man on women's sports

Yesterday, I provided a background post to this, showing the US women gymnasts as world champs in 2003 (first time ever) and team silver medalists in Athens the next year.

I've loaded the recording. Recording notes: US Gym Champ, Channel 2 (NBC) August 13, 2005 7pm 1 hour.

The entire US world and Olympic teams are no-shows. The announcer continues:

"Now a new generation, with another teenage phenom born in Russia but nurtured in the same gym as Carly [Patterson], Nastia Liuken, now begins her journey at the national championship mixed with other hopefuls . . .. The destination is Beijing 2008."

First rotation, Nastia vaults. Not her best apparatus, start out of a high of 9.8: 9.366.

Announcer: "I mean, look at her resume: first, first, first, first . . .."

Second rotation, uneven bars, her forte: 9.75, the highest score of the night.

Preparing for the third rotation, we talk to dad, Valeri:

"But, at this point, she's won too many meets, and its going to be hard when she is not going to win. It's gonna' happen, . . . and it's going to be hard."

Third rotation begins with Nastia leading with a score of 19.116 (you're welcome). Nastia mounts the balance beams. Nastia jumps all over the balance beam. She prepares to dismount.
An oh so tiny slip. She spins only (!) twice.
She falls; there is no dismount.
She scores . . . terribly.

Asking Diana Taurasi to play with heart right now is probably one of the most insidious things a person (even a blogger) can do: the problem is, she is already.

She is not invincible. She is most assuredly not invulnerable: the song says "She takes just like a woman . . .."

# posted by wonderbot @ 11:16 AM