Archive for July, 2012
Congratulations Team USA on Olympic Team GOLD!!!
Posted by: | CommentsThe Fab Five were golden today, putting up solid routines on all four events to solidly win the 2012 Olympic Gold Medal in the Women’s Gymnastics Team Competition!! And believe it or not, that is only the second time in history the USA has won team gold in the Olympics for the women’s team competition!
Congratulations to Jordyn Wieber, Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Kyla Ross, Aly Raisman, their coaches, teammates, parents and friends – all of whom made this day possible for these five amazing young ladies! You have made us all so proud!
Do you have your Team USA Olympic fan gear yet?
Photo from Facebook
My Favorite London 2012 Moments – Elizabeth Tweddle Qualification Bars
Posted by: | CommentsTwo days into the 2012 Olympics and there have already been so many surprises, upsets, drama and memorable moments! I decided in order to be able to easily find these moments again quickly, I will just do a quick post and link to the headline, video or photo as I find it.
Twenty seven year old Elizabeth Tweddle of Great Britain has been competing on the international stage since her World Championships debut in 2001. In Sunday’s qualification round at the 2012 Olympics in gymnastics, Beth qualified in 1st place with a score of 16.133 and the most intricate, breathtaking bar routine I have seen in a long time. From YouTube:
I am so glad I saw the routine during the live feed on NBCOlympics.com because NBC did not play it during prime time. They really should have – it is truly a work of art!
I am rooting for Beth in event finals – as Great Britain’s most successful gymnast ever, she is such a treat to watch (and her floor routine was pretty special too).
Olympic Gymnast Jordyn Wieber in ATT’s My Journey
Posted by: | CommentsYou’ve heard the saying, “it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey,” right? In AT&T’s My Journey video series they feature seven US Olympians who are competing right now in London and give you a little insight in to their Olympic journey since the 2008 Beijing Games along with some other fun goodies. With my love of all things gymnastics, I immediately was drawn to Jordyn Wieber’s journey.
From 2009 American Cup Champion at age 13 to injuries in 2010, 2011 was Jordyn Wieber’s year. Her amazing talent, consistency and grace under pressure helped her win everything she entered (American Cup, Visa National Championships, and the World Championships) and has put her square in the eyes of the media leading up to these games – being touted as the “It Girl” for USA Gymnastics. As reigning World Champion, everyone expected Jordyn to be the one to beat in the Olympic All Around, however, it seems as if Jordyn’s journey has taken a slight detour.
Due to a “Two Athletes per Country” rule, Jordyn, who placed 4th All Around in the preliminary qualifying round will NOT be in contention for an All Around medal. Her teammates Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas each finished fractions of a point ahead of Jordyn thus earning the two spots allotted to the US Team. It was heartbreaking to say the least. While my heart breaks for Jordyn, I am very happy for Aly and Gabby. All three have worked so hard, sacrificed so much and have been in this journey together for years.
That being said, I am a true believer in things happening for a reason. Yes, it is a hard, hard realization for Jordyn to take, but she still has two more chances to medal – one as an integral part of Team USA in the Team competition and one in the Floor Exercise event finals. And, this may fuel her to fight on and be a star for the US Gymnastics Team for four more years.
Whether all the media attention and expectations just became too much for Jordyn or she was just having an off day (although many would argue placing 4th in the Olympic preliminaries is NOT a case of having a bad day, rather a very good one), it is great to see that she is a well balanced young lady with a fantastic support system around her. She loves to shop, went to prom, goes to public school and has a great family. I am sure that if Jordyn is featured in a similar video four years from now, this Olympic disappointment will be an integral part of propelling her to even greater success!
So, go take a look at the bonus features you saw in Jordyn’s video a little closer at ATT My Journey, and get to know some of the other amazing athletes and their stories a little more, too!
Disclosure: This was a sponsored post by AT&T’s My Journey series, and while I did receive compensation for my time in putting this post together, the opinions and commentary are completely my own.
