"American Men Are Gold Virgins No More"

[kingfc22]

That line had me laughing for a while. It was in the article about Paul Hamm who won all-around gymnastics gold medal.

hxxp://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer04/gymnastics/columns/story?id=1862456



Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Hamm: I thought the gold's gone for sure

---

By Seth Wickersham
ESPN The Magazine

ATHENS, Greece -- Hamm? No, Hamm was out of it. Everyone knew.

The American had just taken his chance at a gold medal and tossed it like a stone into the Mediterranean, stumbling off the vault like a man stepping on his own shoe lace, nearly falling onto the judges' table the way basketball players do when trying to save a loose ball. His hopes were hopeless.

Sure, Paul Hamm had pulled an Elway before, coming back from a separated shoulder last year to win the World Championships, but it couldn't happen this time. Not again. No way.

Was this the way a winner looks? No, Hamm more resembled a teenager waiting to get his braces on, breathing heavy and nearly shaking. He was pale and cotton mouthed and spinning. Plus, why bet on a guy who was counting himself out?

"At that point," he said later, "I thought the gold's gone for sure."

The gold? Try everything.

He started so strong, so much like the guy who was being hyped as the best U.S. male gymnast ever. He started on the floor routine, nailing a 9.725. Did the pommel horse next and twisted off a 9.700. Hopped over to the rings and pealed off a 9.587. After three events, he was in first place with 29.012 points, and was cruising toward a gold medal, a Wheaties box, and a life of first class, tables at the window and free drinks. It was that easy.

Then, he rushed down the runway towards the vault, and flew off it like he'd made trips to BALCO. Way too powerful, way too fast, he twisted and landed on the mat, falling forward, then peeled off to the right and nearly bellyflopped onto the judges' table, good for a sorry 9.137. He didn't even salute them on the way off or wave to the crowd. He took his seat on the bench and glared.

Said American gymnast Brett McClure, "I saw that, and yeah, I thought he was done."

He wasn't alone. Americans in the crowd started packing up their flags. Journalists started dreaming up leads detailing how the American men gymnastics program was getting closer to catching up with the rest of the world, but was still more Bon Jovi than Bruce Springsteen.

Hamm would forever be a good gymnast whose claim to fame was no matter how many events he'd participate in, announcers would always pronounce his name Ham, like the food, instead of Hamm, as in mom.

Hamm just sat frozen. He'd done everything on Wednesday to keep from this sort of night. He and McClure, the other men's all-around qualifier, spent the whole day together, waking up at 8, breakfast at 8:45, to the gym for light stretching at 10:30, a light snack, then a few hours of Texas Hold 'Em, which seems to be the Official Game of America's Male Olympians.

Hamm, as usual, whipped McClure hand after hand. Things were just going his way.

He cruised to the Olympic arena, his iPod plugged into his ears. A few hours later, after his sneeze on the pommel horse, he went from first place to 12th with only two events left. It was a huge choke. Somewhere, Scott Norwood looked up Hamm's phone number in Milwaukee for consolation.

But then something curious happened: Hamm stepped up to the parallel bars, jostled and spun, landed as softly as if he'd jumped off a curb, and pumped his fist in the air.

"I thought I'd gotten myself back," he said.

The judges agreed, giving him a 9.837. Suddenly he was in fourth place. Nervy.

		In the tiny gymnastics world, which most Americans only care about every four years, Hamm had done what Elway did to Cleveland, what Jordan did to Utah, what Brady did to Carolina.

But surely it was going to end with the next event, the horizontal bar, Hamm's worst and one that he botched in the team finals two days earlier. He needed an absurd 9.825 score to tie for the gold.

This is like asking Shaq to hit 10 straight free throws.

This was fourth-and-the-Olympics.

No way.

But then something wonderful happened. He shot on the bar, and floated and rotated as if governed by something else than the gravity. His toughest move came up -- three blind releases in a row -- and he not only pulled it off but also pulled it off with perfect form. He sprung into the air for his dismount, folding himself like a baton, then unfolding just in time to land square and steady. He threw his arms into the air.

His score came up. A 9.837. His coach, Miles Avery, screamed, "You're the Olympic champion!"

Hamm: "No way!"

Way.

He had moved up 12 spots in two events, in his worst apparatuses, and became the first American to gold in the all-around since ...

Since ever.

American men are gold virgins no more.

Experts were trying to explain the inexplicable. In the tiny gymnastics world, which most Americans only care about every four years, Hamm had done what Elway did to Cleveland, what Jordan did to Utah, what Brady did to Carolina.

"I've never seen anything like this," said broadcaster Peter Vidmar, the only other American man to even medal in the all-around. "Ever."

Two Koreans, Dae Eun Kim and Tae Young Yang, looked like the best man who lost the engagement ring. Kim frowned as his silver was placed around his neck. Yang took off his bronze right after leaving the floor. Both blew past Korean press begging for a quote.

Hamm, meanwhile, had a grin that won't get a day off for a while. What can you expect from Hamm? He'll do the Today Show. He'll do Letterman and Leno. He'll do commercials. As one of People's 50 Most Beautiful People, he's got a good running start.

Now all he has to deal with is you-know-what. When he walked off the floor, his medal shining even more brilliantly that you can imagine, a radio guy interviewed Hamm and then turned the microphone back to himself for a wrap-up.

"That was Paul Ham, who just won the gold ..."

Sigh.

Maybe by Beijing in 2008 everyone will get the defending gold medalist's name right.

[Alf]

Gymnastics is heading towards Artistic Skating.... That's a shame. Although Paul Hamm did a tremendous last event performance, not awarding the Korean the Gold medal will do harm to gymnastics. Most sports talk are saying this today in France...

Anyway, I watched the last 3 events and these guys are impressive !

[Brillig]

Uh, while it's possible that Hamm got some tenths on reputation, no one forced the Koreans to make errors on their last routines. If the judges "gave" Hamm the gold, it's only because the Koreans threw it away first.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Alf

Gymnastics is heading towards Artistic Skating.... That's a shame. Although Paul Hamm did a tremendous last event performance, not awarding the Korean the Gold medal will do harm to gymnastics. Most sports talk are saying this today in France...

Umm... I do have limited knowledge of gymnastics, but if the judges thought he deserved the score, why should the they have given him a lower one so someone else would have won the gold?

[Draft Dodger]

I dunno, did you hear Paul Hamm speak? he could still be a virgin.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by mckerney

Umm... I do have limited knowledge of gymnastics, but if the judges thought he deserved the score, why should the they have given him a lower one so someone else would have won the gold?

Because everyone hates Americans, so if someone was going to lose it should have been the American. Don't you get it?

[Alf]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Because everyone hates Americans, so if someone was going to lose it should have been the American. Don't you get it?

Non, no, no. I am glad that Paul Hamm won as I really enjoyed seeing him on the "barre fixe" (and no, for those of you perverts, I do not prefer men).

The thing is that overall, he got very high grades (abnormally high) in his last 2 "events" thus leading the commentators to say that gym is heading towards ice skating (in a bad way) as it is purely judges decision.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by Alf

Non, no, no. I am glad that Paul Hamm won as I really enjoyed seeing him on the "barre fixe" (and no, for those of you perverts, I do not prefer men).

The thing is that overall, he got very high grades (abnormally high) in his last 2 "events" thus leading the commentators to say that gym is heading towards ice skating (in a bad way) as it is purely judges decision.

ironic that it's the French complaining about judging!
also funny that the American commentators didn't think the grades were abnormal.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Alf

Non, no, no. I am glad that Paul Hamm won as I really enjoyed seeing him on the "barre fixe" (and no, for those of you perverts, I do not prefer men).

The thing is that overall, he got very high grades (abnormally high) in his last 2 "events" thus leading the commentators to say that gym is heading towards ice skating (in a bad way) as it is purely judges decision.

I saw several others that got way too high and way too low grades, but honestly that happens every year. Gymnastics, while having better criteria to judge than ice skating, still is a judgement call. His last two exercises were flawless. I don't see how they could be called "abnormal."

[Alf]

hmm, we finish the men event at a respectable 19th place. I am sure than even if we had biased judge in our favor we couldn't have won or even placed in the top 8

[cthomer5000]

This reminds me of the juror angle in the Derrick Thomas thread here. Why does some observer think they're more qualified to judge the event than an olympic judge?

And yes, if a Korean had rallied to win the event, I highly doubt we'd be talking about what a shame it was.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by cthomer5000

This reminds me of the juror angle in the Derrick Thomas thread here. Why does some observer think they're more qualified to judge the event than an olympic judge?

And yes, if a Korean had rallied to win the event, I highly doubt we'd be talking about what a shame it was.

oh, I bet a few people would bring up ant-US bias for sure.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

oh, I bet a few people would bring up ant-US bias for sure.

Maybe about the other American getting a 9.18 on his last event, but not on Hamm. Everyone had written him off.

[cthomer5000]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

oh, I bet a few people would bring up ant-US bias for sure.

Ok, I concede that. Lets imagine a Korean gymnast rallied past an Australian one. If that happens, it's a blip on the olympic radar. But an American is involved, and Joe Olympicfan thinks hes more qualified than judges selected by the IOC to score these events. The whole even is incredibly subjective, we all know that. Still, you have to trust their opinions more than your own. If you don't, why are you even watching the games?

[Alf]

GD : I think that McClure (sp ?) was robbed in his latest event too.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Alf

GD : I think that McClure (sp ?) was robbed in his latest event too.

I'm no expert, but his routine looked a lot better than a 9.18. There were guys falling and getting better than that.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Alf

The thing is that overall, he got very high grades (abnormally high) in his last 2 "events" thus leading the commentators to say that gym is heading towards ice skating (in a bad way) as it is purely judges decision.

Heading towards ice skating?! I thought they were skipping arm-in-arm already. They're both based on judges' decisions. All these people are bitching about is that the outcomes are as transparent as they are in figure skating. But they've always been subjective, to a large degree.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

I'm no expert, but his routine looked a lot better than a 9.18. There were guys falling and getting better than that.

Tim "Dipstick" Daggett made a very brief mention that the max score for the routine based on the degree of difficulty was 9.50, so he wasn't working from much to begin with.

of course, he alluded to the fact that the 9.50 might be too low, but, like the rest of the skimpy coverage, they didn't explain how that number gets determined, and why it might be open to interpretation.

[rkmsuf]

Gymnastics...bleh.

Who the heck invented the pommell horse? I've never seen such a ridiculous event. Weee, watch me spin around and do scissors just like the 100 others guys just before me.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

Tim "Dipstick" Daggett made a very brief mention that the max score for the routine based on the degree of difficulty was 9.50, so he wasn't working from much to begin with.

of course, he alluded to the fact that the 9.50 might be too low, but, like the rest of the skimpy coverage, they didn't explain how that number gets determined, and why it might be open to interpretation.

Yeah, I heard that. The real question is why they lowered the difficulty score when it had been higher to that point? I'm not going to say there was a fix, but there is a least as much to question there as there was about Hamm's scoring.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

Gymnastics...bleh.

Who the heck invented the pommell horse? I've never seen such a ridiculous event. Weee, watch me spin around and do scissors just like the 100 others guys just before me.

I have to agree there. The PH does take skill and strength under control, but it is about the dullest event to watch.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Yeah, I heard that. The real question is why they lowered the difficulty score when it had been higher to that point? I'm not going to say there was a fix, but there is a least as much to question there as there was about Hamm's scoring.

right - and if they weren't so focused on sharing all the "feel-good" stories and showing picture of the dude's twin or McClure's fiancee, maybe they could have actually explained better this rather important scoring info.

of course, I don't think any of the 3 American announcers had much of a clue how the scoring really worked anyway.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by cthomer5000

This reminds me of the juror angle in the Derrick Thomas thread here. Why does some observer think they're more qualified to judge the event than an olympic judge?

What a great idea! We should do it American Idol style, and have viewers vote in on the events. We could have Brian Dunkleman take the Ryan Seacrest job (since he probably isn't doing anything anyway)!

[Raven Hawk]

Personally after watching that, I think that the Korean got screwed. To lose the gold medal by .012 points to a guy who fell down on his vault . . . that's just not right.

The thing to consider, however, is that the judges didn't have a cumulative score card and say "The American needs an 9.825 to win, lets give it to him."

Hamm should have gotten worse than a 9.137 when he fell over onto the judges. That's where the scoring got screwed up. But I'm not a gymnastics judge, so I don't know shit.

Does Paul Hamm breath helium? Did you hear him speak?

[rkmsuf]

this is a new low. debating gymnastics scores.

[NoMyths]

Having seen his performance on the final two events (and the others), I don't feel he was given artificially inflated scores to help him out. It would be hard to do better than he did on them. Meanwhile, there were enough mistakes by the others to hurt them...and not with artificially reduced scores, but with reasonable ones.

[tategter]

Originally Posted by Raven Hawk

Does Paul Hamm breath helium? Did you hear him speak?

Didn't you know that all gymnasts are Lilliputions. The reason they look normal sized is because all of the judges and coaches are former gymnasts.

[Mr. Wednesday]

Regarding McClure's 9.5 starting value and how it could have been lower than expected -- one thing that the color folks will often mention in passing is "bonus points" for certain skills, which I presume go into the "starting value", before deductions for failing to complete elements properly. Along the same lines, they've also talked about steep deductions for failing to hold a strength element in the still rings for the required length of time. I thought one or two of McClure's elements were borderline there, so it's possible that failing to complete one of those elements results in a lower start value.

As far as a more overall view of how the judging has been, it's hard to tell. There's no question, there have been a few scores that looked a tenth (or more) high to me, based on visible errors (imperfect landings and the like). But scores that look low, I have a harder time saying, because I don't know things like start values (except when as e.g. vault the color folks say what it is), and I suspect that I don't know all of the things the judges have to look for.