Recent content by IratePanda

Strug and Miller were still technically juniors when they competed at '91 Worlds. Sey couldn't compete senior until 1984, so she probably felt extra pressure to advance as quickly as possible. Of course, even if 14 year-olds had been allowed to compete at '83 Worlds, she probably wouldn't have...

Agreed! Shushunova and Szabo came close, but Sey did not.

Shaposhnikova retired at 19, alas. I would have loved to see her compete in '81, but I think her ankles were shot. Yurchenko won '83 Worlds at 18. Anyway, I think Sey is taking another nasty potshot at the '80 team members who dared to stick around and threaten her Olympic spot in '84. There...

True. Stacey Gunthorpe was even worse. Some of the SCATS gymnasts were more polished, but the mere thought of Don Peters gives me the shivers. Marlowe had some lovely work, but she was so inconsistent. (She finished way down in 10th place at '86 Nationals when she probably should have won.)

Yes, she looked like a junior, even as a second- or third-year senior.

international Gymnast once described her as "breatakingly graceful," but I never saw it. Kathy Johnson was breathtakingly graceful. Sey was a galumph.

The story about Traci Hinkle is so scary. The anecdote about Bill Cosby is cringe-inducing. Of course, we didn't know then what we know now.

I'm disappointed but not surprised that Silivas has voiced support for the Voineas. She and Mama C were teammates for years. Who knows what kind of a bond they forged over bad haircuts and abusive coaching. I'd be more upset if Ecaterina Szabo took the Voineas' side. I recall reading or...

Yes, fair points about GB and Japan. I confess to a bit of tunnel vision when I wrote my original post. I imagine they were happy with both the WAG and MAG results. And I agree 100% about Melnikova. I am not a huge fan of the silver medalist, but I would have preferred to see her win. It's not...

That poster. It's their world, and we're all just living in it The ignore feature exists for a reason.

Right?

Simone wasn't a one-woman show. Her teammates were also incredibly talented and contributed on every event. Right now, it's difficult to say how the current crop of elites will gel as a team for the rest of the quad. I do think, though, that some people are catastrophizing way too much on the...

I was just about to post this. She did place 3rd AA at '85 Worlds Trials, but the circumstances were similar. The senior WAG field was undeniably weak at US Nationals in '86. Sey was very lucky to win. She looked like utter crap at the Goodwill Games a few weeks later and every subsequent...

I missed Barbosu at Worlds, but maybe it's just as well she didn't go. Stanford is a much better place for her. God knows what the Voineas might have done to her in Jakarta.

That's an interesting perspective on the 1980 boycott. Even if Johnson, McNamara, and Talavera hadn't continued through 1984, neither Sey nor Denkins would have made the LA team. They didn't compete at Olympic Trials. IIRC, Sey was injured that year and Denkins didn't even qualify to U.S...