I'm Back...and so is Drama

Oh my gosh, you guys probably hate me. I up and disappeared for a whole week during which Massilia came and went, but don't be mad at me  I swear I have a good reason. I am studying for my driver's permit (because I'm 23 and it's about damn time), I'm starting the employment process all over again with two different job agencies and you know how erratic these places can be (one called at 9:03 to ask if I could meet for 9:30. Um, no?), and I'm taking TURKISH classes which is by far the best consequence to come from stepping into a library after 10 years. So I've been busy, but that doesn't mean I don't read all the news and know what's going on- last time I stepped away for two minutes, gymnasts no longer had the same last name. So I've seen all the Massilia videos and know the latest gossip, and have all these opinions in my head just waiting to be written down. Like Bulashenko fat shaming Seda for fucking up at post-Olympic competitions. Except she's not really "fat" shaming because Seda's not fat? She's out of shape but what the hell man. I am beyond aggrieved to know that for coaches, weight is always the first consideration when a poor performance is at hand. It's the same- even worse, in fact- in RG. I would genuinely like to know what Bulashenko thinks is the reason behind Seda falling and being a triumphant mess before and during some of the Olympics! Is it so inconceivable that you're #1 most volatile and inconsistent player looks even worse after having no serious practice for months?!?! I'm glad the admins on VK shut that shit down before it went too viral but it got far enough that a busybody like me heard about it, so I just hope Seda is unfazed. 

Then the gymternet backtracked to August after an article emerged highlighting Daria Spiridonova's severe treatment by Andrei Rodionenko after falling in the UB final. He basically yelled at her in front of media- adding an extra layer of humiliation- and went beyond the normal verbal abuse to call her a disgrace to her team, her country, etc. This was slightly shocking to me because while I think he's a terrible coach I still thought he was the mild one. Nope, both he and his wife are screechers. Do you guys remember after London when a reporter inquired into the mental strength of the U.S team and Valentina said something along the lines of, 'I don't know how the Americans do it. That's what we want to know. We would like to ask them.' She defended herself by saying her gymnasts take medicines that help with nerves and they administer sports psychology, but she was stumped as to why the US team was so consistent. I'm just laughing remembering that because the entire Russian NT staff treats 'confidence' and 'tenacity' like an artificial layer of emotion that can be stripped on and off, gained after a psychology session, or put on before a competition. I don't think they're ever going to accept that when athletes feel disrespected and uncared for, the anxiety from sports drips into every aspect of their life until it wholly destroys their morale, affecting their ability to focus, to learn, to prepare...to compete. That's not to say Americans are the perfect standard (there's an abuse scandal going on right now, and then you have folk like Gabrielle Douglas who can admit to leaving her coach on the eve of Rio because the vibe was negative). But it's worth stressing that the last two Olympic All Around champions in AG and RG had very motivational and nurturing coaches. 





Then there's the shitfest that happened at Massilia. Can you believe we waited for this competition with baited breath? Lol, poor us. In an older post I speculated that rebuilding a team unreliant on veterans would be both exciting and terrifying. Elite Massilia was all our terrifying nightmares rolled into one: seniors failing, juniors failing, winning medals with scores that somehow also point to failing lmao. I guess I'll start with my fave, Lena. *Longest Sigh Ever* If I'm objective, I'll say that Lena might have been suffering from a case of "oops, did I do that?" Her floor routine didn't hit 14 but I thought if given the chance to do it over again immediately, she would've improved. She took huge landing deductions on 3/4 of her passes, including a 3 tenth oob error. She wasn't fighting for any landings and what tripped me up is that the lack of accuracy seemed to stem from her tumbling. Is it a technique thing or a stamina thing? Neither is ideal at this crucial development stage. I can also be objective and say that as dusty as she looked at this competition, there's still a lot of potential for improvement between now and March, when the season picks up. Sometimes the Russians do do that...improve, I mean. She hit 55.250 with a scrappy fx & bb, and without a dty (but crappy vaulting all the same), so in light of 56 being the magic number for most AAers this quad, I think Elena has the execution and a style the judges admire and will reward even more IF she gets better. Her bars at least have come a long way and she's looking more natural on that event. So that's my objective/optimistic critique. But honestly, I was freaking out when I saw how unsteady she looked on beam! If all else fails in her career, I swear she could still make any team so long as she maintains being a beam goddess. Overall, I wasn't impressed but I know that the days are young, and in a year I might be kicking myself for being so overdramatic.

Ilya did quite well, but seems stuck in the 56's no matter how badass her bars get or how stable she is everywhere else. I really want her to be the 2017 bars champion but I can't say she excites me in any other aspect; beam is gross (sorry), and floor is okayish (I just wish she had interesting tumbling or better dancing) but overall I'm just confused if there's any greater potential in her than what we're seeing now.  Daria and Seda were unapologetic messes, and I can't say I fault their apathy. They're both worn down and desperately in need of a breather before devoting four more years of their life to gymnastics Team Russia bullshit. 

Massilia was that competition where every 'what if' fear I've ever had was recognized. Good thing Melka wasn't their to completely kill me. And yet...as semi scary as the results were, it didn't raise any new questions about the state of the team and it sure as hell didn't answer any existing ones. We need to keep in mind that while none of the girls have looked their best this fall, it is, thankfully, the ideal time for them to be so bent out of shape. If they were granted the rest they deserve we wouldn't even have this proof of how much they've degenerated. How well would a German or British team be looking right now? It may seem like we've somehow magically gotten worse but the team is as they've always been and nothing has changed regarding our position in Europe. Remember how we rejoiced when the younger girls were outshining the veterans at Nationals, so much so that many balked when the official Euros team was announced? Remember every time the team outperformed predictions and we won gold instead of silver and a silver instead of bronze and a bronze instead of no medal?  Let's get real. This is Team Russia, and the predictable panic that comes with each low is always made comical when the unexpected highs occur. It's time for new people to bring us those highs, so call me naive, but this stan is still hella excited!