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American Paul Hamm stumbles from 1st to 12th with a fall in one event. With only two events left, he rallies to win gymnastics gold medal by smallest margin in Olympics history. Good night.
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- Thread starter Thomas Linton
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- 20,978
Just watched this on the ole tube. What a splendid comeback. Really had my doubts...12 thousands of a point separating Gold and Silver. An American Hero.
Womens 4x200 relay was pretty awesome too.
Womens 4x200 relay was pretty awesome too.
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2003
- Messages
- 5,594
i felt that the olympics were nothing but big commercials and "tricks" and nationalistic BS when I was a teenager and I havent changed much.
I care not!
I care not!
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2002
- Messages
- 7,269
Wisconsin boy, with twin brother also in Olympics, whose father built gymnastic equipment to keep them from jumping around in the barn., swinging from rafters. Hamm dropped to 12th after a fall in the vault.
I see some heroism in these kids...from any country. The ?Chinese gymnast was an apparent lock until he did the unthinkable and missed the bar with one hand on the high bar event and had to start his routine again.
In the interview, Hamm said he thought if he got a 9.8 he might make a bronze medal. By the narrowest margin in Olympic history, twelve one-thousands of a point, he became the first American Olympian to win the all-around men's gymnastic title.
The post ceremony interview had Hamm saying "Well, like they always say, and I always believe, you just keep on trying." (It wasn't hocum, it was a sincere statement that even though he was devastated when he fell on his butt in the vault (literally), he went on to give his very best effort. It was neat without being sappy.
But, as always, I have two thoughts in the Olympics: first, that "humans can't DO that!," and second, that how much greater the impact of a gold medal (or any medal) is on the lives the folks from other countries. In the U.S., life (and opportunity) is open to most folks, in other countries, the athletes become HUGE in national acclaim, honors, and opportunities.
A young Polish woman swimmer won the gold medal in her event...how arduous her life must have been to get to that level, and how much the course of it can change now that she has done so.
Yes Danny, it is commercial and politicized, but when each event begins, there is the purest element of human nature endeavoring to reach a point of excellence that brings out the finest (in my opinion) of our species.
There is also a purity of the human form in these kids, at this moment, honed and exercised to the beauty of ancient statuary.
I do wince when the women's gymnasts perform. I watched my younger daughter go through gynmastics in high school. These little girls were terrifying in the events to my all-too parental eyes. I envisioned catastrophe at each event, for each kid, mine or not.
And, since I AM going on, I was with my kids when they each, successively, coached at a local large Special Olympics, for challenged kids, men and women. It was my kids' decision, respectively to coach. If you want to see courage...watch the focus, determination, and pure heart of a cruelly physically and mentally challenged man as he attempts to get his wheel chair around something so simple as four pylons with only ONE, still horribly-crippled, arm! When he finished there was a "hugger," i.e., a person whose sole job was to hug and offer congratulations to the contestant. From this man, whose distorted face I can picture now, came a sound--not really human, but uniquely human--of joy and triumph that both gave ME courage and broke my heart.
enough.
Kis
We have so much
(edit because I'm making more mistakes these days. sorry.)
I see some heroism in these kids...from any country. The ?Chinese gymnast was an apparent lock until he did the unthinkable and missed the bar with one hand on the high bar event and had to start his routine again.
In the interview, Hamm said he thought if he got a 9.8 he might make a bronze medal. By the narrowest margin in Olympic history, twelve one-thousands of a point, he became the first American Olympian to win the all-around men's gymnastic title.
The post ceremony interview had Hamm saying "Well, like they always say, and I always believe, you just keep on trying." (It wasn't hocum, it was a sincere statement that even though he was devastated when he fell on his butt in the vault (literally), he went on to give his very best effort. It was neat without being sappy.
But, as always, I have two thoughts in the Olympics: first, that "humans can't DO that!," and second, that how much greater the impact of a gold medal (or any medal) is on the lives the folks from other countries. In the U.S., life (and opportunity) is open to most folks, in other countries, the athletes become HUGE in national acclaim, honors, and opportunities.
A young Polish woman swimmer won the gold medal in her event...how arduous her life must have been to get to that level, and how much the course of it can change now that she has done so.
Yes Danny, it is commercial and politicized, but when each event begins, there is the purest element of human nature endeavoring to reach a point of excellence that brings out the finest (in my opinion) of our species.
There is also a purity of the human form in these kids, at this moment, honed and exercised to the beauty of ancient statuary.
I do wince when the women's gymnasts perform. I watched my younger daughter go through gynmastics in high school. These little girls were terrifying in the events to my all-too parental eyes. I envisioned catastrophe at each event, for each kid, mine or not.
And, since I AM going on, I was with my kids when they each, successively, coached at a local large Special Olympics, for challenged kids, men and women. It was my kids' decision, respectively to coach. If you want to see courage...watch the focus, determination, and pure heart of a cruelly physically and mentally challenged man as he attempts to get his wheel chair around something so simple as four pylons with only ONE, still horribly-crippled, arm! When he finished there was a "hugger," i.e., a person whose sole job was to hug and offer congratulations to the contestant. From this man, whose distorted face I can picture now, came a sound--not really human, but uniquely human--of joy and triumph that both gave ME courage and broke my heart.
enough.
Kis
We have so much
(edit because I'm making more mistakes these days. sorry.)
- Joined
- May 16, 2002
- Messages
- 4,437
fer the real olympics, the one with hockey, skiing, bobsled...
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2003
- Messages
- 5,594
i dont mean to insult the athletes, but the idea of the olympics just never seemed like what it should be.
All the people I knew who were shooting for the olympics had to put training first, and academic and personal, emotional, spiritual growth took a distant second.
For every olympic athlete in the games, there are thousands of people who delayed their lives until they realized they couldnt make it. Thats just the emotional part of it. Every little girl who wants to be mary lou retton is likely to have back and wrist problems, (chronic pain) for the rest of their lives, and it starts when they are teenagers.
I just don't like the idea of competition. There are so many uncontrollable, random factors, from a fleck of sand in the eye to a death in the family the night before, that can make somebody lose.
I cant stand situations where some guy tells me"oh, we won judo in the olympics."
"we?"
"Japan" (or any country, for that matter)
"Are you on the team?"
"No, but the winner was from my country"
You could live thousands of miles apart and be from the same country, how do you take any credit for that ?
The person who won is the person who won and their country of origin, in my opinion, has nothing to do with it.
I just cant help feeling sick when I see a huge flag in the air and national anthems being played.
I love my country, but I wouldnt stand on any platform and make the world listen to the song.
All the people I knew who were shooting for the olympics had to put training first, and academic and personal, emotional, spiritual growth took a distant second.
For every olympic athlete in the games, there are thousands of people who delayed their lives until they realized they couldnt make it. Thats just the emotional part of it. Every little girl who wants to be mary lou retton is likely to have back and wrist problems, (chronic pain) for the rest of their lives, and it starts when they are teenagers.
I just don't like the idea of competition. There are so many uncontrollable, random factors, from a fleck of sand in the eye to a death in the family the night before, that can make somebody lose.
I cant stand situations where some guy tells me"oh, we won judo in the olympics."
"we?"
"Japan" (or any country, for that matter)
"Are you on the team?"
"No, but the winner was from my country"
You could live thousands of miles apart and be from the same country, how do you take any credit for that ?
The person who won is the person who won and their country of origin, in my opinion, has nothing to do with it.
I just cant help feeling sick when I see a huge flag in the air and national anthems being played.
I love my country, but I wouldnt stand on any platform and make the world listen to the song.
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2001
- Messages
- 20,978
nice post, Kismet. very touching.....
re: vault
Not only did he fall on his rear-end, but he landed practically on the judges' table.
re: vault
Not only did he fall on his rear-end, but he landed practically on the judges' table.
I agree with Danny, the courage of atheltes is great and they risk all.
The we vs them stuff is ugly. When I see sport that have such a small margin between winning scores and for the whole thing to be so subjective , I can't help think it rigged. Npr did some stories on the Olympic last week and it has
happen before and judges have been caught at it. I can't help but think a lot
of "fixing " goes on that never comes to light. Which is particulary upsetting when you do consider the work and sacrifices that some of the Athletes must bear. It make me sad to watch the gymnastics, all that effort for esoteric
skill and then the few minutes of subjective judgement , followed by defeat for most. But then again, I don't understand ballet either......
The we vs them stuff is ugly. When I see sport that have such a small margin between winning scores and for the whole thing to be so subjective , I can't help think it rigged. Npr did some stories on the Olympic last week and it has
happen before and judges have been caught at it. I can't help but think a lot
of "fixing " goes on that never comes to light. Which is particulary upsetting when you do consider the work and sacrifices that some of the Athletes must bear. It make me sad to watch the gymnastics, all that effort for esoteric
skill and then the few minutes of subjective judgement , followed by defeat for most. But then again, I don't understand ballet either......