to think Rachel 'Raygun' gun has broken the phrase 'Oh for the confidence of a mediocre man'?

If that's the case, then it was hideously self serving and did precisely nothing for the girls and women who are now seeing the thing they're genuinely passionate about ridiculed.

I rather suspect she'll be back with a firmly defensive, carefully scrutinized, media savvy response.

Only read OP posts, so apologies if this has already been said; but Rachel Gunn is an academic specialising in social studies, who has lectured on gender politics in breakdancing. I think she is quite a capable dancer, but was making some sort of point in her performance for the purposes of her studies. A bit of a dick move (pun intended) if you think about all the young girls and women who would have loved to have taken her place.

Whether it's trolling or not, she took a place away from a woman or girl who deserved it much more than she did.

He’s hardly going to sh*t in his own sandwich. He’s only going to say good things about breaking because they need good publicity to get the sport taken seriously, and to keep himself in a job.

By the same argument black people can’t participate in half of ballroom dancing dances. Or in tennis. Or even football. Which were developed by white upper class people. Are you for real? That’s such a racist argument

Because white people are so oppressed(!) 🙄

It’s worth pointing out she won an Oceania qualifier. A lot of sports offer continental spots for countries who are unlikely to qualify through a world championships or similar event. In Oceania these include table tennis, rhythmic gymnastics, fencing and football.

She’s apparently the best Australia AND New Zealand has to offer! Even more embarrassing.

I don't think skin colour or class should be a limit. But there is an issue about what makes something/someone "good". The background of how breakdance developed is relevant - not that white people can't do it, but "getting a degree" in it is a different way to how the sport developed. I guess it gets into an argument about who "owns" the dance/sport.

Didn't realise upper class white people were historically oppressed and had their culture appropriated by their oppressors.

I usually err on the side of thinking people generally are sincere and act in good faith. Including Rachel Gunn. I've cringed so hard, cried with laughter and been so puzzled by this that I've stalked her old twitter and she seems genuinely committed to her work in promoting dance, culture and entertainment.

I can see how the Aussie selection process may have been a bit slapdash and excluded some breakers if there were no formal structures in place for organising and overseeing the qualifiers leading to a prohibitively narrow timeframe for registering interest and Olympic eligibility requirements included the need for proof of both citizenship and passport. Lots of people don't have those things to hand.

To me, she just looks like someone who is a bit out of shape but having a go, trying to get into 'the spirit' of the battle, leaning into the 'interpretive' and 'creative' aspects of the genre. But judging by her twitter, she's been doing it for years as PPs have pointed out so she clearly knows what's required. I feel for her. It's probably how I would look if I participated in a breaking battle... at a family barbecue or in a PE lesson against one of my pupils.

I keep getting reels showing on Facebook which cut from dogs writhing around on the ground to raygun and back again.

By the same argument black people can’t participate in half of ballroom dancing dances. Or in tennis. Or even football. Which were developed by white upper class people. Are you for real? That’s such a racist argument

Well he was the head judge and he doesn't seem to want her head on a stick. She's certainly generated lots of publicity for breakdancing.

At the risk of getting a bit serious about Eddie the Eagle and Eric the Eel 😂, I don't think these comparisons really hold water. Eddie the Eagle was no good at ski jumping but he was superb speed skier- one of the best in the world- trying to do something new. He didn't make ski jumping look ridiculous- if anything, he showed quite how dangerous and difficult it is.

Eric the Eel took part as part of a programme designed to widen participation by inviting nations which would not otherwise qualify- he had no delusions about his abilities. He had never swum in an Olympic size pool and didn't even have swimming trunk or goggles until the coach of another team gave him some. He was there to represent his country where there was nobody else to do it in the hope of bringing swimming to EG, and he succeeded in that 100% (and is now the national coach) as well as demonstrating how skewed the games necessarily are in favour of richer nations. He's a real hero.

None of that applies to Raygun, who comes from a rich nation with plenty of resources (and many better potential competitors) and made the whole activity appear ridiculous.

But you can be original and still be good.

This sums it up

Gymnastics has a clear and well used process for submitting new moves to the code of points. They also reevaluate the COP every cycle, to guard against certain moves being over used. Olympics are the biggest deal for these competitors, there will be a certain amount of playing it safe to maximise their chances, but if you look at the medal winning performances, originality is clearly rewarded. Look at Biles on floor/vault or Nemour on UB.

In my experience this happens quite frequently in dance scenes. There is always a few dancers who have been around for years who say and do the right things, know all the moves, but are actually not that good. They manage to get lots of kudos for their 'unique' style though, often teaching and trading off their reputation to make a living.

This is why I switched to sports, that's pretty clear cut. You can't bring your ego and narcissism along for the ride which you can do in creative pursuits.

Olympics is a whole other level though. The breakdance scene in Oz must be pretty toxic.

Yes @Olivie12 - conflict of interest, that’s it exactly.

Akin to white people claiming that their uncle's cat had visited Jamaica.

A total uncultured approach: I'm going to break dance, which was developed by black working class people by getting a degree in it.

I didnt forget. But if you look at gymnastics 20 year ago and today, there are massive differences between what is emphasized, valued and allowed. Even Simone Biles has said she is not a flexible as gymnasts from the past - but she obviously has other strengths which are incredible and which we value highly now.

Criteria, points etc dont just change. There is a reason they alter over time.

Probably won't stay. Not many countries play lacrosse.

And it will be another controversy, as the US is trying to sneak two US teams into 8 teams only competition, American and Native American.