quote:

Originally posted by radioman:

It's difficult to know exactly what happened in this case, because honestly all we have is the MSM feeding us whatever story will keep our brains asking for more MSM. They have to make a soap opera out of it to keep ratings.

Biles: Physically, I feel good, I’m in shape. Emotionally, that kind of varies on the time and moment. Coming here to the Olympics and being the head star isn’t an easy feat, so we’re just trying to take it one day at a time and we’ll see…We’re going to take it day by day, and we’re just gonna see.

Taken straight from her own mouth. She straight up quit because it wasn't fun anymore and things were getting hard mentally. And you know what? Fine, whatever. She's a quitter. My reaction to hearing that was, "hmmm, well that's a shame." But then what I hear from the terrible sycophants and posers in the media is how courageous and brave she is. A hero! they called her. Sorry, but there is absolutely nothing heroic or courageous about quitting. It's just sad.

I dunno, it would be pretty freaking heroic if you could quit being perpetually complain-y. One might even reasonably conclude, reading so many similar indignant and frustrated posts, that you yourself are mega stressed out and having issues yourself and might need a break that you aren't taking...

More so, having zero first hand experience at those highest levels of competition yourself (myself, too, fwiw), especially at that young age, maybe ratchet back the harsh judgments of a young girl's struggles on a global stage you've never achieved yourself.

And here's a zinger: If you were as strong as you think, you'd rant much less.

Chew on that a minute. This isn't limited to you, of course. I do the same crap sometimes. Many do.

Leave the girl alone, FFS.

I found it profoundly odd that a person who has been regarded as having an almost inhuman ability to maintain poise and control, such that they are the GOAT of gymnastics, suddenly gets a mental block and can't do it at all.

There is "can't perform at all" and there is "can't win a gold medal"
I see a massive difference between the two.
I don't know how you cross that much ground in a few weeks or months.

Think of it this way, Fantasy as it is. Trump gets elected and gets China to admit that COVID came from Wuhan. They enter a bet USA vs China, is a basketball free throw competition. USA wins and our China debt is wiped clean, China wins and we buy DVD players from them for a decade.

We call Michael Jordan out and China calls out some guy. MJ walks out to take the shot and, says no way man, too much on the line, mentally I can't shoot this free throw. Do we applaud him, do we in any way believe that he is unable to make a free throw shot? We do not. MJ is our guy and you know MJ wants the ball.

My wild ass guess, Simone found out that some PED she has been taking is now going to pop her hot on a drug test and all her life comes down, all at once. Or she realized she wouldn't win gold and just stompy feet 2 year old tantrum quit. I keep seeing random drops of ADD medicine or what not in these reports. Like a seed planted incase it is needed later. Something just does not smell right here and my BS meter is spiking.

This girl is a fucking mental robot, she has a warehouse full of medals to prove it, she didn't throw a rod at the finish line.

Ah, she asked for this. When you parade a goat around as a publicity stunt, signifying you are the greatest of all time, you asked for pressure and attention. When you wear a goat head on the same uniform you compete in, you also asked for it. She walked around like she was the biggest badest thing leading up to these games and then quit when she faced adversity. Let's be real here because that is exactly what happened.

I'd have more sympathy for her if she didn't bring it on herself. She isn't a victim here.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
I can't recall ever watching it before, but women's Rugby is badass. These are some bad bitches. I'm quite enjoying the match I must say.

USA vs China on right now. USA channel.

Scratch that. Game concluded. USA won. France vs Fiji now.

My 10 YO boy played Rugby this Spring. We kind of stumbled on it as I was trying to find something for him to do. He had a great time and now loves it. We watched NZ vs GB women a short while ago....good match!

I still struggle with the rules though.

My son's team has bad ass uniforms and mascot!

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
I dunno, it would be pretty freaking heroic if you could quit being perpetually complain-y. One might even reasonably conclude, reading so many similar indignant and frustrated posts, that you yourself are mega stressed out and having issues yourself and might need a break that you aren't taking...

I'm doing just fine, thank you.

There's nothing spectacular here. I'm just giving my opinion on an internet forum. Why you made it personal is beyond me when my comments had absolutely nothing to do with you.

quote:

More so, having zero first hand experience at those highest levels of competition yourself (myself, too, fwiw), especially at that young age, maybe ratchet back the harsh judgments of a young girl's struggles on a global stage you've never achieved yourself.

I called her a quitter, which she is and admittedly so. I simply thought it was a sad turn of events. And if you noticed, my harshest criticism was not for her but for the media's reaction to it. We can have sympathy for what she's going through, but praising her for performing some kind of courageous act is not doing anyone any kind of kindness. I find it demeaning to her in fact. Do you think the media and for that matter the fans would treat someone like Tom Brady the same way if he took himself out of the Super Bowl at the start of the second half because he just wasn't feeling it that day? Of course not. He'd be excoriated. So why is someone like Simone Biles treated differently?

And by the way, she is a 24 year old woman who is no stranger to the spotlight or competition or the world stage. Calling her a young girl does not give her due credit.

quote:

And here's a zinger: If you were as strong as you think, you'd rant much less.

Well I like to rant on occasion, there is no doubt. But sometimes one needs to vent, and it's better that I do it here than to my wife or even to my shipmates for that matter. It's a judgement call. Sorry, fellas. I know it can be a bit much at times, and for that I apologize.

quote:

Leave the girl alone, FFS.

I highly doubt that Simone Biles is reading my posts on Sigforum. I think she is safe from my posts.

Someone above mentioned commitment to mission. I was ranting to my wife about this yesterday regarding this situation and comparing it to the situations we put cops in every day, where they have to make split second life or death decisions. Ya think that's mentally straining? How about combat soldiers? Can they just straight up quit and go home when the pressure gets to be too much? I'm sorry, but I don't think what she did is brave or courageous. She did what she thought was right for her, and she has that right. But it doesn't make her a hero. Also, GOATs don't quit in the middle of a competition, so that discussion about Biles' legacy is over.

So she wears a logo of a GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). That is either supreme confidence or (more likely, IMO), arrogance.

She quit when it got hard. She walked off and left her team. If she were injured, I'm sure we would have heard about it by now. Besidez, many athletes compete with severe injuries (some gymnast finished her routine on a broken ankle, IIRC). Many compete after suffering terrible personal loss, like the speed skater years ago who raced after his sister died. Heck, Nancy Kerrigan competed after she was violently attacked with a lead pipe in an attempt to cripple her. She STILL gave it her all (she acted like a spoiled child after only getting Silver, but still...).

I don't know her or gymnastics, but it looks like she couldn't handle the pressure. And that's fine.

BUT, don't call her a 'hero' because of it. . .

Who knows the real story - maybe she was blackmailed, was doping, doing some other shady stuff. We may never know. She may have a legitimate reason for dropping out, but the Olympics have been going on for awhile and until the facts come out, I won't admire somebody for quitting when it got hard.

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
I dunno, it would be pretty freaking heroic if you could quit being perpetually complain-y. One might even reasonably conclude, reading so many similar indignant and frustrated posts, that you yourself are mega stressed out and having issues yourself and might need a break that you aren't taking...

More so, having zero first hand experience at those highest levels of competition yourself (myself, too, fwiw), especially at that young age, maybe ratchet back the harsh judgments of a young girl's struggles on a global stage you've never achieved yourself.

And here's a zinger: If you were as strong as you think, you'd rant much less.

Chew on that a minute. This isn't limited to you, of course. I do the same crap sometimes. Many do.

Leave the girl alone, FFS.

congrats on 25,000 posts!!!.

but what are we to make of you coming in to set Bazle straight and identifying him as having issues?

Asking for a friend

But that said, all athletes over 18 who make it far enough to on national (international) TV have consented to become public figures. We, as viewers are the ultimate end customer of these public figures -- -it's how they get rich/famous -- we watch them, and watch the associated commercial content, so money and/or fame is made. I have always felt that anyone who places themselves into the spot of public figure allows guys like Bazle to form an opinion of them. Good or bad.

Am I wrong?

The only thing here is I get the feeling some of the very young Olympic athletes are pushed by parents and others (sometimes governments), so there's that. Almost brainwashed. But by the time you reach 24, you should be able to get out of the Olympic cult if the athlete wishes to do so --- at least in the USA. Maybe not in the old East Germany and the like.

One issue that's starting to see some light, is the medication that Biles takes for ADHD, Ritilin. I know these types of medications help the user focus and reduces the distractions or, prevent the mind from being mentally led astray. Stimulants like psuedoephedrine, banned by just about every sporting body, was a popular 'focus drug' amongst athletes before drug crackdowns.

I think its safe to say that Biles, was not all mentally there as she came out to say she was having 'the twisty's', which I understand for gymnasts is the sensation of helplessness during high-energy rotations and dangerous moves...as it was explained to me by a friend who's a gym coach, allowing doubt to creep into the mind and shattering their confidence. What's the attribute that separates the good ones, from the great ones: focus.

Would be interesting to see if she was missing her meds or, had them changed.

The good news is that an American still took home Gold in the all-around !! Simone who?

My take on the whole Biles situation is that there's a reason she's having trouble dealing with the stress of competition- she's never had to before. In all her previous Olympic and World competitions, she had the luxury of knowing she was the best. At 24 she's getting up there in age for a woman gymnast, so is coming off her peak just enough to cause doubt- a feeling she's never had before. Paradoxically, it's a lesser athlete who has better developed the skill of facing fear and uncertainty.

I support her decision to pull out if that's that's what she thinks is best, mostly from a safety standpoint. In that sport, the slightest mistake could mean serious consequences. However, I don't think she should be called a hero for it.

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:

I support her decision to pull out if that's that's what she thinks is best, mostly from a safety standpoint. In that sport, the slightest mistake could mean serious consequences. However, I don't think she should be called a hero for it.

Precisely. The shame is not in her saying that she is unable to continue or saying "I can't do this," the shame is in holding this up as some kind of courageous act.

I liked Simone Biles. I celebrated her dominance in the past and always got the impression that she had a good head on her shoulders; I still think she's the best gymnast alive at the moment. Her statements though after quitting the competition and the explanations she gave have led me to believe that she is in fact a bit of a narcissist. It's clear to me that she (and as well other members of the gymnastic team) was at the Olympics not for her country but for herself. And that's really a shame. And it's too bad that she took that Olympic spot away from another young woman who may have appreciated what representing one's country on the world's stage is really all about.

OK, you've made your position crystal clear, and now, for the love of all that's holy, let that be the end of it.

quote:

One issue that's starting to see some light, is the medication that Biles takes for ADHD, Ritilin.

That is some nasty shit. Slows down kids, but for adults gets the motor REALLY going full speed in the morning.

I had first hand experience with Ritilin many years ago before tthe feds cracked down on it.

Well done, Suni Lee! Her ancestors fled Viet Nam 50 years ago without a pot to piss in, nor a window to throw it out, and in three generations they have an olympian champion in the family.

Her parents came to the midwest via Laos, and we have a lot of Hmong communities in the area, so she's getting a lot of TV coverage.

quote:

Originally posted by bigwagon:
Someone above mentioned commitment to mission. I was ranting to my wife about this yesterday regarding this situation and comparing it to the situations we put cops in every day, where they have to make split second life or death decisions. Ya think that's mentally straining? How about combat soldiers? Can they just straight up quit and go home when the pressure gets to be too much? I'm sorry, but I don't think what she did is brave or courageous. She did what she thought was right for her, and she has that right. But it doesn't make her a hero. Also, GOATs don't quit in the middle of a competition, so that discussion about Biles' legacy is over.

quote:

Taken straight from her own mouth. She straight up quit because it wasn't fun anymore and things were getting hard mentally. And you know what? Fine, whatever. She's a quitter

And yet, she was still awarded a silver medal. What message does that send to today's kids?

The USA leads in total number of medals. Congrats to the athletes. The PRC and Japan do have more gold, however.