Heath Thorpe Non-Selection

[irichluck21]

The published primary target was “qualification of a team for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.”

So they went back on that as well.

 

[tempest]

Has something like this happened before in other countries? I know AA national champs have been left off due to injury but like this? This is tres crappy

 

[RedBirdie]

Georgia Godwin was 2014 Aussie AA champ and left of CWG team and only alternate for worlds. Peggy hated her.

 

[hmmmm]

He should change nationalities to NZ.

In order to judge who is worse between Australia and France - the following articles are also relevant

Gymnastics Australia backs away from pledge to assist survivors of childhood sexual abuse

Gymnastics Australia declares itself financially incapable of assisting abuse survivors three years after publicly pledging its commitment to a redress scheme.

www.abc.net.au

High-profile Australian sports administrator Kitty Chiller sanctioned by international gymnastics body

Kitty Chiller, the former Olympian and chief executive of Gymnastics Australia — and now deputy CEO of the National Sports Tribunal — is sanctioned by an international gymnastics body.

www.abc.net.au

 

[irichluck21]

Georgia Godwin was 2014 Aussie AA champ and left of CWG team and only alternate for worlds. Peggy hated her.

Everyone hates Peggy.

Was it the 2013 Worlds (I think it was) where she declined sending any gymnasts because they were “inexperienced and not ready” but she, herself went to Worlds to “watch”.

This was following the 2012 London Games where she stated that the team didn’t really matter because they wouldn’t win a medal and none of them were good enough, so she chose the team so they would set up Lauren Mitchell for success.

In 2014, Australia made team finals and finished 7th, imagine if they had Godwin what the results could have been.

 

[irichluck21]

Has something like this happened before in other countries? I know AA national champs have been left off due to injury but like this? This is tres crappy

I don’t know about other countries, but in 1988 USAG left off the 1988 MAG national champion, Dan Hayden from the Olympic Team.

However, in 1988 the team was selected based on results from Nationals and Trials.

Hayden was in 2nd after Trials compulsories but in optionals, fell twice on a Kovacs attempt on high bar in (I think) the last rotation and ended up in 8th.

He was named 2nd alternate for finishing 8th.

Not really a controversy as much as bad luck with a supremely botched high bar routine which ultimately cost him the Olympics.

IIRC, had Hayden just continued his routine securely, it would have been enough to make the Olympic team, but the second fall dropped him out of the top 6.

 

[RedBirdie]

Kelsey has a brief article up: https://www.neutraldeductions.com/p...eath-thorpe-left-off-world-championships-team

Regarding Dan Hayden, I think there’s still some bitterness from that whole fiasco.

 

[RedBirdie]

Peggy

Sounds about right for Peggy. She managed to get banned she was so awful. That letter to Sarah Lauren remains absolutely horrifying to read she really got lucky with a couple generations of gymnasts. I really believe they succeeded in spite of her.

I thought Aussie MAG was less prone to such fuckery, but apparently not.

 

[Denn]

Absolutely right. I laughed when I saw that Australia thinks Vedant Sawant has a chance.

 

[Denn]

I have no idea what the real reason was, but the idea that he’s not podium ready on floor is LAUGHABLE

This was about a tenth away from the score needed to get into event finals at the last worlds.



The errors on the endo roll — especially the bent arms on the roll AFTER — are silly. He could have gotten 14.433 just be rolling out with straight arms, which pretty much any 10 year old can be taught to do.

That dismount is also super sloppy. Totally fixable.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

But the suggested rule change wouldn’t address that. Either it would have no teeth, and specialists would just be listed as AAers but magically get injured at the last minute. Or there’d be an insistence that every berth was used, in which case we’d get the aforementioned handspring vaults with occasional damage to injured athletes. Obviously there are occasions when that situation arises even without the proposed rule change, but that’s not a reason to create more of them. Especially not with a proposal that wouldn’t even prevent the behaviour you want to stop anyway.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

I didn’t even need most of that post, you merited the thumbs up on the strength of the first three words alone.

 

[tempest]

It’s funny Dan Hayden was the 1st person I thought of but it was a little different situation as like you said, that decision was based on the result of those 2 meets. I know there are pros and cons of not going by strict results but still…

 

[QuietColours]

I do not know much about the Australian sports setup. As it appears that they did not follow the stated selection criteria of selecting the highest scoring team and they did not select a team in line with the stated goals for the competition–qualifying a team to the Olympics–would Heath have a potential legal case against them due to his exclusion?

 

[Hatsumomo]

Peggy Liddick is why you can’t base much on a coach having one successful gymnast. Yes, it was Shannon Miller, but still.

 

[BB12]

Unlikely.

Their ‘primary’ goal wasn’t achievable based on the continental championship scores so they pivoted to select the team better for their ‘secondary’ objective. There wouldn’t be much of a case there.

 

[FrolovasDoubleLayout]

I think he would have a good case against GA, unless (and I have not seen the entire selection process document) there is a clause in the process that clearly stated that due to an unrealistic goal based on CC scores the team objective is not realistic, then the secondary objective supersedes the primary objective, or if an addendum was released and given time for appeals. An arbitrator loves nothing more than to rule by the word of the document!

 

[RedBirdie]

Does anyone else recall a big blow up around an Aussie team selection years ago? It was WAG, and I want to say it was an Olympic selection, but the details are fuzzy. Someone didn’t get selected and they lodged a protest. Maybe 2008? 2012? I wish I could remember the details.

 

[Doug1233]

 

[Denn]

How is Vedant Sawant “Podium Potential” on PH but Thorpe “developing” on FX? (and maybe even HB)

Clearly inconsistent rubric there.