Back-to-back World all-around champion Simone Biles, 2014 World gold medalist MyKayla Skinner, and 2014 World bronze medalist Donnell Whittenburg met with the press via phone conference on February 26 to talk about their preparation leading up to the American Cup.

The Gymternet brought every response to you live. Check out the full transcript below!

2:37 pm. Hi everyone! We’re excited to bring you another live press conference, this time with Simone, Mykayla, and Donnell! It’ll be starting in about 20 minutes, and will last about 45 minutes, with each athlete given a 15 minute time frame. Hold tight and we’ll be back with the scoop shortly!

2:58 pm. We’re on the call now and it should begin in about two minutes! We’ll try to bring every quote to you as direct as possible, but we’ll paraphrase if necessary so the key info is out there.

3:02 pm. Simone is up first! Talking upgrades she expects to compete at the American Cup…”on bars, I have added my piked Tkatchev back into the pak, and also on floor I upgraded my half-out to a double layout full-out. Those are my two upgrades so far.”

3:03 pm. On Kyla’s committment to UCLA, she says…”I kinda wanted Kyla to go to UCLA with me because she was my first mentor when I started elite. She’s been a big help and we’re like two peas in a pod. I get along really well with her and she’s like a natural team mom. I love her and am so excited she committed.”

3:05 pm. What has training been like since World Championships? “We’ve just been doing what we’ve always done. After Worlds we did dial down a bit and tried to work new skills and plan out routines, but then we started gearing back up with American Cup coming up. It’s been the same…nothing’s really changed. We do have a couple of goals we’ve set for this year.”

3:07 pm. About possibly going pro? “My goal right now is just to finish high school. In the future, for now my sights are set on college gymnastics.”

3:08 pm. Goals for this meet? “I’m approaching this competition knowing what I’m capable of doing, knowing what I’ve done in the past. I’ll do what I normally do in competition and just have fun.” For the rest of this year, her specific goals are “adding more upgrades for Classics and P&Gs, and then hopefully making Worlds again and at the end of the year we’ll start over again and see what happens.”

3:09 pm. Has she ever competed in such a big venue? “I have actually not competed in anything close to as big as this stadium is. I’m really excited to compete there because I know a lot of my friends and family haven’t seen me compete since one of my first years [in the sport], so I have a lot of people coming out to see me and I’m really excited for them to see me. I went [to the AT&T Stadium] this year for a promotion…I think we’re gonna look like ants down there because the stadium is so big, but I guess you need a big stadium for big gymnastics.”

3:10 pm. Is the big scoreboard at AT&T Stadium a distraction? “Yes. I watched the board more than the players on the field [when I was there]. It was huge! I don’t know how it’s gonna turn out [with gymnastics] but I’m excited to see it.” Does knowing 2016 is a year away give her a different feeling? “I try not to think about 2016 yet, so it’s just the same…I’m going into this year as I have any other year, trying to get confidence and make more upgrades and do what I’ve always done. I TRY not to think about [2016].”

3:11 pm. When you’re at the gym, is there anything in the gym reminding you of 2016? “We have a couple of posters of ME up, but other than that there’s no reference to the Olympics. I just try not to think about it. We have this whole year to think about it. We have to live in the moment, and thinking of next year scares me a bit, so if anyone brings up the Olympics, it’s DEFINITELY not me.” Has Gabby ever been her roommate at national team camps? “I roomed with her once, but other than that I room mainly with Kyla and usually somebody else [as well].”

3:12 pm. Highlights at the last couple of camps? “Nothing really…two of us are gearing up for American Cup and the rest are working towards Jesolo, so there’s nothing really different. We just cheer each other on and pick each other up. It’s like a family, we’re just there for each other.” Do Aly and Gabby look good? “They look really good, really healthy, and I’m so excited for them. I just want the best for them, and I know how badly they want to compete. I know what it feels to [be away and come back] after being out last year for a little while, so I’m excited for them.”

3:13 pm. Who outside of the U.S. gymnasts is she excited to compete with at the American Cup? “Jessica Lopez, because I got to talk to her a little bit at the skating and gymnastics show [which we filmed together last year].” How does the one routine at a time format at the American Cup affect her? “I’ve had competitions where we go one at a time, so I’m kinda used to it, and sometimes [at other competitions] they put us on hold…I don’t think it’s any different from any other competition.”

3:14 pm. Donnell Whittenburg is on the line now and will answer questions. Thanks Simone!

3:15 pm. What is the added exposure going into the Olympic year doing for your progress? “It definitely gave me more confidence to go out and compete, to realize my potential in the sport, it helped a lot.” What’s helping him do that? “It’s a lot of technical work. Back training at home I didn’t work on technique that much, but coming out here I’ve worked on the basics, so that’s helped a lot.”

3:16 pm. What from Worlds is he taking in for American Cup? “Definitely the experience, it was a great experience, the biggest competition I’ve ever been to. I wanted to take the experience I got there to bring it forth at the American Cup.” How does this competition fit into his plans for 2016? “It will help me see where I stand [on the U.S. men’s team], and see how I’m doing right now, level-wise in the all-around.”

3:17 pm. What is it gonna be like for you doing this event at the AT&T Stadium? “I have not been there before. It’s definitely gonna be a cool experience. Who doesn’t like football? The big crowd should get us pumped up…I’m ready to go out and put on a show.” Any challenges in competing in a large space? “Once I get there I’ll see the whole venue and take it all in, but as soon as I compete I stay in my container.”

3:18 pm. This meet, at this point in the season, what are your main goals and what are you most excited to see from yourself? “One of my goals is to prepare for bigger competitions ahead of me…I’m most excited to compete at a competition of this level, it’s a great honor to compete as one of the best in the world.” Reaction to finding out he’d represent the U.S.? “Definitely a little shocked but excited at the same time. I used to watch it all the time, I watched all the big names, so having my name up there with all the other top athletes definitely will be a great experience for me.”

3:20 pm. Difference between performances in qualifying day and AA finals at Worlds? “Qualifying was calmer because the teams we were with at podium training competed with us, so it was a bit more comfortable. In finals after the team competition, there was fatigue, there was added pressure competing in the top group…there were a few changes, and [getting used to change] is something I need to work on.” What was it like being up there close to Kohei? Could you get a sense of his level? “Oh man, competing with him in the same group was definitely an eye-opener. Being in that group made me realize I’m like, one of the top gymnasts right now, competing against Uchimura…it was a great experience I’ll take from that competition.” Any interaction with Kohei? “After his vault, I was like wow, that was amazing, so I gave him a high five.”

3:21 pm. Competing at the Winter Cup was “good preparation going into American Cup. I just wanted to go out there and perform, hit as much as I could because I knew it was good preparation.”

3:22 pm. Thanks Donnell! Mykayla will be up next.

3:23 pm. Upgrades? “I’m maybe possibly doing a full-in dismount on beam, but not totally sure yet. We’re gonna see how it goes at camp, and then a 1.5 through to triple on floor, and I’m adding the shaposh to a pak in my bar routine.”

3:24 pm. Excited to compete at the football stadium? “I think it’ll be really cool. It’ll be more pumped and more fun. I haven’t competed in a place like that before. It’ll be different but I’m exciting. The giant screen won’t really be a distraction.”

3:25 pm. Her reaction to earning a spot at this prestigious meet? “I was really surprised. It’s such a great opportunity, I was super excited.” What does she hope people will notice about her in this meet? “I hope they realize I’ve become a bigger and better gymnast. I’ve been working really hard on form and I hope everyone can see I’ve become even better than last year.”

3:26 pm. You competed at Nastia Liukin Cup in 2010, held in conjunction with American Cup. If you can think back to that time, do you think you ever imagined you’d become one of the big names at American Cup? “I was just starting elite back then and I never really dreamed of being a part of something this big until a couple of years ago.” What are your goals for this competition and season? “My goal for this meet is to hit all four, do what I do in training, and do the best that I can do. For the season, I want to make Worlds again and see where it takes me from there.”

3:27 pm. Do you think much about the Olympics? “Now and then. I try to prepare myself for when it comes. I am hoping to make it.” In terms of her experience at Worlds, she says it made her a better competitor, especially as a member of a team, and it made her more confident. On her training in Arizona, “I train about seven hours a day with my coaches. Lisa mostly works with me, and Bob helps me a lot with my skills.” Biggest impact they’ve had on you in your years until now? “Definitely believing in me, knowing how to push me to my limits but not too hard to where I get stressed out. Just being there and helping me with big skills.”

3:29 pm. What is it like to compete in the all-around against Simone? Do you think if Simone hits all four there’s no chance to beat her? “Not necessarily. We’re focused on ourselves and don’t think about [other people when we’re competing] too much, or let it cross our minds. I’m getting better, so I’d have to take it step by step and see [if I could someday beat her].”

3:30 pm. What are you doing in training to work on flexibility and artistry? “I’ve been doing extra stretching, my coach has been stretching me, doing different movements, more leaps and turns, working on my toe point…I hope to be able to improve my execution on that when I work on my floor routine as a whole.” Continued goals? “My leaps…and form with straight legs on all of my skills, I’ve been working hard on that.”

3:31 pm. One event she wants to improve on the most? “I think definitely bars. It’s come a long way this year and I’ve been working really hard on it. It’s improved, I’ve added a few extra skills, and I’m really looking forward to that.”

3:32 pm. Does the fact Aly and Gabby are coming back have her thinking about it being harder to get to Rio? “Not really. The juniors that are coming up, they’ve also been doing good skills, but I’m just doing the same I always do, working hard in the gym, doing bigger and better skills, and I have a lot of experience so I don’t let [what other people do] distract me too much.”

3:33 pm. That concludes today’s press conference! Thanks Mykayla, and thanks again to Simone and Donnell, as well as USA Gymnastics for setting everything up!

Live Blog by Lauren Hopkins