Archives for April 2016

Move over falsified Chinese birth certificates—there’s a new gymnastics scandal that has more surprises than a bottle of Heinz ketchup has tomatoes.

What do you get when you cross two gymnasts representing Trinidad and Tobago (TTO)—native-born Thema Williams who lives in Michigan and Canada-born Marisa Dick—a questionable gymnastics federation, a set of topless social media pictures, and a mysterious pair of Heinzes?

Here’s what has happened so far.

2015

At the World Championships, Williams finishes 59^th and Dick finishes 77^th, securing a single TTO spot—presumably for Williams—at the Olympic Test Event in Rio.

Despite her lower finish, Dick is nominated by the Trinidad and Tobago Gymnastics Federation (TTGF) for Sportswoman of the Year.

2016

January 18: The Dick, as in Marisa’s beam mount, is officially added to the Code of Points. Jokes ensue.

February 22: “Georgette Heinz,” the self-proclaimed mother of a young female gymnast, sends the TTGF a year-old Instagram selfie of Williams topless, but unexposed. Williams has since justified her photo as a means of displaying her pride to be a black woman. She says:

It was supposed to be about appreciation for your body, especially in the skin that I am in. The caption itself said I am a proud black woman.

Heinz demands that the TTGF take disciplinary action against this “disgraceful” photo.

Williams’ godmother and local TTO celebrity, Nikki Crosby, champions a social media movement supporting Williams. Several other local female celebrities appear topless on Facebook, backing the “We Support Thema” campaign. Public support for Williams grows quickly.

#isupportthema #wesupportthema #themaforrio pic.twitter.com/JtLbpxMNsy

— Carisa Lee (@Carisa_Lee) March 2, 2016

Madness. One side there’s a reach for equality and on the other, the absolute opposite #WesupportThema https://t.co/uXDzUtlXfF

— Roulin Khondoker (@RoulinKhondoker) March 2, 2016

February 25: Another Heinz, another topless photo. This time, it’s “Kamara Heinz” who forwards a topless Snapchat of Dick (again, as in Marisa) to the TTGF. As topless photos of both Williams and Dick are leaked, taking the single spot for the Test Event as a punishment to Williams is not an option for the TTGF.

Both gymnasts are sent to a TTGF Disciplinary Committee. The decision of who will represent TTO at the Test Event is drawn out and incites public distaste for the TTGF, as support for Williams continues to build.

Sttteeeuuuuppppsss…. TTGF is officially full of idiots.

— Cherylee C. Legair (@CheryleeLegair) April 16, 2016

TTGF pic.twitter.com/j412wWQ9PM

— Jelani (@ValeboyLani) April 16, 2016

I truly hope the TTGF not getting our tax payers dollars after this. A waste of time organization.

— SicSynic (@le_sanika) April 16, 2016

March 15: The TTGF officially selects Williams to represent her country in Rio, but only if she receives medical clearance to compete before the event. According to the federation, her coach, John Geddert, said she was dealing with a knee injury and wasn’t yet able to train landings. The federation responds, “This situation will be monitored closely to ensure that Thema will be competition ready for her Test Event.”

April 15: Geddert emails the TTGF at 7:24 p.m. saying:

Podium was a disaster with 6 falls on 3 events. She has been dealing with a sore ankle to the point that I asked her to withdraw last week. She assured me she can do this.

April 16: TTGF President David Marquez responds via email at 12:27 a.m. He says, “What this says to us John it is that Thema will not perform well at this competition due to her injury. This is a country place and as a federation we must do what is best for the country, i.e. ensuring the best athlete represents the country.” Marquez then plainly states—the night before the competition—that Williams will be pulled from the competition and replaced by Dick.

Then Dick, who was currently in Canada, would make a last-minute international trip to Rio to compete in just a few hours.

April 16: At 5:17 p.m., Geddert explains that he believes his words were taken out of context. “The rationale for the podium is to have the athlete acclimatize themselves to the competition arena. This ‘6 falls’ reason singled out by you to pull her is irrational in my respectful view.”

It was reported that according to the TTGF player contract, the head of delegation, physiotherapist, coach and athlete must be consulted before an athlete can be removed from a competition. As the TTGF made their decision in haste during the middle of the night, neither the head of delegation, Geddert nor Williams were consulted of the final decision before it was made.

Complicating things further, Geddert leaves Rio altogether to tend to a family emergency at home.

April 17: If only for a public guise, Williams and Dick seem to get along following the Test Event.

T&T gymnasts Thema Williams & Marisa Dick pose for a 📸 AFTER the Olympic Test event on 17 April 2016. [📸 @Wired868] pic.twitter.com/9D5vzSBCoA

— Clydeen McDonald (@ClydeenMcDonald) April 22, 2016

April 18: Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) President Brian Lewis says his committee has “‘sole and final and exclusive’ authority for the composition of the T&T team for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.”

In the meantime, Williams’ mother, Helen Adams, has sought legal assistance from attorney Keith Scotland. They claim the decision to remove Williams “was irrational, illegal, null and void.”

April 19: Dick officially secures the first-ever Olympic berth for a TTO gymnast, placing 55^th at the Test Event. She says:

I am really proud that T&T will be represented in the Olympics whether it’s myself or Thema…Yes she supported me in Rio and I supported her after Worlds. I was heartbroken that I would not be the one going to the Olympics but I was so supportive of her because it’s T&T that will be going to the Olympics it’s not myself or Thema it’s T&T.

April 19: An October 8, 2015 email surfaces sent from TTGF President Marquez saying he believes Worlds will “most likely be Thema’s last competition.”

April 20: Williams returns home to a warm welcome and outpouring of support. People named the previous day “Thema Tuesday.”

Everybody know say Thema @ThemaY_Williams a #champion pic.twitter.com/oKtZtGkNTG

— Dwayne DJ Bravo (@DJBravo47) April 20, 2016

Thema Williams arrived to a hero’s welcome last night, at the PIA .
Photo courtesy Penelope Spencer. pic.twitter.com/spRtE3Ludi

— Elizabeth Williams (@EWilliamstv6) April 20, 2016

April 20: Local TV station CNC3 shares an interview conducted with Geddert, in which he says the TTGF has “been frustrating beyond the definition of the word since we started…It seems like they like to be in the spotlight more than they like to be behind the scenes assisting the athletes.” He also explained that he received the October 8, 2015 email from Marquez by mistake. When he inquired about it with Marquez, Geddert never received a response.

In the same interview, Geddert lauds Williams in comparison to Dick.

She is a more powerful athlete, she is a more polished athlete, she is a more athletic athlete.

April 21: Marquez admits that Head of Delegation Nicole Fuentes was not properly consulted about the decision to pull Williams. He claims that the TTGF had to make a rapid decision because they received Geddert’s initial email so late in the night.

April 22: To date, four members of the TTGF have resigned, and more resignations are expected.

Public support for Williams remains strong with a movement to immediately cut the TTGF’s funding.

April 28: Williams’ lawyers say there is a chance for her to represent TTO in Rio, “but only with the support of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee.”

April 29: The FIG makes a statement saying Dick cannot be replaced by Williams for TTO’s Olympic spot.

The TTOC has until May 9 to confirm Dick’s place on the Olympic team. Since it is a nominative position, no name change or replacement is allowed. If no decision is made on time, the first reserve from the Test Event will earn the chance to compete in Rio.

While American gymnasts are fighting for the chance to represent their country in a process more grueling than the Hunger Games, other countries are still trying to qualify for their Olympic spot. GymCastic crew member Stefane Victor compiled this guide of how nations will qualify teams or individual athletes to Rio at the Test Event on April 21-22.

Who attends:

• Teams that placed 9-16 at last year’s Worlds.
• Individuals selected by delegations of countries that placed 17-24 at last year’s Worlds.
  • E.g., a country that placed 19^th during Worlds qualification can send two athletes to compete for an Olympic spot in the Test Event’s All Around competition.

How it works:

• Teams send six athletes to the Test Event, compete five athletes per apparatus, and count the four highest scores (5 up 4 count).
  • The top four countries qualify full teams to the Olympics.
• If a country placed below 16^th at Worlds, it may send up to two athletes to compete in the Test Event’s All Around competition.
  • The top 24 women and 18 men (one per country who are not on a post-Test Event qualified team) will qualify to the Olympics. Note: This spot qualifies the athlete, not the country. The athlete can’t be swapped out by their country’s federation. 

Q: Is there any chance a great gymnast won’t make it to the Olympics?

A: Yes. Even though the Test Event provides two ways to qualify, if an individual/team didn’t qualify in 2015, it is possible a fantastic gymnast like Larissa Iordache (ROM) won’t be at the Games.

Q: Can Oksana Chusovitina (UZB) qualify as an event specialist at the Test Event even though she didn’t win a World Vault medal in 2015?

A: No. Gymnasts aiming for an individual Olympic berth (his/her country cannot have already qualified a team) must qualify through the All Around competition at the Test Event. This means we will see Chuso on all four events. But if you think she’s a one-trick vault pony, think again. Chuso has skills named after her on Uneven Bars and Floor Exercise, and they are NOT easy—a Chusovitina on floor, a double layout full-out, is an H-level skill.

Q: If Romania doesn’t qualify in the Team competition, does Iordache have a guaranteed Olympic spot as an All Around medalist at Worlds?

A: No. Only Event Final medalists have qualified a spot to Rio. Because Iordache medaled in the All Around, her country will have to qualify through the Team competition. As it stands, Iordache won’t be competing at the Test Event due to a finger injury, so she will not be able to earn her Olympic berth in the All Around competition. If Romania does not place in the top four at the Test Event, Iordache will have no way to represent Romania at the Olympics. So please, go light a candle right now.

Q: If Romania qualifies during the Team Event, will Iordache be able to go to the Olympics even if she misses the Test Event?

A: Maybe. If a country qualifies a team, it is up to the nation’s delegation to decide who goes. A gymnast can compete at the Test Event, help a nation qualify a team, but not be named to the Olympic Team. Only individual All Around qualifiers are guaranteed a spot, personally, in their name to the Olympics. 

Q: Which teams have the best shot at qualifying to the Olympics? 

A: Lauren Hopkins from the Gymter.net has compiled a best case scenario for each team. Based on her calculations, the four team’s with the highest scoring potential in order are; Brazil, Germany, France and Belgium. Read her full analysis here. 

For you visual learners, check out Uncle Tim’s flowchart below. 

See a bigger version of the flowchart here, and tell us what you think about the qualification process below.

Yesterday the U.S. women—Simone Biles, Brenna Dowell, Laurie Hernandez, Ashton Locklear, Aly Raisman and Ragan Smith (replacing the injured Maggie Nichols)—took to the floor for podium training before the Pacific Rim Championships. Didn’t catch the live stream? GymCastic crew member Stefane Victor put together this list of what you should know:

Floor

Dowell: Upgraded first pass to front layout + double front for a .2 connection with legs glued together, but with lackluster choreography

Smith: Fell on a whippy double layout, but sells routine exceptionally well

Hernandez: Same magically choreographed routine as last year, but with a whippy double layout

Raisman: Great double L turn—one of the best in the world, but switch-full leaves something to be desired

Biles: Debuts new routine with amazing first few passes, but looks tired heading into her last passes

Vault

Dowell: Double-twisting Yurchenko (DTY) with great dynamics, but has a noticeable pike-down

Smith: DTY close to the table, a bit of pre-twisting but with a great landing

Hernandez: DTY stuck, but missing amplitude

Raisman: Great Amanar…for her

Biles: Amanar is amazing, Cheng is well-executed

Uneven Bars

Dowell: Altered routine, still with a high D-score but much easier for her to execute; missed release to belly flop, still superb form throughout

Locklear: Not perfect for competition, but still showing exceptional ease and fluidity

Smith: Not her event, but could step up in an Olympic emergency

Hernandez: Maybe the worst constructed routine for the US—a shame because her bar work is very solid

Raisman: Altered routine; she has noticeably improved

Biles: Glorious Pak, may be the best in the field

Balance Beam

Locklear: Soft knees take away form acrobatic series, but usable routine in a pinch

Smith: Sissone is very underextended

Hernandez: Great beam; extension of her limbs and deliberate motions are reminiscent of Kyla Ross

Raisman: Clearly spent a lot of time working on her execution, but still struggles with her switch-half

Biles: Consistent and amazing—trademark Simone

What are you most excited to see during Pac Rims?

Before the NCAA gymnastics season even starts, the competition already begins. NCAA intro videos are a crucial marketing tool that set the tone for the team that season, showcase the talent of the athletes, and, based on the production value, show how important these teams are to their respective athletic departments.

Now that the season has ramped up toward the NCAA Championship, do you think these videos accurately portray the 2016 teams?

Take a look, and vote for your favorite!

Oklahoma:

Video

Air Force:

Arizona:

Auburn:

Ball State:

UCLA:

Denver:

Florida:

George Washington:

Illinois:

Illinois-Chicago:

Kentucky:

LSU:

Minnesota:

Missouri:

New Hampshire:

Utah: