{"id":1609,"date":"2025-05-09T08:24:07","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T08:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/fierce-five-chant.html"},"modified":"2025-05-09T08:24:07","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T08:24:07","slug":"fierce-five-chant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/fierce-five-chant.html","title":{"rendered":"Fierce five chant:\u00a0the secret squirrel anthem that broke the internet\u00a0(and why llamas can\u2019t stop humming it?)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id='video-container' data-video-id='aBL_XjfPVkw' style='width:100%; height:auto; max-width:587px; position: relative;'>\n<div class='image-video-plugin' style='background:url(\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/aBL_XjfPVkw\/0.jpg\") center no-repeat; background-size: cover;'><\/div>\n<p>        <span class='youtube-play-button'><\/span><br \/>\n        <noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=aBL_XjfPVkw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/noscript>\n    <\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>Why were they called the Fierce Five?<\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s address the elephant in the gym: <b>\u201cFierce Five\u201d<\/b> sounds like a rejected \u201990s boy band name or a squad of superheroes who fight crime using glitter and backflips. But no\u2014this was the 2012 U.S. Women\u2019s Gymnastics team, a group so unstoppable they made gravity question its career choices. The nickname was coined by their coach, Marta Karolyi, who presumably took one look at their combination of power, precision, and <i>\u201cwe\u2019ll-eat-your-dreams-for-breakfast\u201d<\/i> energy and thought, <b>\u201cYep, that\u2019s the vibe.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n<h3>Fierceness: Not Just a Word, But a Lifestyle<\/h3>\n<p>This wasn\u2019t just about sticking landings or winning gold medals (though they did plenty of that). The <b>Fierce Five<\/b> earned their title by being a walking paradox:  <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Graceful chaos:<\/b> Imagine a hurricane in a leotard.<\/li>\n<li><b>Smiles that could disarm you<\/b>\u2026 right before they dislocated reality with a Cheng vault.<\/li>\n<li><b>Team spirit so strong<\/b> it could\u2019ve powered a small island nation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>They didn\u2019t just compete; they weaponized sparkles and split-second timing.<\/p>\n<h3>The Secret Sauce? Pure, Unfiltered Sass<\/h3>\n<p>Let\u2019s not forget the unspoken rule of gymnastics: <b>if you\u2019re not slightly terrifying, you\u2019re doing it wrong<\/b>. The <b>Fierce Five<\/b> embraced this by serving equal parts \u201caww\u201d and \u201cAHHHHH\u201d moments. Jordyn Wieber\u2019s laser focus? McKayla Maroney\u2019s \u201cnot impressed\u201d face? Gabby Douglas flying through the air like a confetti cannon exploded? They weren\u2019t just athletes\u2014they were mood boards. The media latched onto the name because, frankly, \u201cFive Humans Who Defy Physics\u201d was too long for headlines.<\/p>\n<p>So, why <b>Fierce Five<\/b>? Because \u201cFive People Who Made the Rest of Us Question Our Life Choices\u201d didn\u2019t fit on a jersey. Also, dragons were unavailable for comment.<\/p>\n<h2>What did Simone say the team&#8217;s name was?<\/h2>\n<p>When Simone casually dropped the team\u2019s name during that now-legendary Zoom call, the internet briefly short-circuited. Was it a typo? A fever dream? No, friends. According to Simone, they were called <b>\u201cThe Flying Squirrel Squad\u201d<\/b>\u2014a name so delightfully unhinged, it made <i>everyone<\/i> question whether they\u2019d accidentally joined a cartoon spin-off about acorn-based vigilantes. Rumor has it the name was inspired by a late-night snack, a misplaced stapler, and a YouTube rabbit hole about rodent aerodynamics. We\u2019re not here to judge.<\/p>\n<h3>But wait, there\u2019s more:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Alternate names rejected by the team:<\/b> \u201cThe Biscuit Brotherhood,\u201d \u201cGuacamole Guardians,\u201d and \u201cSock Puppets of Destiny.\u201d (Simone fought hard for the last one.)<\/li>\n<li><b>Unofficial mascot:<\/b> Gary, a taxidermied squirrel wearing a tiny cape, now perched menacingly near the office coffee machine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Critics argue the name lacks \u201ccorporate gravitas,\u201d but Simone insists it\u2019s a strategic masterstroke. \u201cYou try forgetting a team that sounds like it\u2019s powered by granola and existential dread,\u201d she reportedly said, while adjusting a novelty squirrel-shaped name tag. The real mystery? Whether the \u201cflying\u201d part is metaphorical (innovative thinking!) or literal (HR is \u201cmonitoring the situation\u201d).<\/p>\n<p>In a follow-up email, Simone clarified the squad\u2019s mission: \u201cTo nut-ure bold ideas and glide past obstacles.\u201d Yes, the pun was intentional. No, the HR department hasn\u2019t slept since. The only thing left to ask: When does the Flying Squirrel Squad merch drop? Asking for a friend. With a cape.<\/p>\n<h2>How old was McKayla Maroney at the 2012 Olympics?<\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s cut to the chase: McKayla Maroney was <b>16 years young<\/b> when she flipped, twisted, and meme-ified her way into Olympic history in London. That\u2019s right\u2014while most teens were mastering the art of eye-rolling or figuring out how to parallel park, McKayla was busy <b>defying gravity<\/b> and casually scoring a 16.233 on her vault in the team final. You know, just typical teenage stuff.<\/p>\n<h3>But wait, 16? Let\u2019s put that into perspective:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>She was roughly the same age as a <b>high school sophomore<\/b> who still had to ask permission to use the bathroom.<\/li>\n<li>Her biggest worry <i>should\u2019ve<\/i> been algebra tests, not sticking a <b>6.5-difficulty Amanar vault<\/b> in front of 20,000 people.<\/li>\n<li>She also became a viral meme legend (<b>\u201cMcKayla is not impressed\u201d<\/b>) before most of us even understood how to use Instagram properly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here\u2019s the kicker: McKayla didn\u2019t just <i>compete<\/i> at 16\u2014she dominated. Her vault in the team final was so flawless, judges briefly considered awarding her a <b>gold medal + a driver\u2019s license<\/b> on the spot. Meanwhile, the rest of us were eating cereal for dinner and calling it \u201cadulting.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Age: Just a number (unless you\u2019re an Olympian)<\/h3>\n<p>By the time the closing ceremony rolled around, McKayla had a silver medal (vault finals), a gold medal (team final), and a face that launched a thousand reaction GIFs. All before she could legally vote, rent a car, or buy a lottery ticket. Let that sink in. While some 16-year-olds were perfecting their <i>\u201cI\u2019m not a regular mom, I\u2019m a cool mom\u201d<\/i> impressions, McKayla was out there <b>redefining \u201ccool\u201d<\/b> with a Yurchenko double-twist. Priorities, people.<\/p>\n<p>So yes, 16. The age when most humans are still figuring out how to <b>close a browser tab before their parents see it<\/b>. McKayla? She was too busy making history\u2014and side-eyeing the podium\u2014to care.<\/p>\n<div class='global-div-post-related-aib'><a href='\/news\/nad-supplement.html' class='post-related-aib'><div class='internal-div-post-related-aib'><span class='text-post-related-aib'>You may also be interested in:<\/span>&nbsp; <span class='post-title-aib'>Unlock your best self with the ultimate nad supplement: boost energy, focus, and vitality today!<\/span><\/div><\/a><\/div>\n<h2>When did Jordyn Wieber retire?<\/h2>\n<h3>The Great Gymnastics Vanishing Act of 2015<\/h3>\n<p>Jordyn Wieber officially hung up her leotard (as a competitive gymnast, at least) in <b>March 2015<\/b>, a move that left fans wondering if she\u2019d been secretly replaced by a hologram. After a standout career that included Olympic glory, a vault named after her, and enough medals to build a small fortress, she announced her retirement at the ripe old age of\u2026 *19*. Yes, in gymnastics years, that\u2019s roughly equivalent to becoming a wise elder who\u2019s seen it all\u2014<b>including the rise and fall of the \u201cFierce Five\u201d memes<\/b>.  <\/p>\n<h3>But Wait\u2014There\u2019s a Plot Twist!<\/h3>\n<p>Just when you thought she\u2019d vanished into a puff of chalk dust, Jordyn pulled a sneaky little <b>2020 comeback<\/b>\u2026 *as a coach* for UCLA\u2019s gymnastics team. Technically, she retired from *elite* competition, but let\u2019s be real: coaching college gymnasts is like retiring from being a superhero only to start training the next generation of Avengers. <b>Bonus absurdity<\/b>: Her \u201cretirement\u201d announcement came the same year *The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2* hit theaters. Coincidence? We think not.  <\/p>\n<div class='global-div-post-related-aib'><a href='\/news\/rauw-alejandro-setlist.html' class='post-related-aib'><div class='internal-div-post-related-aib'><span class='text-post-related-aib'>You may also be interested in:<\/span>&nbsp; <span class='post-title-aib'>Discover the ultimate Rauw Alejandro setlist: what songs will he perform next?<\/span><\/div><\/a><\/div>\n<h3>The Timeline, Explained (Sort Of)<\/h3>\n<p>To recap Jordyn\u2019s retirement saga in list form, because chaos deserves structure:  <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>2012<\/b>: Wins Olympic gold, becomes a human highlight reel.<\/li>\n<li><b>2013-2014<\/b>: Competes in college gymnastics for UCLA, because why not?<\/li>\n<li><b>2015<\/b>: Announces retirement, immediately swaps leotards for textbooks (she studied <i>psychology<\/i>\u2014probably to understand why we\u2019re all still obsessed with gymnastics).<\/li>\n<li><b>2020<\/b>: Returns to UCLA as a coach, proving retirement is just a <i>vibe<\/i>, not a legal contract.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So, when did Jordyn Wieber retire? <b>Yes.<\/b> But also, no. Like a gymnast\u2019s career, the answer is a series of twists, turns, and one perfectly stuck landing in 2015\u2014followed by a backflip into coaching. Because in gymnastics, even retirement gets a difficulty score.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why were they called the Fierce Five? Let\u2019s address the elephant in the gym: \u201cFierce Five\u201d sounds like a rejected \u201990s boy band name or a squad of superheroes who fight crime using glitter and backflips. But no\u2014this was the 2012 U.S. Women\u2019s Gymnastics team, a group so unstoppable they made gravity question its career&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/fierce-five-chant.html\" rel=\"bookmark\">Read More &raquo;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Fierce five chant:\u00a0the secret squirrel anthem that broke the internet\u00a0(and why llamas can\u2019t stop humming it?)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1610,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1609\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}