This week's episode has been commissioned by Brad, who commissioned this very special edition of GymCastic as a surprise gift for his girlfriend Tricia. We present...Shawn and Nastia: From Feud to Friendship.  All the makings of a classic rivalry—the preordained champion with OLYMPIC DNA LEGACY OMG, versus the little upstart from Iowa corn-fed-doo-dee-doo who just bounced along bouncily  The context of the new open-ended code and the BATTLE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE SPORT Who ultimately won that battle? The narrative of Nastia as "form" and Shawn as "power"—the aspects in which that holds up, and the aspects in which it definitely doesn't. Enough time has passed that we can get real about some of these skills.  "Nastia won the 2008 all-around because the Olympic judges loved her international look." We dive into that garbage barge and burn it from the inside.  The fan feud: Team Nastia or Team Shawn. You must pick a side. The culture war imposed on Shawn and Nastia. The "all-American girl next door" versus "the foreigner" and how that influenced THE FEUD.  And then Jessica officially pops off about the constant adjudication of whether prominent women are "best friends" or in a "catfight." (Psychology Today) FURTHER READING The Japan Problem Things Are Happening – June 7, 2019 No Skill For You Live, Laugh, Nabieva SUPPORT THE SHOW Join Club Gym Nerd here. Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here. RELATED EPISODES 365: 1988 Olympics Team Competition (Commissioned) 364: 80s Fight! (Commissioned) 344: Shushunova vs. Silivas 1988 (Commissioned) 342: A Quitter’s Try – The CNN Parkettes Documentary (Commissioned) 341: The Call Is Coming from Inside the House 340: USAG and The Case of the Missing Documents 327: 1993 NCAA Nationals (Commissioned) 325: Olympics of Difference Makers (Commissioned) 313: Best Floor Routines EVAH! (Commissioned) 312: 4th Is the New 1st (Commissioned) 309: Perfect Form – The O’Beirne Code (Commissioned) 308: 2004 Olympic All-Around Final (Commissioned) 306: Gymnastics Fails (Commissioned) 304: The GymCastic Olympics (Commissioned) 281: Myths, Legends, and Unexpected Moments PART 2 (Commissioned) 279: A Diva Is Magical: The Svetlana Khorkina Episode (Commissioned) 278: 2000 Sydney All-Around Final (Commissioned) 262: 1996 Olympic Event Finals (Commissioned) 258: The Fluff Cast (Commissioned) 256: 1996 Olympic All-Around Final (Commissioned) 255: 1996 Olympic Team Final (Commissioned) 252: Myths, Legends and Unexpected Moments in Gymnastics History (Commissioned) 228: Leotards (Commissioned) 225: 1992 Olympics Recap with Wendy Bruce (Commissioned) 185: 2008 Olympic All-Around Finals (Commissioned)