Shannon Miller: My Child, My Hero by Claudia Miller

[hmmmm]

I now understand why so many elite gymnasts are often highly religious. You absolutely need an unwavering faith in a higher power to put up with the abusive treatment and being perpetually injured.

 

[crdubb17]

Unless I am forgetting some big scandal, Shannon has been class all the way. Unlike some past "heroes"...

(but yeah, I remember people being rough on Moceanu for being a complainer or something (right? I wasn't very into the sport, I was a figure skating fangirl) but she turned out to be right. I just remember people being pretty mean.

I mean, her husband is a MAJOR Trump donor. Like, he’s appointed to the Kennedy Center board under him. So depending upon your political leanings, this is up for debate.

 

[RichardL]

I mean, her husband is a MAJOR Trump donor. Like, he’s appointed to the Kennedy Center board under him. So depending upon your political leanings, this is up for debate.

I was not going to mention this, but yeah. Also Moceanu.

 

[cftmoonlight79]

Ah the Trump shaming has started The one thing this board never fails at. And now that I've pointed it out, the no politics post will come.

 

[RichardL]

The posts just pointed out the verifiable fact that these gymnasts made political donations as adults. But yes, it's a slippery slope!

 

[MaryClare]

I mean, her husband is a MAJOR Trump donor. Like, he’s appointed to the Kennedy Center board under him. So depending upon your political leanings, this is up for debate.

Wives aren’t an extension of their husbands

 

[rlayt]

Ah the Trump shaming has started The one thing this board never fails at. And now that I've pointed it out, the no politics post will come.

Have you seen the rest of the internet? Don’t get that started. Mentioning someone donated to a politician is within bounds but you’ve started the political talk. For Prod’s sake keep your sensitivity about politics out of the discussion.

 

[MaryClare]

Really quite fed up of certain posters attempting to insert thinly veiled political comments into the conversation at just about every opportunity.

You really don’t need to make extra extra extra doubly triply sure that everyone knows your political views, because I can assure you that on a gymnastics message board, they aren’t anywhere near as important to everyone else as they are to you.

This is how niche interest message boards like ours die, because no one can discuss anything without it becoming yet another tedious political discussion.

 

[rlayt]

Okay, no more mention of donor ship to political campaigns either. MC is right. We don’t want to kill off our one refuge from the cesspool the internet has become.

 

[rlayt]

A temporary time out for the next person who talks politics.

 

[crdubb17]

On another note, reading Quietcolours recaps took me down a road to watch the 1996 Olympic trials compulsories. What are your opinions on compulsories ? I have so many thoughts.

Looking back on them now, I have SO MUCH more respect for them! Beam and floor look so difficult to really master with all of the intricacies and subtle nuances in positions, rhythm, etc. Bars also had some really difficult elements! I wonder if the optionals difficulty today would be as high level as it is if the athletes had to dedicate a huge chunk of their training towards compulsories? I also wonder how the gymnasts’ general quality of movement and musicality would be different today if these were still required.

Who do you guys think would’ve been the ‘Shannon’ of compulsories post 96? Kyla Ross comes to mind. I think Elise Ray, Nastia, and literally any Russian would’ve been excellent as well. The mental component though have been intense. Kind of crazy to think this was 60% of one’s score.

 

[rlayt]

Kyla for sure.

 

[RedBirdie]

The 1993-1996 compulsories were fucking brutal, especially bars and beam. Floor was challenging because its was choreographed to move at such a rapid clip.

Compulsories were only 60% of the score at domestic US competitions. It was 50-50 for international competitions.

 

[MaryClare]

The 1993-1996 compulsories were fucking brutal, especially bars and beam. Floor was challenging because its was choreographed to move at such a rapid clip.

Compulsories were only 60% of the score at domestic US competitions. It was 50-50 for international competitions.

I am very surprised that the US weighed compulsory scores so highly. What was the reason for it?

 

[RedBirdie]

To encourage coaches and gymnasts to actually work on compulsories. Once the switch to new life was made, they were worried coaches would only do the bare minimum on compulsories, since they no longer counted towards AA and EF scores. But at least a few people in charge realized that giving away points in compulsories was stupid since it would be putting the US at a disadvantage qualifying to finals and in team events.

 

[Big_rock_show]

I get the importance of compulsories, but I think gymnastics outgrew them. I can see how only doing optionals would allow a gymnast to craft a routine to their strengths and avoid the skills that aggravate injuries.

 

[RichardL]

The 93-96 compulsory routines certainly contained skills that were not chosen with all body types in mind. I loved them and love the drama of the Atlanta compulsory sessions, but the clear hip hecht to high bar and the tour jete on beam (for example) were clear gatekeeper skills.

 

[MaryClare]

The 93-96 compulsory routines certainly contained skills that were not chosen with all body types in mind. I loved them and love the drama of the Atlanta compulsory sessions, but the clear hip hecht to high bar and the tour jete on beam (for example) were clear gatekeeper skills.

How are either of those skills especially difficult?

 

[Puffin]

It is just stunning how much the abuse was normalised and how the default response from the adults was the need to work or pray harder.

It is also stunning how much she competed injured in what seem to have been bullsh*t small/local competitions - just why?

 

[RichardL]

How are either of those skills especially difficult?

I guess I mean in terms of risk. Falls on both prevented otherwise superb gymnasts from advancing to finals in several cases. Vault and floor obviously consisted of very simple skills that only Eileen Diaz could possibly miss. But you're right, they're not "difficult" skills.