OT: - Olympics: Simone Biles out with injury... | Page 2 | The Boneyard

OT: Olympics: Simone Biles out with injury...

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Plebe said:
Well gee, I'm sure "Simon" will sleep much better now that Erick Erickson has softened his stance <eye roll>.
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While I get your point here, I am so disappointed that others don't seem to understand the truth of what he is saying. Additionally, I'm pretty sure she wasn't planning on this when she signed up for the Olympics. However, having seen a number of interviews (before this) I'm less shocked as she has talked about (or implied, in some cases) the stress she was feeling.
 
oldude said:
I was trying to remember another competition of this magnitude when a key athlete removed themselves from competing. The best I could come up with was game 7 of the 1968 NBA championships, when Wilt Chamberlain took himself out during the 4th qtr against the Celtics in LA, never to return, with the Celtics going on to win the championship.

I’m not sure what to make of Biles decision. After the competition, Biles indicated that she didn’t want to prevent her team from winning a medal. Maybe if she fights through her mental issues, she leads the team to gold, or maybe she has one bad routine after another and the team finishes 4th.

Wilt had a history of fading in big games. Biles has been one of the greatest big competition performers ever. For her sake, I hope she finds solace in her decision and can move forward in her life.
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The first thing that came to mind was Roberto Duran vs Sugar Ray Leonard II where Duran supposedly said "No Mas" and quit the fight.
 
HCCForever said:
The first thing that came to mind was Roberto Duran vs Sugar Ray Leonard II where Duran supposedly said "No Mas" and quit the fight.
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Good example. That was the 2nd of 3 bouts between Leonard & Duran. In the first bout, Duran had won on a narrow decision after Leonard had abandoned his usual move and jab boxing style to stand toe to toe with Duran and trade punches.

I watched the 2nd fight live. Sugar Ray was moving and doing a number on Duran in front of a huge crowd at the Louisiana Superdome, with an even larger crowd watching on tv. Well ahead in the fight, Leonard started “showboating” in the 8th round, which led Duran to turn away and utter those famous words, “No mas” (no more).
 
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oldude said:
In the team competition all 3 scores count. Biles score on the vault, her only event before withdrawing, was the lowest score of the 3 US gymnasts, and Biles lowest score on the vault in any competition in the past 10 years.
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Got it. Thanks for the explanation.
 
She has apparently withdrawn from the individual competition as well.
 
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Blakeon18 said:
She has apparently withdrawn from the individual competition as well.
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www.espn.com

Simone Biles withdraws from individual all-around gymnastics competition at Tokyo Olympics to focus on mental well-being

Defending Olympic champion Simone Biles will not compete in Thursday's individual all-around competition "in order to focus on her mental health."
www.espn.com www.espn.com
She has withdrawn from the individual all-around competition
USA Gymnastics said Biles will be evaluated before deciding if she will participate in next week's individual apparatus events.
 
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A vault that she's probably done thousands of times flawlessly went off the rails. When you perform at the level she does, it's incredibly dangerous to continue when your head isn't in the game. She's not risking medals, she's risking being injured, paralyzed or even death. It was wise and brave of her to accept that she couldn't go on and would be more of a hindrance than a help to her teammates. Look up "the twisties"
 
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Did anyone see Simone’s face when they showed her vault in slow motion? At the top of her arc, her face showed absolute terror! She had no idea where she was.

After the vault she said to a coach, “I don’t trust myself.”

The consequences are huge for a gymnast who’s lost her mental focus. It was the right decision for her and her teammates for her to withdraw from the team competition. I’m sure if she’d put it to a vote, her teammates would have voted 3-0 for her to withdraw, both for her sake and the team’s.

I hope she regains her edge before the event finals. If she opts out, I won’t question her decision for a moment. She’s been in the limelight and competing against the world for close to half her life. She’s earned everything, including a rest.
 
Much different level of competition but I coached traveling softball at a high level for a number of years. We had a very talented pitcher (low D1 prospect) who for no known reason developed, for want of a better term “a self induced paralysis” on balls hit back to the mound. After a couple of such instances it became apparent something was up and we sat and discussed it with her and her parents. She shared she didn’t know why but had become “afraid” and that ended her pitching career. She moved to first and was perfectly fine there, finished a nice travel and high school career and never looked back. The mind is a complex thing and with the potential for injury, no one owes anyone but themselves anything.
 
Bigboote said:
Did anyone see Simone’s face when they showed her vault in slow motion? At the top of her arc, her face showed absolute terror! She had no idea where she was.

After the vault she said to a coach, “I don’t trust myself.”

The consequences are huge for a gymnast who’s lost her mental focus. It was the right decision for her and her teammates for her to withdraw from the team competition. I’m sure if she’d put it to a vote, her teammates would have voted 3-0 for her to withdraw, both for her sake and the team’s.

I hope she regains her edge before the event finals. If she opts out, I won’t question her decision for a moment. She’s been in the limelight and competing against the world for close to half her life. She’s earned everything, including a rest.
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I had not seen the video of her vault until this morning. In addition to her facial expression, she was waiving her arms wildly, like a bird in a storm.

One of the things all great gymnasts have is “air awareness.” Biles has been struggling with hers since the US trials. Last night, it was clear that it abandoned her.

If this is the end of Biles career in gymnastics, I wish her all the best wherever she “lands” next.
 
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I'm proud of her for doing what she needed to do and more importantly, her willingness to speak out about it. I hate using the term 'brave' because it shouldn't require bravery to do what's best for yourself, but in this case representing the United States of Judgment, I think it's appropriate. People see some of these athletes as infallible, but they are human like the rest of us. It's good for young people to see this and appreciate that sometimes it's OK to 'take a break.'
 
eebmg said:
She already tried to compete and she knew she was not performing optimally. She did the right thing by letting her teammates compete without her dragging them down and being the only story of the competition.

Hope she can get her mind right and compete in the individuals
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I don't know what to make of this, and I agree with eebmg the vast majority of the time, but by doing what she did, she made her "the story" of not only this competition but the overall olympics. Secondly she may have been the best performer even being far from her peak. She was probably extremely disappointed in her qualifying performance, but as bad as it was for her, she was still in first place. So if she just repeated her "poor" performance again in the finals she could have probably contended for a Gold, been likely the best performer on her team, and helped her team by sticking it out. From that perspective I think she let the team down.

I can't relate to the mental part of it, and if she had totally lost concentration then maybe her decision was correct, but if she was capable of performing below her best but still at a possible medal level even a bronze at one event, I think she owed it to the team to stick it out.
 
There is a term in gymnastics I heard yesterday for the first time, “the twisties.” It’s when a gymnast inexplicably loses their sense of timing and feel in the air. Evidently, it occurs to some gymnasts. As I mentioned in another post, Biles has struggled in the air since the US trials over a month ago.

One reporter suggested it’s like the “yips” or “shanks” in golf, both of which I am sadly familiar with. The difference is that nobody can be seriously injured from a bad case of the yips or shanks, unless of course someone is standing 20 yards in front of me and to the right when I tee off.

I cannot know what precipitated Biles case of the twisties or how to fix it. For anyone who watched a slow motion replay of her vault a few days ago, there was a look of alarm on her face as she flailed with her arms in midair, seemingly without full control.

I think that vault scared the hell out of Biles. Upon reflection, I think her decision to withdraw for her own safety and so as not to be a burden on her team was the correct decision. I sincerely hope that she will be at peace with that decision.
 
I think it's important to keep in mind the safety aspect of Biles' situation. She goes air borne on every apparatus... often quite high. If she "gets lost in the air"... meaning her brain isn't in sync with where she is...where is up, where is down, she runs significant risk of serious injury... just imagine if she lands on her head or neck... I have seen some articles as something gymnast community (and diving?) refer to as to the "twisties". Apparently it happens more than we ever hear about. Biles pulling out of team competition, when she was clearly not performing well, gave the team a better chance to medal, and instead of adding to her own lack of confidence in her abilities...and risking serious injury.
I am sure she has gotten and is getting all the help available...i.e. sports Psychologists, medical, team mate love and support.
 
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There is a phrase immortalized in a Joe South version of this song that epitomizes my thoughts on this situation...

 
oldhuskie said:
I don't know what to make of this, and I agree with eebmg the vast majority of the time, but by doing what she did, she made her "the story" of not only this competition but the overall olympics. Secondly she may have been the best performer even being far from her peak. She was probably extremely disappointed in her qualifying performance, but as bad as it was for her, she was still in first place. So if she just repeated her "poor" performance again in the finals she could have probably contended for a Gold, been likely the best performer on her team, and helped her team by sticking it out. From that perspective I think she let the team down.

I can't relate to the mental part of it, and if she had totally lost concentration then maybe her decision was correct, but if she was capable of performing below her best but still at a possible medal level even a bronze at one event, I think she owed it to the team to stick it out.
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Owes?
Owes nobody nothing.
 
bluedevil said:
I wonder if some of these athletes will give some of that sponsor money back after quitting? I believe they will..
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I have some swamp land for sale....with a bridge and stuff. Call me.
 
Sunisa Lee helped Biles out and won gold for America.....Hooray! S.B. should feel a little better because Suni Lee did what she would have done, if she had competed.
 
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Not easy for Sunisa Lee to grow in a such poor family and becomes the Olympic All-Around Champion.

Lee was born Sunisa Phabsomphou[3] on March 9, 2003 to Yeev Thoj, a healthcare worker. When she was 2 years old her mother met John Lee, who became Sunisa's father. Although her parents never legally married, she made the decision to change her last name to her father's.[4] Lee is of Hmong descent;[5][6] both of her parents immigrated from Laos when they were children.[4] She has five siblings, sisters Shyenne and Evionn and brothers Jonah, Lucky and Noah.[7][8] Evionn also competed in artistic gymnastics at the regional level.[9]

17 months ago, Lee's gym shutdown due to the coronavirus. She further endured a broken foot, and the loss of two relatives to COVID-19. Before that, in 2019, her father, John Lee fell from a tree he was trimming and was seriously injured. The accident happened a day before she was set to compete for the U.S. championships.

At six years old,[10] Lee started gymnastics at the Midwest Gymnastics Center in Little Canada, Minnesota,[9] where she still trains.
 
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Kaizen said:
Not easy for Sunisa Lee to grow in a such poor family and becomes the Olympic All-Around Champion.

Lee was born Sunisa Phabsomphou[3] on March 9, 2003 to Yeev Thoj, a healthcare worker. When she was 2 years old her mother met John Lee, who became Sunisa's father. Although her parents never legally married, she made the decision to change her last name to her father's.[4] Lee is of Hmong descent;[5][6] both of her parents immigrated from Laos when they were children.[4] She has five siblings, sisters Shyenne and Evionn and brothers Jonah, Lucky and Noah.[7][8] Evionn also competed in artistic gymnastics at the regional level.[9]

17 months ago, Lee's gym shutdown due to the coronavirus. She further endured a broken foot, and the loss of two relatives to COVID-19. Before that, in 2019, her father, John Lee fell from a tree he was trimming and was seriously injured. The accident happened a day before she was set to compete for the U.S. championships.

At six years old,[10] Lee started gymnastics at the Midwest Gymnastics Center in Little Canada, Minnesota,[9] where she still trains.
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A little more on Suni’s family. Both her parents emigrated from war torn Laos to the US when they were children. Her father is a US Navy veteran. What a remarkable story of a remarkable family……
 
oldude said:
There is a term in gymnastics I heard yesterday for the first time, “the twisties.” It’s when a gymnast inexplicably loses their sense of timing and feel in the air. Evidently, it occurs to some gymnasts. As I mentioned in another post, Biles has struggled in the air since the US trials over a month ago.

One reporter suggested it’s like the “yips” or “shanks” in golf, both of which I am sadly familiar with. The difference is that nobody can be seriously injured from a bad case of the yips or shanks, unless of course someone is standing 20 yards in front of me and to the right when I tee off.

I cannot know what precipitated Biles case of the twisties or how to fix it. For anyone who watched a slow motion replay of her vault a few days ago, there was a look of alarm on her face as she flailed with her arms in midair, seemingly without full control.

I think that vault scared the hell out of Biles. Upon reflection, I think her decision to withdraw for her own safety and so as not to be a burden on her team was the correct decision. I sincerely hope that she will be at peace with that decision.
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This subject is so hard to understand, after all to look at Biles walking, talking there is no apparent problem. The problem is we can't see into her mind we just don't know what has triggered her reaction. I coached a sport that had inherent danger, in every attempt, women's high jump. In coaching from middle school, high school and Jr. Olympics I have seen where one bad jump one bad landing can cause panic and near paralysis. Early in my coaching tenure one of my better jumpers after coming down on a missed jump landed hard on her neck coming down on the bar. She was done for the day, back 2 days latter back at practice she was unable to jump, pulling up at the bar without any attempt at all. One of my other jumpers looked at her and called her a ninny. I knew it was time to step in and we coined the term "ninnyhood", hence it was then that rather than her being a ninny she had a bout of ninnyhood. In most cases with time the problem was corrected.
Another thing that we saw was fear of failure, after a bad attempt or a bad day self doubt can creep in. This can be as debilitating. Who's to say what Biles is facing in her head, I doubt she even knows for sure. I watched a piece made for broadcast during the games in which it was alluded that there was no one who could beat her. It looks like the question has been answered, the only person able to beat her was Biles herself.
 
MooseJaw said:
This subject is so hard to understand, after all to look at Biles walking, talking there is no apparent problem. The problem is we can't see into her mind we just don't know what has triggered her reaction. I coached a sport that had inherent danger, in every attempt, women's high jump. In coaching from middle school, high school and Jr. Olympics I have seen where one bad jump one bad landing can cause panic and near paralysis. Early in my coaching tenure one of my better jumpers after coming down on a missed jump landed hard on her neck coming down on the bar. She was done for the day, back 2 days latter back at practice she was unable to jump, pulling up at the bar without any attempt at all. One of my other jumpers looked at her and called her a ninny. I knew it was time to step in and we coined the term "ninnyhood", hence it was then that rather than her being a ninny she had a bout of ninnyhood. In most cases with time the problem was corrected.
Another thing that we saw was fear of failure, after a bad attempt or a bad day self doubt can creep in. This can be as debilitating. Who's to say what Biles is facing in her head, I doubt she even knows for sure. I watched a piece made for broadcast during the games in which it was alluded that there was no one who could beat her. It looks like the question has been answered, the only person able to beat her was Biles herself.
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I never had a fear of heights until one day, up on a ladder cleaning windows, not unlike John Lee, the ladder shifted and I fell. After two broken ribs, one punctured lung and my first and only helicopter ride to a regional trauma hospital, today I cannot climb a ladder without getting the cold sweats, even to change a lightbulb in the kitchen.
 
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