OT: Olympics - Biles

[Slick Manager of Champs]

Interesting story developing with Simone Biles and the gymnastics team. Reason for withdrawal last night apparently not an injury. Probably should have seen this coming when she tweeted about the pressure and feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. She always seemed to be in a league of her own but I guess no one is immune from the intense pressure and scrutiny that comes with competing at that level.

 

[TheSpecialSauce]

Interesting story developing with Simone Biles and the gymnastics team. Reason for withdrawal last night apparently not an injury. Probably should have seen this coming when she tweeted about the pressure and feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. She always seemed to be in a league of her own but I guess no one is immune from the intense pressure and scrutiny that comes with competing at that level.

She’s out of the team competition, but could still potentially take part in the individual events.

 

[HailtoPitt]

So she is sitting out the team competition for mental health reasons, costing them the gold medal, but she might take part in the individual events for herself? Sounds like a diva.

 

[bayardstreet]

She has already been paid by the endorsement deals galore. I would never criticize mental health or stress issues. Sometimes this stuff is self inflicted. Not her fault she is the greatest of all time but the last US gymnast to have this much singular exposure was Mary Lou Retton. Biles has been the best for 8 years or so and that’s a lot to live up to.

Does she compete in the individual all around ? If she doesn’t then the story is truly about mental health and pressure.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

These Olympics, partly because of the time difference, partly because I could care less about 95% of the sports and partly because NBC does a horrible job in broadcasting things to sports fans, they are completely irrelevant to me.

As for Biles, hope things work out, but getting a bit tired of all of these athletes, in all sports, how they are championed for the individuality and personal issues which is important....to them. Not me.

Just like the Japanese tennis player who had these issues, and didn't want to be interviewed, and dropped out of tourneys, then lauded for her courage like she crossed enemy lines in machine gun fire, then ended up on every magazine/media site (so much for her recalcitrance).

I guess I am getting tired of this "working class hero" mentality of our media to otherwise completely pampered athletes. This includes college sports too.

 

[HailtoPitt]

These Olympics, partly because of the time difference, partly because I could care less about 95% of the sports and partly because NBC does a horrible job in broadcasting things to sports fans, they are completely irrelevant to me.

As for Biles, hope things work out, but getting a bit tired of all of these athletes, in all sports, how they are championed for the individuality and personal issues which is important....to them. Not me.

Just like the Japanese tennis player who had these issues, and didn't want to be interviewed, and dropped out of tourneys, then lauded for her courage like she crossed enemy lines in machine gun fire, then ended up on every magazine/media site (so much for her recalcitrance).

I guess I am getting tired of this "working class hero" mentality of our media to otherwise completely pampered athletes. This includes college sports too.

I learned a new word!

 

[pittdan77]

I learned a new word!

You don't see many four syllable words on message boards.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

So she is sitting out the team competition for mental health reasons, costing them the gold medal, but she might take part in the individual events for herself? Sounds like a diva.

she took a spot from someone else who is sitting back in the US, would give anything in the world to participate and help the team win the gold. but nope, she took a spot then dropped out. a terribly selfish move to be honest. then to compete in individual events, if she does this, is a real bad look..

 

[Ski11585]

Lotta chuds ITT.

Read she got the twisties. I'd rather she step down than break her neck.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

Lotta chuds ITT.

Read she got the twisties. I'd rather she step down than break her neck.

what??

 

[Ski11585]

what??

To which part? The chuds or the twisties?

If we're talking about chuds - bunch of dudes rushing to call her a diva or other things and dismiss any legitimate mental health issues she may be dealing with.

If we're talking about the twisties - its the gymnastics version of the yips where you lose the ability to tell where you are in a jumpy spin thing. So like.. instead of landing on your feet you land on your neck.

ETA: I, too, had no idea what the twisties were until an hour ago when I read about it on The Defector. The more you know!

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

To which part? The chuds or the twisties?

If we're talking about chuds - bunch of dudes rushing to call her a diva or other things and dismiss any legitimate mental health issues she may be dealing with.

If we're talking about the twisties - its the gymnastics version of the yips where you lose the ability to tell where you are in a jumpy spin thing. So like.. instead of landing on your feet you land on your neck.

ok, thank you. twisties, i like that. if she's got a case of the twisties, competing in individual competitions is probably not a great idea. if she competes in individual events, the mental health excuse goes out the window. if she doesnt, hope the best for her..

 

[Ski11585]

ok, thank you. twisties, i like that. if she's got a case of the twisties, competing in individual competitions is probably not a great idea. if she competes in individual events, the mental health excuse goes out the window. if she doesnt, hope the best for her..

Yeah. I think I'd agree - if she participates in individuals, it looks pretty shady. I'm just inclined to give the benefit of the doubt first, especially with mental health stuff.

 

[pitt90seven]

Lotta chuds ITT.

Read she got the twisties. I'd rather she step down than break her neck.

it's wild the amount of people on this board who are stuck in the 1970's, man. i mean, we JUST had a big thread on the death of robin williams and then we get this mess.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

Yeah. I think I'd agree - if she participates in individuals, it looks pretty shady. I'm just inclined to give the benefit of the doubt first, especially with mental health stuff.

Pretty much exactly how I feel. here is a good summary on it..

How Simone Biles saved herself — and her teammates — at the Olympics

Doubt. Fear. Insecurity. Pressure. Failure. The world's greatest gymnast felt it all on sports' biggest stage.

www.yahoo.com

 

[DruidTM]

Haven’t seen a credible source reporting it was mental and not due to injury… she did say the remarks on pressure… but I think people are jumping the gun. She cut her twists in half which could result in injury.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

Haven’t seen a credible source reporting it was mental and not due to injury… she did say the remarks on pressure… but I think people are jumping the gun. She cut her twists in half which could result in injury.

Not a gymnast but can’t imagine doing a 2 1/2 twisty thingy and deciding in the air to do only 1 twisty thingy is a safe idea.

She’s lucky she didn’t break her neck.

 

[DruidTM]

Agreed she definitely cut it short … I think feeling under pressure AND getting injured isn’t something mutually exclusive. So unless I see something different… she’s injured in my book

 

[Ski11585]

Pretty much exactly how I feel. here is a good summary on it..

How Simone Biles saved herself — and her teammates — at the Olympics

Doubt. Fear. Insecurity. Pressure. Failure. The world's greatest gymnast felt it all on sports' biggest stage.

www.yahoo.com

Good, reasonable article. Thanks for sharing.

 

[GenesPlace]

Are we at the point where any athlete that "comes up short" at their sport/event can just blame their mental health for a subpar performance? Sitting out can become the proper response followed up by their coach offering a hug of support.

Furthermore, will the word "choking" become un-PC and not able to be used?

I've grown up with family and friends dealing with mental health issues such as schizophrenia and severe depression. I'm having a hard time linking sports pressure to that kind of mental health.

 

[Ski11585]

it's wild the amount of people on this board who are stuck in the 1970's, man. i mean, we JUST had a big thread on the death of robin williams and then we get this mess.

Definitely interesting, isn't it. Some notable differences between the two...

Are we at the point where any athlete that "comes up short" at their sport/event can just blame their mental health for a subpar performance? Sitting out can become the proper response followed up by their coach offering a hug of support.

Furthermore, will the word "choking" become un-PC and not able to be used?

I've grown up with family and friends dealing with mental health issues such as schizophrenia and sever depression. I'm having a hard time linking sports pressure to that kind of mental health.

Or are we at the point where we can be more open about mental health challenges leading to a healthier, better society collectively?

 

[DruidTM]

Good, reasonable article. Thanks for sharing.

Ok that does seem pretty clear.
Still… no judgment… she carried the team herself… the team said it themselves.

 

[DruidTM]

Are we at the point where any athlete that "comes up short" at their sport/event can just blame their mental health for a subpar performance? Sitting out can become the proper response followed up by their coach offering a hug of support.

Furthermore, will the word "choking" become un-PC and not able to be used?

I've grown up with family and friends dealing with mental health issues such as schizophrenia and severe depression. I'm having a hard time linking sports pressure to that kind of mental health.

I guess we are at a point where people like yourself feel they can judge someone whose life they can’t possibly imagine living on a daily basis… ?

bottom line is for whatever reason that article made it clear she isn’t in shape to continue, would hurt herself and the team if she did? Who is anyone who watches the sidelines qualified to judge?

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

Are we at the point where any athlete that "comes up short" at their sport/event can just blame their mental health for a subpar performance? Sitting out can become the proper response followed up by their coach offering a hug of support.

Furthermore, will the word "choking" become un-PC and not able to be used?

I've grown up with family and friends dealing with mental health issues such as schizophrenia and severe depression. I'm having a hard time linking sports pressure to that kind of mental health.

i was at a kids party awhile back and was 3-0 in cornhole but the last game, i lost. i definitely didnt choke, i had mental issues. it's like the board got smaller and everything seemed fuzzy.. def mental issues or possibly the beer kicked in..

 

[WeaverIsComing]

when did she get injured?

 

[NCanton Panther]

i was at a kids party awhile back and was 3-0 in cornhole but the last game, i lost. i definitely didnt choke, i had mental issues. it's like the board got smaller and everything seemed fuzzy.. def mental issues or possibly the beer kicked in..

Hey, I can relate to that. I don’t know how many times I’ve gotten thru 6 or 7 holes in a 9-hole round at even par or a couple under. Like the thought of finishing with an under par round wasn’t front and center in my mind…..and like that wasn’t the #1 primary reason why the best I could do was finish at even par and not get that under-par round under my belt. Yeah, that hole felt like it was a couple inches in diameter when putting. Like it mattered since I was lucky if the putt made it half way to the hole.

I’m the first to admit, I’m a major choke artist.

 

[Ski11585]

i was at a kids party awhile back and was 3-0 in cornhole but the last game, i lost. i definitely didnt choke, i had mental issues. it's like the board got smaller and everything seemed fuzzy.. def mental issues or possibly the beer kicked in..

I feel like my game gets better the more the beer kicks in. I overthink each throw too much early on.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

I feel like my game gets better the more the beer kicks in. I overthink each throw too much early on.

Darts, bowling, cornhole, washers, pool, shuffleboard, ping pong, golf, I get better after a few beers and am at my peak after like 5-6 but quickly decline after a few more.

You know a sport is truly great if you need a few beers to optimize performance

 

[pittdan77]

It's weird to assume that she wanted to stop competing. You don't get to the top of that level and stay there for so long because you find it easy to quit.

 

[GenesPlace]

I guess we are at a point where people like yourself feel they can judge someone whose life they can’t possibly imagine living on a daily basis… ?

bottom line is for whatever reason that article made it clear she isn’t in shape to continue, would hurt herself and the team if she did? Who is anyone who watches the sidelines qualified to judge?

who is judging? i asked a question.

take a kicker who made a 50 yard FG 10 out of 10 times in pregame practice but needs to make a FG at the end of a playoff game to win the game. that's a ridiculous amount of pressure. It's going to be ok now if they sit out and don't try the kick because they didn't think they could make it? can they blame it on mental health and that makes everything ok?

i'm not judging Biles. whatever support she needs, i hope she gets. she trained for years leading up to this and has been through it before. she has received endless financial and training support for this moment. She has received countless endorsements predicated on the notion she is the best at this event. I was looking forward to her performances. just trying to wrap my head around all of this and know what to expect moving forward.

so back to the kicker. what if the guy misses the kick. it sure sounds insensitive to say that he choked in the moment and couldn't handle the pressure but that's certainly what would happen. Biles steps away from this event, says the pressure was too great and she's brave for doing so. I'm just having a discussion and trying to learn what's going on.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

who is judging? i asked a question.

take a kicker who made a 50 yard FG 10 out of 10 times in pregame practice but needs to make a FG at the end of a playoff game to win the game. that's a ridiculous amount of pressure. It's going to be ok now if they sit out and don't try the kick because they didn't think they could make it? can they blame it on mental health and that makes everything ok?

i'm not judging Biles. whatever support she needs, i hope she gets. she trained for years leading up to this and has been through it before. she has received endless financial and training support for this moment. She has received countless endorsements predicated on the notion she is the best at this event. I was looking forward to her performances. just trying to wrap my head around all of this and know what to expect moving forward.

so back to the kicker. what if the guy misses the kick. it sure sounds insensitive to say that he choked in the moment and couldn't handle the pressure but that's certainly what would happen. Biles steps away from this event, says the pressure was too great and she's brave for doing so. I'm just having a discussion and trying to learn what's going on.

i mean, we all know what happened. it is what it is, she screwed up, got real bad score, usa loses and well you have this. it reminds me of the wr in football who misses a wide open deep ball then he falls and acts hurt lol.
but not worth it kicking someone when they are down. lets just go with the mental health story and let everyone call her a hero.

 

[DruidTM]

Fair enough but your original explanation read just a bit differently… just being honest.

I agree and it’s not just training for this moment… she’s been competing for years … it takes its toll … maybe she just hit a wall or her limit?

she’s friggen amazing regardless definitely the star of Team USA 🇺🇸

 

[pitt90seven]

who is judging? i asked a question.

take a kicker who made a 50 yard FG 10 out of 10 times in pregame practice but needs to make a FG at the end of a playoff game to win the game. that's a ridiculous amount of pressure. It's going to be ok now if they sit out and don't try the kick because they didn't think they could make it? can they blame it on mental health and that makes everything ok?

i'm not judging Biles. whatever support she needs, i hope she gets. she trained for years leading up to this and has been through it before. she has received endless financial and training support for this moment. She has received countless endorsements predicated on the notion she is the best at this event. I was looking forward to her performances. just trying to wrap my head around all of this and know what to expect moving forward.

so back to the kicker. what if the guy misses the kick. it sure sounds insensitive to say that he choked in the moment and couldn't handle the pressure but that's certainly what would happen. Biles steps away from this event, says the pressure was too great and she's brave for doing so. I'm just having a discussion and trying to learn what's going on.

mental health inherently does not make sense. it's unwise to look for logic in such sitautions b/c you won't find it.

 

[RaleighPittFan]

You don't see many four syllable words on message boards.

$10 says Owtie plagiarized it.

 

[Dointhatrag]

didn't this used to be called pitting? or do you have to try and fail to pitt but now you can just give up and be praised for having the strength. This country has developed a bunch of wimps when it comes to intestinal fortitude over the last generation.

 

[Phillypanther2]

who is judging? i asked a question.

take a kicker who made a 50 yard FG 10 out of 10 times in pregame practice but needs to make a FG at the end of a playoff game to win the game. that's a ridiculous amount of pressure. It's going to be ok now if they sit out and don't try the kick because they didn't think they could make it? can they blame it on mental health and that makes everything ok?

i'm not judging Biles. whatever support she needs, i hope she gets. she trained for years leading up to this and has been through it before. she has received endless financial and training support for this moment. She has received countless endorsements predicated on the notion she is the best at this event. I was looking forward to her performances. just trying to wrap my head around all of this and know what to expect moving forward.

so back to the kicker. what if the guy misses the kick. it sure sounds insensitive to say that he choked in the moment and couldn't handle the pressure but that's certainly what would happen. Biles steps away from this event, says the pressure was too great and she's brave for doing so. I'm just having a discussion and trying to learn what's going on.

You’re post is logical and makes sense.
Prepare to be hammered for it.

 

[WeaverIsComing]

Biles got 1st on the team in 2 events in qualifiers, 2nd in 2 events.

Looks like she didn't do as well in individual qualifiers, i suppose that's where she got injured. She qualified in 1st, 2nd, 7th and 10th place in 4 events. 10th and 7th place hurt her, which she realized when posting on instagram

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Yeah. I think I'd agree - if she participates in individuals, it looks pretty shady. I'm just inclined to give the benefit of the doubt first, especially with mental health stuff.

That's a key, and I didn't finish my thought.

But again, this pressure, media scrutiny, well I am sorry, it is part of the deal when you are a world class athlete. I feel for you if you are having issues, but pulling out of events don't make one a "hero" and we are doing that to these people with our media. It might be the right thing to do, but again, it is not heroic. And if it is so troublesome, then perhaps become an accountant.

It is like being a QB of Alabama and people saying "you can't boo a college kid". Yeah, if it is Juniata College, and you are booing the QB, that maybe a bit over the top. But Alabama, with their crowds, interest, the amount of perks, NIL opportunities, women throwing themselves at them, everything comped for them......if they can't handle, then you know you shouldn't be in that role. It sucks, but again, that is part of the job.

If Biles stays out of further competition, obviously she has serious issues, and she is (or should be) done with competition. If she comes back, well it would look alot better if she said she didn't want to further hurt herself and her team and she could "do more for the US by winning multi individual medals" rather than feign some malady then come back for it.

Whatever. Again, it is I am tired of the media trying to build up people who quit. It is like that old adage about the Film Academy, "you want to win an Oscar, play a handicapped or ill person. They love handicapped or ill people".

 

[snaphook297]

I admire her so much her courage . We have your back Simone !

 

[snaphook297]

i mean, we all know what happened. it is what it is, she screwed up, got real bad score, usa loses and well you have this. it reminds me of the wr in football who misses a wide open deep ball then he falls and acts hurt lol.
but not worth it kicking someone when they are down. lets just go with the mental health story and let everyone call her a hero.

You mean limas sweet ? Killer