Figure skating better than gymnastics?

Switzerland's Ariella Kaeslin is one example of a gymnast over 20 and at the top of her sport.

AP Photo/Matt Dunham

Caught up in Winter Olympic fever, New York Magazine published an article Wednesday entitled "Why Figure Skating Is So Much Better Than Gymnastics."

The author attempts to justify the headline by explaining that "Women's figure skating and gymnastics are the most popular events in their respective games, but the differences between the two are vast. One can skate much longer than one can be a gymnast; skating does not, as a friend noted recently, 'kick you out once you get your period.'"

Gymnastics fans love Yuna, Mao, Joannie and Mirai too, but let's not get carried away. Last I checked, gymnastics doesn't kick you out once you get your period either.

This seems like as good a time as any to recount the number of successful gymnasts, past and present, who have achieved great things despite being older than 20 at the time.

Let's see...to begin with, 2008 German Olympian Daria Bijak was 22 when she competed in Beijing. Bijak is now in her fourth year at the University of Utah (and doing quite well there, too.)

Switzerland's Ariella Kaeslin, who should challenge for a top three finish at next month's American Cup, was 22 when she won her first World medal, a silver on vault. Olympian Jessica Lopez, another gymnast on the American Cup roster, is 24. Belgium's Aagje Vanwallegham won bronze at the 2009 European Championships at 21.

Svetlana Khorkina, though perhaps a little over the hill gymnastically by the time she was 25, nevertheless came within 0.2 of the all-around gold in Athens in 2004. In terms of difficulty and poise, Khorkina peaked around 2001. She was 22 at the time.

Svetlana Khorkina (age 22), 2001 World Championships Event Finals, Vault:

Chinese gold and bronze medalist Cheng Fei, arguably the most impressive gymnast of the last decade, was 20 at the Beijing Games (or at least, so says the Chinese Federation.) Svetlana Boginskaya competed at the 1996 Olympics at 23. She won all-around silver at the European Championships that year, too.

Fan favorite Anna Pavlova of Russia is 22 and training to compete again after an ACL tear late in 2008. Gymnastics fans have been crossing their fingers for the past year that 23-year-old Courtney Kupets, the most successful NCAA gymnast ever, will give elite competition another shot.

Longtime French National team member Isabelle Severino came back to gymnastics after a stint with Cirque du Soleil and won the 2005 European title on floor at 25. Three years later, she was a member of the bronze medal winning French team at the same championships.

Annia Hatch, then 25, and Mohini Bhardwaj, 26, were selected in 2004 from the deepest pool of qualified applicants the U.S. had ever had for an Olympic gymnastics team. Hatch won an individual silver on vault, and Bhardwaj made floor finals. 2008 Olympic team captain Alicia Sacramone was 20 in Beijing, as was Chellsie Memmel.

So is gymnastics a sport for little girls? Yes. But it's a sport for women, too. Just ask World floor champion Beth Tweddle, 24. Or this woman:

Germany's Oksana Chusovitina (age 33), 2008 Olympic Games Team Prelims, Floor:

Figure skating has had its share of darlings not old enough to drive. Sure, Joannie Rochette of Canada is 24, but Yuna Kim and Mao Asada are both 19. Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu, who are representing the U.S. women in Vancouver, are 17 and 16, respectively. How old was Tara Lipinski when she won her Olympic gold?

Of course, a lot of gymnasts flame out in their teens. A lot of skaters do too. And it's true that for 99 percent of the population it's easier to be a recreational skater than a recreational gymnast, especially after a certain age.

Gymnastics does, however, teach intangible skills like dedication, tenacity, perseverance and time management along with the flips and twists. Those things stick with people long after the ability to do a double full has disappeared.

So is figure skating better than gymnastics? That's a call fans have to make for themselves. Still, isn't the "gymnastics-is-a-sport-for-15-year-olds-who-look-like-they're-nine" argument like, so 20 years ago?

Follow Gymnastics Examiner Blythe Lawrence on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GymExaminer or click the "Subscribe" button above to receive the lastest news and results via e-mail.