It’s time for the 42nd 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.

What is the value of a half-twisting side somi on beam? I saw a gif of it the other day…the ugly landing that usually accompanies a side somi is eliminated and I think that it’s absolutely gorgeous!

This is Pauline Schaefer’s signature skill, and we love it too! It has an E difficulty rating.

I recently saw a picture of Catalina Ponor stretching in what looks like a gym. Do you think she’s really coming back? I’ve always loved her gymnastics!

We received this question in early 2015 so it’s a little outdated, but in case you didn’t hear, it’s now pretty well-known that Ponor is back training at the elite level with the hopes of returning to the sport to make an impact in Romania. She re-entered the drug pool earlier this year and would therefore be eligible to compete at World Championships in October if she proves to be in shape for the challenge!

I was really pleased to see Alyssa Baumann and Madison Kocian competing at Worlds this year. Why didn’t we see more of them as juniors? Particularly Kocian, who did so well in 2009?

They were both injured a lot. I remember watching Kocian in 2009 and 2010 thinking she was very talented, and then she did manage to get an international assignment at Jesolo in 2011, but couldn’t compete in the domestic elite season due to an injury that kept her out until 2013, when she was injured again on floor, spraining her ankle. I think she’s just had bad luck with injuries and even last year wasn’t fully able to be at her best because she was trying to protect her ankles.

Baumann has had a similar history, though she wasn’t quite at Kocian’s level back in 2010, partly because she was SO young (she had just turned 12) and made a quick transfer from level 9 to elite and didn’t really have enough experience to compete as well as she would have liked. She missed almost all of 2011 aside from the WOGA Classic, and then all of 2012 due to injuries…but did manage to come back for her final junior year in 2013 looking good, though not placing at the top. It wasn’t really until last year that she finally began to show what she was capable of on beam, so I just consider her a late bloomer who probably would have had more early success if she didn’t spend two full years away due to injury.

What is Huang Huidan’s 2014 bars dismount called? And where is it in the code of points? I can’t find it anywhere.

It’s a double tuck from el grip with a half twist in the first salto, turning it from a front tuck in the first salto to a back tuck in the second. I believe it’s called an Arai in the FIG code of points, but either way, it’s a D element!

How is Bridget Sloan still age-eligible for DI sports? I was re-reading the NCAA age rules and it says you only have a five year span to complete your four years of eligibility? So how can some gymnasts defer for multiple years and then still compete for four? Is it like a special petition thing?

The five year span for four years of eligibility means once you actually begin those four years, you have five years to complete them. If an athlete defers, he or she isn’t blowing through years of eligibility…the five year span begins once you begin your NCAA career. Bridget began college at age 20 during the 2013 season and therefore has until she’s 24 in the 2017 season to complete her eligibility. Another NCAA gymnast, Britney Ranzy, is currently 25 and was on LSU’s roster this year because she initially deferred until 2011, went to Oregon State for a year, had to take a year off during the transfer process from OSU to LSU, and then competed as a RS sophomore in 2013 and as a junior last year. She still had one more year of eligibility at 25 but didn’t end up competing this year, though I’m not sure why, but she’s another example of a gymnast beginning college at a later stage in life and maintaining her eligibility.

What do you think of Flavia Saraiva’s event finals chances at Worlds and Pan Ams? Do you think Rebeca Andrade will be back for the Olympics next year?

Her best shot for an event medal is on beam, which could happen at both Pan Ams and World Championships, but only if she has the routine of her life. She’s competed eight beam routines in the 2014 and 2015 seasons thus far and only one routine was really superb, when she earned that 15.1 at the World Challenge Cup in Sao Paolo. She usually gets in the 13.7-14.1 range which would make the Worlds final in general a stretch, let alone a podium spot. But if she comes prepared and focused and is able to hit all of her skills with confidence, her potential is huge on this event!

Edited to add that she got a 14.55 in prelims at Pan Am Games yesterday, qualifying first into the beam final, where she, Rachel Gowey, reigning Pan Ams beam champ Sofi Gomez, and Ellie Black will battle for the title.

Do you know why Kyla Ross, Larisa Iordache, and Aliya Mustafina did not compete at the 2015 American Cup? Iordache was doing so well in the World Cup circuit and had a huge chance of winning the overall prize money.

Kyla turned down her spot because she wanted to focus on continuing to heal from her nagging injuries in 2014 so she could upgrade for the elite season this summer. Larisa and Aliya both had minor injuries and problems that kept them from training at their full potential, and like Kyla, they likely wanted to save their bodies for the remainder of this very long season! It’s difficult to be in top competition form for a World Cup event in March when Worlds are seven months away and that’s the end goal of each year. With travel on top of it, they and their coaches probably decided it wasn’t worth it. A shame for Larisa not getting the top prize money, though I’m glad Jessica Lopez won because she also worked very hard!

When a gymnast who has elected not to go pro wins a medal at a World Championships, what happens to her prize money? Does her federation get it?

At World Cups she is not awarded the money, like when Elizabeth Price won the overall title in the 2013-2014 World Cup series but had to turn down the reward and I’m pretty sure – though not 100% sure – the FIG just kept the money in that circumstance and it didn’t go to the U.S. federation. But money awarded at World Championships or the Olympic Games comes not from the FIG, but rather from the country’s Olympic committees. Team USA has a medal fund and any money from winnings at these major competitions gets awarded to the gymnast without affecting amateur status.

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Article by Lauren Hopkins