Comments on: Greatest American Female Gymnasts

By: AWDean

AWDean — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:50:05 +0000

Looking for a great gift? Real personalized greetings from some of our finest gymnasts: Shannon Miller, Chellsie Memmel, Kerri Strug. A truly special keepsake. Great Friends Greetings (http://www.greatfriendsgreetings.com)

By: katie

katie — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:23:41 +0000

I think zmeskal should place higher than shawn

By: eddiego65

eddiego65 — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:30:57 +0000

Thanks, Lisa, for your comments.

I agree on your sentiments on Miller’s gymnastics. I did not say that Miller’s routines weren’t difficult, I just stated that she may not have the most difficult routines compared to the other gymnasts. There are other gymnasts with extremely difficult tricks but their performances were riddled with inconsistencies.

I did not neglect others who made mistakes in those AA’s. But I considered Dawes because she almost won a lot of times compared to others. It was uncharacteristic of Dawes, who have always been consistent in her home country, but failed to secure the all-around in World or Olympic competitions. That’s the reason I considered her in the list.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 03:51:52 +0000

I loved Dawes but if she gets credit for almost winning then you have to acknowledge that others made mistakes also in those AA’s.
It took me 12 years to admit this to myself.lol I am so glad I grew up”)

By: Lisa

Lisa — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 03:49:24 +0000

In what universe did Miller not have difficulty? The full in off beam, two full in’s on floor. She choose to do well rounded beautiful routines with amazing form and technique.
Miller’s 96 beam routine was more difficult then Nastia’s 2008 routine that won a silver medal. Miller did the same vault and her floor had actual skills not just one cowboyed double front. Only event she had less then in difficulty was bars and she was never healthy enough to upgrade those from 94- on. The Chusovitna to a geinger and tckhtev (sp) was pretty underrated. Miller was one of the only gymnasts to land that Chusovitna in handstand and fully complete the move.
She didn’t have insane difficulty but very few gymnasts did back then and Miller did her gymnastics with the best overall presentation of anyone in that quad. The gymnasts today don’t have ha;f the presentation Miller had and this is coming from a Dawes fan that never appreciated Miller until she retired.

By: eddiego65

eddiego65 — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:47:41 +0000

Hi,

Hello, Miller may not have the most difficult routines, but she made it up with consistency, flawless technique, good form and perfect landings. Other gymnasts may have more difficult routines, but they lack the necessary attributes.

Continued, I did not consider the fact the some Games were boycotted in making the list. I gave the same weight for the gold medal earned in games, whether they were boycotted or not.

And since the list is about individual achievements of the gymnasts, I did not count medals won as a team, no matter what color it is. Also I placed more weight on AA titles won than event titles, that's why some are ranked higher than others. And I did not consider the longevity of the gymnasts or their impact in the sports. All are ranked according to the total weight of the medals earned. The notable exception is Dawes, since she was such a great gymnasts who almost won the AA three times but fell short due to falls on vault and floor, but have lots of individual event medals.

Thanks for your comments. I value your feedback.

By: Good list

Good list — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:57:18 +0000

I never thought of Carly Patterson as someone who should be on this list. I know she won one of the only Olympic AA Golds, but she was such a flash in the pan. She is the only one of the former gymnasts on this list that quit right after the Olympics. She’s not very memorable, in my opinion.

By: Continued

Continued — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 19:43:40 +0000

Is this list in a particular rank order? Because in that case, Mary Lou should be ahead of Zmeskal and Patterson, regardless of whether or not the Olympics were boycotted.

Also, Julianne McNamara should be on this list. She has three Olympic medals, including an individual gold, the first ever for an American gymnast. I'd put her right behind Dawes, who had more total medals and more longevity.

Overall, thanks for the list. It's great. I hope Nastia can become a multiple time Olympian like Shannon and overtake her in the rankings.

By: Cool

Cool — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 19:36:25 +0000

To be consistent, it should be mentioned that Memmel has 6 World Championship medals total, including three gold.

Shannon and Nastia have their total medal counts listed, so it's only fair to do that for everyone else as well.

By: Hello

Hello — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 05:20:22 +0000

Miller beat real gymnasts. Nastia has benefitted from a bad code and no competition. The Soviets are gone, Romanians are nearly dead.

Moceanu doesn’t even deserve a mention.