Gymnast Social Media Megathread

[Puffin]

Do we count Mustafina’s comeback? Certainly plenty of drama

I’m pretty sure that she announced her retirement in Rio 2016
Married November 2016
Had a baby June 2017
Went back to training a few months later in 2017 (not the greatest idea)
Got divorced April 2018
Started competing in April 2018
Was instrumental in qualifying Russia as a team to Tokyo - September 2018

… it was wild

 

[MaryClare]

Do we count Mustafina’s comeback? Certainly plenty of drama

I’m pretty sure that she announced her retirement in Rio 2016
Married November 2016
Had a baby June 2017
Went back to training a few months later in 2017 (not the greatest idea)
Got divorced April 2018
Started competing in April 2018
Was instrumental in qualifying Russia as a team to Tokyo - September 2018

… it was wild

Lol. Divorce in Russia is not divorce in America.

 

[rlayt]

I get the feeling marriage isn’t the same either.

 

[irichluck21]

Bhardwaj is an interesting one, because after 1997 Worlds she had a wildly successful NCAA career and then also competed at 2001 Worlds, thus not really “coming back” to the sport except as an elite. I believe the only year that she wasn’t actively training was 2002 due to injury, but I do think she “retired” during that time as well, so it’s a bit murky. But I definitely would not have expected her to make Athens 2004 back when she debuted as a senior in 1994.

Yup. Bhardwaj dislocated her elbow at Nationals in 2002, since she was not on the national team she lost the funding to continue training, so she retired. She was working at a pizza parlor where she was waitressing and delivering pizzas. She got bored and started training again in 2003 in once more attempt to get to the Olympics, but she didn’t have the finances to attend the qualification meets in 2004. That’s when Pamela Anderson found out because they were doing a raffle at the pizza place and she bought a raffle ticket. She fell in love with Mohini’s story and financed her training and expenses in 2004.

 

[MaryClare]

I get the feeling marriage isn’t the same either.

Yes. Chicken and egg. A lot more people get married because divorce is very straightforward. Plus there are a lot of advantages to a young couple if they are married, although this isn’t relevant for elite sports people

 

[MaryClare]

Yup. Bhardwaj dislocated her elbow at Nationals in 2002, since she was not on the national team she lost the funding to continue training, so she retired. She was working at a pizza parlor where she was waitressing and delivering pizzas. She got bored and started training again in 2003 in once more attempt to get to the Olympics, but she didn’t have the finances to attend the qualification meets in 2004. That’s when Pamela Anderson found out because they were doing a raffle at the pizza place and she bought a raffle ticket. She fell in love with Mohini’s story and financed her training and expenses in 2004.

The Mohini-Pam thing was movie worthy

 

[irichluck21]

The Mohini-Pam thing was movie worthy

Lifetime missed a GOLDEN opportunity.

(See what I did there? )

 

[rlayt]

I’m glad the Full Out people didn’t massacre Mohini’s story.

 

[KristyJ]

I feel like there’s a lot of judgement going around for Mary Lou, but we really don’t know the specifics of her story. Having gone through a divorce in a conservative state a half dozen years ago, I can tell you I wasn’t exactly in the most orderly position with life circumstances for a few years, I did lose my insurance and had to find a stopgap, and resources do get split between individuals involved. We have no idea how that shook down. The insurance I was able to find via ACA in said state was scary bad, I was terrified to get sick and it covered less and less. Moving to a more liberal state after that was revelatory for the differences in health care options. No wonder some areas hate the ACA; it is not remotely evenly applied state-to-state.
Some people definitely still make questionable decisions re: health insurance, etc. Mary Lou may have.
But we really don’t know everything in her story.

 

[rlayt]

The states determine a lot of insurance options because of a Supreme Court decision, Live in a red state? Republicans decide your health care options. You better be able to afford to buy your own insurance.

No we don’t know MLR’s exact situation. We can surmise that she got half of the worth of her house in the divorce and that not long ago she was worth millions of dollars. We know she campaigned for politicians who wanted to limit insurance options for people if not do away with any ACA options. Because of her status as a celebrity she brings attention to her daughters’ pleas for money while people who have no health care options and can’t afford insurance go begging and don’t have that visibility to go begging for money.

If I were donating money to someone’s health care needs I’d pick someone less fortunate to give to. If that’s judgmental then call me so but I make the decisions in how to spend my money. I choose health insurance for myself and donations to people I think really need help.

ETA They’ve raised over $250,000.

 

[JaJa]

If I were donating money to someone’s health care needs I’d pick someone less fortunate to give to. If that’s judgmental then call me so but I make the decisions in how to spend my money. I choose health insurance for myself and donations to people I think really need help

I so totally agree.

 

[rlayt]

Mary Lou Retton Crowdfunded Her Medical Debt, Like Many Thousands of Others

But unlike the Olympic gymnast, most people don’t raise enough money to cover their costs.

www.nytimes.com

“When another one of Ms. Retton’s daughters, Shayla Kelley Schrepfer, was reached by text, she did not respond to a question about why her mother was uninsured.)”

“the typical fund-raiser generates about $1,970, falling far short of the $5,000 to $10,000 patients are typically seeking”

“that much of a crowdfunding campaign’s success boils down to factors outside a patient’s control, including race and income, and that crowdfunding often directs resources to those who need them the least”

“Poorer patients may struggle to generate donations because of bias against them as lazy or undeserving of help”

“And richer patients are often boosted by their social networks. “If you have a lot of wealthy friends, or live in a wealthy community, those are a lot more people who can potentially donate”

 

[Laura722]

USOPC working on financial assistance for Mary Lou Retton, who remains hospitalized

Mary Lou Retton, 55, one of the greatest names in U.S. Olympic history, \

www.usatoday.com

 

[KristyJ]

Certainly not saying that people should not give to those who are less likely to be able to find the funds. I definitely contemplated the best direction to send any help, as well. Ideally everyone would be able to pay their medical bills. Clearly that is not the case. Maybe this will prompt people to look at Go Fund Me’s beyond Mary Lou’s as well.

 

[Sasha]

“the typical fund-raiser generates about $1,970, falling far short of the $5,000 to $10,000 patients are typically seeking”

“that much of a crowdfunding campaign’s success boils down to factors outside a patient’s control, including race and income, and that crowdfunding often directs resources to those who need them the least”

This exactly. I don’t know Retton’s exact situation and won’t try to judge how badly she needs the funds, but I prefer to give my money to lower profile requests. I’m not sure if anyone here is familiar with the story from Canada a few years back where a busload of young hockey players (kids) got into an accident, resulting in several deaths. By the time I got to the GoFundMe, it had raised over $2 million, and it ultimately raised over $15 million, just showing how much these things can snowball in a small number of cases. I’m sure the money (about $450,000 for each family involved) was helpful to the families of the victims, but prefer to contribute to the people who are struggling to get to their modest fundraising goals.

 

[MaryClare]

I will never not find the idea of donating to the healthcare of strangers, absolutely fucking bonkers

 

[RedBirdie]

I’m not sure if anyone here is familiar with the story from Canada a few years back where a busload of young hockey players (kids) got into an accident, resulting in several deaths. By the time I got to the GoFundMe, it had raised over $2 million, and it ultimately raised over $15 million, just showing how much these things can snowball in a small number of cases. I’m sure the money (about $450,000 for each family involved) was helpful to the families of the victims, but prefer to contribute to the people who are struggling to get to their modest fundraising goals.

The Humboldt Broncos? That became something the entire North American hockey community rallied around. Every arena I went to that spring, and even the following fall, was raising funds for the families of the 16 that died and for the survivors, several of whom I believed were left paralyzed. Even without Go Fund Me, tons of money would have been raised.

 

[Sasha]

The Humboldt Broncos? That became something the entire North American hockey community rallied around. Every arena I went to that spring, and even the following fall, was raising funds for the families of the 16 that died and for the survivors, several of whom I believed were left paralyzed. Even without Go Fund Me, tons of money would have been raised.

It was Humboldt, yes. I didn’t realise that the hockey community outside of Canada got involved. It was massive here, in the news for weeks on end.

 

[GoldyGopher]

It was Humboldt, yes. I didn’t realise that the hockey community outside of Canada got involved. It was massive here, in the news for weeks on end.

Yay. It hit every hockey base I follow from college to minor league to NHL…

 

[brg09]

I will never not find the idea of donating to the healthcare of strangers, absolutely fucking bonkers

I think for me it’s the idea of using crowdfunding instead of being responsible for yourself that’s pretty tacky.

If you’re down on your luck and trying everything and can’t seem to get ahead and then something goes wrong… that’s one thing. But you should still save for a rainy day, buy ALL the insurance, and save for retirement.

It’s one thing to legitmately NOT have the money because you’ve been barely making it for the past few years. I’ve been there, too. It’s quite another to spend money very freely and then go begging for money when someone in your family dies and they didn’t have life insurance, or they get sick and don’t have health insurance. What were you doing with your money?

I like helping people but at the end of the day it’s not everybody else’s responsibility to pick up your slack. I have a good cushion of savings now because I was careful with my money. What makes you think that you don’t have to play by the rules?