It’s time for the 83rd 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 (unless they are super relevant and need to be answered in a timely manner). Something you want to know? Ask us anonymously by going through the contact form at the bottom of the page.
This edition of You Asked focuses on Jesolo and the upcoming Olympic Test Event. Enjoy!
Do you think Aly Raisman’s performance at Jesolo significantly hurt her chances for Rio?
No, I don’t. I actually don’t understand how people think it would? Her only issue was a fluke fall on vault, which she had been hitting in practice but she just seemed to second guess the landing. Sometimes adrenaline in competition causes you to have too much power on vault, which is what happened to Aly at worlds last year, causing her to fly forward on her Amanar landing in qualifications, so my guess is that she held back a little this time. She needs to find that sweet spot or bring back the DTY. Either way, it’s easily fixable.
What stood out to me wasn’t the fall, but was how she came back from it in her remaining events. At worlds, her mistake on floor led to a mistake on vault, a fall on bars, and a shaky beam. At Jesolo, she went on and hit one of her strongest bar routines, and solid sets on beam and floor. If anything, she showed that she has improved her mental game a ton since Glasgow and she’s a strong leader who can come back from mistakes and get things back on track.
Will you break down who has the best shot at making the U.S. Olympic team based on the competitions so far this year?
I think based on what we’ve seen in 2016, the strongest shots right now look like Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Maggie Nichols, Laurie Hernandez, and Ragan Smith. Obviously Simone Biles will come into play once we add Pac Rims to the list of meets so far this year, and then I think Madison Kocian is also going to be back in the mix this summer once she’s back to competition, though I don’t think I value her skill set as highly as I do those previously mentioned. These seem like the strongest options to me. Ashton Locklear and MyKayla Skinner are close, but Skinner is out for me because she’s not a top all-arounder nor is she in the top three on any event but vault, and Locklear has nice bars but can’t contribute anything else.
Is there any news about Bailie Key? It seems like maybe her chances for Rio are decreasing…do you think she still has a chance?
Bailie is dealing with a slight abdominal muscle strain. She’s still fully training but is waiting until the summer season begins to come back to competition as to not risk further injury by aggravating the strain. I think she definitely still has a chance, and probably fits in with that group above in terms of her potential, though with fewer chances to prove herself and not being a member of the 2015 worlds team, it definitely won’t be as easy for her. Last year it went back and forth with Bailie, Gabby, Aly, and Maggie, but this year she’ll need to somehow stand out above the rest on an event or two. It can definitely still happen for her but there’s so much depth in the U.S., it’ll just come down to who best fits the overall puzzle for the team.
Do you have any predictions or thoughts as to who will make the Pac Rims team?
I’m not sure what Martha Karolyi is looking for, and that’s what is going to determine the team…if she wants a top dog Olympic preview team, I think we’ll see Simone, Gabby, Aly, Maggie, Laurie, and Ragan. I think this is close to what we can expect, as Martha said in the past that she wanted a top senior team there, but you never know…she might have someone else in mind that could replace one of these. But I think these six are the clear-cut best in the country at the moment so if that’s what Martha wants to see in Everett, this or something very close to it should be the team.
Do gymnasts that compete this early in the season usually have more upgrades for Classics? Should we expect more upgrades from Laurie Hernandez, Ragan Smith, and Maggie Nichols?
From what I’ve heard, Laurie is pretty much done with upgrades, and Ragan is hoping to connect two of her bars elements in addition to adding a Patterson dismount on beam. I think Maggie is maxed out with upgrades, though I’m guessing her Amanar should resurface by the summer even if we don’t see it at Pac Rims, assuming she’s going. For the most part, what we’re seeing now is what we’ll see this summer, though I could see some gymnasts testing an upgrade or two at the U.S. Classic. I think if they don’t work out, however, they will likely drop them before nationals and focus instead on hitting what they already have cleanly and consistently.
Why do you think Emily Schild replaced Gabby Douglas in the vault final? Do you think Gabby will bring back her Amanar?
I think it’s because Jesolo was basically a low-key meet for Gabby. She didn’t do her full difficulty on bars or beam, and didn’t really need to throw a DTY in event finals when she’s proved time and again that she can hit the vault. Martha likely wanted her to focus on the bars final, and also probably wanted to give Emily another shot to show what she could do there.
What’s the team format in the upcoming test event?
The team format for the test event is the same as the worlds qualification team format – six members to a team, five compete on each event, and the top four scores count. Since this is the way the top eight teams qualified to the Olympics in Glasgow, the format stays the same to make it fair and equal for the next four teams.
Can you make a list of gymnasts that are injured and will be out of the test event and Olympics?
Right now, the following gymnasts are dealing with injuries that will definitely take them out of the test event, the Olympics, or both:
- Jonna Adlerteg, Sweden
- Nia Dennis, United States
- Nina Derwael, Belgium (test event only, though she could be back for limited events)
- Larisa Iordache, Romania (test event only)
- Kim Janas, Germany
- Mary-Anne Monckton, Australia
In addition, these gymnasts are currently dealing with injury, though the prognosis looks good and they might be able to get back on track for the Games:
- Tabea Alt, Germany
- Fan Yilin, China
- Carlotta Ferlito, Italy
- Norah Flatley, United States
- Tyesha Mattis, Great Britain
- Viktoria Komova, Russia
- Ekaterina Sokova, Russia
What are Romania’s chances for the Olympics now that Larisa Iordache is injured? Is there any way Iordache can qualify individually if Romania doesn’t qualify a full team?
I think it’s going to be very tight, not only because Larisa is out, but because the team is now also missing Ana Maria Ocolisan. Even with a rough team outlook, nearly all other teams at the test event are dealing with issues of their own, so it’s definitely not impossible. But given the weak team in addition to knowing how they tend to falter under pressure, it’s definitely not going to be easy. If Romania doesn’t qualify a full team, they will most definitely secure an all-around spot, which is not nominative, meaning it goes to the country and not to the individual. If that’s the case, Larisa will likely get the spot as the strongest all-arounder in the country with the most potential for a medal.
Why isn’t Danusia Francis competing for Jamaica at the Olympic Test Event when she had a higher score than Toni-Ann Williams at worlds?
The Jamaican federation opted to give the spot to Toni-Ann because she has a longer history with the federation, as she has been competing for them since 2011 whereas Danusia only joined the federation last year. Toni-Ann narrowly missed out in 2012, but has since improved greatly and should definitely earn an Olympic spot at this year’s test event given her scoring potential and the odds based on the others going.
Is it true that Kylie Dickson is expected to compete at the European Championships? I thought Belarus was just getting her in to try to earn places for their own gymnasts at the Olympics rather than pushing their own gymnasts completely aside at international events? How is the Belarusian team doing now in 2016 and is Dickson denying another Belarusian gymnast an Olympic experience?
I haven’t heard that Kylie is confirmed for Euros, but she is confirmed to attend the test event for Belarus. If she qualifies from the test event, the spot is nominative, meaning it belongs to her and not to the Belarusian federation, so she will go to the Olympics for Belarus should she qualify. The thing about Belarus is that the actual Belarusian gymnasts don’t have the scores to qualify at this point. If they want an Olympic spot, someone with Kylie’s scores will have to go. Technically yes, they are denying a Belarusian gymnast a test event spot, but basically if they were to send a Belarusian gymnast, there would be no Olympic spot coming out of it. So they’re denying a test event experience to a Belarusian gymnast but they wouldn’t get the Olympic spot without Kylie at this point.
It’s a tough decision but their idea is that an Olympic berth will mean big things for the program, and they hope they can build from that. I am still not on board with the whole thing if only because Kylie has no ties to Belarus aside from a coach with connections and parents willing to pay for it all. To outsiders, though, it just looks like an American is stepping in and buying a spot. However, I do understand where Belarus is coming from and their reasoning for going this route. I actually hope Kylie is part of the Euros team that will hopefully feature Belarusian gymnasts as well. Given that she has yet to visit the country or meet her teammates when her role is supposedly to “help the team,” it could be great for morale to get her either at a training camp with them or on an international team at a competition like Euros so she can show that her intentions are to truly help them, not just fulfill her own dreams.
Have a question? Ask below! Remember that the form directly below this line is for questions; to comment, keep scrolling to the bottom of the page.
Article by Lauren Hopkins
The Gymternet 
Why is Ana Maria Ocolisan out of the Test Event?
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She was only training bars and I believe injured her leg during training. Hopefully she will be better in time for the test event but from what I’ve heard, it’s not looking good, which is why they brought Iridon back for Belgium.
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Thank you!
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No problem!
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I was worried I would never see a You Asked, The Gymternet Answered again, but here it is! Do you think all the injuries this early in the year is concerning? Or had it happened every Olympic year?
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Haha, yes, with so many meets I’ve been way too busy to answer everything! This one is something I’ve been planning for over a week. Whoops. Hopefully will have more coming ASAP. I think every Olympic year people are pushing harder and it leads to more injuries, but really right now it just looks like so much because they all keep happening back to back like with Roxi one day and Jonna the next. But something Carlotta said makes sense…before she competed in the beam final she knew she was tired but wanted to improve on her AA performance. She dropped out of two finals for being exhausted and knew beam would be pushing it, but did it anyway…and she had that bad fluke mishap and fall. She even said the next day “next time I should listen to my body.” So I think they get in the mindset of pushing it in the Olympic year and doing more work/routines which isn’t always safe.
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I understand wanting to make a strong showing at Pac Rims, especially since it will be last “team” event for the U.S. before the Championships/Trials/Olympics, but I think it would be crazy to send Gabby again, since she is coming off Am Cup AND Jesolo. To a lesser degree I think that could be a problem for Laurie, Ragan and Aly too. I just think it would be crazy to risk having one of our top all-arounders get injured from overuse. They need to let more girls who are on the fringes of making the team get some experience. You never know who might make a strong showing for Rio.
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I think for Gabby, it’s more about keeping her in competition mode in terms of her mind. Martha said Gabby trains harder when there’s a competition on the horizon, so I think competitions are a way to keep her motivated. Aly, Ragan, and Laurie doing two competitions this spring won’t be an issue. Usually two is the magic number for Martha, and if Jesolo and Pac Rims had been closer – as they had been in 2012, one on top of the other – the teams would be broken up but this year it’s feasible to send them to two in a row without them wearing out or breaking down. Two competitions definitely isn’t overuse. If there are girls on the fringes with a 50% chance at the Olympics, it makes sense to give them a test, which is what Jesolo was. Now it’s about giving more experience to those who will ACTUALLY legitimately contend for Rio.
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Do you think Gabby has any time to upgrade at this point, especially if she goes to Pac Rims? I’m getting increasingly worried that she’ll be taking her American Cup routines to Rio – and at the least really want her to add in an Amanar + some floor upgrades. Simone used her time off to construct a new floor routine and perfect her vault, Gabby could have benefited from a similar break, but I understand that Marta still wanted her to showcase her readiness.
I could see Gabby making the team with her current routines, but sadly getting 2-per-countried-out, say by Maggie W/ Amanar. I’d hate to see her at the games, and not in the AA final, which is the paramount objective of her comeback.
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Do you think Ragan will add a Dos Santos II to her routine? But what pass would it replace… I’m guessing she wants to connect her Ricna to her Pak or maybe a stalder full to her dismount? I’m actually surprised their hasn’t been more breakout performances and great improvements as there were in 2012…
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“I think for Gabby, it’s more about keeping her in competition mode in terms of her mind. Martha said Gabby trains harder when there’s a competition on the horizon, so I think competitions are a way to keep her motivated.”
I understand this system works for her according to Martha but it has the slightest bit of selfish feels to it regarding Do whatever makes Gabby happy… maybe some of the other girls could also have a similar need of motivation. The way they put it makes it sound like Gabby lacks motivation. It’s Interesting to say the least.
Can’t wait to see the Olympic team chosen.
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They’re not doing it to kowtow to Gabby and make her happy. It’s actually Martha’s decision because she wants to harness her talent and she knows that’s the sneaky way to do it. Other gymnasts don’t need that micro-managing of their training…like someone like Aly who is super Type A and doesn’t need a competition to get her into a good training mindset doesn’t need that extra help, but with someone like Gabby who is super talented but not as motivated, you do what you can with her rather than lose her talent. It’s exactly why Romania is having so many issues…instead of nurturing the needs of those who are talented but not motivated, they demote them to a lower level, and all of that talent is wasted. I wonder how different the outcome would’ve been if Andreea Munteanu, formerly able to hit a 15+ beam routine at worlds and now unable to get above a 14, had someone like Martha Karolyi in her corner. Munteanu was a junior star who got a 15.2 on beam at worlds and now a year and a half later is back at Deva barely training simply because she has no motivation. For the most part, gymnasts ARE pretty Type A and don’t need to be micro-managed, so Gabby’s not getting special treatment. She’s just having someone step in to make sure she stays on the right track.
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Hi Lauren, just FYI, don’t count Nina Derwael out for the test event yet. There is still a possibility that she’ll be able to compete as the fracture wasn’t as bad as expected.
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Thanks! I’ve heard she might be able to do a couple of events as well, but likely (sadly) not bars…I’ll make a note of that.
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I thought being an elite gymnast was about self motivation? It kind of doesn’t seem fair to the rest of the ladies. I think Martha’s way of motivating gabby should not have been made public because it seems like favoritism?
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It’s definitely NOT favoritism. Every other elite has problems with one thing or another and every other elite has help from the national team staff in dealing with those problems. It’s how they manage the talent they have. Elite is about motivation, and Gabby clearly has a ton of motivation, otherwise she wouldn’t be at the level she’s at. No one could get to that point without motivation. For Gabby, it’s about needing that extra OOMPH that keeps her training at her full potential all the time, not just during the peak of the season when competitions are around the corner. Honestly, she’d be sent to these competitions ANYWAY based on her talent alone, so I don’t see what the big deal is. Do you really want someone with zero shot at the Games eating up multiple international spots this spring? That’s what Jesolo was for. Gabby won Jesolo with downgraded routines and is clearly a leading contender for Rio. Obviously it makes more sense to build her as a competitor than it does to send someone who went to Jesolo as a hopeful but didn’t end up standing out as someone with a legitimate chance of making it.
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And honestly, if this was anyone but Gabby getting this “special treatment,” it wouldn’t even be an issue. Does Martha wanting Aly seeing a sports psychologist to help with her mental game constitute special treatment? Everyone on the team has an issue that affects their elite potential and the national team staff is actually pretty good at figuring out what each individual gymnast needs to help them get to that next level. Whether it’s a sports psychologist for Aly, or hiring a personal trainer for someone outside of regular gym hours, or sticking Gabby into one extra competition, it’s all to make them better competitors. I swear to god, Gabby could be a perfect human with zero mistakes in life or in the gym and y’all would still find a way to rag on her and tear her down. Do you realize she is making the impossible happen? She is a reigning Olympic all-around champion coming back and looking almost as good as she did four years ago. How are we not like, BLOWN AWAY by how amazing that is? How are people focusing on her hair and her vault being a little short and on the fact that she isn’t 100% motivated every second of every day? My LAWD leave her alone for once.
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PREACH.
I am baffled by people that love to hate her when we all should be in awe of her. Like for real, if there wasn’t a superhuman named Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas would be the favorite for Olympic AA gold. Four years after she already did it! That is cool stuff, people!! Come on.
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Thx, thx, thx!!! *bowdown* Totally to the point!!!!!
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If anything, Martha’s comment about Gabby sounds more like public shaming. What I hear is – “Gabby is lazy, so putting her in lots of competitions is my way of whipping her into shape.”
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Exactly. I was surprised when Marta said it. Definitely saw that as the opposite of favoritism and more like Marta riding her ass…Or at least trying to keep Gabby from getting distracted.
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With Laurie probably not planning upgrades and her floor at a 5.9, it seems like she will be shooting for the beam/bars team fit with ability to jump in on floor and vault as needed. Disappointed that floor will stay at same as she has such a great presence there. We wouldn’t see that much of it if she makes the Rio team with Simone’s and possibly Aly/Maggie/Ragan’s floor. Still, if she makes the team, that is enough in and of itself! Plus, her beam was well-received at Jesolo.
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Thank you Lauren for these segments, I love them. Also thank you for addressing all the people that are being negative towards Gabby. This girl made a comeback and became a leading All-Arounder, besides Simone, of the USA team even though the USA gymnastics team is experience the most depth it’s ever had! That’s crazy… I mean she obviously worked her butt off to get to the point where she’s at, and that requires more motivation than mos God us can muster… And people still think it’s favoritism because Martha is trying to help her out with a small issue she has in order to have her ready to contribute a lot for team USA? It baffles me that people just keep being like this towards Gabby.
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Also, who’s to even say that Marta is exhibiting favoritism towards Gabby.. having a two-time Olympian benefits USA Gym and Gymnastics as a whole, I’m sure Marta is getting pressure from whoever writes her check to make sure Gabby makes it to Rio, it could really boost popularity of the sport.. Swimming isn’t the most popular sport in the US, but people love Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte. Gabby could be a similar ambassador.
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I think the point is, there doesn’t need to be some alterior motive. She doesn’t need shady business to get her on the Olympic team. She’s still one of the best in the world. Thats enough.
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I apologize in advance if you’ve been inundated with Norah Flatley questions, but any more info on her injury? I saw the photo of her in a boot. I was so excited about her as a junior; it makes me so sad to see her sidelined yet again.
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Like you said the gymnasts with injuries have already been prone to them. Gabby Jupp tore her ACL twice this quad, which is so unfortunate. I think if she never had the first ACL injury she may have been able to upgrade and improve through the course of the quad. She might have been a real Rio contender because of that. I can’t be sure but I feel sorry for her because when that happens you are just trying to get back to where you were before and also trying to keep up with your growing body. Kim Janas as well, hasn’t she had multiple injuries? I can’t recall now. I really, really liked her too. I hope she comes back from it. I worry for Jupp though, I mean if she is simply prone to these injuries there isn’t anything that can be done is there? There was the Dutch gymnast on The Hard Way to Success – Yvette? I forget the surname, she tore her three times and that was it. Really sad for Roxi and Jonna, hope better things are to come.
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Has Yao Jinnan fully recovered, because last I heard she as having trouble with her comeback…
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She is recovered but struggling gaining back all of her elements.
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For Pac Rims is it not three seniors three juniors this year?
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No, in the Olympic year it may be six seniors.
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What does “From what I’ve heard, Laurie is pretty much done with upgrades,” – Does it mean she will not do any upgrades? Or that she already has the upgrades and is ready to compete with it? Thanks!
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It means what we saw at Jesolo is what we’ll see for the remainder of the season!
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Lauren, I love what you said about Gabby. While I don`t like her personality, I respect her for being a very consistent Gymnast who actually had the MOTIVATION to come back when she has clearly proven herself enough 4 years ago. Wouldn`t she be the first Olympic Champ to come back to another Games since Nadja? Hell, If I was USAG, I would want her on that Team as well.
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