I don't find that inner gymnast ugly at all. All you are doing is reacting to the trivial narcissism of the self-absorbed American bourgeoisie. You paid blood and bones and hours upon hours for the right to say "I was a gymnast". I see now reason why you shouldn't be impatient and a little bit sharp with the dabblers who have the self-absorbed gall to think for a second they "share" a common background with because, as you say, they did some extracurricular activity in junior high.

Frankly, I am on your side here. I say, let that beast out. People need to learn the difference between dabbling and doing.

Right?

Unlike all the amateur athletes you look down upon, you are a real loser. Truly.

Now go away, loser-person, and leave us alone.

I hate to say it, but you really sound more than anything else like a spoiled brat. Gymnastics in this country is a sport that only people who are in the thin layer of the wealthiest people in the world have the leisure time and money to devote their lives to. And in the end, you've devoted your life to a pursuit which in no way improves the lives of anyone in the world... you haven't searched for a cure for disease, tried to feed the hungry, or tried to help people understand the world a little better.

In only one way could it be argued that you've accomplished something worthwhile for humanity, and that is that you may have brought a thrill to your audience, may even have inspired someone in that audience to try to achieve something physically in their own lives. And yet that aspect of what you do is something you have only disdain for.

It just makes me sad for you.

Tons of teenagers (and adults) sacrifice hours every day, lose nights and weekends to competition and suffer breaks and tears along the way. The difference is that they don't have the innate ability or the substantial financial backing to make it to the elite level. They just do it because they can dream and because they love what they do. That's doing, not dabbling. Get it straight.

It's funny, my husband always gets a bit annoyed when everyone he meets explains to him that they were also going to be a pilot just like him, but their eyes weren't perfect, etc...

I tell him that people just want to share something in common, to be friendly.

Yeah, when I was 12, like so many other girls, I either wanted to be a gymnast, an astronaut or an actress. Heh. I still can admire those fields and think how cool it would have been, but that doesn't mean that I don't respect what it took to be successful, no matter how different the requirements.

This is a terrific article. I hope your book reads like this.

I don't think you're a jerk, by the way. The masses are a bunch of poseurs who dabble in sports from time to time. They don't know pain and sacrifice. There are people I know who have gone through there entire lives without being yelled out; by their parents or by a coach.

I mean, for the love of God, all these diet schemes and weight loss pills are for those who can't stand to walk 20 minutes a day. And they're the ones criticizing professional athletes for performing poorly?

You're the real deal Jennifer. You shouldn't be ashamed for calling people out.

I've changed my mind, Salon editors: I loved this article.

May I have my red star now, please?

-- DurianJoe

I was going to call out Salon for the same thing, but, alas, work got in the way. Totally hilarious and totally predictable.

Now that you've recognized the problem. . . Is it only when you watch the Olympics that you "turn into" a horrible, condescending jerk? It sounds like you do when people approach you with their own attempts at athletic endeavor, when people are idiotically inspired by an athlete's prowess, or, as in the case here, when someone pays you to say, "I am a jerk." What Sey calls smug condescension, I call poisonous self-regard. The peremptory dismissal of armchair fans (forgive me for not paying to see you perform) is intriguing. Does any Olympian believe that they would be so fruitfully subsidized should their sport lack general interest? Ask the Jamaican bobsled team. I would never in ten lifetimes be able to begin to think that I could have the slightest clue about what an Olympian must go through to reach the Games, but at least I'm aware of it. Sey's elitism is unfortunately deployed in insult and calumny. It repellent in the extreme, pointless, and far, far below Salon's usual regard for its readers.

why would you possibly care if other people say "i did gymnastics" or "i swam in high school"? Sounds like there's a lot of inadequacy and anger over not being an olympian yourself. what a waste of energy. and, btw, saying that you know it's beastly of you doesn't make it any less beastly. if you really thought you were wrong to feel the way you do, you'd spend your time working through it rather than writing self-justifying pieces about it.

...you are indeed a self-absorbed jerk. Maybe if fans of a sport annoy you so much you should have spent 12 hours a day practicing an activity that no one gives a crap about, like world-class condescension. Oh, wait; you already have.

Can't wait for the book.

Ms. Sey,

Even though I'm an armchair athlete, I understand where you're coming from. My colleague and I were talking about this this morning. My concern is that the young women gymnasts will see themselves as failures, despite, as you point out, the incredible achievement of winning Silver medals at an Olympic games.

How'd that work out for you, sweetums?

& I'm talking about the letters, not the article. Sorry Ms Sey, you evidently aren't allowed to compete, if you are driven, focused and female they call it narcissism. If you were a male, of course, it would be genius :/

I don't blame you for being frustrated, no one would call themselves a mathematician after taking math in high school, even if they enjoyed the subject and excelled at it.

That said, there is more to life than being the best (although anyone who has ever competed at any level still yearns for it). Sunshine, laughter, quiet moments alone- I hope you find solace in the ordinary world, it has much to offer :) and for a lot cheaper price.