All joking aside, the Oceania board that made the decision, which she was not part of (there’s not a single Australian on it) said she earned her spot through the competition and based on the judges recommendation.
The fact is, Australia doesn’t have a big breaking scene, which is a statement from people in the community themselves. They had to bring people out of retirement just to have enough numbers. So, I guess if your country calls on you and says you’re one of the best we have, you either do it or you don’t.
In that sense, it is kind of like cool runnings. A country with an incredibly small pool of talent for a niche (and brand new) Olympic event didn’t have the time to manifest talent for these Olympic games and didn’t have enough already existent talent that met the qualifications imposed by the IOC and Oceania board. Honestly, it kind of is what it is.
It happens in other Olympic events too, it just doesn’t usually get this much publicity (and isn’t usually quite this silly; I just watched the kangaroo thing 🤣).
I had some time to chill out and I agree with you, by and large, but here’s what gets me:
You can totally differentiate between someone who has excelled at a physical sport. It is apparent in posture, economy of motion, and honestly even pure physique. I did 10 years of competitive ballroom dance at least 10 years ago now, and I guarantee even I could have made a better show. That is not indended to be a humble brag: im pushing 40 and kids tore up my physical prowess lol. I CAN stand up and full space though, and move with my whole body in an intentional way. The selection pool, even if there is not a breaker scene, could have been widened to include people who wouldn’t look ridiculous even with exactly the same routine. It’s just totally wild lol.
All joking aside, the Oceania board that made the decision, which she was not part of (there’s not a single Australian on it) said she earned her spot through the competition and based on the judges recommendation.
The fact is, Australia doesn’t have a big breaking scene, which is a statement from people in the community themselves. They had to bring people out of retirement just to have enough numbers. So, I guess if your country calls on you and says you’re one of the best we have, you either do it or you don’t.
In that sense, it is kind of like cool runnings. A country with an incredibly small pool of talent for a niche (and brand new) Olympic event didn’t have the time to manifest talent for these Olympic games and didn’t have enough already existent talent that met the qualifications imposed by the IOC and Oceania board. Honestly, it kind of is what it is.
It happens in other Olympic events too, it just doesn’t usually get this much publicity (and isn’t usually quite this silly; I just watched the kangaroo thing 🤣).
I had some time to chill out and I agree with you, by and large, but here’s what gets me:
You can totally differentiate between someone who has excelled at a physical sport. It is apparent in posture, economy of motion, and honestly even pure physique. I did 10 years of competitive ballroom dance at least 10 years ago now, and I guarantee even I could have made a better show. That is not indended to be a humble brag: im pushing 40 and kids tore up my physical prowess lol. I CAN stand up and full space though, and move with my whole body in an intentional way. The selection pool, even if there is not a breaker scene, could have been widened to include people who wouldn’t look ridiculous even with exactly the same routine. It’s just totally wild lol.