Any interest in the Summer Olympics??

[iflip4musicals]

Men's gymnastics team announced: Danell Leyva, John Orozco, Jon Horton, Jake Dalton, Sam Mikulak. Alternates: Chris Brooks, Steve Legendre, Alex Naddour

[algy]

*coughs*

[iflip4musicals]

but wait, there's more

[Scripps2]

I'm dreading the opening ceremony.

I get the impression from statements made to the media that Daldry has already washed his hands of it.

[strummergirl]

The song for the games, and I am a fan and defender of Muse, is dreadful. Good guitar play and the chorus works in isolation but the piano, the prelude, and the lyrics are mind numbingly stupid. It is trying tto be Queen without the wink and nodding they had in their previous album when many songs had riffs of Queen.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

I hope the opening ceremony is a step up from their sneak preview at the 08 closing ceremony, which just seemed like a lot of cliches and David Beckham waving.

[xxdrewboy85xx]

Can't wait for Woman's gymnastic trials tonight! Of course I wont watch until after True Blood and Weeds!

This years mens team is pretty great. Im digging the team they selected and glad Sam was picked for the team after his injury! He killed it day 1 and only competing in 1 event day 2 and still makes the team!

[Jane2]

I dread the opening ceremonies because each year, more and more of the athletes are marching around the arena talking on their phones. I guess this year all of them will be!

[supportivemom]

Huge fan of gymnastics. I've been watching since Cathy Rigby and my daughter used to compete. It's such a tough sport and it's all about peaking at the right time and during an Olympic year. Gabby Douglas is phenomenal and I can see her getting a lot of endorsements. Tough for Nastia Liukin and Rebecca Bross.

[Marianne2]

*Gymnastics Spoiler* Just for those not watching right now.

I don't think Nastia Liukin is going to make the team. The Uneven Bars were her thing, but she has not shown that at all in these trials at all. That was a really scary fall she took tonight. And I'm not sure about Rebecca Bross. I would like to see Alicia Sacramone make it because she has been doing well. I just don't know if it is well enough.

*End Spoiler*

[Blockhead24]

^ I think it was a done deal last night that Nastia wouldn't make the team.

Gabby needs a 15.2 to automatically make the London team and I'm thinking she's got it in the bag.

[Jane2]

In the interview, Nastia said that her time has come. She showed amazing sportsmanship on the uneven bars. wow.

[iflip4musicals]

So glad Nastia didn't make it! Did she really think she could come back after a few months of training? And all that bs about it "being for the team" and not for herself was so phony. It's not that I wanted her to fall on bars, but everyone else worked so hard to get there and/or come back after Beijing that for Nastia to make it would not be deserved at all, especially after the disastrous routines she's had the past few meets. I felt bad for Rebecca Bross, a year ago she was poised to win Olympic gold, but at least she went out well on beam.

I'm bummed Alicia wasn't named to the team even as an alternate. I've always loved her gymnastics and thought she proved herself well and would make a phenomenal leader again.

I was so happy for Gabby to win that automatic spot, especially after being an exhibitionist a few months ago at the AT&T cup to come out and win Olympic Trials is amazing! I really thought Elizabeth Price would take McKayla's spot on the team, but at least she was named an alternate. I do feel bad for Aly though, with the two per country rule who knows how many individual competitions she can try her hand at with Jordyn and Gabby blazing through.

That being said, with the team we have Douglas, Weiber, Raisman, Maroney, and Ross I think we can contend for team gold again!

[never_has_been]

I can see your point about Nastia. She said the night she won the AA in Beijing that she had every intention to stick around for London if her body could handle it. It would be very unfortunate for the girls who spent six days a week in the gym for the last four years to be pushed out by Nastia if she were able to be as strong of a competitor as she had hoped after a mere few months. I must say however I was rooting for her, her execution is just so beautiful to watch. If things had gone her way it certainly wouldn�t be the first time. If anyone recalls the 2000 Trials Shannon Miller, Dominque Dawes, and Amy Chow all came out of retirement, Chow and Dawes both landed spots on the team after sitting out of the sport for years.
Briget Sloan had a sad end to her elite career too, leaving day 1 with an injury. She had never really taken a break from training or between the 2008 and 2012 trials and her solid performance in the 2008 was greatly overshadowed. I must say I don�t like the change to only five gymnasts. The changes in 2004 allowed for use of specialists, which really benefited the US that year with Mohini Bhardwaj and Annia Hatch on vault. That really doesn�t work well with the new number. I do like that there are three alternates this year, that should prevent an ordeal like the 2000 alternate switcheroo where they changed their alternate when Morgan White broke her leg, leaving previously chosen Alyssa Beckerman at home and unconventionally calling up Tasha Schwikert to go. Now they will be able to pick the alternate that best fits the holes left by the injured gymnast. I was excited to see Anna Li named as an alternate, she was so clutch for UCLA in her NCAA career. I doubt she�ll get the opportunity to actually compete but I�m still very happy for her.

[never_has_been]

I can see your point about Nastia. She said the night she won the AA in Beijing that she had every intention to stick around for London if her body could handle it. It would be very unfortunate for the girls who spent six days a week in the gym for the last four years to be pushed out by Nastia if she were able to be as strong of a competitor as she had hoped after a mere few months. I must say however I was rooting for her, her execution is just so beautiful to watch. If things had gone her way it certainly wouldn�t be the first time. If anyone recalls the 2000 Trials Shannon Miller, Dominque Dawes, and Amy Chow all came out of retirement, Chow and Dawes both landed spots on the team after sitting out of the sport for years.
Briget Sloan had a sad end to her elite career too, leaving day 1 with an injury. She had never really taken a break from training or between the 2008 and 2012 trials and her solid performance in the 2008 was greatly overshadowed. I must say I don�t like the change to only five gymnasts. The changes in 2004 allowed for use of specialists, which really benefited the US that year with Mohini Bhardwaj and Annia Hatch on vault. That really doesn�t work well with the new number. I do like that there are three alternates this year, that should prevent an ordeal like the 2000 alternate switcheroo where they changed their alternate when Morgan White broke her leg, leaving previously chosen Alyssa Beckerman at home and unconventionally calling up Tasha Schwikert to go. Now they will be able to pick the alternate that best fits the holes left by the injured gymnast. I was excited to see Anna Li named as an alternate, she was so clutch for UCLA in her NCAA career. I doubt she�ll get the opportunity to actually compete but I�m still very happy for her.

[iflip4musicals]

When Nastia is great she is utterly beautiful to watch, I was just getting a bit sick of her being so in the spotlight for non-gymnastics things (which I understand is how she makes money) when so many others were training hard. I too was very upset about Bridget, I had her in my line up, but all of my friends thought I was crazy and I suppose I was. Very excited for Anna, but disappointed about ASac I thought she proved herself on Sunday.


I am trying to start a (not for $$) fantasy gymnastics league for the Summer Olympics. I haven't worked all of the kinks out yet, but it should prove to be a fun game/experiment. If interested, please pm me your email address by the 14th and I will send you the google doc with the rules and stuff. Please make sure you can watch prelims on Sunday July 29th because I think it will have a big part in the overall game. We will include all of the girls from all of the countries, so start watching youtube! Since this idea just came to me today and certainly will have its kinks, there is absolutely no money involved because that just wouldn't be fair :)