Simone Biles

[deuce]

IMHO, she had a bad day and quit. I feel some compassion for her but I think she may be remembered more for her exit rather than her years of excellence. People will probably see this through partisan eyes and that's too bad.
My how times and things have changed. Google Kerri Strug in the 1996 Olympics or Mary Lou Retton in 1984.

 

[deuce]

My original title was better but maybe too controversial.

BMF will hate this one

 

[GatorJ]

My take on this is that everybody deals with pressure. Pressure to perform. Whether it’s in school, work, sports, etc.…


To pull out at the most critical time of your performance - the most critical time when you’re needed - is crap IMO.

We all run into mental health issues. But to use it as a crutch is BS IMO.

Imagine if Tom Brady didn’t play in the Super Bowl because he was feeling pressure. Or Michael Jordan didn’t play in a game 7 because he was feeling pressure. Or a doctor didn’t perform a surgery because he was feeling pressure.

Jesus. We are so soft as a country.

When the people our children idolize are able to use pressure as an excuse to not perform or to back away from a challenge, it sends a horrible message to our youth. And it ill-prepares them for when they are on their own where quitting and excuses will cause them to lose jobs and crush their lives.

The problem with athletes that do this is that they don’t have real jobs. Once they reach a certain point in skill they are so coddled and doted upon that everybody will make up an excuse to protect them because of their potential.

We have a crisis in our country with weak minded youth.

PTSD - war survivors, assault survivors, Domestic abuse survivors - is a mental health crisis. Feeling pressure to perform is not.

Wait until they have to feed their families and they have a sales job.

 

[GatorJ]

BTW, there is not an issue with taking time off to get your head right. But you don’t do that when you’re up to bat.

 

[Turk182]

This is what giving out participation trophies gets you.

 

[G8trwood]

All the media calling her the goat before it started. The hype stress got to her, made mistakes and quit.

 

[MJMGator]

Never quit under duress. It becomes habit forming and you’ll never be able to overcome difficult situations.
Tough times don’t last. Tough people do!

 

[GatorJ]

All the media calling her the goat before it started. The hype stress got to her, made mistakes and quit.

She’s probably the most skilled. But the GOAT chatter was nonsense. Phelps is the GOAT. Bolt is the GOAT.

They’ve been calling Ledecki the GOAT as well. She just got smoked twice by her Aussie rival.

One Olympic game doesn’t make a GOAT.

Is Biles better than Shannon Miller? Nadia Comenici (sp)? Gabby Douglas?

Speaking of pressure, think of Jesse Owens.

That was pressure.

 

[GatorBart]

You could tell she wasn’t there mentally during the prelims, though she still qualified for the all around. After her vault in teams competition she still wasn’t there mentally. She made a tough call, but right one IMO, as you can really mess yourself up on some of those events if you even make a small mistake.

 

[G8trwood]

See that video of the Aussie swimmers coach during training, constant yelling and in her ….. I was triggered :). She was streamlined with power

 

[MJMGator]

You could tell she wasn’t there mentally during the prelims, though she still qualified for the all around. After her vault in teams competition she still wasn’t there mentally. She made a tough call, but right one IMO, as you can really mess yourself up on some of those events if you even make a small mistake.

 

[neteng]

I had a daughter in gymnastics for a while. All I have to say about it is if your head aint in the right spot you can get seriously F'd up. I totally understand what she did.

 

[URGatorBait]

My take on this is that everybody deals with pressure. Pressure to perform. Whether it’s in school, work, sports, etc.…


To pull out at the most critical time of your performance - the most critical time when you’re needed - is crap IMO.

We all run into mental health issues. But to use it as a crutch is BS IMO.

Imagine if Tom Brady didn’t play in the Super Bowl because he was feeling pressure. Or Michael Jordan didn’t play in a game 7 because he was feeling pressure. Or a doctor didn’t perform a surgery because he was feeling pressure.

Jesus. We are so soft as a country.

When the people our children idolize are able to use pressure as an excuse to not perform or to back away from a challenge, it sends a horrible message to our youth. And it ill-prepares them for when they are on their own where quitting and excuses will cause them to lose jobs and crush their lives.

The problem with athletes that do this is that they don’t have real jobs. Once they reach a certain point in skill they are so coddled and doted upon that everybody will make up an excuse to protect them because of their potential.

We have a crisis in our country with weak minded youth.

PTSD - war survivors, assault survivors, Domestic abuse survivors - is a mental health crisis. Feeling pressure to perform is not.

Wait until they have to feed their families and they have a sales job.

This is a fascinating post from you J.

Nice to see you finally leaving the dark side

 

[Jake from State Farm]

The Really Great Ones, fight through adversity......... She is almost the Best but Choked on the biggest stage.

I hope she pulls through.

 

[Back Alley Gator]

Ive already had my say on this over in the Olympics thread. What she did was quit on her team, herself and her country. I was surprised when she withdrew from the individual all around competition...still waiting to hear if she will withdraw from the individual apparatus competition. The example she set for those first time olympians and kids idolizing her at home is pathetic. When the going gets tough, quit. I wonder if there will be any downside to this for her. I'd be shocked if there were.

 

[Back Alley Gator]

My original title was better but maybe too controversial.

BMF will hate this one

BMF would have hated the original one too given the butchered spelling of Olympics. Just sayin. ;)

 

[G. Gordon Gator]

This is a fascinating post from you J.

Nice to see you finally leaving the dark side

Must say I agree, it's not the soft, sympathetic take I expected.

 

[PastyStoole]

I had a daughter in gymnastics for a while. All I have to say about it is if your head aint in the right spot you can get seriously F'd up. I totally understand what she did.

I agree. It's uncool that adults are piling on this poor girl at her saddest moment.

I don't know how old she is, I'm guessing 13 or 14 as she's still not full-grown and looks like she's about 4'8, but she's not developed enough emotionally to deal with the big stage yet. Give her time. I also read that Larry Nasser abused her, sticking his fingers up her tiny vagina and anus and so forth. If that doesn't give you PTSD I don't know what will.

BTW, you guys don't live in Michigan do you? I hope you don't live in Michigan.

 

[ThreatMatrix]

Maybe next Olympics we'll send athletes that don't quit. I feel sorry for whoever just missed the cut.

 

[aka]

Who f-ing cares. She makes decisions, she lives with it. What's the point of ginning up animosity towards her?