12 things to remember from the 2012 Olympics

So now that the 2012 Olympics have finally come to a close, I thought it would be a good time to reflect back on 12 of the most memorable moments of these Games.

1. The Fierce Five Dominate

This was with out a doubt, Team USA's Olympics! I knew that coming into this, they would be the team to beat because every single member on this team was looking rock solid in the meets leading up to the games and of course they were hungry for gold! Not to mention they were the reigning World Champions! Claiming the gold medal in the team, all around, and floor final (as well as a silver in the vault and a bronze on the beam) the USA definitely had one of their most successful Olympic showings ever! The Fierce Five is one of the strongest groups of girls the USA has ever produced with each member capable of medaling in either an event final or the all around. I mean just think about it. How many country's can say that every member of their team can successfully do the amanar vault? This group of girls really are something special, and I love the fact that they're becoming house hold names! The Team Final, will always be my favorite moment from these games mainly because I loved seeing a smile on every one of their faces. It still gives me chills to think about what these girls have accomplished and it's something I will never forget! Hats off to the Fierce Five, for coming together as a team and getting the job done when it mattered the most!

Photo Credit: Gregory Bull

2. Aliya Mustafina's Good Sportsmanship

I give Aliya Mustafina the gold medal in good sportsmanship after these Olympics. I know that NBC made the Russian's out to be snobby diva's who cry when things don't go their way, but really I see Aliya as the exact opposite. From the teddy bears, to the hugs, and all the thumbs up in between, Aliya proved that she is a team leader, and truly a good sport. She didn't cry because she lost the gold in the all around, she celebrated because she won the bronze! She didn't make excuses after they lost the gold in the team final, instead she spoke very highly of the Americans and said that they deserved the gold. She showed class, and set a great example for all the other athletes. I was thrilled to see Musafina win the gold medal in the bar final, because I know that after battling back from an  ACL tear last year, getting to this point was not easy. I praise her for staying classy and positive throughout these entire Olympics, and hope that other athletes will take note. This is certainly something that shouldn't go with out recognition!

Photo Credit: Unkown

3. Mckayla Maroney's Vault

Even though, Mckayla came home with the silver medal on vault, we all know that she truly is the best vaulter in the world. Nobody's vault will ever compare to Mckayla's, not even Simona Amanar herself! You know your pretty dang good when you can fall and still get a silver medal at the Olympics Games! She had an off day, but the FLAWLESS vault she did in team finals is my single favorite routine from these entire Olympics. I screamed when I watched it live and to this day, enjoy watching it over and over again when I'm bored. Mckayla Maroney is a vaulting legend.



4.  Aly Raisman's Leadership

The story of Aly's Raisman's life has always been about being second best. Despite being named the team captain (and the most experienced member on the team) Aly was never really the "It" girl going into London. But she proved that slow and steady, really dose win the race, coming home with the most medals of the entire US Gymnastics team (2 golds, and 1 bronze). I'm glad that despite all the drama that circled around Aly (beating Wieber for the final AA spot and all the tie breaker drama) she was able to stay positive and be there for her team when they needed her. My favorite moment, was when Aly put her gold medal around her coach Mihai's neck. I'm really glad she did that because none of these athletes would be where they are today, if it wasn't for their coaches! Team USA could not have asked for a better leader. Great job Aly!

Photo Credit: Brian Snyder

5. Beth Tweddle's Bar Routine

This routine never fails to amaze me. I am SO happy that Beth was finally able to get that Olympic medal she has been dreaming of her entire life. And to have it all happen in front of a home crowd, makes the moment that much more special! Beth is one of my all time favorite athletes. I can't get enough of her positive attitude and spectacular bar set. With out a doubt, Beth has earned a spot on my 12 most memorable list!

Photo Credit: Unknown

 6. Jordyn Wieber's Class

Going into London, Jordyn Wieber was one of the favorites expected to challenge for the AA gold medal. I can't imagine the pressure she must have felt! Everyone in the world was expecting her to preform at her best and win as many medals as possible. Even though she leaves these games with only a team gold medal, Jordyn has so much to be proud of. Not many people can say that they're a National, World, and Olympic Champion! The way Jo handled herself was incredible. Every time one of her teammates hit a routine she was the first one up on her feet cheering! In interviews, she sounds so proud of her teammates and grateful for the medal that she earned. I hope when Jordyn looks back on this experience, she feels nothing but pride. I know I'm proud of her, and I'm so grateful that we've gotten to watch her gymnastics for the past 7 years! No Olympic medal will ever compare to the wonderful person Jordyn has become. Her determination, class, and great sportsmanship is inspiring and in my eyes, that's what makes a REAL champion.

Photo Credit: Ronald Martinez

7.  Chuso's Final Run

After her sixth Olympic Games, Oksana Chusovitina has finally said goodbye to the sport that has been her life for the past 37 years. Even though, Oksana missed out on a medal in her final Olympic run, she will always have her team gold medal from 1992 and silver medal from the vault event final in 2008. Oksana has an incredible resume that dates back to 1988 when she first started competing as an elite gymnast. She's represented 3 different countries in the Olympic Games and holds the record of  most individual world championships medals on a single event (9, on the vault). Chuso will certainly be missed by fans all across the world. Thank you for the past 25 years of gymnastics Oksana!

Photo Credit: Fox Sports

8. Men's Gymnastics

When I came up with this list, I knew that it wouldn't be complete without giving some credit to the men. Men's gymnastics is like a breath of fresh air for me. The men act like better sports, they do outrageous skills, and not mention 99% of them are pretty cute! I was really pulling for the US men. I wanted to see them come home with at least a team medal because we all know they were capable of it. But regardless of the outcome, these guys were such good sports. I loved when Sam Mikulak gave the Korean guy (I don't know his name, sorry!) a big bear hug after his INCREDIBLE vault. These guys do some pretty crazy things, and that's what makes it so entertaining for the audience. One of my favorite routine's was Epke Zonderland's high bar routine. We might as well re-name him Epic Zonderland because that was the craziest thing my eyes have ever witnessed, hands down. I was speechless the entire routine. We can't talk about amazing Olympic moments without bringing up the men. They really do deserve some more recognition!

Photo Credit: Unknown

 9.  Controversial Topics

The 2 per country rule and the tie breaker system, are 2 of the popular topics that got the Gymternet talking. I don't want to waste to much time talking about this, because I do want this post to be about all the positive things that happened. But these topics were a pretty big deal at the time and did play a pretty big part on the medal podium for some of these athletes at these Olympics. Aliya Mustafina, Aly Raisman, Vanessa Ferrari and Catalina Ponar all fell victim to the tie breaker system. Although the tie breaker worked out in Mustafina's favor 2 times (AA and Floor Finals) a lot of people disagree with the rule. I'm sure Aly Raisman has a love hate relationship with the tie breaker system, considering that it lost her a medal (AA final) and earned her a medal (beam final). Another controversy was the 2 athlete per country rule. Jordyn Wieber was one of the main headlines at these games, after she failed to advance to the AA final due to the fact that 2 of her teammates placed higher in the ranking then she did (although she was 4th after prelims). Even though Wieber is the one who comes to mind when we talk about this rule, we shouldn't forget to mention the other talented athletes who were left out (Anastasia Grishina, Yao Jinnan, Jennifer Pinches, Kyla Ross, and so many more!) I already have a post up about how I feel about this rule, so I'm not going to go any further into detail regrading my thoughts.


10. Team Canada Makes History

I love all of the Canadian gymnasts. I've always been huge supporters of them and I'm glad that they made history with their highest team placing EVER! This team includes all of my favorite Canadians (with the exception of Peng Peng!) and I really hope that they all continue with the sport!

Photo Credit: Mark Blinch

11. The Artistry

Some thing else I wanted to mention was the artistry displayed by so many of the gymnasts at these Olympics! I was actually quite impressed! We really did get treated to some beautiful gymnastics at these games thanks to Victoria Moors, Mckayla Maroney, He Kexin, Sui Lu, Vasiliki Millousi, and the entire Russian gymnastics team!

Photo Credit: Oleg Naymov

12.  The Gymternet

The past 2 weeks (and all the years leading up to it!) have been a blast. You guys are awesome and I wouldn't want to spend those long nights watching the Olympics with anyone else! Thanks to everyone for keeping me entertained through this whole process. I'm always going to remember the games we played to entertain ourselves before meets, all the entertaining blog posts, tweets, and memes I've read, and all the interesting debates I've gotten into! It really is nice to have such a big family full of bloggers, fan accounts, and average gym fans who share my obsession with this sport! I can't thank you guys enough for letting Ashlee and I into this wonderful community and allowing us to share our opinions, thoughts, and dreams with you guys through this blog! So thanks so much to everyone who has been supporting us from the start and we can't wait to continue this journey into 2016!