Gymnastics, then and now

Sometimes I really miss gymnastics. I don't really miss the 20-hour-a-week workouts, the long traveling to competitions every weekend, the blistered hands, the pressure from coaches and judges, the injuries... But I do miss having something that I was so fiercely proud of, something that I was so dedicated to that I didn't even flinch at the intense physical challenges it required. Yeah, me -- physically active.

So, I watched the US Gymnastics Championships today. No matter how long it's been since I've stretched or done a cartwheel, I still love watching gymnastics (not that rhythmic shit where they dance around with ribbons, but the real stuff). But I still can't believe how so much about it has changed! Here are just a few differences I notice between my competition days and the gymnastics we see today...

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THEN: The vault was nothing more than a rectangular horse with two metal poles supporting it. Not the safest-looking apparatus.










NOW: The vault is padded, angled and redesigned to prevent injuries.

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THEN: A perfect score was 10.0.








NOW: I don't even understand this ridic scoring process. They can get 15 now...? And all-around scores are in the triple digits?

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THEN: Dominique Moceanu

















NOW: Shawn Johnson

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THEN: Warm-up uniforms were crinkly, baggy, way-too-big windbreaker-type outfits that looked like they came from Stein Mart. One on Long Island.








NOW: Warm-up uniforms are fitted, sleek tracksuits that look like some Nike-Juicy hybrid, albeit a slightly shiny one.

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THEN: Tim Daggett and Elfi Schelgel doing commentary.










NOW: Tim Daggett and Elfi Schlegel doing commentary. (Some things never change.)