Best VISA moments the cameras missed

[monkeysmom]

Unless I missed it playing my recording back, they didn't show Gabrielle Douglas's floor routine. It wasn't perfect, but WOW can she fly high. Amazing to see in person.

Next best, two moments from Jessie DeZiel, the local athlete from Minnesota. She has only been an elite a few months. On night two she was the first up of all the competitors, excitement in the air, they called her name, and she did a great vault! Wow, very impressive and gutsy. Despite the TV comentator's sympathy on air for Raisman on beam after Bross's injury, the next competitor after the injury was actually Jessie DeZiel on beam (you could hear people cheering for her on the audio). She was the only competitor performing at the time. Not perfect (she had a fall), but she nailed other parts of the routine and wow what a gutsy performance. The TV folks (do they get their list of who to cover from USAG/Marta??) showed Shawn J. cutting tape off her leg, faces of various other gymnasts rather than showing even a moment of DeZiel on beam. That 17-year old girl is one composed gutsy lady and people watching her in person were impressed.

Thoughts and prayers to Bross, it was a heartbreaking moment to see, hope she has a good recovery. She is a wonderful athlete.

 

[Tumblequeensmom]

You know, I've always wondered how and why the cameramen focus on particular girls. One of our local gyms had an elite competing the last few years, but they NEVER showed her! Granted, she was never ranked very high, but still... a glance every now and then of the other girls would be refreshing. Now, I understand everyone wanting to see the big names, but surely they could have shown Jessie (I heard them cheering her on too) instead of Shawn cutting the tape off of her knee!

 

[monkeysmom]

Interesting

Interesting that you have noticed it too. It's not a matter of some athletes not getting "much" coverage, half oof the athletes seem to be on a "do not show or talk about--at all" list. Well, I supposed it boils down to following the money, like so much in this country. VISA is a sponsor, is invested in "funded" athletes, perhaps want to get the most bang for their money in terms of on air exposure. Maybe between marching orders from USAG and "the money," the producers and commentators are having their hands tied from showing any of the other girls.

I watched the recent coverage of the diving nationals on Universal Sports, and they covered every diver in every final, so I have to believe it has something to do with USAG and/or the sponsors. Personally, I think it makes the coverage less interesting. But then, I am always one to cheer for an underdog, and I enjoy quirkier offbeat stories as much as the "big story"!

 

[monkeysmom]

Around the gym

This is going to make me sound mean spirited, but I also found most of the "Around the Gym" segments to be almost unwatchable. So much bragging, buttering up, and ego stroking that it was hard for me to watch. Not too much journalism going on there.

On one segment I had recorded, Korolyi asked "why not?," why not let girls out there who have been training hard over 10 years go out and do their best at seniors. He was speaking of getting rid of the age limits. Why not? Because a fourteen year old girl who has been training "hard" for over ten years did it in the early years to please the adults in their lives. Three, four, five and six year olds do things to please the adults in their lives, and it's just plain wrong for children that age to "train hard." I'm not saying not to do gymnastics, I'm saying not to "train hard." And it's not just about the handful of thirteen, fourteen or fifteen year olds at the end of the line the selection committee is impressed with. We as a society need to be concerned about the collateral damage to the hundreds of other very young children who tried. It's our job as a society and as parents, to protect and nurture kids.

 

[bribri514]

I think Visas coverage was worse than Cover Girl because it was for regular NBC. I'm glad gymnastics is brought into my households being on regular NBC because usually it's just football and stuff like that. But NBC is soooooooooooooo bad at ALL sports coverage. Their Olympic coverage makes me want to tear my hair out. It's all drama this and drama that when it's not there! I bet the girls competing don't even know that we get sick of seeing them them them and not anyone else (even though we still love them of course!) because it's no different to them competing in their meet, it's all decided in editing rooms by TV producers and stuff. It's not like reality TV where people know, it's just athletes competing and doing their best who get misrepresented as drama lovers and that's sad.

Okay maybe the NFL and NBA the only sports America seems to care about every day of the year have that stupid drama, even though the athletes get paid MILLIONS of dollars a year. But other sports where the athletes work their butts off don't. My ski racing friends complain NBC only focuses on 2 ski racers and that's it and only shows them, getting ready, putting skis on, etc. and ignores everyone else, even the other Americans. My track friends say it too that NBC covers an entire sprint race, a few athletes getting ready in those metal things at the start, every single prelim race, big interviews with the winners bragging, and then 1 second, not even a single full try of all the other things in track. Same with swimming and big names like Michael Phelps. I wonder if we signed even petitions that NBC would change their coverage! Or maybe (SADLY) that's what the "average" American wants, sports dumbed down and turned into a freaking reality TV show. So it's not NBC it's like that with any major network with sports coverage. It's a reeealllly sad statement on our culture!

Argh! :end rant: Sorry it's just something I noticed since I was little and bugs me all the time. It's just TV sports so I don't get angry really, it's just sad in a pathetic kind of way IMO.

But annnywaay back on topic! Thanks for the "insider" info from being there. It's always great to get the story from people who saw it, I believe it more than what I see with my own two eyes on NBC. Especially cool about DeZiel.