“Silver and gold, silver and gold, mean so much more when I seee, silver and gold decoraaations on every beefy peach!”
Congratulations to Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson, the beefy peach, for winning gold and silver, respectively, in the Olympics Women’s All-Around!
Now Nastia is not my pet; I don’t have a special cage for her with a shiny habit-trail and a new water dish and whatnot. I was rooting more for Shawn to win, because she is my special pet. They were both great, but Nastia was just slightly better. A couple of dead-stuck landings better is all it came down to, really. And they were both better than the judging. Ahem. Hey, it’s not just me. The commentators were talking about it throughout the entire event. I suppose you could say, “Well, what’s the big whoop? US went one-two.” Sure, they did. But the meet didn’t need to be as close as it was with the Chinese girl who ended up with bronze. She was a constant threat — and not based on her performance, but based on judging. It was pretty blatant. If it hadn’t been for some obvious glaring errors in her routines at the end, she could have ended up with gold for lesser programs than the two US girls were putting up. Since the experts who were calling the event clearly felt this way, I feel a little more justified in this — my mere tuber-layman’s opinion.
But by the final two rotations, the judges just couldn’t ignore the near-perfection of Nastia and Shawn.
I’m happy for Nastia. Her dad is Valery Liukin, — gold medalist 20 years ago — and gives off a slightly menacing Soviet-work-camp aura or “vinning is de only option” vibe or something. So maybe it’s best this way.
Still, I’m so proud of my little beefy peach! She went for it, fearlessly, every step of the way.
On another note — what was with Nastia having to call her mom from the gym floor after she’d won? She said later her mom was “too nervous” to watch, so she was out walking around Beijing or something. Seriously, what is up with that? To me, that’s inexcusable. This girl lived in your body for nine months, Betty. Now she’s out there on the international stage, competing at this momentous event, attempting something spectacular, transcendent, something the rest of us can’t even conceive of, and you’re out shopping or something? Are you kidding me? Get your butt in those stands! BE there for her. Be physically present, you selfish wench. It’s not about YOU. I don’t care how “nervous” you are, BE there to watch your kid. You’re the mom; that’s part of your job. Be there for your kid. Sheesh. I mean, Mary Lou Retton was there — for your kid. More present than you. Inexcusable. Now the only thing this woman will ever have of her daughter’s performance will be on tape, DVD, whatever. Something secondhand. She’ll have no memory of having experienced it live and in the moment. She won’t be able to know what the atmosphere was like in that gym. What it looked like, felt like, smelled like. What it was like to hear all those people cheering for her kid. Maybe this is an especial pet peeve of mine since I don’t have kids. I can’t stand laziness and selfishness in people who’ve been blessed that way, who take it all so much for granted. I’m sorry for Nastia that she has such a self-absorbed mom. I know I sound harsh. I don’t even know this woman and I’m taking her to task. But to me, her actions speak volumes. I don’t need to know her; I can see what her choice was and the consequences of that choice: Her daughter was forced to call her on her cell phone to tell her how it went. She can never get those moments back. That’s the memory she has. The phone call. That is messed up. At a time like that, if you can’t forget yourself, lay aside your nerves, suppress your self-centered thoughts, focus on your child, and be there for her, you don’t deserve to be called “mom.”
Okay. Sorry. Got away from myself for a moment. But raise your hand if you’d have been willing to be her surrogate mom in the stands last night.
Bottom line: Our girls were AMAZING. They are champions. They competed with fire and guts. It was so beautiful to watch.
CONGRATULATIONS, NASTIA AND THE BEEFY PEACH!
You got me all choked up.
Let’s hear it for our ladies! And for not cheating like cheating cheaters.
I read the story this morning and knew you’d be super happy – it actually made me happier for Nastia and Shawn, if that makes any sense. The BP should get an extra-large flavored wood block and a new cardboard tube to nest in!
NF– Yes, she’ll get all those things! What are those things?
My hand is waving frantically… oh helz YEAH I would’ve been in the stands for my baby. I’d be more like Phelps’ mom, wiping tears and leaping to my feet and hollering and being hugely proud — even if my baby was last place, because it would be last place in THE OLYMPICS.
And the judges are TEH SUCKITUDE.
GraD — Exactly! Phelps’ mom is the model of how a parent should be. She’s there, she screams, she cries, she cheers. Phelps knows where to look in the stands for encouragement — because she’s THERE. What athlete in the Olympics wouldn’t want that and need that??
I noticed that after the judge Nelly Kim stormed over to the judges and gave them what-for, the judges suddenly stopped making both phone calls and questionable scores and finally gave appropriate scores to all. Something was definitly up, there.
That mom is not a mom! You nailed it dead on! Just shows how selfish our society is becoming when a parent gets a pass for sitting out on the most important date of her child’s life b/c “it would upset her too much”.
Thanks goodness our girls were on their game and the underage chinese girls weren’t so the judging didn’t matter as much.
Three tenths of a deduction for not mentioning Rebecca Soni’s smashing of Leisel Jones in the 200m breaststroke.
Half a point addition for calling out a lame-arse mother.
wood block and a new cardboard tube = rodent toys.
Brian — Yeah, I figured they were toys of some kind, I’ve just never seen them. Because I haven’t had a pocket pet. Til now. 😉
nite — Your comment went into moderation, sorry! Yeah, that Nellie Kim definitely seemed to have a galvanizing impact.
Going out on a limb for the mom, here.
Because I can readily posit a situation where someone might perform better if a parent were not watching them. Have had that happen with my own once or twice.
So, she might have sacrificed her chance to see her child win, to give her a better chance to actually do it. And told her to blame Mom’s absence on Mom.
I really don’t think she missed it because Beijing is so interesting.
Just another way to look at it- I could be wrong.
Loved it! I wept with joy. It is so emotional to see these athletes who have invested so much realize their dreams. And I am not their mother! How could you not want to be there for that? Eesh!
Hooray for BP and Nastia! I’m sorry I couldn’t stay up late for you, but it was just as enjoyable (and tear-inducing) on tape. And kinda satisfying fast-forwarding through some of the commentary. And hey! Svetlana Khorkina (spelling from memory)! Loved that blast from the past and she looks great.
O.K., I was kind of wondering where Nastia’s mom was, too, but I’m a Libra, so may I, please, play devil’s advocate re Absent Olympian Mom? Has anybody else had/have very critical and/or anxious parents? Like the backseat driver kind, or the ones that made you nervous, say, while they were in the car with you while you’re driving and just HAVE to move their hands and feet as if to drive as they think you should be? Maybe it was far, far better for her, mentally, if AOM stayed out of range.
But, admittedly, don’t we all wish we had Debbie Phelps in the stands cheering for us? She rocks.
Kate P and Sal — Well, I assume she wouldn’t have been sitting close enough to Nastia to really get in her way or into her head or anything. With the size of that gymnasium, it might have been possible for Nastia to have her mom there and not even KNOW where she’s sitting. And for as long as Nastia has been involved in gymnastics, her mom certainly could have learned how to be a better sports mom, for her daughter’s sake. She’s been doing it since she was — what? — three years old or something?
And I understand feeling like a parent’s presence makes you perform worse. I’ve been there myself with sports. BUT — this is The Olympic Games. I can’t imagine, considering the epic scale of this competition, that they couldn’t find a way to make it work, to have the mom there. Somehow. If my niece Piper were in the games, nothing I could possibly see in Beijing would match the experience — and lifelong memory — of seeing her compete.
And here’s more on this: I thought Nastia had called her, but no. She actually had to TEXT her mom the result. Her phone wasn’t even on. That seems just apathetic to me. Totally careless. Like, what? She couldn’t be bothered to keep her phone on to hear if her daughter won the Olympic gold medal?? I don’t get this woman’s priorities at all.
“Oh, I’ll always remember that awesome dim sum I had while Nastia was winning the gold.”
I know I have huge mom issues — so those play into this, I’m sure.
I hate to say it, but I’m brutal on this point. No excuse.
well said
(came here via SarahK)
Brian’s right – those are hamster toys. Our little guy loves his cardboard tube as a home away from prying eyes (that he also chews on) and a yummy flavored wood block for his teeth.
You know, I should post a pic of the little puffball in the next couple of days.