Gabby Got Gold

Cha Ching!  This is what happens when you win the AA Olympic Gold [Photo Source-USAGymnastics.com]

What can I say?  The girl is good.  She took the lead after vault and never looked back.  She is a totally changed gymnast from last year.  She was consistent from start to finish.  Even the Russian ballerina gymnast Victoria Komova couldn't stop her.  There was another staring contest with the scoreboard.   All eyes were on it awaiting the results.  Victoria had her hands crossed tightly in front of her chest and with her eyes you could just see her silently begging for first.  She narrowly missed out on a Gold medal to Jordan Wieber at last years Worlds and when it happened again she burst into tears.  Gabby's wins her first AA title at the Olympics.  Not too shabby.

Standing full twisting back tuck on beam [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com]

I felt so bad for Aly.  She hit every single routine for her team but when it was time to do it for herself she put her hands on the beam and almost fell off which was her first real mistake of the Olympics.  Aliya Mustafina actually did fall off beam.  She's a beautiful gymnast. Having come back from an ACL tear just last year she has to be happy with 3rd even though those Russians want nothing less then Gold.  I would have loved to see two Americans on the podium and Aly was totally capable of it but as we've seen it only matters what you do on that one specific day in that one specific moment.  The worse thing about it is that as you can see from the results below Aliya and Aly actually tied in the AA.  Nastia Liukin lost out on a Gold Medal on bars in 2008 with FIG tie breaker math and now it's Aly on the wrong side of the mathematical equation.  They did some funny formula where whoever had the highest execution and difficulty total on 3 events with their lowest event score dropped got the medal.  Why can't they both just get the bronze?  I'm not sure why it makes sense that this formula is the best way to determine who gets to stand on the podium but as we saw when Jordan didn't qualify for All Around finals due to the 2 per country technicality, rules are rules.  No matter how unfair they might seem.

Golden Girls:  Mary Lou, Gabby, Carly and Nastia [Photo Source:  USAGymastics.com]

Mary Lou Retton won it in 1984, Carly Patterson won it in 2004 and Nastia Liukin won it in 2008.  With that win Gabby Douglas becomes the 4th ever and the 3rd American Olympic All Around Gold Medalist in a row.  She's also the first ever African American to win it.  If she didn't know that moving away from home to train and dedicating her life to gymnastics was the right choice she certainly knows it now.  Her sacrifice has paid off big time and her life is forever changed.  Seriously, how did they get that Corn Flakes box made so fast?  Maybe the whole team will get the Wheaties box!  Not only is she going to be able to cash in on some major endorsements but she has the satisfaction of working hard for a dream and achieving it.  I can't take credit for noticing this on my own but all the letters in Gabby's last name Douglas actually spell out USA Gold when you re arrange them.  Guess it was meant to be.

Based on NBC's coverage you'd never know it but there were actually 24 and not just 5 gymnasts in the competition.  Here are the results.

WOMEN'S ALL AROUND
1. Gabby Douglas (USA)- 62.232 (GOLD)
2. Viktoria Komova (RUS)- 61.973 (SILVER)
3. Aliya Mustafina (RUS)- 59.566 (BRONZE)
4. Aly Raisman (USA)- 59.566
5. Sandra Izbasa (ROM)- 58.833
6. Deng Linlin (CHN)- 58.399
7. Huang Qiushuang (CHN)- 58.115
8. Vanessa Ferrari (ITA)- 57.999
9. Larisa Iordache (ROM)- 57.965
10. Elisabeth Seitz (GER)- 57.365

11. Asuka Teramoto (JPN)- 57.332

12. Celine van Gerner (NED)- 57.232

13. Rebecca Tunney (GBR)- 56.932

14. Giulia Steingruber (SUI)- 56.148

15. Emily Little (AUS)- 55.765

16. Rie Tanaka (JPN)- 55.632

17. Dominique Pegg (CAN)- 55.565

18. Jessica Lopez (VEN)- 55.5

19. Marta Pihan Kulesza (POL)- 55.465

20. Ashleigh Brennan (AUS)- 55.332

21. Carlotta Ferlito (ITA)- 55.098

22. Ana Sofia Gomez Porras (GUA)- 54.899

23. Aurelie Malaussena (FRA)- 50.166

24. Hannah Whelan (GBR)- 41.999

Next Up: Event Finals

Oil of Olay

Since I know that you are all dying to know, I'm going to tell you about my skin care routine.  It's simple, inexpensive, and has never changed.  My mom uses Oil of Olay and  her mom used Oil of Olay back in the day when it came in the glass container.  My sister uses it too, and we all look younger then our age so I figure we're doing something right.  I can't tell you how many best drug store brand lists that Oil of Olay has made.  Every time one comes out in Glamour, Marie Claire or whatever magazine I happen to be reading it's always at the top of the list.  This means that it's inexpensive AND effective.  I'm always on a budget so I don't want to pay expensive department store prices if I don't have to.

My skin care regime

The routine is simple.  Wash, tone and moisturize.  I switch back and forth between the Olay foaming face wash and the Olay Cleanser + Face scrub.  Then, I apply the Toner with a cotton ball.  I love the smell.  Really fresh and clean.  It removes any left over make up or dirt and doesn't dry out my skin.  Then I moisturize.  I use Olay Complete with SPF 15 during the day and Night of Olay Firming Creme at night which is a slightly thicker formula.  I love the way everything smells and I love the way my skin looks and feels afterwards.  Totally clean, smooth and moisturized.  That's it.  And you you really can't beat the prices.  Everything I use ranges in price between $5-$10 bucks.

• Olay Pore Minimizing Cleanser & Scrub 
• Olay Normal Foaming Face Wash
• Olay Oil Minimizing toner 
• Olay Complete All Day UV Moisturizer with SPF 15 
• Night of Olay Firming Cream

They've got a ton of other products now including sensitive, acne and anti aging lines so there is something for everyone.  These are just the ones that I really like and have stuck with over the years.  I've been meaning to switch to the Olay Regenerist Advanced Anti Aging line for the last five years or so.  Every time I look at the price of the moisturizer ($18.99) I say, "Eh...I'm not THAT old yet, I'll do it next time" and then next time never comes.  The Regenerist cleanser and wash is about the same price so I just need to do it already.  The Regenerist moisturizer is still relatively cheap compared so I'll still be getting a great product for a lot less then what I could be paying.

The Fierce Five is Golden!!

What am I loving on Wednesday?  Duh.  Gymnastics.  They women won Gold in the team competition for the first time since 1996.  There was the Magnificent Seven and now there is the Fab Five.  And fabulous they were.  They beat Russia by 5 points.   They nailed everything.  It was just such a beautiful sight to see.  Aly started crying right in the middle of her last split jump before she even finished her routine.  They joined hands and all eyes were glued on that scoreboard waiting for the final results to flash. The Russians cried tears of defeat, the Americans cried tears of joy and I cried too.  If Mj hadn't been sitting beside me I probably would have been bawling but I held it back.  It was good to see Jordan smiling and so happy after being so devastated two days ago.  And who would have ever thought Gabby Douglas would be the only Team USA gymnast to do All Around?  I never thought I'd see her in a team final on beam but it looks like things have clicked and she's got it.  What tough and talented group of girls.  How awesome must it be to be them right now.  Fab Five or Fierce Five.  They're amazing no matter what you call them.

Mckayla, Kyla, Aly, Gabby, Jordan [Photo Source Getty Images @NBCOlympic.com]

I'm also loving that Mj sat right there and watched the whole thing with me.  With all the jumping around NBC does with Olympic coverage it was hours.  He asked me questions about what was going on.  He was interested and it was pretty cool.  I had to totally unplug the day of competition because between the time difference in London and the East Coast West Coast time difference I can't risk being a spoiler alert victim.  I really like the suspense of watching the competition without knowing the results.  So there was little internet and no Facebook yesterday.  And it'll be the same on Thursday for All Around finals.  I could DVR and watch it the next day but I can't wait!  I'm so tired today but staying up was worth it.  I get a whole week of watching the best gymnasts in the world compete.  I'm on Gymnastics overload and I love it.
 
Team Final Results
USA  183.596
Russia 178. 530
Romania 176. 414
China 174.430
Canada 170.804
Great Britain 170.495
Italy  167.930
Japan  166.646

Next Up: All Around Finals 

So golden they ended up on a Corn Flakes Box!!!

Jordan is Out and Aly is In

Aly Raisman qualifies to All Around finals as the #1 for USA.  Gabby Douglas qualifies #2. [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com]

It was obvious that Aly was in shock and disbelief to find that she was in the #1 spot for All Around rankings after Team USA's qualification round.  So was Jordan and so was everyone else.  It was expected that the team would qualify for Team finals #1 but it was not expected that Aly would qualify for All Around finals.  It was supposed to be Gabby and Jordan according to expectation but due to the two athlete per country rule Jordan got bumped out.  Never mind that she is the current reigning World Champion and finished 4th among all the athletes in qualifications.  Rules are rules and even though she has trained her whole life for this and is obviously one of the best of the best she will not get the chance to compete in the All Around Finals.  My heart breaks for her.  She's done everything right and she deserves to be there.  But of course, so do Aly and Gabby.  Jordan made some mistakes and the judges were really hard on her on beam but even as I watched the competition nothing seemed amiss.  It's not like she fell or anything obvious.  An arched back on bars, a big balance break on beam and out of bounds on floor.  Not perfect, but neither was anyone else.  I just figured that Aly would be odd man out and was preparing to feel really bad for her because she works so hard yet never comes out on top.  Instead, Aly's hard work finally did pay off.  She rocked beam and her last event, floor was amazing.  This day belonged to her and with just one slightly off day for Jordan her dream was crushed.  We'll only see her in Team Finals and individual event finals on Floor.  I'm very happy for Aly and Gabby.  Especially Aly because has been so consistent for so many years and has improved so much on her form.  It's just such a shame for Jordan.  She seemed dazed after she saw the score board.  I think she wanted to head right out of the arena but was corralled back into the media area along with the rest of the team.  She barely held the tears back as she was interviewed afterwards.  This did not go as planned but she still has to put her disappointment aside and step up tomorrow for the team. 

Jordan Wieber burst into tears when she saw her name drop to 3rd [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com]

She's not the first deserving gymnast to ever be a victim of the two per country rule and she won't be the last unless it changes.  It should be about the best of the best and not the best of the best minus some athletes if their team is really, really good.  I think if you are in the top 8 but got bumped out because of the two per country rule then you should be allowed into finals.  If they must cap it at 24 then whomever is at the bottom should get bumped out.  It seems kind of ridiculous that person #24 who has absolutely no chance for an AA medal will get to compete for it but Jordan won't.  A rule that's supposed to encourage diversity and make things "fair" sure doesn't seem so fair right now.

Another upset of the games so far is Michael Phelps getting 4th place (no medal) to Ryan Lochte's win in the 400 IM finals.  I don't follow swimming but from what I can piece together it seems that Michael intended 2008 where he won 8 Gold medals to be his last Olympics but then ended up going for 2012 anyways.  It seems that while Ryan was training his butt off for the last four years Michael came into the competition unprepared and maybe slightly overconfident if you asked me.  The commentators said that he didn't get as much training in.  During the interview afterwards he seemed really distracted.  He kept looking off to the side instead of talking directly to the camera and you could tell the last place he wanted to be was in front of the camera after his first Olympic loss since 2004.

This is just two examples just in the first few days of the Olympics of how anything can happen.  It doesn't matter how good you are or how many medals you have at home if you are not THE BEST on THE DAY it counts nothing else matters.

Next Up:  Team Finals

There's Something about the Olympics

Kyla Ross dismounting, Gabby Douglas mounting [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com]

Aly Raisman.  Never count her out.  She wants gold.   [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com]

There's just something about the Olympics.  Everybody is watching.  For two weeks it's not some terrible tragedy or incomprehensible act of evil that's keeping the whole world in front of the TV.  There is so much ugliness in the world but the Olympics is something that everyone across the nation can watch and take pride in together.  It's more than just sports.  It's a metaphor for what we aspire to be.  Courageous, strong, determined, skilled.  It's the best of the best and the only thing that even comes close to the incredible talent and athleticism that the Olympics displays is the way it unites the world.  Every four years a crop of new and returning athletes from all over the fights to earn the opportunity to live out a dream.  It's the chance for athletes to compete and be rewarded for their hard work with exposure, endorsements and other opportunities that they might not otherwise get.  It doesn't matter how marginal your sport or how tiny your country.  Once you become an Olympian you also become a shining star in your own right.  Gold, Silver, Bronze or no metal at all the fact that you made it at all is the biggest accomplishment of all.  Some just want to compete and others come for medals but they are all winners.  The Olympics is the biggest competition of their life.  The pressure is intense and I think that's what really draws you in.  The culmination of years of hard work, dedication and sacrifice has come down to one moment.  Everyone wants to do their best.  Some do and some don't.  You can always expect incredible stories of victory, disappointment and of overcoming the odds. It's really magical but at times even heartbreaking.

Team USA:  The Fierce Five-Jordan, McKayla, Kyla, Aly, Gabby [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com]

Russian star Victoria Komova.  She'll be going for All Around Gold  [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com]

I used to be a gymnast and now I'm a fan.  I recorded the 1988, 1992, 1996 Olympics and everything I could watch in between on VHS tapes with a VCR.  I don't know if or when I will ever watch those old tapes again but I still have them in a shoebox somewhere.  Gymnastics is near and dear to my heart and not just every four years.  Gymnasts do things that the human body simply should not be able to do.  The acrobatic skills they do defy the laws of gravity and reason.  What sane individual does a standing full twisting back tuck on a four inch wide four foot high beam?  How is it that a person even has the ability and air awareness to do such a thing?  At a high level all sports are hard even if they don't always look it but Gymnastics is one of those sports where there is no mistaking the incredible degree of talent and sheer guts that it takes to do it.  You must do incredibly difficult and dangerous skills without fear.  And then you must do it over and over again perfectly.  I'm totally in awe of what they do and the dedication it takes to do it.  Even if no one pays attention every other year Gymnastics is always one of the most popular Olympic sports.  The Women's team competition starts Sunday.  They made the cover of Sports Illustrated and have a good chance at winning Gold.  I will be glued to the TV screen along with the rest of the world watching every Tkatchev, double twisting double back and two and a half twisting Yurchenko. 

A beautiful picture slideshow of women's podium training.  They are ready for the 2012 London Olympics.

2012 Olympics Gymnastics Pics, Recaps and Results

What is your favorite Olympic sport and why?

Vacation Booked

[Photo Source: worldatlas.com]

The trip is booked and I leave in 2 months.  Yeah!  We decided to do the cruise and take a different one leaving a day earlier so that we could go on Royal Caribbean.  I was feeling uneasy about being on a European cruise line after reading some negative reviews.  There is smoking allowed, minimum gratuity requirements and other dining charges I never quite figured out.  And you know, that Costa Cruise ship did go down last year.  I feel much more comfortable going on a Cruise line I've sailed with before.  The ship even has an ice skating rink!!! By the time I go Mj will already be in Stuttgart.  I'll fly directly to Barcelona and get there Friday morning and spend the night there all by my lonesome.  Just a tad bit freaked out about that.  Mj will meet me there the next morning and then we'll leave on the cruise.

Itinerary
Barcelona, Spain (1 night)

W. Mediterranean Cruise (7 nights)
Royal Caribbean, Liberty of the Seas
1-Barcelona, Spain Departure
2-Provence (Toulon), France    
3-Nice (Villefranche), France   
4-Livorno, Italy                
5-Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy    
6-Naples, Italy                
7-At Sea                
8-Barcelona, Spain Return

Barcelona, Spain (1 night)
Paris France (2 nights)
Amsterdam (2 nights)
Stuttgart-Early Morning flight home

We'll spend one night in Barcelona after the cruise, two nights in Paris and one 1/2 nights in Amsterdam.  We'll be leaving there at night and taking a sleeper train overnight to Stuttgart and then we'll fly home in the morning.  Thank goodness I was able to get on his return flight.  Planning a trip to Europe takes a lot of research especially when you have a budget to consider.  I don't know what I'd have done without Trip Advisor.  The site gives you multiple price comparisons and there are tons of reviews and hotel photos that guests have posted themselves because you know the hotels will try to fool you with their sleek professional photos.  Paris was the hardest because the hotels are tiny and expensive.  I had hotels coming out of my ears scouring the internet for hours and hours to find us the best value and best location for our money.  We probably won't spend too much time in the room and I don't need to be in a five or even four star hotel but it needs to be clean or else I will freak out.  I can't afford $500 a night but I'm not staying in a dump just because it's less then $150 bucks!  I went above the budget but I'd rather do that then risk being miserable in a nasty hotel.  The airfare, cruise and hotels are all booked and the only thing left to get is our Eurail tickets.  I think I've finally figured out how to get us from point A to point B to point C to point D.  Normally I consider travel agents pointless but I can really see how it would have been helpful to have someone who knows something, anything about Europe helping me figure it all out.  Mj is lucky; he has his own personal travel agent.  ME!!

I racked up some major points on my credit cards by paying with those.  I put half the trip on one card that I'll pay off in August and then the rest of the trip will go on a different card that won't be due until September.  They will both be paid off by the time I actually go I can enjoy myself and not have to come home to a giant bill.  We'll be on vacation for 15 days and 14 nights.  This will be the MOST EXPENSIVE, FARTHEST and LONGEST vacation I've ever taken in my entire life! I won't even know what to do with myself.  I can't wait.