Gymnastics: painful-looking hairstyles, success, failure, ups, and downs.

Yes, I am fully aware that this is a book blog made by the one and only me, BUT BUT BUT it's my blog right? I can do whatever I want with it.  So I'm making Leopard Kitty books mainly a book blog but also a blog for random thoughts I have.  And how can I not post about the Summer Olympics? They're the big thing that's going on right now so I just have to make a few comments on them.
   To be specific, I'm talking about women's gymnastics.  As some of you may know, the women's gymnastics concluded last night with the individual beam and floor exercises. Warning: I'm going to be annoying and like NBC for a moment.  If you don't want to know the results for whatever reason of the gymnastics, read no further.  Also you can't get mad at me for spoiling it for you because I am warning you this very second :) Jordyn Wieber, age 17, ended her Olympics with yet another mistake on the floor, when she stepped out of bounds, just like at the Olympic trials.  But team captain Aly Raisman, 18, won an unexpected bronze and a well-deserved gold, as you know (probably!).
    Team USA went through their ups and downs through the Olympics--everyone went crazy happy for Gabby Douglas when she won the all-around gold, and for Aly Raisman when she won the floor exercise gold, but then there were the disappointing facts of McKayla Maroney, who messed up on the vault, and Jordyn of course.
Despite all the disappointments Team USA went through in the 2012 Olympics, generally they seem to be pretty optimistic about their careers.  After McKayla, 16, messed up at the vault after her near-perfect performance just days before, she tweeted, "Disappointed on how today turned out, but everything happens for a reason!! #noregrets.. Plus, the silver metal is actually pretty sick!!"    After endless criticisms of Gabby Douglas's hair, Gabby (age 16) eventually had a sense of humor about it, saying that it was ridiculous but funny that people should criticize her hair, seeing as she had just won a gold metal.  Typical of people, right? To immediately find something to comment negatively on after a huge success?  People criticized Gabby's hair because they thought it didn't look "natural"--that she should rock a style such as curls. Very true--her hair isn't natural, BUT seeing as Gabby's a gymnast, it's essential for her hair to be the least of her issues as she's flipping around, whether it be on the uneven bars, the beam, or really whatever she's doing.
   Speaking of gymnastics hairstyles, I can't help but think that those hairstyles look unbearably painful. Unlike critics, I have no problem with the way that they style their hair other than the fact that it looks as if their eyes are about to pop out of their heads because it's so tight.  I completely understand the need for hair to be out of your way if you're a serious gymnast (well, even non-serious gymasts!) but doesn't it hurt? If you're a gymnast can you tell me if it does or doesn't? I'm a pretty serious dancer and though I know that there might be less movement ( at least constant movement)  in dance I feel no need to tie my hair so darn tightly!! It just looks utterly painful.  Especially Aliya Mustafina's hair (see above picture).
   So after that brief paragraph about gymnast hairstyles, I'm going to talk more about critics.  People criticize McKayla Maroney because they think that she's a brat, or too sarcastic-looking, that she always has a grim and superior expression on her face, and whatever other people want to say about her.  I personally just laugh at these people.  I think that athletes need to be intense about their work so I have no complaints about McKayla's attitude.  I actually kind of love her attitude.  When she puts on that "game face" it doesn't look like anything can stop her and that's what I like about her.  When she walked out before her mess-up on the vault, even then she had a smirk on her face and her nose was slightly turned up.  While some people look at that behavior as "bratty", I think it's actually pretty awesome.
  So, what do you think about all of this? Gymnast hair? McKayla's "snobby" attitude? Jordyn's disappointing Olympics? Aly's success? I'd love to hear your comments. :)