FX EF INQUIRY (Jordan Chiles Stripped Of Bronze Medal/USAG launches appeal) PART 2

[ArnoldRimmer]

Interesting topic.

The sport no longer being default teen means we have not just athletes competing into their 30s, but also there's no longer an expectation that being younger is an advantage and the WAGs who continue into their 20s are extending their teenage careers. However, that does mean people like Simone, Becky Downie and Eli Seitz who started at 15/16 then lived and competed through that change have, as MC points out, been in their teenage space for a very long time.

There may never be an equivalent generation that follows, as there aren't actually many under 18s at major competitions now, when compared to even 10 or 20 years back. That's not something anyone ever really planned for. I can see how it could pose specific challenges to the people living through it.

 

[rlayt]

Interesting observations!

 

[OnlyBeansOnToast]

people like Simone, Becky Downie and Eli Seitz who started at 15/16 then lived and competed through that change have, as MC points out, been in their teenage space for a very long time.

And their teenage spaces are very atypical, especially in the US where homeschooling to allow for more intense training is more common. You've got kids spending all their waking hours with a very small group of adults, missing out all the social and emotional development that their peers are going through both in and out of the classroom. So they grow up very mature for their age in some ways, but potentially very immature and undeveloped in others. The more I think about it the more interesting it gets...

 

[RichardL]

And in many cases they end up spending the majority of time with children, in the form of their younger teammates. If I were in my late 20s and spending all day with kids under 18 (for the most part), I'm sure it would become evident in a lot of my behaviors and approaches to communication.

 

[Sasha]

Assuming Simone is in fact retired, she might be less inclined to talk back to people like this anyway. I get the feeling that she struggled with the volume and types of comments she heard/read about her gymnastics over the years.

(Obviously, it would have been in her best interest be more disciplined about reducing her exposure to the content that got under her skin, but I'm hardly in a position to cast the first stone here.)

Edit: spelling

 

[Hatsumomo]

And AFAIK, she didn't go to college, which tends to be the transitional period between childhood and adulthood and for most, the first time someone spends most of the year away from their parents/family. I would say she should go to college for the experience and whatnot, but given Suni Lee's experience post-Tokyo, maybe that's not such a good idea.

 

[JaJa]

And their teenage spaces are very atypical, especially in the US where homeschooling to allow for more intense training is more common. You've got kids spending all their waking hours with a very small group of adults, missing out all the social and emotional development that their peers are going through both in and out of the classroom. So they grow up very mature for their age in some ways, but potentially very immature and undeveloped in others. The more I think about it the more interesting it gets...

Yes. And can we please give Simone some grace? She entered one of the most intense (in terms of difficulty skill required and hours devoted) sports as a child, was therefore sheltered and kept from from much of the normal socializing processes and experiences people have that help them mature emotionally and socially. Then she becomes the "GOAT," adding on steroids to the intensity of the experience . The pressure she has faced is unimaginable. And what she went through in Tokyo. She has, however, been an incredible blessing to the sport because of her extraordinary ability. Now she has to adapt to being a "retired" gymnast at an age when most (non athletes) are just beginning their professional lives. Please . . . . . . understand that by virtue of all of this she has necessarily skipped some of the normal socializing and psychological growth phases. Give her the grace I believe she more than deserves.

 

[JaJa]

And AFAIK, she didn't go to college, which tends to be the transitional period between childhood and adulthood and for most, the first time someone spends most of the year away from their parents/family. I would say she should go to college for the experience and whatnot, but given Suni Lee's experience post-Tokyo, maybe that's not such a good idea.

Another really good point

 

[MaryClare]

Yes. And can we please give Simone some grace? She entered one of the most intense (in terms of difficulty skill required and hours devoted) sports as a child, was therefore sheltered and kept from from much of the normal socializing processes and experiences people have that help them mature emotionally and socially. Then she becomes the "GOAT," adding on steroids to the intensity of the experience . The pressure she has faced is unimaginable. And what she went through in Tokyo. She has, however, been an incredible blessing to the sport because of her extraordinary ability. Now she has to adapt to being a "retired" gymnast at an age when most (non athletes) are just beginning their professional lives. Please . . . . . . understand that by virtue of all of this she has necessarily skipped some of the normal socializing and psychological growth phases. Give her the grace I believe she more than deserves.

No. Her talent, achievements and background do not excuse her from criticism. It might be different if she was 18 or 19, but she isn’t a child. She is a 27 year old married woman. I have not seen anyone be unduly hard on her on this forum.