1996 Olympic memories

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I love the Olympics, and the run-up to the games next month is the perfect time to indulge in some Olympics nostalgia. The girls and I have been catching up on London 2012 gymnastics coverage (via YouTube). Most of the videos we were watching had none other than Shannon Miller commentating. This brought to mind watching gymnastics as a kid. So yesterday, I thought to show them the 1996 "Magnificent Seven" US women's gymnastics team victory at the team final. Do you remember that event? My recollection of watching it live (or packaged for prime time; with the Olympics, pre-internet, it was sometimes hard to tell which it was) was that we were at a campground on the Oregon Coast, and I'd just finished running the Portland to Coast relay. My grandparents had a camping trailer with TV and so we watched it there. Seeing Keri Strug running toward that vault and sticking the landing is the stuff sports-based childhood memories are made of.

What I had thankfully forgotten about 1996 women's gymnastics:

1. How patronizingly they were covered by news broadcasters. Listen to the voice-over on that YouTube video - little girls dancing? THESE ARE ATHLETES. Just eww. Apparently there is still some progress to be made in this area, but I do think we've come a long way.

2. How young and tiny the girls competing for the US were. I do remember lots of drama about the Karolyis and eating disorders and delaying puberty, but I also remember that's just how it was, so it didn't necessarily stand out to me at the time. Watching that clip of the 1996 coverage makes me appreciate how the US women's gymnasts these days seems older, bigger, and more mature.

3. That old vault! Remember that horribly dangerous thing? The new one is so much better (at least in this non-gymnast's opinion).

I don't think my girls were as entranced by that video as I was at (almost) their age. Maybe it's one of those you-had-to-be-there-(watching it on TV) moments. But we are all primed for this year's gymnastics competition, so hopefully they'll be able to create some formative Olympics memories of their own!

Oh, and this article is interesting - I'm not thrilled by its tone but it does at least seem to be factually correct and it touches on some interesting ramifications of that team gold medal in 1996.