Simone Biles and the ‘Twisties,’ the Mental Block That Can Be Dangerous for Gymnasts

The Daily Dive

In the sports world there is something called the “yips” where athletes unexplainably lose the fundamental skills of their sport and can impact their decision making. In gymnastics, it’s called the “twisties” and it can be especially dangerous. The brain can disconnect from the body and if you’re vaulting in the air and spinning and land wrong, it can be catastrophic. Liz Clarke, sports writer at The Washington Post, joins us for how Simone Biles, among other things, was experiencing the “twisties.”

Next, dino nuggets are definitely having a moment right now. Parents buy them for their young picky eaters and young adults buy them for nostalgia. Major companies are taking note and are even exploring other shapes to add to the “fun nugget” category. Tyson Foods says that they make up 21% of their total nugget sales. Ellen Byron, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for the dino nugget boom.

Finally, mask and vaccine mandates are coming, Covid cases are rising and so is the anger. There is a growing frustration that the vaccinated are having with the unvaccinated as we see the majority of cases are all happening with those refusing the shot. Roni Rabin, health reporter at the NY Times, joins us for all the anger surrounding vaccines.

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