If there’s anyone reading – I’m doing well. I’m at a healthy weight again, eating normally, enjoying life. Basically, I’ve finally learned that recovery is worth it, and I’ve never been happier.
I might start this blog up again – we’ll see.
Thanks so much for reading and all of your support on my last post.
Not sure if anyone still reads this (or checks up for updates) – it’s been a while – but I thought it was worth a shot…
The reason why I so abruptly quit Double Salto is because, for many reasons that I don’t particularly wish to disclose, I have found that following the beautiful sport of gymnastics has been extremely triggering to my eating disorder. I wish it wasn’t so, but there ya have it: that’s the cold, hard truth.
During the past couple (almost) of months, I suffered from a mini-relapse after finally getting myself to a healthy weight…now trying to gain it again. It’s a pain in the ass, but you do what you gotta do.
However, I did miss blogging – a lot – so I started a recovery blog, which has been immensely helpful. If anyone is interested in following it at all (I’m assuming those that have been through similar situations), you can contact me through the IG message board. I’m debster.
I don’t think I’ll ever be back here. It’s just too much. I thought I could handle it, but I can’t, obviously. And right now, my health is so much more important.
I’ll always love gymnastics with all my heart.
That’s right, guys – I’m taking a little break from this blog (and gymnastics) – not that I’ve been all that great at updating this thing, but now I’m making it official. I might lurk around my favorite message boards, but I probably won’t post much. There’s some personal stuff I need to take care of and I just don’t have the time or energy to follow the sport right now, so I expect it’ll be at least a couple of months ’til I’m back (unless I suffer from a huge withdrawl, which is quite probable!).
I’ve gotten tons of positive feedback for Double Salto, so I wanted to thank you all – even if you don’t always agree with my opinions! I love your comments anyway. Also, I’m sorry if I’m disappointing anyone – I know I’ll miss you!
I’ve got a confession to make.
I did not watch the Scam American Cup. No, I did not take advantage of the live streaming (although I hear it wasn’t “streaming” all that well, so I may not have missed much). The worst part is that, since I currently do not live inside the United States, I will not be able to watch the event on NBC either (and knowing The Powers that Be, no routines will be kept on Youtube for long). Ooh, what a travesty.
Now, don’t you all freak out. I didn’t forget. I was at the hospital getting a plethora of blood tests taken (I don’t know if I used the word “plethora” right, but it seems appropriate). Joy.
Anyway, so far, all I know is that, 1. Jordyn Wieber won (unfairly, some claim), which does not make me too happy for a number of reasons (she’s too young, her gymnastics is too sloppy, and that’s not how you spell Jordan), 2. Bridget Sloan placed second (yay Sloanie!), and, 3. Fabian Hambuechen won for the men (*happy dance* he’s too adorable!). But I don’t even follow men’s gymnastics.
So, for now, I’ll hurry my booty off to all of my gymnastics message boards on the hunt for some info. Then I’ll go hide under a rock, because, really, what kind of gymnastics fan misses live streaming (of the Scam Cup, no less)? I am tres ashamed!
So, last night’s (somewhat bizarre) post got me thinking. What about? Well, hair, of course! Now, we’ve seen our fare share of odd dos in the past, but these ten take the prize. Going down the memory lane is always a hoot, so enjoy!
1. The Poodle Perm: you all know what I’m talking about. It was quite the popular hairdo two decades back. It may have been an era of gorgeous gymnastics, but the fashion? Eh, not so much. Particularly the hair. By 1988, the situation got so bad that the Olympic all around gold was decided by a hair, rather than gymnastics ability (joke). Honestly, though, can you truthfully say you are not distracted by the big mess of fluff? I thought so. Guilty as charged: numerous gymnasts, but Daniela Silivas in particular (God, I just want to chop that thing off her head!).
2. The Bang Attack: these were quite popular for quite some time, particularly during the 1990s. You know, those MASSIVE bangs over a gymnast’s forehead? Yup, that’s what I’m talking about. I thought they were pretty fun, actually. I loved watching the girls run in slow-mo – bangs bobbing up and down like crazy. Hilarious. Guilty as charged: the very lovely Viktoria Karpenko.
3. Crazy Beehive: ah, something a little old school for all of us. Remember the sixties (personally, I don’t, because I hadn’t even been born yet, but anyway, that’s totally beside the point)? Yes, I thought so. Guilty as charged: Vera Caslavska.
4. Scrunchie Meets Head: I mean, Shannon Miller. Or, more specifically, the Dynamos. Guilty as charged: me thinks this is self-explanatory.
5. The Angry Conrows: I never understood how the Parkettes managed to compete with those stupid conrows constantly pulling at their scalp. Seriously, ouch? Guilty as charged: le Parkettes.
6. The “I Am Really a Boy” Do: it comes in many shapes and colors (okay, it most frequently appears as a bowl cut), and it’s been around for ages. Now, personally, I have nothing against short hair, even on gymnasts. Sometimes, it actually looks kind of cute (cue Katya Lobaznyuk). But why in the world would you want to look like a boy? Even if you are a tomboy…Guilty as charged: Amanda Borden, Oksana Chusovitina.
7. If I Clip My Hair To My Scalp, It Won’t Fall Off: you totally know what I mean. A couple of clips are fine (unless they are Hello Kitty themed; then it’s a big no-no), but a bajillion? Gawd. Not classy in the slightest. Plus, if you fall on your head, those things are vicious! Trust me, I would know. I’ve had (unpleasant) experiences in that area. Guilty as charged: the Chinese team!
8. The “I Don’t Take This Seriously Enough” Bun: I’m not a fan of overly gelled hair (ew, really), but sometimes you at least have to seem like you give a crap. Unfortunately, some gymnasts think they are way too cool for school and merely look like they’ve just rolled out of bed. Guilty as charged: Alicia Sacramone.
9. Frizzy Hair: frizzy hair is a terrible thing in all situations, gymnastics-related or not. Splurge on a straightener (or at least some anti-frizz)! Guilty as charged: Rebecca Bross (every now and then).
10. This is your choice. What do you think is a totally hideous hairdo and why?
Well, lovies, I’m back.
Anyway – we know 1988 was all about The Battle – you know, Yelena Shushunova v. Daniela Silivas (although I personally like to think of it as The Battle Of The Bad Perms. I’m on Team Shush, if only because I hate her hair slightly less than I hate Silivas’…gymnastic-ally, both ladies were brilliant, but that damn hair was simply much too distracting. Anyway, I’m rambling), but there is one gymnast who, I believe, had she been healthy, could’ve kicked some major booty in every possible way. Yes, I’m talking about none other than the lovely 1987 world champion Aurelia Dobre.
The girl was poetry in motion, for which I have decided to write a poem in her honor, but be warned: I cannot write poetry to save my life. I just need a few laughs tonight; it’s been a rough week. So bear with me, please.
In a decade famous for perms that resembled poodles,
Aurelia Dobre had enough sense to keep her hair long, like a wig made of noodles.
Her gymnastics was quite brilliant too,
She could flip and twist and tumble out of the blue.
Her lines, in particular, were exquisite,
Her choreography always looked absolutely terrific.
She danced and pranced not at all like a Rombot,
Every moment of her performance deserved a snapshot.
It really was too bad when she injured her knee,
Which ended her shot at Olympic glory.
But in the fans’ hearts she will always live,
So her not-that-successful Seoul experience we can forgive.
Oh, that was dreadful. But hey! You gotta do what you gotta do to cheer yourself up at the end of a long week.
Anyway, here you go. Enjoy!
Over the years, I’ve learned not to expect anything from junior gymnasts. Nada, zilch, zero, nothing. The truth is that the least of promising-juniors-that-turned-out-to-be-disappointing-seniors is pretty endless: Kristal Uzelac, Nadazhda Ivanova, and Sabina Cojocar, to name a few (and from three different countries, too!). Honestly, in all my years as a fan (which I admit haven’t been very many, considering I’m young), I feel that the only gymnast who has truly managed to live up to the hype is Nastia Liukin, and the cynic in me believes that that’s probably only because people were writing her off by 2007.
I’ve also learned not to expect anything from zee Russians. I mean, really. If the Fab Four (I mean, Yelena Produnova, Svetlana Khorkina, Yekatarina Lobaznyuk, and Yelena Zamolodchikova) were not even capable of kicking some major Romanian booty in Sydney, what hope is there for the rest of them? Even when they’re at their best, there is always that unforseen extremely unfortunate factor that ruins the all fun (e.g. the vault was set too low; Anna Pavlova experienced momentary amnesia and forgot her floor routine, resulting in self-destruction; Yekatarina Kramarenko miscalculated her run to the springboard; Pavs really had to pee and just could not wait for the darn green light).
So there you have it. Extraordinarily successful juniors and zee Russians are cursed. There’s no other way around it.
You know what the worst possible combination is? Yes, you got it! Russian juniors! Oh, God. The more talent these little pixies show, the more terrified I become that something’s gonna break them.
There is one Russian junior, in particular, that I’ve grown to love, despite all my best efforts: Viktoria Komova, daughter of 1986 Goodwill Games champion Vera Kolesnikova. Check out this beam – it’s insane (sure, sure, she falls, but BHS-layout stepout-arabian!? Holy moley!)!
In addition to being quite the trickster, she’s got wonderful presentation for a teeny junior and nice lines as well. She could grow to be quite elegant, which is just what the sport needs right now! Hopefully she’s getting all the falls out of the way early on, because if this girl does not make it to 2012 as a serious medal threat, then I will cry.
You should check out her floor, too. She’s too adorable.
Davai, Vika!
Ah, the Soviet gymnastics machine. Many argue that making it in the USSR was even harder than winning a world championship or Olympic gold. I think I agree.
We’ve all, of course, heard of the Soviet greats: Svetlana Boginskaya, Olga Mostepanova, Oksana Omelianchik, Olga Korbut, Yelena Shushunova, Tatiana Lysenko, and Lyudmila Tourischeva, to name a few (too few). However, in addition to these marvelous athletes and artists (yes, artists!), there are hundreds upon hundreds of gymnasts that never even truly had the opportunity to wow the international audiences and win fame and recognition.
Among these gymnasts is Tatiana Ignatova.
Now, we don’t see a performance like that nowadays, do we? Not even from the very, very best or those we call “artistic.” I’ve mourned the day that truly innovative floor choreography ceased to exist. What a crying shame. Thanks a lot, FIG.
Here’s another of my “obscure” favorites, Yekatarina Vandisheva:
It kills me that these two never made it big. They could’ve been great.
Nevertheless…enjoy!
I was reading my way through the WWGym forum (where I’m not much of an active poster, but I do enjoy reading the latest), and I happened to stumble across a video of Natalia Joura on uneven bars. Now, gymnastics ability (or inability) aside, I feel that it is my obligation to adore Natalia, if only for the fact that she’s a Joura sister, and Dasha is beyond awesome. Therefore, I cringed a little when I saw this:
The poor girl got an abysmal 9.1 – and no, no one was working the old Code there (ah, how I wish it was so…). I’m not going to really discuss the mechanics of the performance – I’m sure we all agree it was awful – but rather, I want to tell you about this odd feeling I got as I rewatched the routine over and over…
Deja vu.
No, I’m not kidding. Back in the day when I was a gymnast (and absolutely abhorred bars), I had an experience that is eerily similar to this disaster. It was my gym’s home meet. I kip-ed fine. Cast to handstand and went over. Okay, one fall. Kip-ed again and attempted a clear hip circle, in which I went over the bar once more. Got back up, squatted to transition to the high bar and unexpectedly fell backwards. How embarrassing! I hadn’t done this since I was a level 5. Finally reached the high bar, kip-ed, cast to handstand (no, I didn’t go over), tapped into my giant, and ended up short. Attempted a couple of more giants, and wouldn’t you know it, the same thing happened over and over and over. I finally just swung into my very lame layout dismount, landing, of course, on my butt.
I wish I had an excuse. But I didn’t have a stomach flu a la Shannon Miller. I was (surprisingly) not injured. I was not even nervous, and I’d been training fine.
Hey, it happens to the best of us.
Natalia – keep your head up. You’re not alone!
And I sincerely apologize (once again). I’m not one to give out excuses – actually, I hate doing so – but I’ve been dealing with a number of personal issues that need to get taken care of. Therefore, I haven’t had much time or energy to follow the sport as closely as I have for the past few months.
That being said, there’s plenty to look forward to this year – the Scam American Cup (I’m thinking the lineup sounds okay so far…but for once, would they please invite someone that could actually challenge the Americans? Enough of this rah, rah, the Americans are the best and we’re going to show it by kicking international ass in this oh so credible competition), Nationals (should be quite an interesting mix of newcomers and veterans!), and of course, the world championships (I was so hoping Semenova could challenge for the title. Unfortunately, with her wrist injury, it seems very very unlikely). I’ll try to keep you posted as best I can – and if my best isn’t all that, keep visiting your favorite gymnastics message boards – they’ll sure keep you on top of things!
Once again, I feel horrible for this pathetic excuse of a post. Double Salto will be back soon enough at full force – I promise!
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