Marta Karolyi

[lccmac]

We watched the Tyson Cup today on tv. I couldn't help but notice that Marta Karolyi was giving LOTS of attention to Rebecca Bross from Woga. Here are a few things I was wondering about:
-As the National Team Coordinator, is it really necesary for Marta to be out on the floor during competition? She is not a coach, why is she grabbing the girls right after their routines?
-If so, why is she giving all her attention to 1 girl from 1 gym? (I never saw her around Alexandra Raisman, but then, that's a good thing for her!)
-Why, after a routine with a few major mistakes, does she grab the girls by the back of the neck? We noticed this BIG time at the 2008 Olympics. Mistake=Grab at the back of the neck. Great Routine=Face in-between hands, and a big smile 2 inches from your face.

Also, there was a lot of talk after the 2008 Olympics that perhaps a lot of the injuries the US Women were struggling with where a result of the "Karolyi Camp". Is this going to happen again? Maybe it's time to do away with the "Old School" gymnastics, and bring in some more modern opinions for the US Team?

I'd love to know what everyone else is thinking....

 

[bogwoppit]

It seems to me that if girls survive training camps without injury then they get to compete. Survival of the fittest?

 

[Tumblequeensmom]

I just have to add that I DID see Marta all over Alexandra Reisman after her awesome beam routine!!! The commentators even made note of it as well.... As of now, Alexandra is my "new" favorite!

 

[gymfan4ever95]

Just because she grabs them at the back of the neck doesn't mean she thinks they didn't do good or something! Thats just her way of doing things, there is nothing wrong with it! And I like that she is allowed out on the floor...she is the one who allowed these gymnasts to compete in the first place. To me, Marta seems very encouraging, and I couldn't see USA gymnastics without her!

 

[greyhoundrescue]

I saw the same. I wonder who (and what style) will take over once she retires.

 

[ky7403]

I think Martha more wanted to watch Alexandra more than encourage or get all over her. She gave her this assignment to see how she would deal with the pressure and she did a great job dealing with it in my opinion. Martha did congratulate her when she did an amazing beam routine.

Martha keeps the girls on their toes! They need that; it keeps them always striving to do better. I agree I don't what USA gymnastics would do without Martha or Bela when he was in charge. I honestly don't think that USAG would have flourished as it has.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

guys...you got a lot of what your thinking wrong. there is a time delay even when it is live. and the producers decide who they 'zone' in on. not marta. usag gives the bio's and storyline to the producers. but it is the producers that decide what they do and who they focus on. and marta is on the floor because she is NTC. there are others also. they stay in the background and they are just as important if not more.

marta does not give assignments. what the kids do is decided upon by the national coaching staff, gary warren, steve rybacki, kathy kelly, etc;

when the national team is at camp, they either train together, or compete in what is called "verification". verification is used when upcoming competitions and teams must be determined. verification is very rigorous. judges are brought in for verification to determine the scores. fair and square across the board. in the final analysis, marta and the staff decide who they will pick for AA, individual events, competitions, etc; and sometimes the staff may override what marta thinks or wants. it's all very democratic with extreme professional cooperation.

and understand that marta could be anyone doing what she does in her position. the athletes all understand that they answer to a final someone and are accountable for their work. it's a bit smoke and mirrors but it is effective and it works. but don't think we have the success that we do because of this 1 person. without the coaches and athletes you got nothin. good old fashion teamwork. from the bottom up to the final support of USAG.

finally, Bela is an idiot. always was. Marta is the brains. this would be why he takes care of the property and she takes care of the gym, the gymnasts, and their gymnastics. Bela is the poster child for enthusiam. that is all.

if you have any further questions about how things are done please post your questions and i will answer them to the best of ability. also, keep in mind that the ranch is in the middle of the Sam Houston National Forest. the Karolyi's live on the property. they must take care of this property as they live for free on the property. it is federal land and taking care of the property is one of the prongs. i'm not certain as to all of the federal requirements as this is not my area of expertise. but i can tell you that the training center is there as it is free. karolyi's and USAG must keep it running, pay certain bills, and maintain the upkeep. the USOC is involved also just as they are with the mens NTC in colorado springs. so, that's all for now. any questions post them up.

 

[bookworm]

Dunno-

i get a kick out of how you say the Karolyis "maintain the property"...it is so bare bones , it is unbelievable and have you ever seen soda in the soda machine? Maybe that is how things were done in Romania because there's definitely not any perks on that ranch.

i do agree with you that marta is just part of the whole but i do think her camps every month are excessive...kids at this level train hard for ridiculous hours in their own gyms to begin with. I think a lot of the injuries you see with these kids DO come from overtraining ("one more routine") but it also has to do with their level of skill too...bigger skills , bigger risks. i think as a whole Marta has done good things for USAG but I think a little moderation would be nice too.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

you're right about the soda...lol. and her daughter is an awful cook. nice that you can drive out of waverly in to the next town and hit outback.

the camps every month are to give the opportunity for bonding. this strengthens the group. i have seen this bring the groups together quite nicely.

i have not witnessed what you are speaking of the way you characterize it. more so, the coach wants the kid to do one more. sometime they get a bit overzealous. and marta has no idea what the athletes durational limitations are. the coach knows best and sometimes we mess up. agreed?

the vicious cycle. you must train more to do more. then you must train more to maintain and sustain what you already do. then you must train more and do more repetitions as they age in order to do the higher difficulty because the learning curve window closes rapidly. then you must condition even more to put off mother nature. then you start over. and over and over.

physical preparation is paramount for any gymnast at any level. it is extremely more for elite athletes. i don't believe it can be done any other way without placing the gymnast at risk.

and when they do attend camp every month it is not verification every time. they do spend time on soft landings. numbers are kept low and must be done with precision. the work outs are very efficient in my opinion. and the 2 a days prepare them for the rigors of international travel.

and the unfortunate thing about overtraining is that you can not see it. fatigue is easier to identify. but overtraining is more subtle and creeps up insidiously. if only we had xray eyes. this is why a good plan must be in place for training. macro and micro cycles. changing the loads of conditioning approx every six weeks. lots of cardio. lots of rest and recovery between training sessions. good diet. oh my gosh, there are so many things that contribute to the positive health of the gymnast.

and most of the injuries at this level are quite unexpected. having been in gymnastics now for over 40 years has shown me that the injuries have never changed. frequency and severity are relative across the board. the one thing better?? medical. todays medical delivery to athletes is the best i have ever seen. no comparison to yester year.

p.s. forgot something. they maintain the place at a bare minimum because there isn't much to maintain. the pool is probably the most expensive to maintain. the cabins are truly sparse. the llama's and the camels have larger living quarters. and some of the individual cabins are so oddly constructed that you must put one foot in the room and the other in the shower stall in order to sit on the toilet and close the door. you can't close the door and sit normal save putting two holes in to the door for you knees. the marriage quarters are much nicer but "double bed" means placing the 2 singles together and it's anyone's guess who falls in to the crack at night. and then there are the cockroaches, snakes, and mosquitos. some of the mosquitos look the size of humming birds. and the cockroaches seem the size of small rodents. and the food is awful. and all the salad dressing is FAT FREE! UGH!! i could go on...but sounds like you have been there?

 

[socko]

Dunno, we have been there as well and agree with your decriptions of the "amenities" of the Karolyi ranch...funny that you mention the fat free salad dressing because when my daughter was there, that was one of her comments..."they want you to eat basically only the salad and the dressing is fat free and tastes awful"..lol

 

[lccmac]

Read an article in the April 2010 International Gymnastics magazine by Paul Ziert, titled "My Boycott". I'm quoting from it below:

"Unfortunately, I did not attend or watch the Tyson American Cup. After hearing the news prior to the competition that Ivana Hong had torn her ACL while vaulting at the Karolyi ranch - the U.S. National Training Center for the women's program - I decided to personally boycott the event. I just don't understand how so many people can stand by quietly while so many lovely young ladies incur so many injuries at that ranch. Is it the facility, or is it the program being used there that results in a huge upward spike in risk of injury to the athletes? I hope Ivana can make it back. I have always enjoyed watching her gymnastics."

 

[Deleted member D3987]

paul can be a blowhard. ivana's vaults have never been spot on. y2's can be dangerous when there not done spot on. and there is no way to predict. so, not marta's fault. not the fault of the ranch or its equipment. period.

 

[Linsul]

Read an article in the April 2010 International Gymnastics magazine by Paul Ziert, titled "My Boycott". I'm quoting from it below:

"Unfortunately, I did not attend or watch the Tyson American Cup. After hearing the news prior to the competition that Ivana Hong had torn her ACL while vaulting at the Karolyi ranch - the U.S. National Training Center for the women's program - I decided to personally boycott the event. I just don't understand how so many people can stand by quietly while so many lovely young ladies incur so many injuries at that ranch. Is it the facility, or is it the program being used there that results in a huge upward spike in risk of injury to the athletes? I hope Ivana can make it back. I have always enjoyed watching her gymnastics."

(rant not directed at Iccmac)

This kind of stuff shocks me when I suppose it shouldn't. Nobody likes to see athletes get hurt. Man don't they LOVE risk, flight, and difficulty when the cameras are rolling and everything goes perfectly. Behind the scenes, do they think gymnasts perform and perfect their skills in bubble wrap and spotting belts, just to throw it solo for the collective ooooh and ahhhhh of the audience or judge amazement?

For a magazine all about the sport, it sure seems odd that known risk involved with practice is thrown out for an article revolving around shock boycott value. The ranch is where high level practice happens. Should an injury occur, it's likely to be all the scarier due to difficulty/risk rather than lack of training/prep/safety. Getting mad to the point of boycotting is like condemning pre school gymnastics because the above average use of band aids for every boo boo.


/rant off

 

[gymnut1]

I agree with the above - injury happens and we notice it more with better known higher level gymnasts. Just to add though I have seen threads elsewhere about injury rates at the ranch - I think it was to do with TOPS camps there. I think injury rates are going to rise when a gymnast is training at an unfamiliar venue with unfamiliar coaches and equipment. If the training warm ups, progressions, hours, organisation and expectations are different too that increases risk of injury.

 

[gymcoach34]

Marta has tons of input as to who gets the assignments, def more than Gary Warren! Gary really does all the administrative stuff, not the actual choosing of athletes:delaegation leaders, $, paperwork, flights, hotels, transportation, etc. There is a committe for the BIG assignments, but Marta pretty much chooses based on that particular camp. If you HIT at that camp-you get the assignment! Kathy Kelley also has a lot of input.

The food at the elite camps is much better than the TOPs camps, they have fresh fish, chicken, veggies, and there definitely are no creamy salad dressings (fat free or not!) or desserts like the cookies they have at TOPs camps.

 

[gymcoach34]

and there are VERY few injuries at TOPs camps-its really just a lot of basic training- kids are not throwing big skills at the camp.

 

[Cynical-Chick]

paul can be a blowhard. ivana's vaults have never been spot on. y2's can be dangerous when there not done spot on. and there is no way to predict. so, not marta's fault. not the fault of the ranch or its equipment. period.

He totally sounds like a blowhard. How many girls are injured at the ranch as opposed to elites throwing the same tricks in a different gym? I'd imagine it's a close ratio.

 

[jitta_bug123]

sorry to sound stupid, but just wondering, what is a blowhard?

He totally sounds like a blowhard. How many girls are injured at the ranch as opposed to elites throwing the same tricks in a different gym? I'd imagine it's a close ratio.

 

[bookworm]

Blowhard: a boastful and talkative person....also a person who likes to hear her/himself talk

 

[bucketdude]

I feel like Marta has wayy too much power. And if their own coaches aren't allowed up there with them I don't think she should be.