Things you shouldn't laugh at - Olympics edition

[Snooks]

I'll hold my hands up and admit that I pick Olympic sports to watch where there's the potential for things to go wrong.  My latest addiction has been the artistic gymnastics.  I clapped my hands when the two Russian gymnasts went face first into the mat during their floor routine, and I was a little bit late leaving the house when the GB gymnast fell off the high bar because I waited for them to show it.

Anyone else had inappropriate laughs at gymnasts who've worked so hard to get to the Olympics?

[EmmaJ.]

Oh no, I just felt dreadfully sorry for them.  All that work, all that training, and I'm sure they were beyond nervous with all the world's eyes on them.

All my sympathy to them.

[Thipu1]

I agree with EmmaJ.

Sometimes, professional sports bloopers can be fun because these people are paid big money to perform and a silly error makes them seem more human.


    Olympic bloopers are just heart-breaking to watch.  Granted, some modern Olympians are professionals but most are not.  It's especially bad when an error can result in a serious injury. 

 

[Piratelvr1121]

Haven't been watching them, but I did see a clip of one gymnast's parents as they were watching her perform. The way they were moving and expressions on their faces were priceless.

[Amava]

Oh no, I just felt dreadfully sorry for them.  All that work, all that training, and I'm sure they were beyond nervous with all the world's eyes on them.

All my sympathy to them.

I agree.

[LazyDaisy]

I'm like you Snooks. I secretly cheer for the bull at the rodeo, the course in a golf match (gosh I love a good splash in the water hazard!!!) and the pommel horse in the men's gymnastics. But I'm happy for the winners too.

[LazyDaisy]

slightly off topic but I miss the old Wide World of Sports TV show -- they had the best intro with the "agony of defeat" and the clip of a ski jumper that bit it at the bottom of the ramp.

[Snooks]

Just to clarify, I'm constantly amazed and impressed by what they can get their bodies to do and the commitment they have but I just can't help but find people falling over funny.

[BatCity]

I will never forget the Spanish gymnast in the 1984 Olympics (yes, that's 1984) in Los Angeles.  She was doing a floor routine with the long ribbons, and the air conditioning in the building caused the ribbon to blow all out of whack.  So at the end of her routine, this lovely, graceful young woman struck an elegant pose...only to have the ribbons fall all over her face.  It was both heartbreaking and, well, kinda hilarious.

[LazyDaisy]

I read a nice article about the ski jumper from the opening montage of Wide World of Sports -- disclaimer for those that probably think I'm a heartless bag, the guy was OK after the fall with only a concussion and wanted to try again; his name was Vinko Bogataj, from the now defunct Yugoslavia. In the article it says "...For decades, Bogataj's terrible fall made him one of the best-known athletes on the planet"..."when ABC held a "Wide World of Sports" 20th Anniversary gala in 1981, he received the loudest ovation in a room that included Nadia Comaneci and Muhammad Ali. (Ali wanted an autograph.)" 

While the perfect performances of the Olympics are thrilling to watch, for me the fails -- and getting up afterward to continue -- is really what sports are about. Have you ever noticed that the applause seems loudest for those that have fallen but got up to continue anyway even though they are now completely out of contention? I think we expect them to fall or miss and laughing comes from the sudden release of anticipation -- and acknowledgement that we are all prone to fail. In addition, seeing the falls and fails certainly makes the perfect performances all the more breathtaking. It really proves how difficult the athletes accomplishments truly are. I don't want it to look easy -- I'd rather see 20 athletes give it their all and fall short so that the one who does make it -- really did it.

[Kimblee]

I will never forget the Spanish gymnast in the 1984 Olympics (yes, that's 1984) in Los Angeles.  She was doing a floor routine with the long ribbons, and the air conditioning in the building caused the ribbon to blow all out of whack.  So at the end of her routine, this lovely, graceful young woman struck an elegant pose...only to have the ribbons fall all over her face.  It was both heartbreaking and, well, kinda hilarious.

Oh man, I'd have laughed like a loon, but I hope she didn't get penalized for it, since it was the A/C's fault.

Today we watched the ladies water polo and I snickered when the underwater shot seemed to show a girl get goosed by one of the other team's players. (My stepmom swears she couldn't possibly have gotten goosed, but it sure did look like it!)

[tiff019]

I will never forget the Spanish gymnast in the 1984 Olympics (yes, that's 1984) in Los Angeles.  She was doing a floor routine with the long ribbons, and the air conditioning in the building caused the ribbon to blow all out of whack.  So at the end of her routine, this lovely, graceful young woman struck an elegant pose...only to have the ribbons fall all over her face.  It was both heartbreaking and, well, kinda hilarious.

Oh man, I'd have laughed like a loon, but I hope she didn't get penalized for it, since it was the A/C's fault.

Today we watched the ladies water polo and I snickered when the underwater shot seemed to show a girl get goosed by one of the other team's players. (My stepmom swears she couldn't possibly have gotten goosed, but it sure did look like it!)

She probably was... I played water polo through college, and it's BRUTAL... The rule of thumb always was 'if the ref can't see it/doesn't see it, then it's legal!' =)

[Kimblee]

I will never forget the Spanish gymnast in the 1984 Olympics (yes, that's 1984) in Los Angeles.  She was doing a floor routine with the long ribbons, and the air conditioning in the building caused the ribbon to blow all out of whack.  So at the end of her routine, this lovely, graceful young woman struck an elegant pose...only to have the ribbons fall all over her face.  It was both heartbreaking and, well, kinda hilarious.

Oh man, I'd have laughed like a loon, but I hope she didn't get penalized for it, since it was the A/C's fault.

Today we watched the ladies water polo and I snickered when the underwater shot seemed to show a girl get goosed by one of the other team's players. (My stepmom swears she couldn't possibly have gotten goosed, but it sure did look like it!)

She probably was... I played water polo through college, and it's BRUTAL... The rule of thumb always was 'if the ref can't see it/doesn't see it, then it's legal!' =)

Its all fun and games until someone gets a thumb in their kiester.

[SpottedPony]

While the perfect performances of the Olympics are thrilling to watch, for me the fails -- and getting up afterward to continue -- is really what sports are about. Have you ever noticed that the applause seems loudest for those that have fallen but got up to continue anyway even though they are now completely out of contention? I think we expect them to fall or miss and laughing comes from the sudden release of anticipation -- and acknowledgement that we are all prone to fail. In addition, seeing the falls and fails certainly makes the perfect performances all the more breathtaking. It really proves how difficult the athletes accomplishments truly are. I don't want it to look easy -- I'd rather see 20 athletes give it their all and fall short so that the one who does make it -- really did it.

I remember diver Greg Luganus(sp) in the Olympics, hitting his head on the platform and having to take a 0 for the dive.  He only had a few minutes to recover from this accident and decide to continue or not.  He chose to continue and nailed every dive after that and still won gold.  It takes guts to just shake off a fall and continue, but even more guts to give the rest of the performance everything you've got, no holding back, as if the fall never happened.  Big cheers to those who get up and keep going no matter what.

Spotted Pony

[Seraphia]

While the perfect performances of the Olympics are thrilling to watch, for me the fails -- and getting up afterward to continue -- is really what sports are about. Have you ever noticed that the applause seems loudest for those that have fallen but got up to continue anyway even though they are now completely out of contention? I think we expect them to fall or miss and laughing comes from the sudden release of anticipation -- and acknowledgement that we are all prone to fail. In addition, seeing the falls and fails certainly makes the perfect performances all the more breathtaking. It really proves how difficult the athletes accomplishments truly are. I don't want it to look easy -- I'd rather see 20 athletes give it their all and fall short so that the one who does make it -- really did it.

I remember diver Greg Luganus(sp) in the Olympics, hitting his head on the platform and having to take a 0 for the dive.  He only had a few minutes to recover from this accident and decide to continue or not.  He chose to continue and nailed every dive after that and still won gold.  It takes guts to just shake off a fall and continue, but even more guts to give the rest of the performance everything you've got, no holding back, as if the fall never happened.  Big cheers to those who get up and keep going no matter what.

Spotted Pony

That's what I find impressive about it too. They showed clips of the US gymnast Leyva in a previous competition failing a release on high bar. He cracked himself on the underside of his chin and landed flat on his back. DH and I both flinched and started rubbing our chins. (I've actually been hit there with a ball, and I completely blacked out so...yeah, ow)

But he did the very same release in his Olympic routine and flawlessly at that. That takes a lot of courage.