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2012-08-07 11:43 AM
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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)
trinnas - 2012-08-07 10:33 AM
lisac957 - 2012-08-07 12:29 PM

jmk-brooklyn - 2012-08-07 11:21 AM

McKayla was one and done. This was her shot, and she failed at a vault she's done thousands of times. It's asking a lot for her to instantaneously put it aside and put on a happy face.

In my mind, being a good sport doesn't have caveats like age or experience or number of chances. Either you are, or you aren't. 

And of course the people of this thread have never failed to be their best selves in an emotionally charged and stressful situation, at least not on TV anyway.

LMFAO at this thread!   I'm just curious how many of the people with the critical comments about sportsmanship have reacted themselves after having a bad race.  I've seen my share of middle aged weekend warriors whining to RD's after they feel they were cheated out of an AG award, or the course was not marked correctly, etc.  A butt load of excuses and blame when most likely they just did not train appropriately.  These kids train their lives to get to the Olymipics and put it all on the line for that one competition.  I can deal with what some of you consider poor sportmansship much better than the weekend athlete sulking because they are not happy with how their sprint tri turned out.



2012-08-07 11:51 AM
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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)
rayd -

LMFAO at this thread!   I'm just curious how many of the people with the critical comments about sportsmanship have reacted themselves after having a bad race.  I've seen my share of middle aged weekend warriors whining to RD's after they feel they were cheated out of an AG award, or the course was not marked correctly, etc.  A butt load of excuses and blame when most likely they just did not train appropriately.  These kids train their lives to get to the Olymipics and put it all on the line for that one competition.  I can deal with what some of you consider poor sportmansship much better than the weekend athlete sulking because they are not happy with how their sprint tri turned out.

It's unacceptable there just as much as it was that night.  No difference.  The stage does not matter.

2012-08-07 12:11 PM
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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)
ChineseDemocracy - 2012-08-07 7:08 AM
antlimon166 - 2012-08-07 8:02 AM

did you also see the the uneven bar finals last night?  after it was over, but before the scores were finalized they replayed the spot were Gabby Douglas messes up at the top of the bar.  the camera was showing the Russian girl's reactions during Gabby's routine and as soon as Gabby messed up the Russian girl smiles and her coach hugs her...literally as Gabby messes up, not at the end of the routine. 

nothing like getting caught on camera hoping your competition screws up.   was that poor sportsmanship? 

Yes, in my opinion that was poor sportsmanship.

 

I disagree.  She just won the gold. It isn't her fault Gabby screwed the pooch on that event.  She was happy she won an f'ing gold medal.  She brought her A game and Gabby should have brought hers.  She did hug her and shake her hand so that was good sportsmanship.  I think we are putting our homer glasses on here.  Gabby didn't get the medal so people are upset and can't believe the US can be beat.

2012-08-07 12:17 PM
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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)
antlimon166 - 2012-08-07 7:02 AM

did you also see the the uneven bar finals last night?  after it was over, but before the scores were finalized they replayed the spot were Gabby Douglas messes up at the top of the bar.  the camera was showing the Russian girl's reactions during Gabby's routine and as soon as Gabby messed up the Russian girl smiles and her coach hugs her...literally as Gabby messes up, not at the end of the routine. 

nothing like getting caught on camera hoping your competition screws up.   was that poor sportsmanship? 

Yes. She seemed to take pleasure in it. She creeps me out.

As far as Makayla Moroney, I think she could have handled her "defeat" much better. I saw it happen on TV and she had a death glare on her face, the likes of which I've never seen before. It was awkward to watch!

I understand she worked pretty much her whole life for that one particular moment. And it was a huge disappointment, but she's on TV, she's representing her country. She didn't look to be enjoying the sport of gymnastics at all. She likes winning. It probably doesn't matter what she wins. She likely sulks when she loses a game of checkers or a backyard race with the neighbors.

Did any of you catch Sam Mikulak last night? He stuck that vault, ran over, kissed the vault itself, had about 6 minutes of being in the bronze medal slot, and was promplty knocked out of medal contention by a couple of other guys. He looked to me to REALLY ENJOY the sport of gymnastics. He even said "I can't wait to see this guy right here RAGE" Like he was looking forward to seeing another of his competitors throw down an awesome vault. He not only showed good sportsmanship, but a genuine love for his sport.

Makayla just looks angry, sour, unhappy, and like she doesn't really like the sport that much. She rarely smiles. Her reaction to the silver medal didn't surprise me, but it did sort of disappoint me. Why devote your ENTIRE YOUNG LIFE to something that makes you bitter, foul, unhappy and full of pressure?

SECOND BEST VAULTER IN THE WORLD, IN THE OLYMPICS. Is that THAT awful? She got a gold medal already in the team competition...

Maybe she should switch sports, and find something that can potentially make her happy. I don't think gymnastics is doing it.

2012-08-07 1:00 PM
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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)
Whizzzzz - 2012-08-07 12:17 PM

antlimon166 - 2012-08-07 7:02 AM

did you also see the the uneven bar finals last night?  after it was over, but before the scores were finalized they replayed the spot were Gabby Douglas messes up at the top of the bar.  the camera was showing the Russian girl's reactions during Gabby's routine and as soon as Gabby messed up the Russian girl smiles and her coach hugs her...literally as Gabby messes up, not at the end of the routine. 

nothing like getting caught on camera hoping your competition screws up.   was that poor sportsmanship? 

Yes. She seemed to take pleasure in it. She creeps me out.


She took pleasure in winning a gold medal! The horror!

As far as Makayla Moroney, I think she could have handled her "defeat" much better. I saw it happen on TV and she had a death glare on her face, the likes of which I've never seen before. It was awkward to watch!

I understand she worked pretty much her whole life for that one particular moment. And it was a huge disappointment, but she's on TV, she's representing her country. She didn't look to be enjoying the sport of gymnastics at all. She likes winning. It probably doesn't matter what she wins. She likely sulks when she loses a game of checkers or a backyard race with the neighbors.

Did any of you catch Sam Mikulak last night? He stuck that vault, ran over, kissed the vault itself, had about 6 minutes of being in the bronze medal slot, and was promplty knocked out of medal contention by a couple of other guys. He looked to me to REALLY ENJOY the sport of gymnastics. He even said "I can't wait to see this guy right here RAGE" Like he was looking forward to seeing another of his competitors throw down an awesome vault. He not only showed good sportsmanship, but a genuine love for his sport.

Makayla just looks angry, sour, unhappy, and like she doesn't really like the sport that much. She rarely smiles. Her reaction to the silver medal didn't surprise me, but it did sort of disappoint me. Why devote your ENTIRE YOUNG LIFE to something that makes you bitter, foul, unhappy and full of pressure?

SECOND BEST VAULTER IN THE WORLD, IN THE OLYMPICS. Is that THAT awful? She got a gold medal already in the team competition...

Maybe she should switch sports, and find something that can potentially make her happy. I don't think gymnastics is doing it.




So much projecting! “Bitter, foul, unhappy”? We know absolutely nothing about what she was feeling! Maybe she loves gymnastics. Maybe this is her game face. Maybe this is what she looks like when she’s happy. Who knows?

Look at Rebecca Soni compared to Missy Franklin. She isn’t jumping for joy after every race, or clapping and giggling in interviews. If anything, she’s pretty dour and doesn’t seem like she’s much fun to be around compared to the other girls on the team. No one’s calling miserable or suggesting that she quit swimming to find her bliss.

And second place isn’t bad, but I’m sure knowing that you could have won gold if you had done your best, it probably sucks.

It’s not like she got the best score she’d ever gotten and the other girl got a perfect score and beat her. That, I bet, would be easier for her to stomach. She made a big mistake on a very difficult vault, and the other girl played it safe and scored higher. It’s one thing to do your best and lose. It’s another to fail at something you’ve done a million times and lose to someone you know you should have beaten. I don’t blame her for being unhappy in the moment.
2012-08-07 2:41 PM
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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)

^But Jonah, nobody's saying she didn't have a right to be unhappy with herself...that's not what caused the hub-bub.

I just think we're at a point where folks are at odds over what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior...what does and does not constitute good sportsmanship.  Some are more strict, some are more lenient.  Those that found her actions to constitute poor sportsmanship are more strict in their interpretation...those on the lenient side are fine with how she behaved.

 

 



2012-08-07 2:54 PM
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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)
Marvarnett - 2012-08-07 11:40 AM

Couple of things:

I said 'Don't judge me' because I was watching Gymnastics.  Nothing more than that. But I find it funny the projections from that.

I do find it humorous that most people are looking for excuses as to why poor sportsmanship is acceptable.  It's the Olympics, She's 17, She was home-schooled, She's mean, It's her only shot, etc.  You know what...NONE of that matters.  That's right..location does not matter. 

Have I been to the Olympics?  No..not even close.  Have I placed 1st, 2nd, DFL?  Yes I have.  And the reaction when I crossed the finish line each time, relative to my competition was the same.  You respect the effort put forth.

Being rude to the person that beat you OR to the person you beat is unacceptable at any age and location.  I don't care if you just lost or Won IronKids or Kona.  You can come up with all the excuses you want but she, in that moment, showed Poor Sportsmanship. 

I am NOT calling her names or taking that statement to mean anything about her personal life.  I don't know her, nor do I care to.  But I do know as a coach, when I have seen this happen you had better believe I step in and correct the athlete.  I have done this to both a 17 year old an a 40+ year old.  I will say it again, location and stage do not matter. 

that's awesome.  that's a sign of a great coach. 

but, you gotta also let humans be humans sometimes.  extreme emotion comes with extreme passion for a sport and competition.  age and stage most definately amplify or subdue those emotions.   i'm not saying to throw a chair across the arena in anger, but a few facial expressions and the ability to not let it go for a few hours deserves a little bit of a break.

2012-08-07 2:55 PM
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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)
Marvarnett - 2012-08-07 12:51 PM
rayd -

LMFAO at this thread!   I'm just curious how many of the people with the critical comments about sportsmanship have reacted themselves after having a bad race.  I've seen my share of middle aged weekend warriors whining to RD's after they feel they were cheated out of an AG award, or the course was not marked correctly, etc.  A butt load of excuses and blame when most likely they just did not train appropriately.  These kids train their lives to get to the Olymipics and put it all on the line for that one competition.  I can deal with what some of you consider poor sportmansship much better than the weekend athlete sulking because they are not happy with how their sprint tri turned out.

It's unacceptable there just as much as it was that night.  No difference.  The stage does not matter.

x2 to Dan's post .  

btw Ray, my n=3 of me, myself, and I reacting to a less than ideal performance at a tri?  I personally gut it out and do my very best no matter what...injured, hobbling through as best I can...then get right out there to cheer my bud or buds on.    

I will say I disagree with the blanket statements that are being made about this girl in general.  She could be a great girl, polite, courteous, hard-working, etc. (all those good things)...but at that time, in my opinion (and apparently many others) she was less than gracious.  Perhaps it was due to the intense pressure of the ultimate stage, but as Dan mentioned, I agree with him that the stage should not matter.

 

 

2012-08-07 3:05 PM
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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)
ChineseDemocracy - 2012-08-07 2:41 PM

^But Jonah, nobody's saying she didn't have a right to be unhappy with herself...that's not what caused the hub-bub.

I just think we're at a point where folks are at odds over what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior...what does and does not constitute good sportsmanship.  Some are more strict, some are more lenient.  Those that found her actions to constitute poor sportsmanship are more strict in their interpretation...those on the lenient side are fine with how she behaved. 

The "hub-bub" is pure speculation, since none of you has any idea what she was thinking or what was going on in her head.  I'm sorry, poor sportsmanship goes ALOT deeper than a facial expression caught in a millisecond.....or any facial expression for that matter.

2012-08-07 3:55 PM
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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)
Agree. The hub-bub is 100% a fabrication of a few people who are holding this young kid to an absurd standard of conduct on the worst day of her life. Nothing that this kid did or said leading up to this moment or in her comments afterwards indicate that she’s anything less than gracious and humble.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/olympics--despite-her-fall--mckayla-ma...

Read this interview, and if this sounds like a selfish, ungrateful diva and a poor sport to you, then you and I have very different ideas about what sportsmanship is all about. And to say that her comments here mean less than what she did or didn’t do in the seconds following an unthinkable mistake in a vault that turned her entire world upside down in a heartbeat is just silly, IMO. These athletes aren’t androids—they’re people and in this case, kids. We love to bemoan the exploitation of young kids who get into sports at such an early age and forfeit their childhoods in pursuit of this dream, and yet we hold them to a standard of behavior that most adults aren’t able to live up to.
2012-08-07 5:09 PM
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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)
ChineseDemocracy - 2012-08-07 1:55 PM

 btw Ray, my n=3 of me, myself, and I reacting to a less than ideal performance at a tri?  I personally gut it out and do my very best no matter what...injured, hobbling through as best I can...then get right out there to cheer my bud or buds on.    

And I would expect nothing less from you Brian! 



2012-08-07 7:04 PM
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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)

jmk-brooklyn - 2012-08-07 3:55 PM Agree. The hub-bub is 100% a fabrication of a few people who are holding this young kid to an absurd standard of conduct on the worst day of her life. Nothing that this kid did or said leading up to this moment or in her comments afterwards indicate that she’s anything less than gracious and humble. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/olympics--despite-her-fall--mckayla-ma... Read this interview, and if this sounds like a selfish, ungrateful diva and a poor sport to you, then you and I have very different ideas about what sportsmanship is all about. And to say that her comments here mean less than what she did or didn’t do in the seconds following an unthinkable mistake in a vault that turned her entire world upside down in a heartbeat is just silly, IMO. These athletes aren’t androids—they’re people and in this case, kids. We love to bemoan the exploitation of young kids who get into sports at such an early age and forfeit their childhoods in pursuit of this dream, and yet we hold them to a standard of behavior that most adults aren’t able to live up to.

 

Thank you for that article.  She obviously is very full of class and great sportsmanship..

2012-08-07 7:11 PM
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jmk-brooklyn - 2012-08-07 4:55 PM Agree. The hub-bub is 100% a fabrication of a few people who are holding this young kid to an absurd standard of conduct on the worst day of her life. Nothing that this kid did or said leading up to this moment or in her comments afterwards indicate that she’s anything less than gracious and humble. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/olympics--despite-her-fall--mckayla-ma... Read this interview, and if this sounds like a selfish, ungrateful diva and a poor sport to you, then you and I have very different ideas about what sportsmanship is all about. And to say that her comments here mean less than what she did or didn’t do in the seconds following an unthinkable mistake in a vault that turned her entire world upside down in a heartbeat is just silly, IMO. These athletes aren’t androids—they’re people and in this case, kids. We love to bemoan the exploitation of young kids who get into sports at such an early age and forfeit their childhoods in pursuit of this dream, and yet we hold them to a standard of behavior that most adults aren’t able to live up to.

Jonah, I never called her a "selfish, ungrateful diva."  I think the op has been consistent in the message as well.  She had a bad night.  We felt she did not deal with it well.  We're not here to bash her...we are merely calling it how we saw it.  It is subjective, and again, everyone has different standards of conduct they expect.  You had no problem with her behavior, we did.  I think we can agree to disagree.

The whole "forfeiting of a childhood" is another topic all together...probably a conversation we all should be having, because I for one find it appalling if that's truly what's going on.  ...and right on cue, I'm going to the Missy Franklin well again.  It just seems that girl and her family "get it."  It seems they succeeded in keeping her childhood as normal as it could be given the circumstances.....(now watch me have to eat crow in 6 months when we find out she's dating Justin Bieber, partying all night, and doing drugs!    

  

2012-08-07 7:48 PM
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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)
ChineseDemocracy - 2012-08-07 8:11 PM

jmk-brooklyn - 2012-08-07 4:55 PM Agree. The hub-bub is 100% a fabrication of a few people who are holding this young kid to an absurd standard of conduct on the worst day of her life. Nothing that this kid did or said leading up to this moment or in her comments afterwards indicate that she’s anything less than gracious and humble. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/olympics--despite-her-fall--mckayla-ma... Read this interview, and if this sounds like a selfish, ungrateful diva and a poor sport to you, then you and I have very different ideas about what sportsmanship is all about. And to say that her comments here mean less than what she did or didn’t do in the seconds following an unthinkable mistake in a vault that turned her entire world upside down in a heartbeat is just silly, IMO. These athletes aren’t androids—they’re people and in this case, kids. We love to bemoan the exploitation of young kids who get into sports at such an early age and forfeit their childhoods in pursuit of this dream, and yet we hold them to a standard of behavior that most adults aren’t able to live up to.

Jonah, I never called her a "selfish, ungrateful diva."  I think the op has been consistent in the message as well.  She had a bad night.  We felt she did not deal with it well.  We're not here to bash her...we are merely calling it how we saw it.  It is subjective, and again, everyone has different standards of conduct they expect.  You had no problem with her behavior, we did.  I think we can agree to disagree.

The whole "forfeiting of a childhood" is another topic all together...probably a conversation we all should be having, because I for one find it appalling if that's truly what's going on.  ...and right on cue, I'm going to the Missy Franklin well again.  It just seems that girl and her family "get it."  It seems they succeeded in keeping her childhood as normal as it could be given the circumstances.....(now watch me have to eat crow in 6 months when we find out she's dating Justin Bieber, partying all night, and doing drugs!    )

  



I think you summed it up pretty well. What's funny is that some of you are as intolerable with opposing viewpoints as you say we are with the way she acted/on cutting her some slack. A little bit of hypocrisy ? We think she should have handled it better, you don't. But what in the world is with some of these comments ? Seriously. It's BT so it's all good in the end but disappointed in the lack of respect for differing viewpoints that is usually the norm around here. A few of you are consistent though. But I'd sit down and drink one with most of you. Roll on.
2012-08-07 7:55 PM
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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)
lisac957 - 2012-08-06 1:56 PM
Marvarnett - 2012-08-06 3:12 PM

Asalzwed - 2012-08-06 3:52 PM

This picture was well past that "moment in time".  Even if one was to give her a pass for being in the moment, it does not excuse this.  As I said...poor sportsmanship pure and simple.

I agree here. This is a sour stank face.

This is not a 4-year-old's first T-ball game where mom and dad have to teach how to be a good sport the first time you lose. It's the Olympics medal ceremony, televised internationally, and this girl has been competing her entire life. She should know better, and know how to put on her big girl panties and a smile.

.02

So if you were arguably the biggest favorite in any event in the olympics, and you just blew it, you would have a smile on your face the rest of the night?

 

Obviously her reaction wasn't an ideal one, but she was understandably crushed. If you had a camera shoved in your face for the rest of the night after a let down like that, someone might have caught a "sour stank face" from you as well.

2012-08-07 9:01 PM
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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)
ChineseDemocracy - 2012-08-07 7:11 PM

jmk-brooklyn - 2012-08-07 4:55 PM Agree. The hub-bub is 100% a fabrication of a few people who are holding this young kid to an absurd standard of conduct on the worst day of her life. Nothing that this kid did or said leading up to this moment or in her comments afterwards indicate that she’s anything less than gracious and humble. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/olympics--despite-her-fall--mckayla-ma... Read this interview, and if this sounds like a selfish, ungrateful diva and a poor sport to you, then you and I have very different ideas about what sportsmanship is all about. And to say that her comments here mean less than what she did or didn’t do in the seconds following an unthinkable mistake in a vault that turned her entire world upside down in a heartbeat is just silly, IMO. These athletes aren’t androids—they’re people and in this case, kids. We love to bemoan the exploitation of young kids who get into sports at such an early age and forfeit their childhoods in pursuit of this dream, and yet we hold them to a standard of behavior that most adults aren’t able to live up to.

Jonah, I never called her a "selfish, ungrateful diva."  I think the op has been consistent in the message as well.  She had a bad night.  We felt she did not deal with it well.  We're not here to bash her...we are merely calling it how we saw it.  It is subjective, and again, everyone has different standards of conduct they expect.  You had no problem with her behavior, we did.  I think we can agree to disagree.

The whole "forfeiting of a childhood" is another topic all together...probably a conversation we all should be having, because I for one find it appalling if that's truly what's going on.  ...and right on cue, I'm going to the Missy Franklin well again.  It just seems that girl and her family "get it."  It seems they succeeded in keeping her childhood as normal as it could be given the circumstances.....(now watch me have to eat crow in 6 months when we find out she's dating Justin Bieber, partying all night, and doing drugs!    )

  


I never said you specifically called her a sour ungrateful diva, but there have certainly been some really harsh descriptions of her throughout this thread--sour, stank face, bitter, etc. It definitely sank past "she could have handled it better" in some cases and I guess what I was reacting to was people hating on her and bashing her.

And I agree with you about the forfeiting of childhood. I remember watching Kerri Strug vault on her injured foot and cheering wildly for her and her courage when it happend in 1996. But when I watch it today, I see a selfish, egomaniacal old guy effectively ordering this kid, who is not his child, to do something that could potentially result in serious permanent injury, and for what? Missy Frankins parents get a lot of credit but they're not alone--most athletes seem, for what little we see of them, to be pretty well adjusted. I think there's something about womens gymnastics that just seems crueler than most sports. Even the one who seem well adjusted are still usually living away from home, getting home-schooled and training for hours every day from the time there eleven or twelve or younger.


2012-08-07 9:52 PM
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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)
uclamatt2007 - 2012-08-07 7:55 PM
lisac957 - 2012-08-06 1:56 PM
Marvarnett - 2012-08-06 3:12 PM

Asalzwed - 2012-08-06 3:52 PM

This picture was well past that "moment in time".  Even if one was to give her a pass for being in the moment, it does not excuse this.  As I said...poor sportsmanship pure and simple.

I agree here. This is a sour stank face.

This is not a 4-year-old's first T-ball game where mom and dad have to teach how to be a good sport the first time you lose. It's the Olympics medal ceremony, televised internationally, and this girl has been competing her entire life. She should know better, and know how to put on her big girl panties and a smile.

.02

So if you were arguably the biggest favorite in any event in the olympics, and you just blew it, you would have a smile on your face the rest of the night?

 

Obviously her reaction wasn't an ideal one, but she was understandably crushed. If you had a camera shoved in your face for the rest of the night after a let down like that, someone might have caught a "sour stank face" from you as well.

Sigh. I think we've beat this horse to death. Thank you for speculating my behavior on my behalf though.

ChineseDemocracy summed it up well. Some think she handled it poorly, others think she was justified. Agree to disagree. That's the beauty of getting to have our own opinions.  

2012-08-08 9:57 AM
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lisac957 - 2012-08-07 9:52 PM

Sigh. I think we've beat this horse to death. Thank you for speculating my behavior on my behalf though.

ChineseDemocracy summed it up well. Some think she handled it poorly, others think she was justified. Agree to disagree. That's the beauty of getting to have our own opinions.  

 

No!

I am right, you are WRONG.

Tongue out

2012-08-10 9:48 AM
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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)
You're not supposed to notice that - stupid camera person focusing on her.
2012-08-11 6:28 PM
in reply to: #4350183

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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)
rkreuser - 2012-08-06 8:01 PM
RushTogether - 2012-08-06 4:58 PM

Let it go..

She prepared her WHOLE life for that ONE moment and was disappointed in herself.  I can certainly understand that.

Life goes on...

x1000. 

Dan, unless you're in their shoes, you can't judge. They have home lives. Investments in both time and money and in futures, by both themselves and their peoples. 

You've had the luxury of being a triathlete with a solid career underneath you. You've had the luxury (well earned) of being a coach with a full plate, which keeps you both entertained and busy and prosperous. 

You've not put what she did on the line for either career or ego, not dealt with what she did on the public stage. Could it have been handled better?  Yes. Should anyone judge not in her shoes?  No.   

Not cool with calling someone out that you don't know the details about. Seek first to understand, then be understood. I'm sure there's more to the story. 

Thanks Rick.  Lets also take into account that she is NOT just a vaulter but she sustained a concussion AND a broken nose a few weeks before the olympics AND competed on a broken toe.  She could have contributed a lot more if not for those injuries.  She trained her whole life and she was reduced to one event, something she was world champion on and had huge expectations piled on her.  Trust me those Russians and Romainians are not jumpin up and down when they get beat they were crying in their coffee. Thats better?  Give the kid a break. 

RE the seemingly "stiff" "fake" hugs.....usually gymansts have chalk all over their hands also after bars you have grips on and often times the palms of your hands are bloody from bars. You really want chalk and blood on your back?  Ok step up for your bear hug.  If you notice they never touch peopel with their hands....there is actually a reason for it.

2012-08-12 10:39 AM
in reply to: #4348991

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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)

Now this is what I love to see...an athlete with a sense of humor!

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympics-fourth-place-medal/mckayla-maroney-gets-mckayla-not-impressed-meme-194637045--oly.html

That stuff is funny.  



2012-08-12 10:27 PM
in reply to: #4359277

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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)
ChineseDemocracy - 2012-08-12 9:39 AM

Now this is what I love to see...an athlete with a sense of humor!

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympics-fourth-place-medal/mckayla-maroney-gets-mckayla-not-impressed-meme-194637045--oly.html

That stuff is funny.  



Nice.
2012-08-12 11:38 PM
in reply to: #4348991

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Subject: RE: Poor Sportsmanship by US Vaulter (Mckayla Maroney)
I guess I am "strict" on the sportsmanship thing. I don't demonize a teen for an unguarded moment , but I hope she has learned something from this. My coaches would not have let me slide with such behavior representing my high school, so I hope she has some similar guidance representing her country. I had the same opinion of the Dutch football captain who pulled off his 2nd place world cup medal as soon as he left the podium with a sour face.
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