Bought and paid for

Then the Olympics is a false parameter of human acheivement. Sad, when it began at the dawn of the showcase of excellence.

Australian kids have choice. (Unless they have my sister as their mother!)

My oldest son made a choice not to be a part of the Australian tennis team though he was seeded second.  No one made him continue a hobby he loved dearly at the expense of what he loved best. Science! He followed his own dream. Sucessfully.

Was he four?

My considered opinion is that all "sports" that require judges to allot points, are dropped from the Olympics. That leaves the Highest, Fastest, and Strongest to compete.

I thought the original Olympics were a religious festival which grew.  The first day of the festival was devoted to sacrifices to the gods, as was the last day.

And the winners were awarded a branch of wild olive, although the winners from some states were given tax-free status, allowed to live free in special halls set aside for distinguished people, or given cash prizes.

There are a lot of parents out there who DON'T give their children the choices.  Ballet mothers, football fathers.  And there are programs out there to identify early potential in littlies and whether they want to or not - they child is in.

Most Olympic sports have selection processes that attempt to identify future champions and initiate specialized training---often before the prospect finishes elementary school. The lure of a college scholarship or a professional career can also motivate athletes (and their parents) to commit to specialized training regimens at an early age. The low probability of reaching these lofty goals does not appear to discourage many aspirants.

To be competitive at a high level requires training regimens for children that could be considered extreme even for adults. The ever-increasing requirements for success creates a constant pressure for athletes to train longer, harder, more intelligently, and, in some cases, at an earlier age. The unending efforts to outdo predecessors and outperform contemporaries are the nature of competitive sports. The necessary commitment and intensity of training raises concerns about the sensibility and safety of high-level athletics for any young person.

Was he four?

At four he could have competed in the Gong fu try outs and won a place. He CHOSE his place in the world: it fascinates him.

My considered opinion is that all "sports" that require judges to allot points, are dropped from the Olympics. That leaves the Highest, Fastest, and Strongest to compete.

 

Quote from: BubbaBait on August 20, 2008, 01:11:55 AM

Was he four?

At four he could have competed in the Gong fu try outs and won a place. He CHOSE his place in the world: it fascinates him.

I am glad for him, and you. Perhaps he will win a Nobel Prize. MUCH better than a gold medal in Tennis.

They choose to become Olympic Gymnasts, make no mistake about it. A child knows whether they like something or not, and some children will just flat out refuse to do gymnastics regardless of how much you want them to. Kids know what they like regardless of age. It's when they become older that they choose to remain in the sport.

If it weren't for bought judges, the Chinese wouldn't have half the gold's they do; especially in gymnastics.

What a joke.

Which half? I've watched all the gymnastics thus far, what events do you think the Chinese should not have on gold in?

I don't refute any of the golds, I refute the bronze that I believe Sacramone should have had in light of the knee fall on fault that her competitor had who was Chinese.

Was that on vault? I don't think that was judging as much as it was the new rules. Falling carries a less severe penalty than the old scoring system. The scoring now seems to based purly on degree of difficulty and completing the elements. Very little artistic merit seems to show up.

I don't like this system because it takes most of the elegance away and it's ridiculous to fall and win medals but I wouldn't say that the judges seem corrupt.

The OP makes a strong statement about golds and for the most part it did not even seem close to me, especially the men. I'm very intrested in what golds he thinks the Chinese didn't deserve.

I have more trouble with Phelps' 200 butterfly win and that wasn't even judged.

The Chinese gold in gymnastics seem well won to me.

She should have had 4 penalties, actually. Not all of which were counted.

ok so the judges are corrupt.

Judges don't have the luxury of instant replay or slow motion.  They have to judge on the 'as seen' performance.  Scratch your nose, make a note - and it's gone.