I've always thought about the long-term physical sacrifices that any athlete makes to get to the Olympic level- their bodies endure insane things & they give up so much of their normal lives to compete at that level. I've rarely thought about the mental/emotional harm that comes to them and how they will probably always have regrets or 2nd thoughts the rest of their lives (if they didn't win gold). I hope that Simone is OK both with whatever she is dealing with and her decision to pull out.
Does anybody know if she was out warming up or practicing? She seemed to allude to it mostly being a mental issue instead of a physical one.
Not everyone is the same, but im friends with some Olympians/paralympians and they aren't medalists.
99% of the people who go the Olympics will not win a medal. And a LOT of athletes end up having a fantastic time and no regrets, bc going to the Olympics is a big deal and everything about it is an experience. Like..from the uniforms, to dining to sleeping to performing.
Also, you can go to the Olympics, not win a medal and have the performance of your life.
Some athletes get there and they are injured or not well, or stressed, and it sucks ass.
Also, being an athlete is both their normal life and a very weird life. I remember standing in the rain in at a games with my friends mom and she asked me when her kid was going to get a real job..and I was like, "this is their real job." It was a moment of realization for their mom that they were never going to have a desk job.
I feel like..to be fair rubytue ALSO went on to say that she was surprised and bothered by her thoughts?
Idk, it seemed kind of obvious to me that maybe she had some kind of unexplored belief or bias that seeing Simone Biles drop out made her question and become self aware of.
I get it, it wasn't exactly pretty, but if I read the posts she was also like "oh, I wasn't expecting that reaction from myself, what is that?" Maybe I'm wrong and she's like "nope, I'm good..no one should EVER quit!"
But that doesn't sound like her, or the thought.
Simone’s decisions are part of what we mean when we say Black Lives Matter. So I’m going to take issue with someone being bothered by Black women’s survival decisions.
Look, I'm not bothered by her decision. You can read my own post about it in this thread, and its not lost on me the intersection of race in this matter.
But, I can see where people would have thoughts like Ruby's, and all im saying is that she clearly recognizes and seems surprised by her thoughts and bias in the matter. It's a CLEAR case of implicit bias recognized in the post.
"I don’t know. And I’m pissed at myself for the way I’m thinking about it." Here is what she says.
*i* find it a good thing when someone can become self aware of something like this and be like "oh shit..I didn't KNOW I felt like this until I saw it..im looking into it"
Bc to your point it allows honest exploration into the intersection of our beliefs of race, sport, winning, competition Etc.
Maybe you have "done the work" here but it's obvious she hadn't but she was trying. That's all I'm saying. I'm not defending her thought, I'm defending her work around bias.
Post by NewOrleans on Jul 28, 2021 13:45:32 GMT -5
foundmylazybum, I appreciate that you’re adding nuance. I really do. We JUST had a nearly identical discussion about Naomi Osaka so I am just really over listening and learning.
I've seen several people on Twitter pivot pretty sharply from the initial reaction of "omg Simone withdrew, why would she do that, she's letting her team down" to "damn, she actually did the team a favor by stepping down when she knew she wasn't in the right mindset to perform well, she actually saved them the silver medal by withdrawing."
So yeah, plenty of people's reactions were not great, and there's kind of a culture of powering through/ignoring pain or illness or whatever in this country to where that's the default expectation. But at least (some) people are willing to sit back and reflect and question their initial reaction.
Also, I thought this article explaining the "twisties" in gymnastics and how it affects you mentally (and the perils of not addressing it) was fascinating:
Maybe it’s just my social media bubble, but I have seen a huge outpouring of support for Simone Biles and a recognition of mental health needs in general. As someone who is a survivor that struggles with depression, it’s been really affirming. I hope all the messages of support find their way to her somehow.
mouse , I've definitely seen more support than criticism. But I purposefully follow a lot of people with takes I don't generally like, to try to get out of my own bubble more.
Literally the only place I’ve seen criticism is this board (and ML). I heard about conservatives coming for her, though.
mouse , I've definitely seen more support than criticism. But I purposefully follow a lot of people with takes I don't generally like, to try to get out of my own bubble more.
Literally the only place I’ve seen criticism is this board (and ML). I heard about conservatives coming for her, though.
It took me a while to process, mostly because I'm almost the same age as Kerri Strug and we all saw her power through a broken leg to vault. You do everything you can if you go to the Olympics! It's really hard to deprogram that.
Reading the articles about Kerri that have come out in the last day have been really eye opening.
Literally the only place I’ve seen criticism is this board (and ML). I heard about conservatives coming for her, though.
It took me a while to process, mostly because I'm almost the same age as Kerri Strug and we all saw her power through a broken leg to vault. You do everything you can if you go to the Olympics! It's really hard to deprogram that.
Reading the articles about Kerri that have come out in the last day have been really eye opening.
I also had no idea who Elena Mukhina was until this thread, and her story was absolutely heartbreaking to read about.
I'm so proud of Simone Biles for doing what she needed to do to take care of herself, and I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to make that decision. She's set such an incredible example for other women in showing them that it's okay to speak up when you're being pushed too hard and it's okay to take a step back if that's what you need to keep yourself safe. Even at the Olympics. I really appreciate that she's being so vocal and honest, and that the gymnastics community seems to really be stepping up to support her and her decision.
And Kerri Strug's injury at the Olympics in 96 is the reason she retired from competitive gymnastics. If she hadn't competed on the injury, how might her career changed? How might competitive amateur sports changed? What message would we have sent to women so much earlier than now that we support the agency they carry over their own bodies and careers?
And Kerri Strug's injury at the Olympics in 96 is the reason she retired from competitive gymnastics. If she hadn't competed on the injury, how might her career changed? How might competitive amateur sports changed? What message would we have sent to women so much earlier than now that we support the agency they carry over their own bodies and careers?
And the fact that she didn't even need to do that second vault because the team had already won by a large margin? That certainly wasn't the narrative pushed at the time.
Literally the only place I’ve seen criticism is this board (and ML). I heard about conservatives coming for her, though.
It took me a while to process, mostly because I'm almost the same age as Kerri Strug and we all saw her power through a broken leg to vault. You do everything you can if you go to the Olympics! It's really hard to deprogram that.
Reading the articles about Kerri that have come out in the last day have been really eye opening.
Yes I was in college watching Kerri compete (and then she was on 90120!!). And it’s true that was exciting to watch. I learned later when shit started coming about Bela and Marta’s abuses that it wasn’t of her own free will. And that’s why it’s so beautiful now watching Queen Simone own her choice now!
Seeing 2 strong women love themselves is the thing I didn’t know I needed to see this summer.
And Kerri Strug's injury at the Olympics in 96 is the reason she retired from competitive gymnastics. If she hadn't competed on the injury, how might her career changed? How might competitive amateur sports changed? What message would we have sent to women so much earlier than now that we support the agency they carry over their own bodies and careers?
And the fact that she didn't even need to do that second vault because the team had already won by a large margin? That certainly wasn't the narrative pushed at the time.
It wasn't, for sure. She was hailed as a sports hero (and she was!) But it was all at the cost of her well being and really for the glory of fucking Bela Karoly.
Post by secretagent on Jul 28, 2021 18:54:51 GMT -5
I just watched Fiji win gold in Rugby Sevens and the emotion is making me cry. I loved seeing the teams hug in the handshake line too. Women start tonight! The commentators were absolutely charming and it was awesome to see an entire game and not just a highlight reel.
ETA: just watched the women’s opening rugby game. So cool. Apparently a number of them picked up rugby fairly recently. I realize it’s a huge commitment to train etc but it just blows my mind people are that athletic to learn entirely new sports at this level as adults!
I'm just gonna keep talking to myself over here about volleyball.
Streaming men's beach live right now and the U.S. team had so many service errors. On to game three.
I have USA vs China women's queued up to watch during dinner. I'm unspoiled. I had no idea until 2012 how great vb was to watch! I never really watched summer Olympics growing up since it usually was around when I was living with family in their home country which didn't have tv at the time.
Re: gymnastics. I briefly dated many years ago, and am still friends with, an olympic alternate. His brother was on the same competitive level. However, his brother broke his neck in a comp. Thankfully, he was not paralyzed and fully recovered although never competed again.
People probably still talk about Christopher Reeve and would likely understand if someone didn't feel right competing in that sport. Would it take Biles to be so injured for the next unfortunate athlete to not be immediately criticized? Thank goodness that didn't happen.
Post by Velar Fricative on Jul 29, 2021 7:46:51 GMT -5
Anyone else watching live women's all-around? I have a meeting at 9:00 and I'm going to be annoyed if I'm stuck in it as the final events are wrapping up. It's so competitive!
Anyone else watching live women's all-around? I have a meeting at 9:00 and I'm going to be annoyed if I'm stuck in it as the final events are wrapping up. It's so competitive!
Yes! I woke up early to watch, but I need to shower before my hair appointment at 10! Lol
I missed the first rotation because I went out for a run, so I need to catch up on that later.
The US (I'm assuming) gymnasts in the stands cheering for Angelina from ROC during her beam routine was touching. Sportsmanship is really having a moment this year.
Post by Velar Fricative on Jul 29, 2021 7:55:15 GMT -5
Ugh, Andrade out of bounds. This obviously helps Lee, but I wanted Andrade on the podium because it's never happened in women's gymnastics in Brazil. Hopefully she can still medal.
So excited for Suni and her family! I only caught them last rotation. Hoping to see the rest of it later. Streaming it live was SUCH better coverage than what they show in prime time, but didn't want to wake up at 5:50 to watch lol.
Ugh, Andrade out of bounds. This obviously helps Lee, but I wanted Andrade on the podium because it's never happened in women's gymnastics in Brazil. Hopefully she can still medal.
She’s on the podium!!!! Silver!!! First Olympic medal for a female gymnast from Brazil. And she’s here without a team - so impressive.