GOSSIP:Svetlana Khorkina

[ChinaLove]

are you saying just because svetlana is skinny and has cheeckbones like razors she's a better gymnist? i don't think so. carly may not be the most attractive thing, but she's only 16 and performs much better, plus have you noticed her 6-pack, she's obviously stronger than khorkina and has a much better attitude. if being a b*tch gives you grace...well then... i'm flabbergasted

Where in my post did I say skinny=good gymnast? Carly Patterson has no grace, period. She's robotic and mechanical. And yes, she looks like a fregan butterball.

 

[Polina_sexy]

I met Svetlana 1 year ago, she´s a very nice girl and the best russian gymnast.
She trains 5 hours everyday since she was 8 years old.
I watched the competition and I think it was unfair because she did it perfect, like always, judges were unfair with her.
I´m ice-skater and I can understand how she feels, but everybody knows she is the best and she must be proud, many people admires her.
She´s a celebrity in Russia, and it doesn´t matter if she´s the second or the last, because she´s the best!!!
Carly is just an inexperienced, and Svetlana isn´t it, she is doing competitions since many years ago and she got the best coach.
Svetlana is the winner and she will prove it soon i´m sure.
I admire her very much.

 

[Misako]

Err...gymnastics these days isn't based on elegance and grace, it's about power and athleticism...

Secondly, Svetlana is very good, but Carly is by no means inexperienced...she's won world competitions - she's been competing for a while - not as long as Svetlana, but her "age" these days is the norm for gymnastics (and even earlier, before the restriction was enacted, it used to be even younger - 14, etc... experienced or inexperienced - it depends on your skill level. If you're not up to par, you won't get anything. The amount of years you have can be a plus, but it's not based on how many years you've been in the sport...it's how you've performed THAT DAY.)

 

[vintage_princess]

Originally posted by ChinaLove@Aug 23 2004, 02:57 PM
Where in my post did I say skinny=good gymnast?    Carly Patterson has no grace, period.  She's robotic and mechanical.  And yes, she looks like a fregan butterball.

[snapback]342857[/snapback]​

Grace or no grace, Carly Patterson won gold. End of story.

 

[SCBlondie]

Grace?

 

[Nemova]

Those graceful days in gymnastics are over, and I resent that. The girls from Romania and China still keep it going quite well, but I'm afraid it won't last for too long. It's all about power and

 

[Misako]

Originally posted by Nemova@Aug 23 2004, 11:04 PM
Those graceful days in gymnastics are over, and I resent that. The girls from Romania and China still keep it going quite well, but I'm afraid it won't last for too long. It's all about power and

[snapback]343273[/snapback]​

I LOVE that "strength" icon, lol!!

 

[FashionVixen]

Arhg. You guys really think Svetlana has GRACE? I see none of it; she always looks sloppy to me. Maybe its because of her height but she is never as tight and sticks as well as the otther gymnasts. Besides, I find her much more mechanical than Carly; Svetlana usually looks pissed off and wants to get the routine over with. Yes, gymnastics is mostly about strngth and tumbling now. But why shouldn't it be? It is one of the most demanding sports out there and I'm impressed how gymnasts keep pushing their limits (triple fulls, anyone?) I say, keep it up, Carly!

 

[FashionVixen]

Originally posted by ChinaLove@Aug 23 2004, 02:57 PM
And yes, she looks like a fregan butterball.

[snapback]342857[/snapback]​

Butterball? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Carly is ripped like a gymnast is supposed to look like.

 

[cocomonkey]

i agree with svetlana. she was cheated and i think she deserved the gold more than carly especially after that whole ordeal in sydney and her not so previlaged upbrings certainly shows that she's determined and a fighter. however everyyear at the olympics these type of things ALWAYS happen. i've seen soooooo many ppl that got the gold by sheer luck, or were robbed of the medal by a single thread. i mean everyone worked their *** off, everyone feels that they deserve it more than teh next person and really if it were up to me i give gold medals just for the effort. her scores weren't fair but its all part of the games, nothings gonna chagne that.

 

[Nemova]

Originally posted by cocomonkey@Aug 25 2004, 09:36 PM
i agree with svetlana. she was cheated and i think she deserved the gold more than carly especially after that whole ordeal in sydney and her not so previlaged upbrings certainly shows that she's determined and a fighter. however everyyear at the olympics these type of things ALWAYS happen. i've seen soooooo many ppl that got the gold by sheer luck, or were robbed of the medal by a single thread. i mean everyone worked their *** off, everyone feels that they deserve it more than teh next person and really if it were up to me i give gold medals just for the effort. her scores weren't fair but its all part of the games, nothings gonna chagne that.

[snapback]345334[/snapback]​

True

 

[ingenue]

sigh.. oh well.
on another note-- i do like boginskaya she's pretty :-)

 

[plasticine20]

Originally posted by cocomonkey@Aug 25 2004, 06:36 PM
i agree with svetlana. she was cheated and i think she deserved the gold more than carly especially after that whole ordeal in sydney and her not so previlaged upbrings certainly shows that she's determined and a fighter. however everyyear at the olympics these type of things ALWAYS happen. i've seen soooooo many ppl that got the gold by sheer luck, or were robbed of the medal by a single thread. i mean everyone worked their *** off, everyone feels that they deserve it more than teh next person and really if it were up to me i give gold medals just for the effort. her scores weren't fair but its all part of the games, nothings gonna chagne that.

[snapback]345334[/snapback]​

So for what specific reasons do you think she deserved the gold? The only underscore I saw was from vault. But you were also right about some ofher routines; her uneven bars score was unfair to the other gymnasts.

If anyone would "give gold medals just for the effort", then it wouldn't be fair.

 

[ChinaLove]

Butterball? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Carly is ripped like a gymnast is supposed to look like.

She still looks rank.

Anyways, I just have to add that the sport in question is artistic gymnastics... emphasis on the artistic. Gymnastics is changing and not necessarily in the best way. It's kind of like what happened in the music industry. In the '80's and 90's singers like Mariah and Whitney ruled the world with their voices and their voices only. Now, the Ashlee Simpson's and Hilary Duff's of the world are the new superstars. They have sh*tty voices but they have really shiny lip gloss, cute haircuts and cool dance routines to make their audiences forget that they have no real talent.... no substance at all.

Anyways, if Carly Patterson were competing 5 years ago, I doubt that she would be as successful as she is now (not that I think she's a bad gymnast). Back then you needed artistry and athleticism. Just being able to hit all your routines and tumble like a maniac was not enough to win you anything. If anyone remembers Elena Produnova, she was this Russian gymnast who was the most amazing tumbler you have ever seen in your life. Her beam, vault, floor and bar routines were the wildest thing you could ever see. She had the most dangerous routines and tumbled just as well as any of the male gymnasts. But the judges felt she was never as graceful and fluid as the other gymnasts. In fact, I think she's the only female gymnast to attempt and execute a triple front vault... a particular vault only done by men. But because of her level of difficulty, the judges actually deducted marks because they were scared that other gymnasts would try to imitate her

 

[oanadobre]

Originally posted by ChinaLove@Aug 26 2004, 03:00 AM
She still looks rank.

Anyways, I just have to add that the sport in question is artistic gymnastics... emphasis on the artistic. Gymnastics is changing and not necessarily in the best way. It's kind of like what happened in the music industry. In the '80's and 90's singers like Mariah and Whitney ruled the world with their voices and their voices only. Now, the Ashlee Simpson's and Hilary Duff's of the world are the new superstars. They have sh*tty voices but they have really shiny lip gloss, cute haircuts and cool dance routines to make their audiences forget that they have no real talent.... no substance at all.

Anyways, if Carly Patterson were competing 5 years ago, I doubt that she would be as successful as she is now (not that I think she's a bad gymnast). Back then you needed artistry and athleticism. Just being able to hit all your routines and tumble like a maniac was not enough to win you anything. If anyone remembers Elena Produnova, she was this Russian gymnast who was the most amazing tumbler you have ever seen in your life. Her beam, vault, floor and bar routines were the wildest thing you could ever see. She had the most dangerous routines and tumbled just as well as any of the male gymnasts. But the judges felt she was never as graceful and fluid as the other gymnasts. In fact, I think she's the only female gymnast to attempt and execute a triple front vault... a particular vault only done by men. But because of her level of difficulty, the judges actually deducted marks because they were scared that other gymnasts would try to imitate her

[snapback]345743[/snapback]​

 

[cocomonkey]

Originally posted by plasticine20@Aug 25 2004, 11:35 PM
So for what specific reasons do you think she deserved the gold? The only underscore I saw was from vault. But you were also right about some ofher routines; her uneven bars score was unfair to the other gymnasts.

If anyone would "give gold medals just for the effort", then it wouldn't be fair.

[snapback]345618[/snapback]​

why wouldn't it be fair? there are ao many athletes every year that worked their ***es off and have done so well and just at the last minute they fumble out of pressure or nerves or sheer bad luck and get robbed of the gold. they put 4, 8 12 or even more years of their life into one race or competition. i don't think that one race or competition at the olympics is a true indication of what some of these athlets can really do. you make one mistake and 4 years of training gets flushed down the toilets. which is why i feel i would give a gold medal to anyone that worked hard in the past 4 years and not just give it to the one person who performed the best in the one competition we see at the olympics. ppl don't just win the gold because they perfomred better than the other athelets, it a combination of luck, good timing and somtimes ebcause some other person messed up really bad and they got bumped up. but like i said this is just how these games are and you really can't do anything about it.

 

[dramatique]

I love Khorkina. She is such the little b*tch and the anthesis to Carly's bubbly cheerfulness

 

[plasticine20]

While it is admirable for these atheletes to work so hard, who can really say who has worked harder than the other? Sure, Svetlana has been competing for a long time, but I truly do not think she was the best gymnast there(though she probably is the greatest performer). I don't think it's just a matter of bad luck... she has made numerous mistakes at big competitions throughout the years. She fell at least twice at these olympics, missed important combinations or turns on beam and floor(and has done that at many big competitions). The all around in Sydney was a disaster, but she also did make many mistakes during the team competition. I don't think that many mistakes from all these years is from bad luck; it's from unprepairdness. When she hits, her routines are great. Otherwise, they're not that noteworthy.

It is unfortunate when great athletes do falter(Kim Zmeskal in '92), but part of what makes a greater athlete is that he/she can perform well consistently.

I do agree with others on here that Patterson is not very graceful. She is quite robotic, and that does bug me. If only she had the grace of the Chinese or Romanians(some of them that is). As for her being a "tumbling butterball"... that's a bit harsh! But the keyword is that she can tumble! Gymnastics is moving away from grace and artistry, but do remember that the main purpose is for the tricks. If you want a great emphasis on grace, watch a dance competition.

I guess I'll leave it at that for now.

 

[Sexed up]

They also robbed Alexei Nemov... Whole of Russia is furious these days...
America paid very well this year...

 

[Misako]

Originally posted by cocomonkey@Aug 26 2004, 08:45 AM
why wouldn't it be fair? there are ao many athletes every year that worked their ***es off and have done so well and just at the last minute they fumble out of pressure or nerves or sheer bad luck and get robbed of the gold. they put 4, 8 12 or even more years of their life into one race or competition. i don't think that one race or competition at the olympics is a true indication of what some of these athlets can really do. you make one mistake and 4 years of training gets flushed down the toilets. which is why i feel i would give a gold medal to anyone that worked hard in the past 4 years and not just give it to the one person who performed the best in the one competition we see at the olympics. ppl don't just win the gold because they perfomred better than the other athelets, it a combination of luck, good timing and somtimes ebcause some other person messed up really bad and they got bumped up. but like i said this is just how these games are and you really can't do anything about it.

[snapback]345890[/snapback]​

I don't think this is right, though. Even though the Olympics is generally considered to be the ULTIMATE goal, it's still a competition which is based solely on one's performance on a given night. If they flubbed or didn't do what they needed to do, they only have themselves to blame...it's the same in any other competition, and if it's not their night, then it's not their night. No other competition is "stacked" so that the athletes who've performed before are guaranteed a medal, the Olympics shouldn't be either.

This is why I don't consider the Olympic medal to be the example of a good athlete unless the athlete has proven in the past to be an exceptional athlete...

but at the same time, it's always nice to have the Olympic medal and all the history it holds.