This episode has been commissioned by Club Gym Nerd member Taylor, Princess of Sex Data, who requested a deep dive into the infamous CNN Parkettes documentary, Achieving the Perfect 10, that we can all quote by heart. We discuss

• Background
  • What's the deal with Parkettes?
  • The legacy of this piece
  • Jessica's experience going to the Parkettes camp as a youth (!)
  • Why we think Parkettes agreed to this
• Part 1: A 7-year-old with a broken ankle
  • TOPs testing gives Spencer a panic attack
  • How NOT to sound like a creeper when talking about a 7-year-old
  • Everyone says "suck it up" 100,000 times because healthy
  • We root for everyone to quit and go to a pool party
• Part 2: Get confident, stupid
  • Demeaning people definitely makes them more confident
  • The Mrs hates everyone, especially gymnasts, and teenagers, and you
  • Jessica is still fawning over Nicole Harris to this day
• Part 3: Annie, are you OK?
  • "Do you just think it's more important to have bobbles so people will give you attentions?"
  • Why we're obsessed with deadpan comedy genius Annie Fogerty
  • OH GOOD THE WEIGHT PORTION, THIS WILL GO WELL
  • "Way to give up, Annie, way to give up"
  • "Was that a try, what you just did? What kind of a try? Is there such a thing as a quitter's try, like lackadaisical?"
  • What exactly is a quitter's try?
  • The Kristie Phillips cautionary tale
• Part 4: Aftermath
  • Where are they now?
  • What this says about elite gymnastics, and why USAG learned all the wrong lessons from how horrified we are by it
  • The problem with typical American parents' view of sports

FURTHER READING

• Meet the Freshmen – Oklahoma & Arkansas
• Meet the Freshmen – Florida & Kentucky
• Things Are Happening – November 16, 2018
• Meet the Freshmen – LSU & Georgia
• NLI Week 2019-2020=

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