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#91 |
Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2017
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Some thoughts -- coming from the father of a once elite gymnast:
Those comparing what Biles went through to the "yips" don't get it. There is danger in everything gymnasts do and when things are off in their head, it's severe injury they're risking. Swimmers, runners, etc. face none of that. All gymnasts go through phases where their body won't do what their mind wants it to do. I've spent hundreds of hours at the gym watching girls standing trying to start a tumble routine, or balance beam routine, and they just can't. They stand there for hours, never moving...entire practices...until they can overcome the block. I've also seen girls on the beam do flips and split the beam...yes, land right on their crotch, and the rule is always -- get up and do it again within 5 seconds or it will become a mental thing. Same with the bars...girls hit their faces on the bars all the time (just like the girl from Brazil just did). Bandage the cut and get back on the bars. At least one a month, ambulances were at the gym taking someone away with a broken leg, broken arm, etc. It is literally one of the most brutal sports there is, but the gymnasts are trained to ignore the risks and push forward. For context, my daughter broke her arm 3 times, her wrists 4 times, and tore her acl...before she was 14 years old. Biles pulled out of the olympics not just because her disorientation issue came up right at the wrong time, but because if she continued, her entire team would lose. At least by dropping, it gave another girl a chance to compete, and a chance for the team to win. As for how great SB is? She is far more dominant in gymnastics than Phelps was in swimming, and I say that as a person who swam for an NCAA national championship team (I sucked, BTW). Her margin of victory by scores are insane. While Phelps had many individual world records, he would beat existing times by incremental improvements, and I don't believe any of those records stand any longer. Some of his records fell in the same meet he set them. That said, what made Phelps great was his ability to go into the Olympics and beat others who were only swimming one event, and then proceed to the next event where he beat more guys who were swimming just one event. And, he did it over and over, including semi-finals and finals. His stamina and recovery were amazing, but there were and are others who were similar swimmers (if not quite as great), including for example Leon Marchand for France right now. So, I would put SB over Phelps. Ledecky has a better claim given her dominance in her main event...she holds the 15 fastest times in history. As great as SB is, Mayweather has to be in the conversation. Never lost. Only once touched the canvas during a bout, but that was reportedly because he hurt his hand hitting Hernandez. Last edited by A8bil; 08-03-2024 at 12:00 PM.. |
Posts: 1,139
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#92 |
Live free or die hard
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Durango, CO
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10/10
I want to see any of you do flips in mid air. Girl is gold! |
Posts: 26,893
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#93 |
Constable of Untruths
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Wichita
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Posts: 15,214
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#94 | |
Would an idiot do that?
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Arizona
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Quote:
And I wasn't judging the 'mental issues' stuff 4 years ago, because what the **** do I know about what she was going through, just that it must have been an impossibly difficult decision. I assume for Biles, it's not like she'd drop out weeks before the Olympics if she was having issues... it would just be something you hope goes away. And if it was more acute and started happening once/after you got there, I'm sure every fiber of her being was wanting to power through it. |
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Posts: 56,294
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#95 | |
Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2017
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Posts: 1,139
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#96 |
SNAP THE ****ING BALL!!!
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: KCMO
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That's one difference, yeah. Another is Jordan's issues never put him at serious risk of bodily harm. If you were ignorant of what she was going through before this thread, that's understandable. It's now been discussed at length so if you'd care to make a case that she's a quitter because she didn't risk life and limb to compete in a sporting event, I'm all ears.
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Posts: 11,513
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#97 | |
Suupraa Geniuuusss
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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Quote:
In my opinion, no, the shooter isn’t an athlete. As a former shooting competitor (using that term a little loosely, as I paid my entry fees and shot, but never got close to placing) I see shooters as competitors. The he curling team guys are players, but not really athletes. Same with billiards, and I was considering playing pro at one time. Way back when. I still remember this great quote by. John Kruk back in the day:”I’m not an athlete, I’m a baseball player!” Summed it up pretty well for me. I don’t think there’s any question that Simone Biles is an incredible athlete, not just a player or whatever. When I was a kid 40+ years ago, decathlon men were widely regarded as the best athletes due to their mastery of so many athletic disciplines. So that also probably has something to do with how I feel about it. YMMV, of course. |
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#98 | |
Constable of Untruths
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Wichita
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Posts: 15,214
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#99 |
Now you've pissed me off!
Join Date: Jan 2006
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Athleticism is a mixture of explosive ability, aerobic endurance, and proprioception. I think sports that encompass at least two of the three are athletic.
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Posts: 74,902
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#100 | |
SNAP THE ****ING BALL!!!
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: KCMO
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#101 |
Bono & Grbac wasn't enough
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Sioux City, IA
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#102 | |
What's up braj?
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Placencia, Belize
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#103 |
Fight, build, win!
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: KC
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Gymnastics you're at the mercy of the judges and they seem to have a pecking order. With swimming it's up to you and your teammates in the relays. Easily Phelps for sure
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#104 |
Seeking the Truth daily
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In the Country in MO
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Biles is good, clearly better than anyone else on the US squad. But cannot carry water for Mary Lou Retton
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#105 |
Starter
Join Date: Dec 2020
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I would put her in the Carl Lewis level of greatness.
Frederick Carlton Lewis OLY (born July 1, 1961) is a former American track and field athlete who won nine Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, and 10 World Championships medals, including eight gold. His career spanned from 1979 to 1996, when he last won the Olympic long jump. |
Posts: 224
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