievers, they are harder on themselves and push themselves further than anyone else is or does. By the time your opinion comes around, they have long past you and your perspective of them. I love competition. I love pushing myself to my limit. I love that feeling just before I’m going to pass out or throw up during a workout (I know, probably not healthy, but again, I didn’t ask for your opinion). Because when I feel it, I know I have given my personal all, and choose to honor my body and recovery.

I’ve only quit three times, I can recall, in my life. By quit I mean done, not to return, until the situation changes or ever. I don’t quit the last mile of a marathon, and I actually push the pace even more. I don’t quit a relationship when I feel the first sting of hard; however, I have quit relationships on the fifth sting of hard. Five is my personal limit for harmfulness. You may have a different number. I have an addicting belief that “surely it’ll get better” and “surely they will change.” Life experience has shown me both are not always true. Life experience has also taught me to not do anything because someone else wants it for you. Want it for yourself first.

I have quit lifestyles (drinking) temporarily because my quality of life suffered. I was ridiculed and poked fun at for the decision, but I knew I was at my personal limit, for that time. I have quit activities temporarily, and some forever (picking up my phone while driving.) Some decisions make no sense to others around me, but I have peace over those decisions, as they were my personal best decisions.

Strength comes in many different forms, some more vivid to those watching, such as big muscles, leaving an abusive situation, or a plank hold over a minute. Strength also hides within the tougher, unpopular decisions needing to be made for a greater good. This strength doesn’t always get praised, may go unnoticed, or sadly is criticized by those who don’t understand. We should assume that if a person says they are done, they are really done. Much like when people say, “no,” or “enough,” or “help,” when someone makes a difficult decision that is unpopular to the masses, we should hear them the first time and offer only support. It’s not always ours to understand, but everyone can extend more compassion. What if compassionate and kind people are actually the strongest people? Let’s go for gold with kindness!

#simonebiles #mentalwellness #beyou #beyourself #yourrules #olympics #confidence #highachievers #highperformancedetox

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olgagarmash · 3 years

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‘We’re human, too’: Simone Biles highlights importance of mental health in Olympics withdrawal – NBC News

Simone Biles knew she was carrying a lot when she walked into the Ariake Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo on Tuesday. As the face of the U.S. Olympic team, she was shouldering her country’s gold medal hopes. As the greatest gymnast of all time, she was toting expectations for athletic dominance and repeated brilliance. As an outspoken advocate for female athletes, she was lugging around the pressure to make her fans proud.

Or, as she put it Monday, she was carrying “the weight of the world” on her shoulders. And she was making it look easy. Until it no longer was.

In making the stunning decision to withdraw from the team final competition Tuesday, Biles acknowledged the tremendous pressure she had been facing as the “head star of the Olympics” and said she needed to focus on her mental health.

“We also have to focus on ourselves, because at the end of the day we’re human, too,” Biles said, according to The Associated Press. “We have to protect our mind and our body, rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do.”

Biles, a four-time Olympic gold medalist, said she was not in the right state of mind to continue the competition.

“Physically, I feel good,” she told Hoda Kotb on NBC’s “TODAY” show after she withdrew. “Emotionally, that kind of varies on the time and moment. Coming here to the Olympics and being the head star of the Olympics isn’t an easy feat. So we’re just trying to take it one day at a time, and we’ll see.”

Biles’ candid admission, which follows Naomi Osaka’s decision this year to withdraw from tennis tournaments to protect her mental health, again put a global spotlight on the often taboo subject of mental health in sports.

July 27, 202107:55

Osaka, the No. 2-ranked player in the world, stepped away from the French Open and withdrew from Wimbledon to prioritize her mental health. “I do hope that people can relate and understand it’s OK to not be OK; and it’s OK to talk about it,” she wrote in Time magazine. “There are people that can help, and there is usually light at the end of any tunnel.”

Biles said she was inspired by Osaka and would tell others who are struggling to put their own needs first.

“Put mental health first, because if you don’t, then you’re not going to enjoy your sport and you’re not going to succeed as much as you want to,” she said. “So it’s OK sometimes to even sit out the big competitions to focus on yourself, because it shows how strong of a competitor that you really are, rather than just battle through it.”

Olympic athletes are competing under exceedingly unusual circumstances this year. They face more isolation this year with the Games taking place as the world is still in the coronavirus pandemic. And because Tokyo is under a state of emergency, spectators have been barred from most events where the athletes are competing.

“It’s been really stressful this Olympic Games,” Biles said. “Just as a whole, not having an audience, there are a lot of different variables going into it. It’s been a long week. It’s been a long Olympic process. It’s been a long year. So just a lot of different variables, and I think we’re just a little bit too stressed out. We should be out here having fun, and sometimes that’s not the case.”

After the U.S. team struggled during qualifying rounds, Biles wrote Monday on Instagram that she felt “like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times.”

“I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn’t affect me but damn sometimes it’s hard hahaha! The olympics is no joke!” she wrote. “BUT I’m happy my family was able to be with me virtually

they mean the world to me!”

July 27, 202103:28

Dr. Leela R. Magavi, a psychiatrist who has frequently worked with student-athletes and professional athletes, said the societal expectations from fans, the media and others can make athletes feel as though “every single step that they take will be significantly scrutinized, and this kind of pressure is so severe” that they can have trouble even focusing on their day-to-day activities.

Magavi said athletes like Biles, “who have such stature” and are “essentially symbolizing and representing a country,” can have so much anticipatory anxiety and face such enormous pressure to be perfect and never falter that “in this way they lose that passion for the game that was the first reason they joined the game in the first place.”

Magavi said she commends Biles for prioritizing her mental health needs over “societal expectations.”

“It really does take courage and emotional strength,” she said.

Biles got an outpouring of support after she withdrew.

Former Team USA gymnast Aly Raisman told “TODAY” that it was important to “think about how much pressure has been on her, and there’s only so much that someone can take.”

“She’s human, and I think sometimes people forget that, and Simone, just like everyone else, is doing the best that she can,” she said.

“I also am just thinking about the mental impact that this has to have on Simone,” Raisman continued. “It’s just so much pressure, and I’ve been watching how much pressure has been on her in the months leading up to the Games, and it’s just devastating. I feel horrible.”

At the news conference Tuesday, Biles said she knew she needed to take a step back to “work on my mindfulness” and give her teammates the chance to take over, so as not to hurt their medal chances.

She competed in Team USA’s first rotation on the vault but bailed out of her Amanar vault. She completed only 1½ twists on a 2½-twisting Yurchenko vault and then took a stumble on the landing.

“I didn’t want to risk the team a medal,” she said of her decision to withdraw. “They’ve worked way too hard for that, so I just decided that those girls need to go in and do the rest of the competition.”

Biles, Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee and Grace McCallum of Team USA took silver. The Russian Olympic Committee team won gold.

Biles won five medals in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and has a chance to win six at these Games. She has qualified for the rest of the gymnastics events; the next is the women’s individual all-around competition Thursday.

Asked about Thursday’s event, Biles said, “We’re going to take it day by day, and we’re just going to see.”

source https://wealthch.com/were-human-too-simone-biles-highlights-importance-of-mental-health-in-olympics-withdrawal-nbc-news/

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thehonoraryamerican · 6 years

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Okay then, do them all haha (or if you're less invested, do all the multiples of five!)

Ok, you didn’t fill in any blanks for me, so I’ll fill them in myself :D

1. The USA National Team competes in the Hunger Games. Who wins?Well, out of all the girls I can remember being on the team, I’m gonna say Ragan Smith or Jade Carey. Ragan because she be little, but she be mighty (also her guns in Kim’s Instagram video the other day PHWOAR!). And Jade because I still cant believe she was a level 10 a year ago and her double double looks like THAT!

2. Who would be the most fun to watch in a future season of Dancing with the Stars?Eythora Thorsdottir for sure. She has the most amazing expression.

3. Favorite Event Final Leo?I’ve always loved the leotard Lauren Mitchell wore in the 2012 floor final. I know it’s hot pink, but the pink and black actually worked so nicely, especially on her pale skin. And the stars of our flag on the back of the shoulder was a really sweet touch.4. Most intriguing gymnastics scandal?Sydney 2000. I was enthralled with it when I first found out. What a shitshow that was.5. 2016 Olympic Team for USA if the format was still 7-6-5. 7 members:Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Laurie Hernandez, Gabby Douglas, Madison Kocian, Mykayla Skinner, Ragan Smith (I know they were all technically part of the team anyway if you go team + alternates, my brain can’t remember much past them)

TF lineupVT: Smith, Hernandez, Douglas, Raisman, Skinner, BilesUB: Raisman, Smith, Hernandez, Biles, Douglas, KocianBB: Kocian, Raisman, Douglas, Smith, Hernandez, BilesFX: Douglas, Smith, Hernandez, Skinner, Raisman, Biles

6. Which gymnast would you not want to be stuck on a plane next to? McKenna Kelley. LOL.7. If your child was an elite gymnast, what gym would you send her to?If I lived in the US, I’d send her to World Champions. Not just because it’s the home of Simone Biles, but I feel like the Biles family have put together a great staff and a great program that really prioritizes the child’s health and happiness over any sort of medal.8. Which gymnast do you wish competed in another quad?Shannon Miller. I think she would’ve been a bomb ass beam specialist under the open ended code.

9. What Olympic/Worlds Team selections do you disagree with?I was kind of ho-hum about Douglas last year (oops, 2016, not last year), but I mean, like Lauren has said 101 times, Marta literally could’ve justified anyone in that spot. I was also kind of gutted about Gabby Jupp last year, but I didn’t actually disagree with anyone who made the team, so it was a bit of a catch 22. I’m also still pissed that Australia didn’t send anyone to Worlds in 2013.10. Favorite gymnast’s makeup for competition?I really liked the blue touches in Aly’s for the Rio TF, I actually started copying it myself for a while. It’s a funky little thing to do!11. What’s the stupidest thing you ever heard anyone say about gymnastics/a gymnast?‘GYMNASTICS IS NOT A SPORT’12. Which elite gymnasts would make the best cheerleader, if she wanted to be one?Well, Simone got to be one, so she’s on my list, and definitely Laurie as well.13. Do you think fans should judge gymnasts for their opinions on political/moral issues? (e.g. Alec on Gay Marriage)It kind of depends. Like, if they have differing opinions but aren’t actually spewing hate about it, I kind of don’t care? I’ll use my Mormon friend as an example. She’s a devout Mormon, and has been brought to believe being gay is a sin. But she actually doesn’t have an issue with people being gay, and she never says anything hateful about it, the only thing she’s ever said to me about it is ‘my religion believes it’s wrong, but I don’t have strong views either way’, and I feel like if gymnasts are the same about political/moral issues, then just leave them be. If they’re actively spewing hateful shit and potentially upsetting or hurting people, absolutely call them out on it.14. What’s your favorite meet from before you were born? The 1996 team final. A whole six weeks before I was born.15. Do you think it’s distasteful for a gymnast to compete with a messy bun/half ponytail?No, because I often wear them myself. It actually is possible to make them look cute, trust me.16. What are your dream Olympic Podiums for 2012?In 2012, I was pretty happy with all the results, but I would change a few small things. I would’ve had Aly win the AA bronze tiebreak over Aliya, purely because even though she had a mistake, she actually stayed on all her events whereas Aliya fell. I’d have had McKayla win gold (without a fall obviously) on vault, and swapped out Maria Paseka for Janine Berger, and I would’ve snuck Lauren Mitchell in for floor bronze.17. If the IOC decided we had to get rid of one apparatus for the female AA, which would you choose?This is actually really hard... my very first instinct was bars. Not sure why, because I actually enjoy bars. Probably beam. Beam is the event where you could potentially lose an entire group and then the gymternet pitches a fit over the fact that all three medalists fell off beam and so X gymnast who came 18th with an FTY should’ve been the Olympic Champion. (I do love you all very much :D)18. What’s the worst leotard you ever saw?Some of Ferrari’s have been a little questionable (like the London one where she forgot to sew on a sleeve). And Adela Sajn is GREAT bad leotard fuel.19. Chill, Choreograph, Chuck? (Asker chooses 3 gymnasts)No-one gave me anything to fill these blanks so ahhhh, Simone Biles, Lauren Mitchell, Ellie DownieChill with Lauren, choreograph for Simone, chuck Ellie (I like Ellie, I do, she was literally one of the first three to pop into my head)20. Whose toe point gets on your nerves?Alyona. Lol.21. Favorite freshman to watch in NCAA Gymnastics this year?Kinda keen to watch Jazzy Foberg!22. What do you think Aly will do after she retires? I think she’ll keep doing what she’s doing. Speaking out against things that are valued to her, promoting safe and healthy sport, and just generally being a BAMF ally for women and athletes everywhere.

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