Count me as another fan of Mohini. I thought she had quit a couple of years ago too and was thrilled to see her and even more thriled to see her make the top 12.
You know, the Mag 7 was the first team since the late '60s where the coaches (or most of the coaches) said, "Enough of this anorexia and bulimia! Gymnasts need to be lean, but not skeletal." And that '96 team was indeed the "heaviest" women's team at the Olympics. But their percent body fat was appropriately low, their muscle mass was appropriately high, and overall they look healthy and fit. What I don't understand is why between 1996 and 2000, the USWGA regressed to "thin, thin, thin" when the obviously more muscular team of '96 did so amazingly well? Whatever the case, I hope coaches and parents (and the girls themselves) don't ever go back to the too thin, eating-disordered ways of years past.
I find women's gymnastics so much more beautiful to watch when the girls/women look as strong as they are.
About the decline of gymnastics on TV: JMO, but I think some of it has to do with the changes in the COP. That is, the more spectacular looking stunts and beautiful dance movements on the floor, beam, and uneven bars have been replaced by much more difficult but not so exciting to watch for the average viewer. Also, there's no longer the Cold War element to gymnastics. In the '60s, '70s, and most of the '80s, there was such a big deal about who mght beat the teams from the Soviet countries. Finally, we haven't had anything close to a real gymnastics "star" since Shannon Miller, and she never wanted to be a star gymnast. I find her personality much more open and interesting since she quit gymnastics. Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled to tears when she won the gold on the beam in '96, but Shannon didn't have the personality of a Mary Lou Retton and in sports I think that can affect popularity.
I too hope things don't get that bad for skating, but you never know. ABC has already decided that ESPN can handle 98% of figure skating and NBC does the Olympics. As they say, we'll see.
Rgirl
