I just got an email update from Dominique Moceanu (dominique-moceanu.com). Here are some TV dates: [COLOR=black]July 22, 2008 REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL *This special on gymnastics will feature an interview with Dominique[/COLOR][COLOR=black]HBO, check your local listings[/COLOR] [COLOR=black]August 3, 2008 U.S. OLYMPIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY [/COLOR][COLOR=black]NBC, 1:30-3:00PM EST [/COLOR]

From an article on the interview with Bryant Gumbel that will air this Tuesday: [quote] A 1996 Olympic gold medalist, Dominique Moceanu, said in an interview airing Tuesday on HBO that elite gymnastics has a "dark side" and that many athletes, former athletes and administrators hope her former coach, Martha Karolyi, will be removed from her leadership role in USA Gymnastics. Moceanu and former women's all-around national champion Jennifer Sey, author of a book titled Chalked Up, discussed criticisms of women's elite gymnastics for a story that airs at 9 p.m. Tuesday on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. Moceanu, who said there is a "dark side of the elite gymnastics scene," described diet restrictions she said she had to follow as a young gymnast and physical stresses that led to leg, wrist and shoulder injuries. She said one way to change the sport's culture would be to remove Martha Karolyi, the women's national team coordinator, and Bela Karolyi, who operates the national training center, from their roles. "People are hoping that there'll be change," Moceanu said. " ... If it was up to the athletes, it would have happened a long time ago." [/quote] "Moceanu criticizes USA Gymnastics boss Karolyis (Houston Chronicle)" - http://www.gymchat.com/messageboards/showthread.php?p=75131#post75131 Jennifer Sey has gotten a lot of heat for her book. [quote] Moceanu, who lives in Cleveland with her husband, Dr. Michael Canales, and their infant daughter, Carmen, said gymnastics "can be done in a better way, physically and emotionally." She said she would not encourage her child to participate in the sport. Sey, who competed in the mid-1980s, discussed eating disorders and injuries that she believes led to physical, psychological and emotional damage. She said her coaches "would probably say that their mission is to create champions. ... And I guess my challenge back would be 'At what cost?' " Moceanu has been at odds with USA Gymnastics since 2006, when her petition to compete at the national championships was denied. She said at the time that Martha Karolyi ignored her at a training camp and added, "They should be ashamed of what they did to their Olympic champion." The program also features an interview with 2008 Olympic team member Chellsie Memmel. [/quote] Lots of injuries leading to the Olympics - so it is the code of points or the training schedule...there were these overuse injuries before the change in the code of points. Some clubs are known for overuse and a lot of other injuries, training lots of hours, not resting when they should, instead of training smart.

Dominique Moceanu posted a correction on her blog today regarding a quote in the Houston article of her not encouraging her daughter to do gymnastics: The quote in the article: [QUOTE]Moceanu, who lives in Cleveland with her husband, Dr. Michael Canales, and their infant daughter, Carmen, said gymnastics "can be done in a better way, physically and emotionally." She said she would not encourage her child to participate in the sport.[/QUOTE] From Dominique's blog: [QUOTE] I

They should have let Dominique compete at the 2006 Nationals. They played with the rules and were not clear, and didn't even give her chance. Related post: "MAG better than WAG?" http://gymchat.com/messageboards/showthread.php?t=33376 [quote]Looks like Priess and Kelley were being punished for making the only errors for the U.S. team in prelims with falls from beam – as Paul Ziert puts it, a “nasty psychological ply to punish them for their mistakes on Beam” As quoted in the blog: Quote: When Ziert asked Kathy Kelly, U.S. Women’s Program Director, to explain the line up, he reports that she made light of this serious error by saying, “I must have been completely brain dead or I’m really stupid.” I’ll say. As Ziert points out, how is it possible that Kathy Kelly, her assistant Gary Warren, and National Team Coordinator Martha Karolyi ALL failed to notice that they completely forgot two of their athletes? I agree with this blogger and with Paul Ziert – it’s time for the USAG to “find someone who will have the courage to supervise the [women’s] program properly.”[/quote]Dominique's other coaches besides Bela and Martha Karolyi: [quote] Following the Atlanta Olympics, Moceanu participated in numerous events and professional gymnastics exhibitions, including a 100-city tour, before returning to competition. With the retirement of the K

Lots of good points for change in the current selection process and the whole camps thing. Dominique Moceanu is very enthusiastic about her feelings, especially as she was denied her appeal to even compete at the 2006 Visa Championships, on her way to her elite gymnastics comeback. But it does seem a bit exaggerated to say selection process is not that transparent, or reasons aren't given for how athletes are chosen - for example for Raj Bhavsar. At least on the media coverage there is talk on how the gymnasts are chosen in terms of how many events they are the strongest on and the team needs their scores on - the top AA gymnasts are chosen, and then the top gymnasts on the events that are left to fill.... Dominique Moceanu's blog on it: July 13, 2008 MORE ON OLYMPIC SELECTION; CATCHING UP WITH OLYMPIC HOPEFUL RAJ BHAVSAR http://www.dominique-moceanu.com/blog/2008/07/catching-up-with-olympic-hopeful-raj.php [QUOTE]It appears that several athletes' status with respect to the Olympic team remains in limbo. That doesn't appear to be very empirical. In fact, in a process that was supposed to be the most objective in recent years, this is quickly becoming the most slanted process we've ever witnessed. Second, the rest of the world is NOT selecting teams like this. Here's an example... defending Olympic Mens Team Champions, Japan. Their Olympic team was not chosen based on this system. I've personally witnessed what these "left-field" decisions do to individuals and their families, and while I don't propose that decisions be made to protect athlete's emotions, I subscribe to the belief that a thorough explanation can help answer questions and prevent unnecessary suffering for many athletes, coaches, and family members. Raj Bhavsar NEVER received a formal explanation for the 2004 men's selection committee decision, and I'm confident that he's not holding his breathe for an explanation this time around. For those of you that regularly visit the site, you know that my husband and I are close to Raj. In fact, he was Mike's best man in our wedding. I know how 2004 affected Raj, because I witnessed it first-hand. Raj isn't the only one suffering for this practice. National Champion David Sender and crowd-pleaser Sean Golden are still scratching their heads about Olympic Team selection after their Olympic roads came to end, having not been selected to the Olympic Training Squad. I think most will agree that our athletes deserve better treatment. It's time for USA Gymnastics to start taking some responsibility for their decisions. If the Men's and Women's Selection Committees made their team selections more transparent, we might not agree with their decisions, but perhaps we would gain an appreciation for their perspective. Presently, many of us feel as if they are "hiding" something. Which begs the question, why don't they make their rationale more open? Is the process too complex for the minds of gymnastics enthusiasts to comprehend? Could it be that they believe that athletes, coaches, fans are not capable of following their line of thinking? Is the decision-making process not anyone's business?[/QUOTE] Click the link to her blog post for more.

I agree - it really is not a secret how they pick the U.S. Olympic gymnastics teams and what they are looking for, and why they have chosen who they have chosen. The Polish101- Gymnastics blog for example does a good job of going through the athletes / selection process. And by the way, it's Polish as in like clean routines, not Polish like about Poland gymnastucs. On whether the selection process is a good idea that is another thing. Mattie Larson has been confirmed of a fracture in her leg too after taking x-rays. Lots of injuries leading to the Olympics. Shayla Worley. Reminds me of Morgan White - she looks a lot happier competing for NCAA. [QUOTE] Is This Process of Naming the Olympic Team Too Exhaustive For the Gymnasts? With two major injuries (three if you count Memmel) happening at the camp, all signs seem to point to yes. While having three pressure-packed meets will do very well for the gymnasts' mental toughness and confidence levels heading into the biggest meet of their lives, the potential for injury, as proven at the camp, runs at an all-time high. It was said by most insiders that five spots to Johnson, Liukin, Memmel, Sacramone, and Peszek were sewn up at trials and having them compete at this camp meet could indeed backfire on the USA team who wants to send a team that is not only the best possible team, but in the best possible shape. However, Martha K. was definitely intelligent to wait to the last minute to select this team. In the end, Bridget Sloan was unquestionably the best pick for the last spot, but would anyone have said that back in Philly? Surely not. Worley's injuries cannot really be blamed as much on this selection process, as she didn't compete at Nationals. But in her case, she could've easily been named had her leg held up and thus might've been able to have competed great UB routines at the camp. Had the team been named in Philly, than there would be no Sloan or Worley on the roster and Bieger would've most likely been picked, and as the camp showed us all Jana really wasn't peaking at the right time. If I were to change how this selection process were to go down, I would say hold Nationals around or maybe a tad bit earlier than when Olympic Trials would usually be held (mid to late June) and hold an Olympic Trials in mid to late July, in front of a packed house and all, and decide the team right then and there. I think that would cover the needs for picking the team as close to the games as possible, and eliminating the camp meet entirely would do well for the girls staying healthy and in peak form in preparation for the Olympics. [/QUOTE] [COLOR=#810081]The Polish101- Gymnastics[/COLOR] (via GymnasticsCoaching)

Dominique Dawes, another 1996 Mag7 winning gold team member, who successfully made a comeback and competed at the 2000 Games too, approves of the selection process: "Domnique Dawes gives thumbs up to the gymnastics Olympic selection process" http://www.gymchat.com/messageboards/showthread.php?t=70713 Of course she does agree to that it is intense.

Chellsie Memmel isn't going to say anything bad about the selection process or Martha Karolyi's role in it as the head - she's on the team. Same as Nastia Liukin, or Shawn Johnson, and probably even the alternates too, and those that are currently elite gymnasts. Different when you're retired already like Dominique Moceanu and have really nothing to do with it now, like endorsements, sponsorship deals, etc.

You can watch the HBO program on elite gymnastics with Bryant Gumbel, Dominique Moceanu, Chellsie Memmel, Jennifer Sey online: [youtube]jxc_sQTq5j4[/youtube] [youtube]x3Ax4HVY2Q4&[/youtube]

Chellsie Memmel eats so little! - fruit in the morning, chicken/fruit for lunch, and just fruit for dinner. Sounds like Nastia Liukin eats more than that, from the At&T fluff piece she did - where she says she has to eat healthy to have energy and that gymnasts do eat... Martha Karolyi didn't accept to be interviewed on the air, but here's her response to her former elite gymnast Dominique Moceanu from an ESPN article: [QUOTE] "I feel sad that a gymnast so accomplished as Dominique, being part of the 1996 Olympic team and being the individual medalist in 1995 world championships ... can remember the harder days during the preparation," Karolyi said Tuesday during a conference call to discuss the U.S. team for the Beijing Olympics. "I feel sad." Karolyi acknowledged that it's not easy to become an elite athlete, let alone an Olympic champion. It's a long journey, and only the strongest athletes attain the highest levels of success, Karolyi said. Most, though, would say it's worth it, Karolyi said. "I think the majority of the girls certainly feel very proud they were able to train those many years and be dedicated and deal with the sacrifices," she said. "Just like in any other directions or any part of life, where in order to be successful, you really have to work hard." [/QUOTE] "Karolyi 'sad' that Moceanu focusing on hard times, not success" http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/gymnastics/news/story?id=3500521