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Do You Think the Chinese Gymnasts Are All Over 16 Years of Age?

FitSugar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:00:00 PDT

In a close competition, every detail falls under scrutiny.

The US women's gymnastic team, older and wiser than the gold-winning Chinese team, performed well minus a couple of falls and landed in second place. The 20-year-old team captain Alicia Sacramone, who unfortunately fell during both her floor routine as well as her balance beam exercise, tried to keep a positive attitude about winning silver as did her teammate Nastia Liukin. Although the team mostly accepted their defeat with grace, the age of the much younger Chinese team was once again questioned by US coach Marta Karolyi, wife of coach Beyla Karolyi with whom she trained gold medalists Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton. A report was published just before the games alleging that at least two of the Chinese gymnasts are only 14-years-old, making them ineligible for competition. Both of the Karolyis have complained that the stadium officials disrupted Sacramone's preparation prior to competing on the balance beam.

What do you think? Do you believe the Chinese gymnasts are all 16 years old? Or do you think these accusations are poor sportsmanship?

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Swimmer Dara Torres on the Quest For Her Sixth Olympic Games

espnW — Fri, 11 May 2012 04:12:32 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from espnW here on FitSugar!

By Luke Cyphers

Dara Torres once wrote a book called Age Is Just a Number. Nowadays, though, the feel-good story of the 2008 Olympics admits to, well, feeling her age. Torres won two silver medals as a 41-year-old mother and swimmer in Beijing, but she harbors no illusions about repeating the feat four years later. "You have to be realistic," Torres said. "I am 45 years old. I'm that much closer to being 50, and my body just can't recover the way it used to."

Her goal was gold in 2008. In 2012? "I don't feel like I have anything else to prove going into these Olympic Games," said the 12-time medalist. "It's not about medals. I have enough."

So why does she put herself through grueling training five days a week in the hopes of making her sixth - and she swears last - U.S. Olympic team? Because, at her best, she's still one of the fastest sprinters in the world. She placed second in the 50-meter freestyle (25.24 seconds) at the winter nationals. Last month, she swam a solid 25.36 seconds in the prelims of the Indianapolis Grand Prix, but faded to 25.47 in the final to finish sixth. She'll need to place within the top two at the Olympic trials in Omaha in June to make it to London.

Kim Rhode is not your typical Olympian

Dara Torres says it is harder for her body to recover compared to when she competed in the 2008 Olympics. "If I had to just swim the race once, I don't think it would even be an issue making the team," she said. "But I have to swim it three times, and having my body recover for those three races is my issue."

Torres embraces the actuarial challenge of capping an Olympic career 28 years after it began in 1984, even as her world has changed and her body has creaked. Her longtime coach, Michael Lohberg, died of a rare blood disorder in 2011. One of Lohberg's assistants, Bruno Darzi, now coaches her. Her daughter Tessa is now 6. And her left knee required surgery and more than a year to rehab. Through it all, "I still have a passion for the sport of swimming," she said.

But there's also a sense of obligation to the public following she has built through her success and frequent television appearances. (The former telecommunications major and frequent morning-show guest announced her comeback on "Live with Regis & Kelly.") "I have so many people come up to me and say I'm inspiring them to do things that they thought they couldn't do because they were too old, or that they put off because they couldn't find a balance in their life to do it," Torres said.

Keep reading for more on Dara Torres' Olympic past and present.

Become a Color Connoisseur With Pantone's Pretty Palettes For 2013

Angela Swinderman Elias — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:00:23 PDT

According to the PANTONE VIEW home + interiors 2013 book, there are nine color palettes predicted to dominate interior design and furniture trends in 2013. A mix of muted palettes serve as the new classics while rainbow-inspired colors provoke bolder style statements.

The first palette in Pantone's 2013 lineup, Connoisseur, draws from cool neutrals like alyssum white and beechnut green, contrasted with warmer tones of violets and orchids, liquid pink, and deep mahogany, all set against accents of champagne beige and silver. The palette puts a fresh spin on old-world elegance, with decorative pieces that layer texture. It's refined and sophisticated with just the right amount of understated drama.

Keep reading to check out the other eight palettes and the inspiration behind each!

Add These Award-Winning Books to Your Tot's Bookshelf Today!

Rebecca M Gruber — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:06:22 PST

Go ahead and add some silver to your bookshelf! This morning the American Library Association announced the winners of the most prestigious children's book honors, naming the 2012 John Newbery Medal and the Randolph Caldecott Medal award winners, as well as the recipients of several other distinguished awards. The honorees represent the best books - both written and illustrated - for tots. Go ahead and check out the winners and then add them to your nightly reading rotation. Your kids will thank you with a lifetime of reading ahead of them!

The Office, "Doomsday": Best Lines of the Night

Lizzie Fuhr — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:11:59 PDT

In an equally outlandish and sincere attempt to improve productivity at The Office, Dwight creates a device that will most definitely get everyone fired. The "Accountability Booster" registers every time a mistake gets made in the office. When five mistakes are made, you get a home run. Unlike their traditional connotation, home runs are not positive on The Office. "You get a home run and you're out."

After the team makes the five errors necessary to change the trajectory of their careers, Dwight refuses to delete the email that would ruin everything. He goes home for the day, but Andy assembles a ragtag team to go to Schrute Farms to try to change Dwight's mind. After helping him dig a horse grave and chowing down on some cabbage pie, Pam's uncanny ability to connect with others comes through. She pushes Andy to stop stressing everyone, and eventually her positive attitude pays off. Dwight eventually enters his password into the program and all is well.

Overall I thought this was a great episode. It's sweet, pop-culture laden, and full of laughs. It just goes to show: if you put a lot of Dwight in an episode, things just work for The Office. To find out some of my favorite lines from "Doomsday," just keep reading.

Simon Cowell Talks His "Demented" Relationship With Paula Abdul and Why The X Factor Is a Game Changer

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:32:09 PDT

It feels like we've been waiting forever for The X Factor to come to America, but now we're just weeks away from the Sept. 21 premiere. A panel of the show's producers, host, and judges (including Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul) took the stage at the TCA to discuss what's in store for their new singing competition. Simon Cowell was tied up in St. Tropez, but that didn't stop him from answering questions and squabbling with Paula via satellite.

The judges were steadfast in their belief that The X Factor really will be a different show than American Idol. Besides having a younger age minimum (12 years old) and a very heavy mentoring program, the biggest change in my opinion is how much higher the stakes are. The winner will not only get a recording contract but will also walk away with a cool $5 million in cash. To boot, Fox announced today that the winner will also star in his/her own Pepsi commercial to air during the Super Bowl. Not too shabby.
As always, Cowell exuded confidence about the show's ability to perform. He said, "This looks like nothing else you've ever seen before," and when asked about ratings, he said, "You don't enter something for the silver medal" and added "We're going to throw everything at this to try to make it the best show on TV."
Cowell called the show "a game changer" and said they're looking for a new audience than the other singing competitions out there, like Idol and The Voice. He also added that they're hoping to introduce us to a completely new kind of contestant, thanks to different rules. "You've got to accept the fact that there will be competitive shows, and it just means you have to make the show better."
When asked if Cheryl Cole's exit from the show had anything to do with Abdul, Cowell quipped, "If it was a question of not getting along with Paula, then I wouldn't be on the show." He went on to talk about how much he loves having Scherzinger as a judge, calling her "a revelation."

To see what Paula had to say about her reunion with Simon, just

Abdul joked about how happy she was to be reunited with Cowell, saying, "It's nice to be back in a demented relationship. It's like home. We're like an old married couple." To which Cowell replied, "I think it's more like The Exorcist 2."
Abdul also tried to explain the differences between The X Factor and Idol, saying, "This show is completely feeling different. It's grand scale. It's an epic feeling. I've never witnessed so much talent. Not just one winner, there are stars that are going to emerge. The whole phase of the mentoring is going to be extremely intense. Simon is a completely different species on this show. He's turned into a pussycat, it's very sweet."

Picture It: In Sync

Tara Block — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 10:40:02 PDT

Divers Wang Hao and Chen Ruolin of China are in perfect harmony as they compete on day three of the 14th FINA World Championships in Shanghai, China. The duo took home gold medals for the women's 10-meter synchronized platform diving event, while Australia took silver and Germany took bronze. See more photos of these incredible female athletes now.