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I can't really get on board with NCAA gymnastics being an overall "safe haven" either though.
I haven't read the book, would you mind summing up for me what Aly said about being on that world's team with Mattie?The part about Mattie Larson breaks my heart....Aly discussed it in her book as well.
Interesting also how all the olympic gymnasts kept saying how much they love Marta and will miss her. The "final five" was part tribute to her final five gymnasts. I guess that is part of the problem, when you are in her good grace, you probably felt very loved and wanted. When you are no longer useful, you are invisible.
"However, Mattie was blamed. People looked past her like she didn't exist. She sat quietly at dinner that night and picked at her food. I could see she was trying hard not to cry. Mattie continued to get the cold shoulder from many until our plane touched down in Houston several days later. She never competed at the elite level again."I haven't read the book, would you mind summing up for me what Aly said about being on that world's team with Mattie?
I think it's a matter of perception, and that perception is greatly colored by where you stand in the eyes of the person in question. I had a teacher in elementary school who detested me for some unknown reason. She did all she could to belittle me and put me down. It was an awful year that left me very hurt and damaged. I had a friend in the exact same class who was very similar to me in every way (quiet, timid, bookish, not into what was "cool") who the teacher absolutely adored. Gave her special jobs, invited her to events, asked her to help with certain tasks. So while the teacher was cruel and abusive to me, to the child she handpicked as her star pupil viewed her as loving, supportive, encouraging. It's totally possible for the same person to be both.“I think the training camps are key,” said Aly Raisman, the team captain who on Tuesday won her third Olympic gold medal. “It’s where we are evaluated and compared to each other, in a healthy way. We wouldn’t be here without that system.”
“She’s pushed us harder than anyone else, harder than our coaches,” said Biles, who performed on all four events Tuesday and is the massive favorite for the Olympic all-around crown Thursday. “Every day in practice, even if you’re so close to perfection, she still tells you that you can be better. … She does it because she loves us. She just wants the best for us.”
"However, Mattie was blamed. People looked past her like she didn't exist. She sat quietly at dinner that night and picked at her food. I could see she was trying hard not to cry. Mattie continued to get the cold shoulder from many until our plane touched down in Houston several days later. She never competed at the elite level again."