<p>U.S.A. 1- Japan 0 at the 7:30 mark.</p>
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<p>No, not even close. The ancient Romans invented the idea of women playing sports in a bikini: </p>
<p>[Roman</a> Women Athletes - The Bikini Girls](<a href=“http://www.historywiz.com/galleries/gym.htm]Roman”>http://www.historywiz.com/galleries/gym.htm)</p>
<p>JHS gets my post of the day award. This is awesome. Perfect description.</p>
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<p>Swimmers are known for being pretty social (and wild). My former master’s swim coach was an Olympic gold metalist on the 72 team and, oh, the stories! That seems to be the case with many college teams, too.</p>
<p>Yes! Alwaysamom, you were right. South Africa gets to run in the finals.</p>
<p>[Parkinson’s</a> disease sufferer, 54, held by police at Olympic cycling road race ‘because he would not smile’ | Daily Mail](<a href=“Olympics 2012: Parkinson's sufferer Mark Worsfold, 54, arrested by police 'for not smiling' at cycling road race | Daily Mail Online”>Olympics 2012: Parkinson's sufferer Mark Worsfold, 54, arrested by police 'for not smiling' at cycling road race | Daily Mail Online)
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<p>Sorry I made the thread stray down this path, but JHS made my point better than I did. Besides the whole judgment aspect, there is the isolation of the gym. Let’s say a kid goes to the gym at 9 am, works out until noon, eats lunch and has school at the gym from noon-3, then works out until 7 or 8 pm, long ride home, then crashes and does the same thing the next day. Saturday is a little shorter because no school, and Sunday she is off. The parents work full time - maybe even more than one job to be able to pay for it. There are other kids in the family to pay attention to. On weekends, it’s time to catch up on laundry; not a lot of time to go to museums or concerts or hang out with other kids. The kid spends most of her waking hours with a few other girls her age at the gym, plus a few coaches, who may not be well educated. There’s not a “season” to gymnastics…they get Christmas and Thanksgiving off and that’s about it. </p>
<p>I can see how a young woman who has spent 10+ years in that atmosphere, even if her formal education has been fine, would not necessarily show a lot of personality when she talks to those outside her gym.</p>
<p>Okay, on to women’s soccer!!! (1-0 USA).</p>
<p>“I have been thinking and talking about the sharp contrast between 17 year-old gymnasts and 17 year-old swimmers, too. It’s not just what they say when they open their mouths. The camaraderie among swimming competitors seems genuine and relaxed. When gymnasts make their little formal visits to kiss cheeks with the winner, it looks like a diplomatic mission conducted by apprentice geishas.”</p>
<p>Agree 100 percent. H & I remarked constantly on this kissy thingy (and the huggy thingy with the coaches - which I find very, very creepy.) Plus, they all have the same squeaky, high pitched voice.</p>
<p>There’s an old saying, jealousy does not become you.</p>
<p>She did it! 17-year-old Claressa Shields of Flint MI won a gold in women’s boxing - the second-youngest fighter to ever win gold in either men’s or women’s boxing.</p>
<p>[Claressa</a> Shields wins first U.S. women?s boxing gold in Olympic history | Fourth-Place Medal - Yahoo! Sports](<a href=“Claressa Shields wins first U.S. women’s boxing gold in Olympic history”>Claressa Shields wins first U.S. women’s boxing gold in Olympic history)</p>
<p>Yet another sport/athlete we don’t hear much about (unless you’re following boxing on cable). I guess if she were fighting in a bikini…</p>
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<p>Yes! I feel the same way and hadn’t posted because I had never heard anyone else comment that it is creepy. Raisman’s coach has been “ewww-inspiring” with all the forehead smooching.</p>
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<p>Well, if we’re talking about* jealousy*, how about the midriffs of those female runners? Or Kerri Walsh Jennings, who looks great in a bikini even after having two kids?</p>
<p>Back to soccer.
We are close to 36 gold medals.</p>
<p>We got gold and bronze in women’s long jump.</p>
<p>US women are ahead 5-2 at half in the gold medal water polo game.</p>
<p>And Bolt is about to run. Too much going on at once!</p>
<p>Jamaica went 1, 2 & 3 in the 200. Those sprinters are so entertaining…they look right at the camera and do something funny or cool when they are announced. After the race, Bolt did a few pushups.</p>
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<p>I admit to jealousy!</p>
<p>I think one reason the swimmers are better at media is they’re looser because they spend so much time with each other and not with coaches. Look at the number of coaches at a gymnastics event. The Olympics limits the number of coaches on the floor, so they switch on and off so each athlete has his or her own coach right there. Compare to swimming: no coaching allowed. Coaches aren’t allowed on the pool deck. They aren’t allowed, I believe, in the ready room. They aren’t allowed to coach from the stands either. </p>
<p>The swimmers are left to be with each other and they’re off stage before and after they perform. The gymnasts are always right in front of everyone. They have to watch their facial expressions and what they say all the time. Cameras follow them everywhere and are only feet from them right off the floor. Swimmers only have to deal with a few tv cameras getting shots of them getting ready to swim. They spend most of their time off stage listening to music, talking, dancing, whatever while the gymnast have to remain in this tightly wound state surrounded by cameras and coaches. No wonder they’re uptight with the media: they’re rarely allowed to be by themselves.</p>
<p>Excellent point, lergnom. Why do you think swim coaches aren’t allowed on the pool deck but the gymnastic coaches are?</p>
<p>I just can’t watch the soccer game for very long at a time…makes me so nervous! Things can happen so quickly!</p>
<p>Only on CC would a thread about the Olympics include a link to mosaics of ancient Rome.</p>