The further back in time we go I feel like the fewer useful contributions I have about the actual gymnastics. I guess that's because I don't have an understanding of what's hard and what's not for the time and what the judges overlook vs are hot on deducting. FX is the easiest to translate but I'm a bit lost judging UB routines relative to each other. I guess this is how four year fans feel when they can't predict the scores.
Arena/format
- I've always been interested in the live piano playing for FX but the live orchestra for anthems is a whole extra level. Awesome!
- Speaking of music I was struck at how quiet the arena was. No background music and the audience were pretty quiet in between applause and whistles.
- The green uniforms for officials were something!
Gymnasts
- Surprising to see so many gymnasts moving springboards themselves. I was also taken by how few gymnasts were standing up and moving around before and after events. Mostly they'd go straight to their chair and sit down.
- Bekesi and Burda stood out as having more power in their RO-flics.
- Janz's (?) butterfly series on FX was cool.
- Neat to see Zuchold do her namesake skill the week after rewatching Harrold do it in 2015. I found her gymnastics pretty distinctive, the diagonal BB mount was fun.
- I was pretty confused about how many were allowed per country as the coverage went on, I kept thinking "surely we've seen three Soviets already!"
- Korbut's BB was fabulous. Enjoyed the bit in her book where they talk about building up to the climactic back somersault. Did you catch the judges laughing/smiling afterwards? Who presented her with flowers after BB? The red socks/leg warmers were special!
- Given her results, you'd expect Tourischeva to be talked about a lot more. Wonder why she doesn't come up so much? Lack of memorable skills? Successful during the transition to different body types?
Gymnastics
- Wide FX lunges and the salute trends caught my eye. Looking forward to seeing how these evolve during these rewatches.
- Amazing how fast the scores would come up, especially on VT when the camera would pan over to the scoreboard right after landing.
- I have always enjoyed the speed of this era of UB routines.
Nostalgia/personal
- I wasn't alive for this but my Mum was a big Korbut fan and she was utterly delighted when I showed her Korbut's routines on YT many years ago.
- I'd seen a few of the Soviet routines from this one but it was fascinating to see how they fit in to the actual competition, particularly Korbut's BB.
- It meant a lot to tour the Munich Olympic park and be in this arena at 2022 Euros.
