It’s time for the 40th edition of You Asked, The Gymternet Answered! We apologize if we haven’t gotten to your question yet, but we try to answer in the order in which they were received. Something you want to know? Ask us anonymously by going through the contact form at the bottom of the page.

I’m wondering why the United States doesn’t bid to host another World Championships? Stuttgart just got its 3rd I think and I don’t believe the U.S. has hosted since 2003 if I remember correctly.

I believe they’ve bid a couple of times but just haven’t had anything come out of it. I actually heard that they were initially bidding for 2017 or 2018, but that went nowhere. If that’s not the case and they’re not bidding at all, it could just be because it’s a lot of work to put an event like this together and they might just not have the manpower, or want to focus their manpower elsewhere. If they are bidding but aren’t having their bids go anywhere, I’m not sure why that is!

What happened to Darlene Hill?

Darlene Hill, who later went back to her birth name Darling Hill, gave up her NCAA eligibility to sign with a paid sponsor Gattaca in 2008 (likely because she needed the money desperately after she made it onto the national scene and coaching rec kids no longer cut it). She was hoping to continue elite after not making the Olympic team in 2008 but had a lot of shoulder injuries and was unable to come back from them. I haven’t heard anything about her in years, and her Facebook is still active but she hasn’t responded to any messages on her wall since before 2009, so I’m not sure what she’s up to.

Is Rebecca Bross trying to make a comeback?

No, she is happy coaching at the moment, and in her spare time occasionally tumbles down a tumble track but hasn’t trained seriously with the intention of competing elite again.

Based on everything you have seen, read, and heard, who do you think would make the US team for Worlds at this very moment in time (keeping in mind things change very quickly in gymnastics)?  Where do you think the US is weakest (i.e. perhaps vault with only one consistent Amanar)?

At this very moment, I’d include Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross, Bailie Key, and Maggie Nichols (based on what I’ve heard about her bars) with the following team final lineup:

VT- Raisman, Nichols, Biles
UB- Nichols, Key, Ross
BB- Ross, Raisman, Biles
FX- Key, Raisman, Biles

I’m torn about the 6th person because I think these 5 could actually do great things on their own in a team final. I’d consider Gabby Douglas as a utility player (and potential beam worker over Ross) based on what we saw at Jesolo, where she didn’t really have a standout event but was a solid enough all-arounder…and if she shows bars upgrades this summer, that’s a bonus. I’d also consider Alyssa Baumann, and then Brenna Dowell if she has her Amanar back and a consistent 15+ bars set.

I actually don’t see a real major weak spot anymore…not with this team. You potentially have three Amanars again, Nichols, Key, and Ross can all reach around 15 on bars, Raisman and Biles can get close to the mid 15s on beam (and Ross can reach the high 14s if she hits), and then that floor rotation is KILLER. Bars and beam aren’t as strong as vault and floor, but they’re still pretty damn good.

So I remember in 2007 that Shawn Johnson was able to compete at the senior level because she was 15 the year before the Olympics. Is that still the rule? If so then why isn’t Norah Flatley competing at the senior level now as she turned 15 in March?

This rule disappeared after the 2005-2008 quad, so no 1996 babies were allowed to compete in 2011 (which is what ruled Kyla Ross out of the Worlds picture then) and no 2000 babies can compete this year (ruling out gymnasts like Norah Flatley, Ragan Smith, and Laurie Hernandez, among others).

Is the dismount always counted into the difficulty score on bars, beam, and floor no matter what? What if the gymnast performs 8 difficult skills on the apparatus (D value or higher) but they have an easy dismount (C value or lower)? I know the gymnast will lose some tenths in difficulty because they failed to meet the composition requirements, but do the judges count the 7 most difficult skills within the routine and always count the dismount no matter what?

The dismount is usually counted because the composition requirement says that dismounts on bars, beam, and floor must be a D element, so unless a gymnast is doing 8 skills at E or higher (which is pretty much not very likely), it’s going to be counted. But in the scenario you brought up with the dismount being a C element, if the gymnast has 8 other skills at D and above, then I’m pretty sure I remember reading that all of those 8 skills will count and the C dismount would not? I could be wrong on this, but I’m fairly certain this has been discussed on Tumblr and the conclusion was that it’s still highest 8 skills no matter what they are.

Who do you think will win the all-around at Pan Ams based on previous performances?

I think Ellie Black, Jessica Lopez, and whichever two Americans make it to all-around finals are all in the mix for all-around gold in Toronto. I think if Black hits, the title should be pretty firmly in her grasp, especially with home advantage because you know that crowd is going to lose their minds for her which will totally motivate her to get on top of that podium. But J.Lo with a DTY, her fierce bars set, and a hit beam will be tough competition, and we saw Megan Skaggs looking really knock it out of the park in Jesolo, so I think those are my top three at the moment. In terms of other U.S. girls I think will contend, Desch is probably up there, and then Rachel Gowey, though she’s a tougher sell for me considering we haven’t seen her in a year and don’t know what she’s doing skill-wise. All 5 from the U.S. could possibly contend for the podium, so for them it’s a matter of actually making it to the all-around final first! They’re definitely some of their toughest competition. Other podium contenders – albeit maybe not gold contenders – include Elsa Garcia, Isabela Onyshko, Flavia Saraiva, and Daniele Hypolito.

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Article by Lauren Hopkins