Do you feel that, barring injury (knock knock knock on wood), Simone and Bailie are essentially locks for Rio and there are only three spots up for grabs? I know it’s two years away and ANYTHING can happen, but they are just so physically and mentally dominant. Also, do you feel that other countries can become strong enough to contend with the USA for gold in Rio?

I think barring injury, Simone is definitely a lock for Rio if she can keep up her current level of competition…but I’d want to give Bailie at least a year in senior competition before calling her a lock. There have been plenty of super successful juniors who didn’t make the transfer as easily, so even though she had a great season at age 13-14, I don’t want to say that yes, at 17 she will definitely be going to the Olympics. We’ll know more next year.

Let’s say Simone wins AA gold in Rio. Do you still see her doing NCAA in 2017?

I think if anyone were to go for something like this, it would be Simone Biles. She seems to really want the NCAA life. Not everyone is interested in spending their time in the spotlight, and even though she has a very outgoing personality, I think she does enjoy having a private life. She has also seen several people just outside of her generation miss out on NCAA and regret it…Nastia Liukin did really well as a professional gymnast but in visiting UCLA to see friends, has often said that she wishes she could be part of an experience like that. This has also happened with Jordyn Wieber. She has done well with earning money after the Olympics but chose the college life over the spotlight both because she prefers it that way but also because she likes being part of a team, and kind of gets to do that at UCLA. I’m sure Kyla Ross has explained her reasons for not going pro as well. It seems from what I’ve heard that Biles is really interested in competing NCAA because she knows the experience in the end is something she doesn’t want to miss. Of course, there will probably be a lot of pressure on her to turn pro…so I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened. But I think if it was all up to her, she’d go from a successful Olympics right to an NCAA team, based on how she has expressed her feelings about it.

Do you know how serious Brenna’s injuries were/are?

According to Brenna Dowell, not that serious, which is why she chose to still compete even on just one event. She said was more wary about injuring her ankle further than anything else, and said she was really limited in her training time leading up to Classics and Championships due to the injury.

Regarding Ivana on bars, I never thought she was especially great on it. She was nice to look at but she always looked like her butt was super close to skimming the bar on her Tkatchev, kind of like the same thing Sarah Finnegan suffers from. I don’t know if it’s a GAGE thing or maybe they just physically look like they should be good on bars but aren’t.

I think you’re hitting something with the second thing you said. There are some girls who look like they should be good on bars. Definitely. Sarah and Ivana are two of them. I think Larisa Iordache also shares this burden. These are three girls I watch from afar and think “WHERE are they taking execution deductions!?” but when I see them up close I see that they’re not as good as they seem. I think flaws are covered up by a nice body line, whereas girls like Simone Biles and Brenna Dowell have better technique for the most part, but it doesn’t look like it because their lines aren’t as nice to watch. If you look at Simone’s technique it is mostly spot on, but because she’s bulkier due to her muscles, she looks…not labored or slow but just not as fluid as someone like Madison Kocian or Ashton Locklear, both of whom have great technique and great lines. But Sarah Finnegan and Ivana Hong fall somewhere in the middle to me. The technique isn’t quite there, or they’re not about to catch skills as easily as stronger bar workers, but they still manage to look pretty. I wouldn’t call Dowell a “pretty” bar worker. I’d call her an amazing one, but not a “pretty” one.

Did Aly look fit in person in Pittsburgh? 

Yes she did! She looked to be in great shape, like to the point where it’s clear she’s been doing a lot of gymnastics rather than just cardio. I don’t think she’ll have any problems getting the bulk of her skills back by next summer.

Do you think Marta plans the room assignments at meets with a purpose in mind? For example, Maggie and Ashton are rooming together in Canada right now…do you think it’s because they both have a good shot at Worlds and Marta wants them to bond? Or am I overthinking it?

Haha…sometimes this stuff seems coincidental because it usually is, but I think Martha Karolyi does sometimes put people together for a reason. I think the girls sometimes have a say in it, which is why Aly and Jordyn tended to room together and then Kyla and McKayla back in 2012…and the room assignments at camp seem to be friends rooming with friends. I don’t think she put those two specifically together because she wants them to bond for Worlds, but rather I think she sees that their personalities probably meshed well because they’re both very mature? That would make sense to me.

What are your predictions for Worlds? Like, the medalists on each event.

It’s hard not knowing how other countries are truly going to show up, especially since I know what the US does best more than other countries. I’d say Simone Biles should be pretty much a lock for gold in the all-around, on vault, and on floor. That’s something I’m absolutely sure about. The fight for beam should definitely be between Larisa Iordache and Maria Kharenkova if both hit, though again Biles could very well challenge for the podium there, as could Alyssa Baumann and Kyla Ross, depending on who hits in qualifications (and depending on if Baumann ends up going, obviously). I’m sure there are a couple of nice Chinese beam sets as well, but I don’t know anything they’ve done really in the past few months! The bars picture is less clear to me because again, I haven’t seen the Chinese in a really long time, and the Russians aren’t competing at their full ability. It doesn’t look like Viktoria Komova is going to make this team, and while Aliya is swinging her set nicely, she’s scoring lower than we’ve come to expect, as she’s coming back from injuries.

After everything Lexie Priessman has been through with injuries and ups/downs and now the gym change…what do you think about her chances of the 2015 elite season and Rio? I really like her but I just wonder if you think she will opt to head to LSU.

At this point, with a gym change and two years out of competition, her chances for making it to major elite international competition as a senior are very slim. Of course, it can happen…crazier things have happened before. But with all of her own setbacks as well as the fact that there are a bunch of juniors waiting to turn senior in the next two years, it’s going to be VERY difficult. I could see her giving it a shot…she seemed to be very enthusiastic with getting back into the gym, and is already back to building muscle in that leg and doing conditioning. But obviously enthusiasm is only half the battle.

Why is Mustafina even competing [at the Russian Cup]? And AA no less – I swear she was exempt from this one. Aliya’s gonna Aliya, I guess. If she puts that beam together, wowza. I love her on beam when she hits.

I also thought she’d get a break, especially after having surgery I believe on her ankle…but I think she’s a girl who just wants to compete all the time and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Aliya herself saying she was ready rather than being pressured into it by the Rodionenkos or something. That beam definitely has the makings of something special…I know she changed it about three hundred times in competition this week, but once she gets a set and steady routine for Worlds, she could be incredible there!

Article by Lauren Hopkins
Photo of Ivana Hong thanks to Zimbio