They look like superheroes. Did anyone else read Gen13 back in the day. Caitlin's uniform was a similar cut. Dunno if they could lift a car though... #artisticgymnasticsworldchampionships...
Did you guys know that Tweddle was born in 1985, making her 24 years old, which is about 40 in gymnastics years (even if she is lying about her age, as seems to be en vogue, she is still older than most of those girls out there). Between Liukin, Tweddle and other actual women claiming top honors in women's gymnastics, maybe fewer teams will want to send little girls in their stead.
On that note, I call shenanigans on the Chinese and Romanian girls in the middle. Old habits die hard, methinks. #artisticgymnasticsworldchampionships...
@That_little_attention_whore: In the last decade, there have been a large number of the over-20 contingent in women's artistic gymnastics. Mohini Bharwaj, Oksana Chusovitina (33 in the Beijing games,) Kristen Maloney, Dominique Dawes came back for 2000 games... I think these women garnered just as much positive attention as the young girls. Coaches are no longer viewing athletes as disposable, and actually trusting in a team's depth to fill holes while someone recovers from injury - as is done in men's gymnastics.
@That_little_attention_whore: I really wish that more attention had been paid to the age scandal with the Chinese team in the Beijing Olympics. The gymnastics governing board needs to ensure that things are much more on the up and up before London. #artisticgymnasticsworldchampionships...
@RoughHouser: As a 30 year old former gymnast, I have nothing but respect and a sense of complete awe that there are 33 year old gymnasts still competing, let alone at that level! By 18 my body was just done with it all, too many injuries and too many years beating it up. #artisticgymnasticsworldchampionships...
@That_little_attention_whore: The Romanian girl in the middle is Ana Porgras, an extremely talented up and coming gymnast. Her age has NEVER been in dispute, and I think it's lazy and ridiculous to make that assumption. She's 15, which allows her to compete at the Senior Worlds. The Chinese gymnast is Deng Linlin, who was cleared of any age-fixing discrepancies by the IOC.
And don't forget Svetlana Boginskaya competed in her third Olympics at 23/24 (1996). #artisticgymnasticsworldchampionships...
@CraftyBroad: I think people noticed, but kind of shrugged it off, like "of course the Chinese might be fudging their ages," just like people shrugged off the weird discrepancies in the judging because that was also to be expected on their home court, as it were. Plus, Americans were winning the gold in most of the events, so it didn't seem relevant to a US audience if some random Romanian or Russian girl got shut out of a medal because of either wonky judging or outright cheating about age. I can imagine the Romanian media saw the issue differently.
I am more surpised - well, I guess disappointment more so than surprise - at the IOC and gymnastic officials' reaction of "well, if the Chinese government says it's true, it must be true." even if there were contradictory records from other events. this is the same IOC that stripped Andreea Raducan of her gold medal because she took a substance that isn't even banned in international gymnastics (they were happy to consider those circumstances in reinstating that Canadian snowboarder's medal when he tested positive for THC in 1998)
Overall the IOC is hardly a model of applying its rules in an equitable and consistent manner. I have no hope for any improvement in 2012. #artisticgymnasticsworldchampionships...
Also, cleared by the IOC? All they did was take the Chinese government at their word. That's some great investigation there, Lou. #artisticgymnasticsworldchampionships...
@That_little_attention_whore: And isn't that sad. Those who have followed gymnastics and other Olympic sports through the years deserve better, the athletes certainly deserve better and the Olympic events themselves deserve better. The Olympic movement has seen many events in both the summer and winter games, wracked by controversy, be it falsifying ages, performance enhancing drugs, or judging irregularities. It is time that the IOC steps up to the plate and gets firm with the various regulating bodies. It shouldn't matter if the sport is a marquee event like gymnastics and ice skating. Get tough with the regulating bodies and clean them up. Otherwise you are diminishing the Olympic "brand" and people aren't going to care because they will feel the competitions are dirty in some way and stop watching. Why is this difficult to understand? #artisticgymnasticsworldchampionships...
@CraftyBroad: yeah. the IOC's behavior has been pretty shameful, and they have mostly been a hindrance rather than a help in terms of enforcement. I would argue that the IOC could step off and let the individual sports' federations make the rules (including deciding what constitutes a performance-enhancing substance and what does not). they pretty much take the back seat to FIFA (perhaps the only international sporting body more powerful than they are) when it comes to Olympic soccer, and I am pretty sure FINA could run the swimming, diving and waterpolo on their own just fine. Problem is, not all individual sports' federations are created equal.
Some are staffed with insensitive douchebags that turn everything into a PR nightmare (holla, IAAF!) but aren't outright harming their sport, and some are just totally rife with corruption - skating and gymnastics are the first that come to mind, sadly. Come to think of it, I don't really trust FIFA either because of all the organized crime elements involved in sports gambling.
For these not-so-hot organizations, the IOC should be a final recourse for athletes when their individual federation fails to enforce its rules properly. But all the IOC seems to do is either turn a blind eye or outright deny there is any wrongdoing. Like all international organizations, the IOC is also political, and in the case of the gymnastics controversy, IOC officials obviously felt that kowtowing to the Chinese government took precedence over making sure that rules were being followed and consistently enforced. But for them, it is better to have the goodwill of Chinese officials than even to create the illusion of fairness in the sport. Which is why, come the London games, and the Chinese show up with their new troupe of 13 year olds, I am confident that the IOC's reaction will be the same as it was this time around.
Pathetic - and yet, as long as there are suckers like us around the world who are tuning in to watch it, why should the IOC feel motivated to change its ways? #artisticgymnasticsworldchampionships...
@RoughHouser: also: Chusovitina came back to compete after having. a. child! (which is freaking unheard of in gymnastics) and most recently got a medal in Beijing. Mad props to her! #artisticgymnasticsworldchampionships...
@That_little_attention_whore: I would love to say I disagree with you, but sadly I don't. You just have to look at the changes in judging that have happened in skating and gymnastics to see how they "fix" things. In both cases the new systems are almost worse than the old, the skating system is horrifically confusing.
As for watching the games, I've become so disillusioned with some of the last few games that I haven't watched as much as I have in the past. #artisticgymnasticsworldchampionships...
Oh Copenhagen, how I love thee. Now please accept my Fulbhright proposal so that I can come back and never leave Christiania and the most delicious herbal products I've ever experienced.
I have to admit the idea of having the Olympics in our country scares me a little. I hate that I feel this way but I just cant help but think that Olympics on our soil is a bad idea. It seems like an easy target for terrorism. I'm sad and angry that I feel this way but I just do.
@kkatt: We've had it in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Salt Lake, and several other times. If terrorists are going to hit, they're going to do it regardless. We can't hide.
I really get annoyed at how little we talk about male fertility. 40% of the time the problem is the man, 40% of the time its the woman, and 20% of the time its both (or they just have no idea). Male fertility does decline with age even though it doesn't drop off the way it does with women.
Before I was born, my parents spent 6 years trying to conceive. This was just about the time that IVF was invented, but it wasn't being used outside of research labs yet. They were just about ready to cut my mom open so they could root around for a problem when my old Irish granny (who hadn't even graduated high school) mentioned to my mom maybe it could have something to do with the pills my dad took. My mom scoffed, if that were possible, the doctors would have asked! But she asked anyway and found out my dad's high blood pressure medicine caused temporary infertility. No one had ever asked anything about my dad's medical history and his doctor had never mentioned that side effect. My dad went off the pills and I was born less than a year later, despite my mom's advanced maternal age of 36.
I don't think all that much has changed since then. If anyone is having fertility problems, they should get their partner into a fertility specialist.
@clevernamehere: Good doctors examine both patients. Times have changed, some. My regular GYN had my husband give a sample for a sperm analysis before she even put me on Clomid. He had another complete work-up when we were referred to an infertility clinic, which is standard at clinics.
I decided that IVF and fertility drugs were being over used when a family member, who already had one kid, decided to use them. She'd been unable to become pregnant after trying for, wait for it, 3 months. Her Doc let her pump herself full of drugs and now she has triplets (would have been quadruplets, but one died in utero). A bit Gosslin-esque.
As for the actual story. That sucks. I mean, really, really sucks. Those drugs can really mess with one's mind.
@fluxus flucker: Shitty doctor. Wow. My clinic will only let you do IVF if you've been trying for 12 months and have unexplained IF or have a diagnosis of IF (because of PCOS, etc.).
Dr. David had valid points, though this is one place where I don't see sexism (which is shocking, because I see it everywhere). I do think docs resort to IVF a bit too quickly because the results are so much better (generally speaking) than other methods, like IUI or ZIFT and GIFT (I don't know if those two are even used any more).
I've been keeping an eye on a duck with a leg problem at the park where I ride my bike.
First off, no one would help because he's white, and techically a 'domestic' duck, unlike a mallard, which is wild. And domestic ducks don't belong at the lake.
But Delano the Disabled Duck (I named him after FDR) has been slowly improving. He couldn't walk for a while, so I brought him food. Now he can amble about -- slowly -- and swim. There are always a couple other ducks -- the same ones -- with him. Delano's posse.
All of the ducks are ruled by a giant mallard with a majestic white chest. His name is BaQuack Obama.
Yes, I need more human friends.
@NewsBunny: So you're saying no aid is available for the white, male duck under the current plan? I think the right-wingers will be squawking about this.
@WashingMyHair: There wasn't much I could do. The city's expert on duck wildlife (I shit you not, this position exsists) said if I was able to CAPTURE Delano, and take him to a vet, maybe the vet could could help him. Or the vet would put him down.
But Delano has been slowly improving since mid-winter. He's going to be okay, in my non-educated view.
I am also friends with Moe the Mallard. He has a band of white around his neck. He's cool, although I'm afraid he's mentally retarded.
10/21/09
10/19/09
On that note, I call shenanigans on the Chinese and Romanian girls in the middle. Old habits die hard, methinks. #artisticgymnasticsworldchampionships...
10/19/09
It's pretty awesome. #artisticgymnasticsworldchampionships...
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
And don't forget Svetlana Boginskaya competed in her third Olympics at 23/24 (1996). #artisticgymnasticsworldchampionships...
10/19/09
I am more surpised - well, I guess disappointment more so than surprise - at the IOC and gymnastic officials' reaction of "well, if the Chinese government says it's true, it must be true." even if there were contradictory records from other events. this is the same IOC that stripped Andreea Raducan of her gold medal because she took a substance that isn't even banned in international gymnastics (they were happy to consider those circumstances in reinstating that Canadian snowboarder's medal when he tested positive for THC in 1998)
Overall the IOC is hardly a model of applying its rules in an equitable and consistent manner. I have no hope for any improvement in 2012. #artisticgymnasticsworldchampionships...
10/19/09
[sportsillustrated.cnn.com]
Also, cleared by the IOC? All they did was take the Chinese government at their word. That's some great investigation there, Lou. #artisticgymnasticsworldchampionships...
10/19/09
10/19/09
Some are staffed with insensitive douchebags that turn everything into a PR nightmare (holla, IAAF!) but aren't outright harming their sport, and some are just totally rife with corruption - skating and gymnastics are the first that come to mind, sadly. Come to think of it, I don't really trust FIFA either because of all the organized crime elements involved in sports gambling.
For these not-so-hot organizations, the IOC should be a final recourse for athletes when their individual federation fails to enforce its rules properly. But all the IOC seems to do is either turn a blind eye or outright deny there is any wrongdoing. Like all international organizations, the IOC is also political, and in the case of the gymnastics controversy, IOC officials obviously felt that kowtowing to the Chinese government took precedence over making sure that rules were being followed and consistently enforced. But for them, it is better to have the goodwill of Chinese officials than even to create the illusion of fairness in the sport. Which is why, come the London games, and the Chinese show up with their new troupe of 13 year olds, I am confident that the IOC's reaction will be the same as it was this time around.
Pathetic - and yet, as long as there are suckers like us around the world who are tuning in to watch it, why should the IOC feel motivated to change its ways? #artisticgymnasticsworldchampionships...
10/19/09
10/19/09
As for watching the games, I've become so disillusioned with some of the last few games that I haven't watched as much as I have in the past. #artisticgymnasticsworldchampionships...
10/20/09
10/01/09
10/01/09
10/01/09
10/01/09
10/01/09
10/01/09
10/01/09
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10/01/09
10/01/09
10/01/09
10/01/09
10/01/09
10/01/09
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10/01/09
08/12/09
Before I was born, my parents spent 6 years trying to conceive. This was just about the time that IVF was invented, but it wasn't being used outside of research labs yet. They were just about ready to cut my mom open so they could root around for a problem when my old Irish granny (who hadn't even graduated high school) mentioned to my mom maybe it could have something to do with the pills my dad took. My mom scoffed, if that were possible, the doctors would have asked! But she asked anyway and found out my dad's high blood pressure medicine caused temporary infertility. No one had ever asked anything about my dad's medical history and his doctor had never mentioned that side effect. My dad went off the pills and I was born less than a year later, despite my mom's advanced maternal age of 36.
I don't think all that much has changed since then. If anyone is having fertility problems, they should get their partner into a fertility specialist.
08/13/09
08/12/09
This Jezegay is thinking that for me it's more like two and a half years.
08/12/09
08/12/09
That duck isn't the only one! (There's a whole slideshow in the Telegraph.)
08/12/09
08/12/09
08/12/09
08/12/09
08/12/09
As for the actual story. That sucks. I mean, really, really sucks. Those drugs can really mess with one's mind.
08/12/09
Dr. David had valid points, though this is one place where I don't see sexism (which is shocking, because I see it everywhere). I do think docs resort to IVF a bit too quickly because the results are so much better (generally speaking) than other methods, like IUI or ZIFT and GIFT (I don't know if those two are even used any more).
08/12/09
First off, no one would help because he's white, and techically a 'domestic' duck, unlike a mallard, which is wild. And domestic ducks don't belong at the lake.
But Delano the Disabled Duck (I named him after FDR) has been slowly improving. He couldn't walk for a while, so I brought him food. Now he can amble about -- slowly -- and swim. There are always a couple other ducks -- the same ones -- with him. Delano's posse.
All of the ducks are ruled by a giant mallard with a majestic white chest. His name is BaQuack Obama.
Yes, I need more human friends.
08/12/09
08/12/09
08/12/09
08/12/09
08/12/09
08/12/09
But Delano has been slowly improving since mid-winter. He's going to be okay, in my non-educated view.
I am also friends with Moe the Mallard. He has a band of white around his neck. He's cool, although I'm afraid he's mentally retarded.
08/12/09
08/12/09
08/12/09
08/12/09
08/12/09