Chellsie Memmel disgusted by the 2004 Olympic Team Selection

[@BmcC102]

Watching Hollie Vise, reigning world champ on bars, be not even named as an alternate was so sad. Her eyes at the end… so sad for her.

[@projectfabulosity1110]

I agree. Hollie to me was such a trademark to USA Gymnastics not only on uneven bars but beam. I look at McCool and think.. She would be great to see develop for another four years.

[@JLFAN2009]

The troubles were that (a) she was injured, and hence not physically 100 percent; (b) the team needed a vault specialist, since there was already depth on her two best apparatuses (beam and bars).

[@WickedlyMe328]

And Terin & Courtney K medaled at the Olympics…

[@rolandgreen7484]

@@JLFAN2009 well they didn't have as much depth on bars and beam as they thought they did. They wound up having to use Carly on bars and Mohini on beam.

[@sallygreenfield6991]

Watching this again makes me so glad for the position Chellsie is in now. She will be the one making those kinds of decisions and helping the gymnasts through them. She will make it fair to everyone...let those who don't make it suffer in private. Make it a true celebration for those who DO make it. And they will all know that, no matter what they are feeling, she knows because she's not only been there, but she's been through worse. I'm just so happy to see USA gymnastics treat the athletes like human beings again.

[@rolandgreen7484]

The ones who made it almost seemed muted in their celebration, apart from possibly Mohini and Annia a bit, as they felt bad for the ones who didn't make it. The whole thing was awkward and gross.

[@scottw6704]

I get the injury thing, but honestly after what they put Chellsie through at 2003 Worlds (and her leading the team to victory - she was solid on ALL FOUR events!) it seems hurtful. And take the camera off poor Hollie! This was NOT RIGHT.

[@heatherwicker9990]

I hated that selection process. It was so horrible. I couldn’t watch for years because it was so horrid.

[@JLFAN2009]

The selection process is NEVER an easy thing: it's hardly surprising that there is no uniformity or consistency from one Olympiad to the next. On the one hand, the committee has to assemble the best team possible. On the other hand, they want to be fair to the athletes personally and individually. Too oftentimes it's impossible to achieve both goals. Add to that the fact that life is unpredictable: trial performance is not always a harbinger of Olympic performance. Last-minute injuries can happen, as well as uncharacteristic mistakes.

[@andream9470]

Any excuse they had to play the girls against each other they took, plain and simple.

[@lovely8888888]

At what point in time did ANYONE think this was a good idea? Really??

[@randomvintagefilm273]

Marta and Bella make me sick. They should have been prosecuted along with Nassar. I can't stand looking at her!

[@leemarie7724]

The Karolyi Era was cruel and toxic. Thank God they were discredited and the ladies are speaking out against their abuse

[@blakewalsh879]

This happened nearly 20 years ago and it still hurts to watch them choose Courtney McCool when Hollie was a champion. Chellsie was upsetting, but she had an injury.

[@mikeg8375]

I see what you mean, but the rules in the selection procedures said the top two AA finishes from trials were guaranteed spots as long as they were deemed physically ready. They were bound by the rules... It's interesting because those freak falls from Carly Patterson at trials on beam are what cost her the second automatic spot. If Mcool hadnt earned that second automatic spot, part of me wonders if she would even have been named to the team. Her scores on bars were mediocre and the team could have gained something with a specialist like Vise... Beam was really the only event where Mccool brought something huge to the table, and the international judges destroyed her SV. Hollie probably could have scored way higher.

[@sumsumcorda8]

I think that the injury thing was an excuse. I do think martha somehow didnt like chelsie and/or her dad for a reason we dont know (love andie btw). I say because back then in 2012 she wasnt granted the chance to try for a spot (while nastia was) and also because we know that over the time other gymnasts were competing at the olympics even with injuries prior to the games (wieber, maroney )

[@nmixx.changeupletsgo]

⁠@@sumsumcorda8Well I mean Nastia was the best bar specialist the US has ever had until Madison and Suni came along.. and she was also the 2008 AA champion. Not to shit on Chellsie's achievements, but I understand why Nastia had the edge when it came to a spot at trials

[@patpat446]

NBC and gymnastics are a match made in hell

[@mst3kanita]

Reality tv was big back then, and nbc thought it would be so cute to pull this stunt.

[@metsdudenj]

" We will not take an injured athlete" which is why Memmel wasnt chosen, and it makes 100% sense, the problem was taking McCool who added zero to the team. She never should have been given a guaranteed spot.

[@JLFAN2009]

Unfortunately, it was Damned if you do, Damned if you don't. The fact was that McCool technically finished in the top two at the trials; and she wasn't injured. If she was denied a spot on the team, then the selection process would truly have been arbitrary and unfair. For then, what would have been the point in even having trials at all? The fact is that often Olympic performance does not match trial performance, so with hindsight you can say that somebody should not have been on the team, which would have been better off with someone else. But until the actual meet, you can't know for sure. All the selection committee can do is try their best to put together the best squad, on the basis of results from recent competitions, as well as health.

[@genlyai5055]

@@JLFAN2009 That doesn't change the fact that his comment was correct. The process under BARTA was beyond fucked and vile. The 'selection committees' were ruled with iron hands by the Karolyikunts and resembled nothing so much as Iron Curtain Cold War Eastern European totalitarianism.

[@rolandgreen7484]

I agree McCool was useless, but she did finish 2nd at the Trials so per Marta's only rules she had to be given a spot.

[@KaiOpaka]

Except they took injured athletes all the time (Maroney's toe, Moceanu's tibia, etc). They just wanted plausible deniability. Lying, pushing through unhealthy training and recovery, etc. Chellsie didn't play their game and got punished.

[@minoyd]

Truly, I think the Karolyi's are sadists.

[@pianoplayrpiano99]

I think they are thoroughly despicable people. Not only were they abusive coaches, but they enabled a child serial predator. It's impossible to look at their "successes" without remembering the terrible cost of all those medals to the athletes .

[@MrCph2200]

Yea… I looked at Martha’s her body language when they were walking from the other room and in to the girls. She looked like she could not be more excited and looking forward to executing her power and feed of off all the sadness, huge disappointment from the girls who were not picked

[@justalilsparkle7873]

They belong in jail

[@emmyjo720]

​@MrCph2200 She is like the worst head mistress,enjoying her power over children. Several of those gymnasts competed injured..I often think Abby Lee Miller tries to emulate her nastiness.

[@sarahosborne7477]

What show was this?

[@TubbaTubba-em2tm]

Meh. I didn't mind it. It was nice to see the reactions of Mohini and Annia. Both were great gymnasts.

[@daughterofyemoja]

Well yeah you didn't mind it because it wasn't you going through this process. For the gymnasts involved it wasn't a pleasant experience as Chelsea explains in this livestream.

[@emmyjo720]

Then McCool got treated badly. None of them look overjoyed to be in the room. They are all miserable and scared.

[@ansaksa]

none of them seem very happy like:yeeey I made to team, let`s celebrate! only courtney had faint smile otherwise theyreally looked like they are going to be executed

[@Marketoromagnolo]

Memmel deserved to be on the team over Hatch

[@honeyfromthebee]

We all love Chelsie, and her injury was heartbreaking. However, Annia not only was able to contribute to the team, but also won an individual silver on vault… despite overcoming injury herself.

[@abrahamnextel]

Choosing Mohini Bardwai over Chellsie was a travesty

[@Marketoromagnolo]

@@abrahamnextel anyway the perfec team.for 04 olympics was: Memmel, pattersin, kupets, humprey, sacramone ( who was already the best on vault and floor) and vise. Rezerve maccoley and bhardway

[@Cmc995]

@@abrahamnextel I think Courtney Mccool was the weakest link. Mohini was awesome!

[@fshonuff]

Mohini was a leader on that team. She did everything she was supposed to do. Annia also was selected as a vault specialist. If Memmel was on that team or not it wasn’t going to change the outcome - the Romanian team was too strong and mighty.

[@BelleBlack1]

Stunts like these made gymnastics visible in the U.S. and inspired thousands of girls to want to be gymnasts

[@lpoco0006]

who watches this and then wants to be in that position? Nobody lol

[@BelleBlack1]

@@lpoco0006 I'm just looking for a silver lining lol

[@hazelnutspred3348]

the podium moments at olympics is what inspires the younger gymnasts

[@cr-lb5yh]

I think the actual events did. I always thought this was so cold and bizarre. No other sport selected their team like this.

[@pcbassoon3892]

I think it's why they did it. For the publicity. 2004 was ROUGH on TV.

[@gymstyle5091]

Annia Hatch being named to this team is the most egregious decision of all time.

[@kristinastukalenko3748]

She won the silver on vault...

[@carrietremble]

How so? Outside of Mohini and Annia, the team was very weak on vault. She helped the team immensely on that event in team finals, and, as another poster said, she did win the vault silver medal. At the time, she was only the second person from the US to ever win a vault medal. I would say she was a smart pick for that team!

[@gymstyle5091]

@@kristinastukalenko3748 Yes she did but she served no purpose for the TEAM

[@gymstyle5091]

@@carrietremble The US needed floor workers not a vault that barely scored better . Did you people even watch this Olympics?

[@3Axel1996]

@@gymstyle5091 Annia's vaults made up for the mess by Carly.