1998 Visa American Cup - Full Broadcast

[@alessia294]

Love how it's Meng Fei's first major international meet yet she'd been to 2 Worlds before this.

[@abrahamlora329]

And Tim promptly corrected Al too 🤣🤣🤣

[@mchur001]

and was in the USA for the ITC in 1997

[@cassie05]

97-02 was a rough time. Something happened after 96 and the struggle was real. And you never hear about Ukraine anymore or Belarus.

[@Cmc995]

It was how horrible USAG and the coaches were. The pressure to replicate the magnificent seven was definitely part of it

[@mchur001]

it was a challenging code of points 97-00

[@saragrant9749]

Ukraine has lacked a coaching team is the biggest problem. Belarus I believe has had similar problems, but of course they are also currently not permitted to compete due to the situation in Ukraine. The biggest issue from ‘97 - ‘02 was twofold- just not as many highly talented gymnasts to choose from and some really awful coaches. By 2003 we had a high talent pool to choose from again.

[@kras118]

for some reason, I love Meng Fei's full turn on beam. a regular skill done in an interesting way

[@b0rtie]

Was anyone else fascinated at 18:00? The scoring sheet is so cool, but it seems so complicated! I wonder what they look like today with the completely new COP.

[@michelenicole5566]

At 44:10...the blonde French gymnast singing karaoke? It’s Simone’s coach Cecile ❤️❤️❤️

[@RGSuperfan]

That's Cécile Canqueteau-Landi, yes!

[@AveryWeinstein]

The height that Vanessa Atler gets on her front tucks on beam is crazy!!

[@Cmc995]

I think Vanessa and Kristen would’ve been at their best had there been a worlds in 1998. By ‘99 and 2000 they were injured and over trained. Same happened with Elise Ray who was the new favorite by 2000.

[@mchur001]

The US would have won gold in 1998 had there been a Worlds. Healthy Atler, Maloney, Moceanu, Ray, Thompson

[@UnequivocallyME]

The Teza fluff was so cute. Loved the part about her and her team crying during “Titanic.” It’s okay…I cried at the end of “Titanic” too.

[@MissLilRedRooster]

If Atler had come along just a quad later, she could easily have looked at specializing and just not bothering with bars. Ugh, breaks my heart, she was always my favorite.

[@williamt594]

Teza was so underrated

[@bewitchers]

Maria Olaru 8:00, 1:07:00 Kristen Maloney 16:40, 38:00, 1:19:05 Viktoria Karpenko 20:00, 28:15, 1:22:15 Meng Fei 21:05, 31:55, 1:12:15 Vanessa Atler 22:55, 35:30, 1:14:40 Anna Kovaleva 51:35, 1:03:00 Irina Yevdokimova 56:40

[@jja8750]

Does anyone know why Meng Fei was left off of the 1996 Olympics team for China? She was a star on the '95 squad and she was fantastic at the '97 Worlds.

[@grantdesjardins764]

She was injured.

[@AveryWeinstein]

I love the French team and their coaches’ relationship! Haha

[@DizzyedUpGirl]

Vanessa Vs. Bars was a bigger rivalry than Joan vs Bette.

[@2ndchancehypnotherapy]

I really like the velvet leos.

[@angelamiller3911]

Meng Fei was so beautiful to watch. Even the tumbling fit, which isn't always the case. ♥️

[@beffyblb]

Did they really just call Beth Rybacki Atler's soulmate?

[@trodairebeag]

Beth was always the one who she's to able to calm her down

[@nickmann9549]

That was pretty rude of Al to say that about Elfi during her introduction.

[@saragrant9749]

He was joking around, good grief. She earned it too, given how big an ego she always had. She liked to waltz around the sport thinking she was so good a gymnast for Canada- when she wasn’t much at all except a mouthpiece on air.

[@2134knees]

Olaru is from ROMANIA not Russia...the initial commentator said Russia!!

[@kras118]

I know the hype was about Atler and Karpenko was the winner, but I mainly remember Kovaleva !

[@saragrant9749]

Did she make the 2000 Olympic team? I can’t remember if she did or not. I certainly hope so.

[@Cmc995]

@@saragrant9749 Kovaleva was not on Olympic team in 2000. She went to ‘99 Worlds though. Not sure what happened

[@bela516]

Wondering if Teza pointed her toes once on her floor routine.....

[@matthewbykowski4532]

Maria Olaru of russia? More like Romania get your facts correct 😂😂 8:02

[@inpanopticon]

What happened to Kovaleva? I don't think I saw her after 1999 worlds.

[@gymcentric5727]

she was a finalist at ‘99 worlds and she was decent on vault but she fell 3 times on floor in TP and they decided she wasn’t consistent enough for a team spot. With the big 4 in Russia already, they just needed consistent 5th score gymnasts.

[@mchur001]

she was injured in 2000

[@rolandgreen7484]

@@gymcentric5727 They wound up taking 2 very mediocre gymnasts as 5th and 6th who were getting 9.2s and 9.3s for hit routines and it cost them the gold when the big 4 had falls. They should have taken Kovaleva.

[@williambruno392]

why does elfi commentate with such an interrogative tone, i feel like she's yelling at me wtf

[@adammilo1544]

William Bruno cuz she is Canadian and they finally gave her the boot when Nastia was over her career

[@manuelcardenas6028]

Teza didn’t make the ‘96 bb finals

[@hannahrachelxo2281]

The Chinese were so killer back then on bars (and beam)! They still are... but just so ahead of their time.

[@marloesss10]

Even back then the americans proclaimed that the American Cup could predict the next olympic champion and that all the big names had won the event. Too bad a lot of the great names like svetlana khorkina, simona amanar, aliya mustafina and a lot more never won the american cup or even competed at it.

[@JDTELEVISION]

+marloesss10 You're only right about Khorkina. From what I heard, she refused to compete at this event (although she was invited several times). There were, however, many great names who competed at The American Cup over the last 30 yrs. Countless top Soviets competed in the 80's meets, Amanar and 1996 Olympic AA Champion Lilia Podkopayeva both competed at the 1994 AC. Produnova won in 2000, Zamolodchikova won in 2001 and more recently, Mustafina competed at the 2011 AC where she lead until the last rotation but fell on floor exercise causing her to lose the title.

[@doublearabianpunchlayout7703]

Well keep in mind countries like Russia ARE invited to compete at the American Cup, but they just dont wanna come.

[@marloesss10]

+Kayla jones Keep in mind although Russia was invited to the cup the russian gymnasts didn't want to compete at the event, because they felt they would never be able to win the event, because the judges would always favor the american gymnasts.

[@DebbieSchechter]

Mustafina competed at the American Cup and lost to Jordyn Wieber, who won her second in 2011. And when it came to the proclamation... it was never said to predict the Olympic Champion; a precursor for Olympic Greatness was the exact quote... and Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, Kerri Strug, Carly Patterson, Mary Lou Retton, Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, Wieber, Julianne McNamara, Kathy Johnson. Go back and look up the Olympic history on all those names..

[@DizzyedUpGirl]

Lol. Back when Pert Plus was a top shampoo.

[@thelilredhead7005]

Lol, this was filmed three days before I turned one. I'm 19 now

[@darlenesleeth-poirier1997]

I was 19

[@reginageorge8080]

Now you’re 26

[@etownshawn]

18:00 if you think being a judge sounds easy ;)

[@willsbob123]

Maloney was so bang average

[@melissagold9491]

If only Atler could’ve gotten out of her own head, Team USA would’ve had a better team in 2000. I think she would’ve been there instead of Dawes.

[@saragrant9749]

Blame her coaches on that one. When you put that much pressure on someone you are going to ruin them.

[@MissLilRedRooster]

Vanessa talked about in later interviews that she was kind of mentally done with gymnastics overall starting around this point, but she already had so much in, she didn't know how to get out. She even said that not making the Olympic team was a relief.

[@allasosnitskaya7038]

Why was there no world championships this year?

[@kras118]

+John Rapp The World Championships were traditionally not held every year- the '93-'96 quad was the first time there was a Worlds every year (and with two Worlds in 1994!). I think the FIG was playing around with how to proceed, hence no Worlds in 1998. By 2001, it changed again! And since 2005, Worlds have been held in the same fashion ever since (no team champs the year after the Olympics, full worlds the next two years, no Worlds the year of the Olympics)

[@Letissiaskatetapes24]

I'm also going to assume that the Goodwill Games had something to do with it. They were in November I believe and that is usually around the same time as Worlds. That would've been two big competitions so close together.

[@mchur001]

GWG had nothing to do with Worlds, since it was not FIG related and was a multi sport event. GWG were Turner Sports sponsored. GWG were held midway point before the Olympics: 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998. The reasoning for that schedule was to capitalize on the success of the Olympics, by holding the event in between Olympics. They were initially created because of the Olympic boycotts. It was then changed to the year after the Olympics, which was started in 2001. They were cancelled due to low ratings, the 2005 version was supposed to be held in the United States.

[@Wrexham_AFC]

Viktoria Karpenko - what might have been!

[@CourtneyK87]

Does anyone know why elfi left?? God, they look so young. Can u believe this is almost twenty years old

[@mchur001]

She didn't leave. She got fired. NBC hired Nastia in her place. More relevance to the American viewers as the 2008 Olympic Champion, plus she has the Nastia Liukin Cup, she had a spot on the FIG, and of course her father was the front runner for Marta's position (and now is the new Marta)

[@pappysprite]

mchur001 which was a terrible decision and a slap in the face to Elfie. Hiring Nastia was a very poor move, which the network hoped it would increase ratings. Nastia may have been an excellent gymnast, but she is a terrible commentator and struggles to say anything and often times sounds pretty silly. They should at least go with an American commentator that is an excellent commentator like Kathy Johnson or Amanda Borden. Nastia is not a good commentator and this requires a completely different skill set.

[@adammilo1544]

pappysprite wrong- Elfi has been extremely judgmental for the American gymnasts and even intl gymnasts- picking out the criticisms of their coaches and commenting what they dont do- there is a shift with Nastia- a lot more positive approach to the gymnasts

[@koolaidman6251]

@@mchur001 I like Nastia. I think it was a good choice. She can talk about what it's like to do these moves (that werent done when Elfi was a gymnast). Though realistically, Al Trautwig should have been first FIRST but of course due to sexism they replace a knowledgeable woman instead of kicking out the moron male.

[@Cmc995]

@@pappysprite Would love it to be Shannon Miller!!

[@biggestgymfan7230]

When they said no non American has won the American cup when the original American cup was won by Nadia comenaci

[@mchur001]

They said within 16 years, not all time

[@gravis778]

I was there! Took a whole role of film! I was mesmorized by Viktoria Karpenko

[@FigureNastics]

So jealous!! I remember buying those disposable cameras in my late teens/early 20s lol... I have a large box of photos taken over the years.

[@markoparko]

Al Trawig should have been fired after this.

[@JB-sg1vy]

Maloney is awful to watch.... form etc .... just ugh. She looked SO much better in college formwise etc

[@cheryl2962]

Against Indiana?

[@willsbob123]

In her intimate diary? So it’s that intimate she’s sharing it?

[@nucleophilic03]

best comment of the day!!

[@reginageorge8080]

Internet diary

[@kejonza]

Al made so many damn mistakes in this broadcast. Someone needs to tell him to shut up.

[@mrsauce7972]

"This is a simple transition move any gymnast of any level should be able to do this" Elfi I would love to see you try to do this. 24:30

[@MrsTlotto]

Elfi is a decorated Canadian gymnast. Idk why y'all talk about her like NBC was roaming the streets and picked the most obscure, unqualified person to comment on gymnastics. She has the credentials. Critique her style of commentary if you wish, but stop acting like she couldn't do what Vanessa couldn't. And it was indeed, a simple skill that any athlete at the elite level can do. Even if Elfi was not qualified to critique gymnastics (which she very much is), she wasn't wrong

[@murasakino101]

@@MrsTlotto While I agree that she was a talented gymnasts and people shouldn't act like she doesn't know what she's talking about, but she usually states the obvious in her commentary. Most fans know when a skill is difficult or easy and constantly saying "that's such a simple skill" or "idk why they fell on that skill" is annoying. Obviously elite gymnasts practice certain skills a million times and are still bound to mess up at times if they're injured or make a mistake. It doesn't have to be said a million times, they're still human lol

[@b0rtie]

@@murasakino101 But it’s not only knowledgeable gymnastics fans tuning into these broadcasts. There are casual fans, first-timers viewers and everything in between. Things might be obvious to some, but for those that don’t know, I’m sure the tidbits are useful.

[@saragrant9749]

@@MrsTlottodecorated is a stretch. Outside of Canada she did very little. It however is a very common skill.

[@katevand]

Her soulmate??

[@Kellilesli]

Ew

[@willsbob123]

Lmfao I know right

[@courtlandcarr7457]

meng fei is so so so legend

[@willsbob123]

The commentary is one of the reasons I struggle to watch these competitions. It’s just saturated with made up conspiracies and dramas. Not to mention misinformation. For them to refer to Beth rybaki as Atler’s ‘soul mate’ is beyond me. And then to use the uneven bars as some unspoken prophetic nonsense. It’s an event. An apparatus. You either nail it or you don’t. The BBC commentary is far better and informative. They talk about the skills and don’t have obscene fluffs with backing music that’s a fkin club classic.

[@Cmc995]

Also ‘Maria Olaru of Russia’ lol I get they have to talk about a lot of gymnast but cmon get their name and country right

[@nikkirebecca7125]

how 1998 is that fluff music lol

[@chuckie102883]

I'm so glad Al Troutwig is gone! He was the most ANNOYING commentator alive!

[@saragrant9749]

You never listened to Monica Phelps then…

[@bigbennie96]

Steve & Beth Ribecky so creepy I wish Steve would have just shut up after Atler's bar routine & let her de compress

[@bigbennie96]

& furthermore ever notice the guys Tim Dagget has a Hard-on for never pull it 2gether like Dagget's career? stupid head

[@Aizhaqueeni]

Ugh, who the hell are these ppl?? Nevermind...

[@katevand]

Mmmbop