It’s time for the 17th edition of You Asked, The Gymternet Answered! We apologize if we haven’t gotten to your question yet, but we are trying to answer them in order. Something you want to know? Ask us anonymously by going through the contact form at the bottom of the page!

First, a note about the Longines Prize, which was discussed last week.

I was under the impression that journalists voted for the winner, but apparently this is wrong. According to several readers, it is actually a jury that selects the winner (using the same standards and criteria that I listed) while the journalists just win a prize if they happen to select the same gymnast that the jury did. This may have changed over the years, but I remember in 2011 there was a rally among the journalists for Rie Tanaka to win the prize, and then she did, so I’m not sure if the journalists there were able to influence the jury at all or if they actually had a say. But thank you to those who commented with the accurate information!

Do you know why Kyla Ross doesn’t attempt more difficult turns on beam and floor? I don’t fault her for pacing herself difficulty-wise this quad, but as one who has never trained gymnastics myself, turns seem like a relatively untaxing way to upgrade, and it would fit her elegant style well!

I’m not sure, but it could have something to do with just not performing them as well as she does her current turns. It’s not worth it to do a double turn that you fall out of (or worse, fall off the beam when attempting!) when your single spin is effortless in comparison. A more difficult turn isn’t worth so much more than a single turn that the difficulty would be worth it if you made mistakes. It can also be a challenge to have a more difficult turn in your routine because you focus too much on that and it can take away from the more difficult elements, like your flight series. The turn is one of the only things you can get away with that is relatively easy, so you don’t really upgrade it unless you have absolutely perfected one that’s more difficult. I mean, I can do a full turn on a beam just playing around in a gym, so if it’s that easy for me, an elite must be able to do it in her sleep! It’s probably like walking on a beam for Kyla, and sometimes on easy elements like that, it’s a way to catch your breath after the more challenging elements. If she takes out that one spot of relief, it could mean other elements may become an issue.

Do you have a list of current coaching teams for China? I would like to know which gymnasts share coaches and train together most regularly.

I don’t, but if someone out there does, please feel free to share it with us and I will share on the next edition of this post!

Do you think Ashton Locklear is going to continue with elite until Rio?

Yes, I think so. I know she has college in her future so I’m sure if her elite career doesn’t go as planned next year, she may decide to go straight to NCAA, but I think what we saw in her bars this year was only a preview of what she’s truly capable of. I think when she’s fully back from injury and able to do skills she may have been limited on this year, her bars could be even bigger and you never know what she’ll also be able to add on beam or other events. Also, remember when Gabby Douglas got to Worlds in 2011, saw what success looked like, and then came out of that to win Olympic AA gold? I could see something like that happening for Ashton – she’s already phenomenally talented, but performing as well as she did at Worlds and just missing out on an individual medal by a tiny amount can definitely fuel her for the future.

I know you’ve said you think Simone will go to UCLA even if she is successful in Rio. Let’s say a UCLA four year scholarship is worth $250K. With a successful Rio and being one of the best gymnasts ever, do you think she could earn over $1 million as a pro? Even if half that goes to taxes, agents, etc, $500K would still be two times the scholarship. What if she can earn $2 million? I know its not always about money, but isn’t there a point which a nest egg or being able to buy a house outweighs the NCAA team experience?

That $250K also earns her a college degree for free, and basically a free place to live and eat and do gymnastics for the next four years. $500K from endorsements gives her none of that. A lot of it is experience, because in my opinion, the experience of competing on college is priceless and no amount of money can give you that. Simone will graduate from UCLA with no student loan debt, and no real financial burden to prevent her from, say, buying a house in the future, and she can always take on professional gymnastics status after she graduates. Also, money from endorsements runs out. A college education lasts a lifetime because you’ll come out with a degree and the ability to get a job – and Simone wants to be a teacher, so she’ll need a degree for that anyway. Of course, you can do both, and if you make enough money as a professional gymnast to put you through college (like Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, and Jordyn Wieber are all currently doing), then that’s awesome, but I think all three of these have spoken about their regrets of not having the chance to compete in collegiate gymnastics.

What is your opinion on more and more elite gymnasts opting out of going pro and keeping their NCAA eligibility? It seems that this quad there are no elite gymnasts going pro, though Simone and Kyla could have easily done so. Do you think that many are afraid to because of the cautionary tale that is Jordyn Weiber? Or did Ross’ opting out since 2012 begin a new paradigm for US elite gymnasts? Bridget Sloan will soon no longer be the only NCAA former world champ…

I think a lot of them see the value in a college education and experience. NCAA gymnastics is very appealing: free school, relaxed training atmosphere, emphasis on team not individual, and exciting and energy-charged competitive atmosphere. A lot of them probably come from well-off families that don’t necessarily need the money from endorsements, unlike, say, Gabby, whose family struggled financially growing up. That, and some gymnasts just don’t like what comes with going pro. Kyla pretty much has stated that her biggest reason for not going pro wasn’t college, but rather was because she absolutely hates public appearances and would much rather lead a normal life. Even though Simone is more outgoing, you can see when she gets a little “over it” in terms of interviews at times, and I think many gymnasts almost loathe that part of the experience. Kyla didn’t want to put herself out there just for money, and that’s her choice. I don’t think Jordyn Wieber is really a cautionary tale, as she made a pretty sweet amount of money during her run as a professional elite…so even though she regrets not being able to compete at UCLA, she is kind of getting the best of both worlds. The cautionary tales are the Jana Biegers and Rebecca Brosses of the world…the girls who go pro far too early in their careers, make almost no money because they never reached the pinnacle of the sport, and then also had their NCAA eligibility taken away. I think this maybe persuades gymnasts from going pro too early, which is probably why Simone didn’t jump on the chance to go pro after winning Worlds last year (Bridget Sloan was also offered the opportunity after she won in 2009 but didn’t take it). You never know what will happen, which is why gymnasts should wait until the Olympic year – or at least until after the Worlds prior to the next year’s Games – to make that decision. Simone may decide in 2015 or 2016 that she would rather go pro, and that would be great for her – I think she’s very marketable. But I think it’s definitely smart that no one is doing it immediately after getting one good result internationally, as it has been done in the past.

Biggest disappointment about Worlds?

I think we all collectively would have liked to see Mykayla Skinner medal on floor! I think it was almost expected that it would happen, so when it didn’t it was kind of a shock – clearly to her, but also to pretty much all fans. Asuka Teramoto not medaling on beam was also disappointing but not as much of a shock. I’m also disappointed Romania didn’t end up with a medal, because that just would have been a great story – qualifying at the end of the pack and then pushing forward for bronze. Such a bummer! But Russia was also very deserving so I’m not enraged about that or anything. And then of course all of the falls in the all-around final – it was such a close race right to the end, and then the floor falls killed it!

Do you think there will be any consequences for the blatant favoritism shown by the judges? Can they really get away with that? I just feel like it totally tarnishes the sport.

I don’t think the favoritism has anything to do with gymnasts in particular, but rather, particular styles of gymnastics. A gymnast with a certain style often scores better on certain events, and I don’t think that’s anything that judges are consciously aware of. It just kind of happens. I think this whole idea that judges purposely under or overscore gymnasts based on their individual favorites needs to die, honestly. Judges are not out on personal missions to make certain gymnasts win or lose, and we need to stop claiming that they are, because it is equally damaging and tarnishing to the sport. Bottom line, gymnastics is a subjective sport and it always will be. No matter what, someone is always going to be disappointed with results and judges get the blame because they determine the results. Someone will always disagree because you can’t make everyone happy.

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Article by Sarah Chrane and Lauren Hopkins