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Original poster

To find watching the gymnastics utterly depressing?

207 replies

GandalfsWrinklyHat · 09/08/2016 21:53

Watching the olympics - gymnastics on right now. Think it's the team competition bit. I know nothing about gymnastics at all, and am in awe of all those girls doing what they're doing, but they are SO YOUNG. And I cannot imagine that they could have had much of a childhood at all. I just find it so depressng. And they must surely know pain? You cannot train to do what they're doing and not experience a lot of pain. Somebody set me straight. I actually feel quite guilty for watching... Am I wrong?

OP posts:
sashh · 10/08/2016 09:16

Because they are small they look young, they have to be 16 to compete in the Olympics, Beth Tweddle was still competing in her late 20s.

Gymnast in the 1970s were getting younger and younger but you might be surprised at the age of some of them, many now compete in 2,3 or 4 Olympics.

Simone Biles is 19, Rebecca Downie is 24, Claudia Fragapane is also 19 - she has said her mum was fed up of her climbing things and hurling herself of furniture that she sent her to gymnastics as an outlet for her energy.

redhat · 10/08/2016 10:13

The "glittery shit" comments are a bit annoying really. Yes its a relatively new thing but these girls are 16. If they want to wear make up and a bit of glitter in their hair then is that really a problem? No different to the 16 year olds you see walking around the streets.

When I was at my peak I was a big fan of purple eyeliner and rimmel heather shimmer lipstick with fluorescent pink nails. I'd have been most put out if I was expected to take off my make up just because I was doing gymnastics!

And the dance is part of the floor routine. A lot of gymnasts love that part of the sport and ballet is a part of their training.

JenLindley · 10/08/2016 10:23

I have no problem with glitter. They could be dipped in it for all I care. Really "dancing" I don't get, because it isn't really dancing and again, they're not dancers and aren't there to dance. And again, why don't the men do it?

LanaDelRayRay · 10/08/2016 10:23

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GladAllOver · 10/08/2016 10:26

A good friend of mine trained for years but had to give it up after a minor accident. All that time and dedication was wasted. But I suppose that could happen with other sports too.
I trained with her for a while until I met my boyfriend and practised new exercises with him :)

redhat · 10/08/2016 10:26

I was just about to mention oksana omelianchik. watch this and say there's no dancing! The current lot are just no good at artistic interpretation.

redhat · 10/08/2016 10:29

Or Elene Shuchonova - another perfect 10.

redhat · 10/08/2016 10:31

Jen why don't you ask why the men don't do the beam or the A bars. It's a different sport with different elements

LanaDelRayRay · 10/08/2016 10:33

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LanaDelRayRay · 10/08/2016 10:34

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motherducker · 10/08/2016 10:34

I like the dancey bits! If they're done well they compliment the routine wonderfully.

JenLindley · 10/08/2016 10:35

Nope, sorry, her gymnastics was out of this world but the dancing looked like a child having a skip around a park. And I still don't get why there is dancing. The diving doesn't have a spot of hockey in the middle of it they just dive, no fillers. or the running have a dressage component to it. Why can't the gymnasts just do gymnastics?

JenLindley · 10/08/2016 10:36

Jen why don't you ask why the men don't do the beam or the A bars. It's a different sport with different elements

It hasn't occurred to me that they didn't, I assumed they did. But I will ask now. Why don't they?

LanaDelRayRay · 10/08/2016 10:37

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StepAwayFromTheThesaurus · 10/08/2016 10:39

DS2 utterly refuses to watch the women's gymnastics because of the dancing (and other unnecessary poncing around that detracts from the impressive stuff). He loves the men's gymnastics because it has none of that (and no glitter/rhinestones/etc). It's a shame as the female gymnasts are really impressive.

StepAwayFromTheThesaurus · 10/08/2016 10:40

The men's is still called artistic gymnastics but there's no music and no dancing.

JenLindley · 10/08/2016 10:43

So what makes the men's 'artistic'?

JenLindley · 10/08/2016 10:44

When is the men's on or have I missed it?

MrsLion · 10/08/2016 10:44

My DD is a competitive gymnast. Never been stretched to the point of tears.
The coaches regularly affirm that THE single most important factor is that gymnasts enjoy what they're doing.

I'm sure the Olympic gymnasts have grueling and painful training that takes them away from friends, school or family but so does every athlete at the olympics.

StepAwayFromTheThesaurus · 10/08/2016 10:45

You've missed the men's team (but it's on iplayer). The all around men's is today.

JenLindley · 10/08/2016 10:47

Thanks stepaway

QueenoftheAndals · 10/08/2016 10:48

There was a woman competing for Uzbekistan the other day who was 41

That'd be Chusovitina. She's been around so long that she used to compete for the Soviet Union!

redhat · 10/08/2016 10:49

Elena Shushonova - my spell check clearly doesn't like russian name

LanaDelRayRay · 10/08/2016 10:51

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Lottielou7 · 10/08/2016 10:57

They have to be 16 to compete or due to turn 16 the year of competition. The reason most of them look so young is that the level of training delays puberty. Ive heard very unpleasant rumours about the way gymnasts are treated.