Gabby Douglas

[Gerry Clinchy]

How about something upbeat?

Isn't this young lady's achievement something that brings a big smile to everyone's face?

A young lady with a determination to succeed. Willing to travel far from home to find the best coach and work her butt off to be the best. When she got homesick, her mother wouldn't let her come home, telling her, "Life isn't easy." A child who prayed daily for her Air Force dad to be safe on multiple tours to the Mideast. A "second" mom in Iowa who took her into her own brood so she could learn from the best coach available. An incredible coach, a former Olympian in gymnastics for China, who immigrated to the US to study English at the Univ of Iowa ... and stayed to open his own gymnastics gym (started his gym in his garage without heat or A/C!)

Every part of this story reflects "The American Dream" that so many still believe in.

[BonMallari]

and she just signed up to be on the Wheaties Box......USA..USA...

[luvmylabs23139]

and she just signed up to be on the Wheaties Box......USA..USA...

I think it's the cornflakes box.

[luvmylabs23139]

Saw this sarcastic and yes it was meant to be satire and isn't it so true. Gabby won the Gold but, she didn't do that.
This link came from Yahoo headlines not some right wing site.

Begin sarcasm:
I’m outraged. Gabby Douglas, affectionately known as the “Flying Squirrel,” is going to make millions of dollars after her gold medal Olympic performance.
This should not be.
First, she didn’t do it on her own. You know, “you didn’t build that.” She had help from other people. There was her mother, her coach, and teammates. The Olympic outfits she wore were paid for by the United States Olympic Committee. If NBC hadn’t broadcast the results of the competition, very few people would have seen her gold medal performance and her infectious smile. They were with her when she flipped upside down and landed on the four-inch balance beam. I even saw President Obama there.
Second, Gabby is small in stature. This is a huge advantage to anyone doing gymnastics. Her ability to rotate quickly puts a tall person at a disadvantage. The Russian girl who came in second was even shorter. I abhor size discrimination. There is no way that I could ascend the ranks of elite gymnastics at my height and weight. I had to pick the shot put. There’s no money in endorsements from shot putters.

Third, Bob Costas made the point that Gabby is the first African American to win the women’s all-around gymnastics crown. Did her race play a role in the judging? I want to know. The judges should be questioned. Some might argue that compensation was made for her race and the fact that no black had ever won the coveted all-around gold medal. If this is true, then reverse discrimination played a role in the judges’ decision.
Fourth, there is no reason why anyone should be paid so much money for doing something that can’t be shared by the community. Hillary said it best, “it takes a village.” That money could be better spent on the poor and homeless. She should be protested against by the Occupy Wall Street crowd because she is now an evil one-percenter.
Fifth, as everybody knows, women gymnasts always get paid more than men gymnasts do post-Olympics. Mary Lou Retton is worth nearly $6 million. Nastia Liukin is worth more than $2 million. Hardly anyone remembers the names of the men gold medal winners let alone how much they’re worth. This is blatant sexism.
Sixth, there is beauty discrimination. All these girls are cute. Girls who aren’t cute don’t get the endorsements. It’s time that we all read J.P. Hartley’s 1960 novel Facial Justice that “depicts a post-apocalyptic society that has sought to banish privilege and envy, to the extent that people will even have their faces surgically altered in order to appear neither too beautiful nor too ugly.”
Seventh, “The gymnast has a healthy, wholesome and all-American image which would be attractive to plenty of companies.” This smacks of “American exceptionalism.”
Eighth, Gabby gave “all the glory to God.” She said, “It’s kind of a win-win situation. The glory goes up to him, and all the blessings fall down on me.” The owners of Chick-fil-A also believe in God and support the biblical definition of marriage. Unless she tells the world that she is for homosexual marriage the companies that pay her for endorsements should be boycotted.
Ninth, I hear she eats at Chick-fil-A.
Tenth, I’m just trying to keep it real.
/ Sarcasm


Read more: http://godfatherpolitics.com/6454/10...#ixzz22cMSelTR

[Dave Farrar]

Our lightweight boxer Jose Ramirez (lost in 2nd fight) is from the little poor town I teach in. His parents are farm workers and he was the valedictorian for his graduating class. He came to our elementary school before summer break so we could wish him luck. It was so cool to hear 500 kids chant USA, USA, USA!
He is living the American dream.

[duk4me]

How about something upbeat?

Isn't this young lady's achievement something that brings a big smile to everyone's face?

A young lady with a determination to succeed. Willing to travel far from home to find the best coach and work her butt off to be the best. When she got homesick, her mother wouldn't let her come home, telling her, "Life isn't easy." A child who prayed daily for her Air Force dad to be safe on multiple tours to the Mideast. A "second" mom in Iowa who took her into her own brood so she could learn from the best coach available. An incredible coach, a former Olympian in gymnastics for China, who immigrated to the US to study English at the Univ of Iowa ... and stayed to open his own gymnastics gym (started his gym in his garage without heat or A/C!)

Every part of this story reflects "The American Dream" that so many still believe in.

How about something downbeat. I was fllipping thru the fm stations one morning last week. Caught a little of a morning talk show about the Olympics. It was Kid Craddoc sp. show I think.

They were talking about the Chinese young lady that swam faster than men the last lap of her race to win the gold. Seems they were upset that this poor Chinese kid had been whisked away to a special trainingcamp miles away from her family cause she had talent for swimming in the 2nd grade. They compared it to slavery.

Seems like Gabby and her story are the same to me. I'm betting the Chinese kid will not want for anything in her lifetime either.

We Americans are so hypocritical.

Sorry Gerry this is your venue but that is my rant. It is a shame that we shouldn't be proud of both kids for the INCREDIBLE work ethic shown by these fantastic young ladies and the sacrifice made by them and their families. Oh wait the Olympians arent amature athletes anymore anyway.

[Gerry Clinchy]

Tim, I think the difference between these two young women is that Gabby made the choice to live away from home and work hard; and her parents made the choice to let her do so. The Chinese girl & her parents didn't have the same ability to choose.

I think that people admire the skill and work ethic of all the athletes who give their best in these competitions ... not just the winners. However, we are most likely to hear the stories of the ones who win.

[HPL]

This should have been on the other forum, too few visitors here.