Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone in sports dopes. It's just a matter of mixing new cocktails that the testers haven't developed tests for.
But for Chinese phenoms, let's consider population proportion. In a nation with that many 12 year old girls, there is a greater likelihood that more of them will have swimming talent than a country with a smaller population of 12 year old girls. Add in the fact that the government identifies and develops sports talent early which really helps.
For instance, the basketball star Yao Ming didn't come out of nowhere. His parents were basketball players plucked by the government. Then their kid was developed when he showed interest and talent.

In the U.S., parental and child interest and accessibility drive sports choice. Kids in Wisconsin funnel towards ice hockey and away from surfing. Kids in aspen are more likely to take up alpine or freeski than kids in Tennessee.

In China, sports choice is driven by physical characteristics. The state will visit schools and measure metrics that help identify talent for particular sports. Kids with big hands and feet, disproportionately large wingspans, and long torsos will be directed towards swim. Strong kids who excel at broad jumping and show explosive skills will be directed towards weightlifting. A kid from a remote village that doesn’t have a pool or a swim team can become an Olympic swimmer, whereas that would never happen in the U.S.

Do you think body type selection is sufficient to develop a world-class athlete in 5-6 years? I can see things happening that quickly for an athlete chosen at 14 who becomes elite at 20-21. But to take a literal child from zero at age 6 and make them the best in the world by age 12 would be the most stunning athletic and coaching development in athletic history.

So if that's what's going on, and if it's real, then China needs to step up and start bragging about their training methods, nutrition, periodization, etc. If they have a population with the genetics and depth to make this possible, then sharing training methods wouldn't be giving away any advantage. It seems weird that no one is coming out and saying "I was her childhood coach and she had x amount of potential from day 1" or "I swam with her in the same training group and we always knew she was going to be a big deal."

Misty Copeland began dancing at 13. At 15, she was named a principal ballerina. Incredibly rare but it can happen.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone in sports dopes. It's just a matter of mixing new cocktails that the testers haven't developed tests for.
But for Chinese phenoms, let's consider population proportion. In a nation with that many 12 year old girls, there is a greater likelihood that more of them will have swimming talent than a country with a smaller population of 12 year old girls. Add in the fact that the government identifies and develops sports talent early which really helps.
For instance, the basketball star Yao Ming didn't come out of nowhere. His parents were basketball players plucked by the government. Then their kid was developed when he showed interest and talent.

In the U.S., parental and child interest and accessibility drive sports choice. Kids in Wisconsin funnel towards ice hockey and away from surfing. Kids in aspen are more likely to take up alpine or freeski than kids in Tennessee.

In China, sports choice is driven by physical characteristics. The state will visit schools and measure metrics that help identify talent for particular sports. Kids with big hands and feet, disproportionately large wingspans, and long torsos will be directed towards swim. Strong kids who excel at broad jumping and show explosive skills will be directed towards weightlifting. A kid from a remote village that doesn’t have a pool or a swim team can become an Olympic swimmer, whereas that would never happen in the U.S.

Do you think body type selection is sufficient to develop a world-class athlete in 5-6 years? I can see things happening that quickly for an athlete chosen at 14 who becomes elite at 20-21. But to take a literal child from zero at age 6 and make them the best in the world by age 12 would be the most stunning athletic and coaching development in athletic history.

So if that's what's going on, and if it's real, then China needs to step up and start bragging about their training methods, nutrition, periodization, etc. If they have a population with the genetics and depth to make this possible, then sharing training methods wouldn't be giving away any advantage. It seems weird that no one is coming out and saying "I was her childhood coach and she had x amount of potential from day 1" or "I swam with her in the same training group and we always knew she was going to be a big deal."

Anonymous wrote:Just curious, is she super tall or big?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This makes me want to get a Chinese DD and have her dominate IAS at the shallow pools that are too far away from my house, and I will film her and not volunteer.

Someone is keeping up with all the threads

“Dopest race!” paper plate award!

Anonymous wrote:This makes me want to get a Chinese DD and have her dominate IAS at the shallow pools that are too far away from my house, and I will film her and not volunteer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This makes me want to get a Chinese DD and have her dominate IAS at the shallow pools that are too far away from my house, and I will film her and not volunteer.

Someone is keeping up with all the threads

“Dopest race!” paper plate award!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This makes me want to get a Chinese DD and have her dominate IAS at the shallow pools that are too far away from my house, and I will film her and not volunteer.

Someone is keeping up with all the threads

Anonymous wrote:This makes me want to get a Chinese DD and have her dominate IAS at the shallow pools that are too far away from my house, and I will film her and not volunteer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone in sports dopes. It's just a matter of mixing new cocktails that the testers haven't developed tests for.
But for Chinese phenoms, let's consider population proportion. In a nation with that many 12 year old girls, there is a greater likelihood that more of them will have swimming talent than a country with a smaller population of 12 year old girls. Add in the fact that the government identifies and develops sports talent early which really helps.
For instance, the basketball star Yao Ming didn't come out of nowhere. His parents were basketball players plucked by the government. Then their kid was developed when he showed interest and talent.

This seems so evil, what China does.

What is evil, developing sports talent?
You know, these kids aren't forced into it. Kind of like how the Kirov ballet develops their people. Early training and the flotsam get weeded out in the process.

Anyone who is a minor doing a sport at a high level is being forced into it by some degree by parents, coaches or other adults. No child has the agency to seek an elite program, get themselves to it, fund it, etc. I say this as a high-level but not elite gymnastics parent who has seen plenty of athletes who are not “forced into it” but also don’t have any other options for how they spend their time once their talent is discovered.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone in sports dopes. It's just a matter of mixing new cocktails that the testers haven't developed tests for.
But for Chinese phenoms, let's consider population proportion. In a nation with that many 12 year old girls, there is a greater likelihood that more of them will have swimming talent than a country with a smaller population of 12 year old girls. Add in the fact that the government identifies and develops sports talent early which really helps.
For instance, the basketball star Yao Ming didn't come out of nowhere. His parents were basketball players plucked by the government. Then their kid was developed when he showed interest and talent.

This seems so evil, what China does.

What is evil, developing sports talent?
You know, these kids aren't forced into it. Kind of like how the Kirov ballet develops their people. Early training and the flotsam get weeded out in the process.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone in sports dopes. It's just a matter of mixing new cocktails that the testers haven't developed tests for.
But for Chinese phenoms, let's consider population proportion. In a nation with that many 12 year old girls, there is a greater likelihood that more of them will have swimming talent than a country with a smaller population of 12 year old girls. Add in the fact that the government identifies and develops sports talent early which really helps.
For instance, the basketball star Yao Ming didn't come out of nowhere. His parents were basketball players plucked by the government. Then their kid was developed when he showed interest and talent.

In the U.S., parental and child interest and accessibility drive sports choice. Kids in Wisconsin funnel towards ice hockey and away from surfing. Kids in aspen are more likely to take up alpine or freeski than kids in Tennessee.

In China, sports choice is driven by physical characteristics. The state will visit schools and measure metrics that help identify talent for particular sports. Kids with big hands and feet, disproportionately large wingspans, and long torsos will be directed towards swim. Strong kids who excel at broad jumping and show explosive skills will be directed towards weightlifting. A kid from a remote village that doesn’t have a pool or a swim team can become an Olympic swimmer, whereas that would never happen in the U.S.

Do you think body type selection is sufficient to develop a world-class athlete in 5-6 years? I can see things happening that quickly for an athlete chosen at 14 who becomes elite at 20-21. But to take a literal child from zero at age 6 and make them the best in the world by age 12 would be the most stunning athletic and coaching development in athletic history.

So if that's what's going on, and if it's real, then China needs to step up and start bragging about their training methods, nutrition, periodization, etc. If they have a population with the genetics and depth to make this possible, then sharing training methods wouldn't be giving away any advantage. It seems weird that no one is coming out and saying "I was her childhood coach and she had x amount of potential from day 1" or "I swam with her in the same training group and we always knew she was going to be a big deal."