MyKayla Skinner announces 2020 Olympic run

[wandrewsjr]

Her consistency is incredible no doubt. But wasn’t her form in elite lacking, particularly on bars and beam? I’ve heard many people say that it has improved since college, but can she keep the better form with higher difficulty? If Jade locks up a nomitive spot and Simone stays healthy, I think it’s a long shot. There are better bar and beam workers for the US than MyKayla.

But Jade will be competing as an individual, so can't compete in team final to be counted towards the team score. Now that Simone has stepped up her bar game so much, the USA's weakness is no longer UB. Skinner could fill the spot that McCallum filled at last years World's, capable of a solid AA in qualification, then doing vt and fx in team final. She If she really does have 2016 level on those two events, she would easily be in mix of top 3 of USA on those two events, especially without Jade in the mix.

 

[wandrewsjr]

In my opinion McKayla is a gorgeous gymnast with a fierce competitive side. I don't hesitate to say she can easily be in top 5 in the world. She does not have the preferred gymnast attitude and she has been punished for it. I say go McKayla prove everyone wrong.

I would not describe her gymnastics as gorgeous, but it is dynamic and strong and exciting. I am one of the many who is not a fan of her attitude, but I’m still rooting for her run. The rest of the USA gymnasts can use the push to step up their vt and fx, even if McKayla doesn’t get there. It’s crazy to think the USA could possibly be putting up two double twisting yurchenkos in an Olympic team final.

 

[wandrewsjr]

View attachment 7584

Not recently, but it had been done by another gymnast that has had a lot of media time in the last couple of months.

A pic from this comp is my avatar! Love the spirit of both of these gymnasts. This pic of them having a laugh while competing among the best athletes in the world is the best.

 

[vagymmomma]

I would not describe her gymnastics as gorgeous, but it is dynamic and strong and exciting. I am one of the many who is not a fan of her attitude, but I’m still rooting for her run. The rest of the USA gymnasts can use the push to step up their vt and fx, even if McKayla doesn’t get there. It’s crazy to think the USA could possibly be putting up two double twisting yurchenkos in an Olympic team final.

Wow, I didn’t realize the individual qualifiers didn’t count in the team final. Skinner may have a shot as an all a rounder then. Is Jade or other nominative individual guaranteed a spot in finals for the individual event or do they still have to qualify for finals?

 

[bookworm]

I would not describe her gymnastics as gorgeous, but it is dynamic and strong and exciting. I am one of the many who is not a fan of her attitude, but I’m still rooting for her run. The rest of the USA gymnasts can use the push to step up their vt and fx, even if McKayla doesn’t get there. It’s crazy to think the USA could possibly be putting up two double twisting yurchenkos in an Olympic team final.

Me either...definitely not gorgeous. I'm glad she's leaving NCAA to pursue the Olympics because I'm sick of her witching about not getting "her 10s" ...while Skinner definitely has been successful in NCAA , she never really grasped the whole less is more (see Kyla Ross bar routine) , with clean form that NCAA rewards. Yes, she does harder skills and yes, she has more deductions...clean landings and form are what gets rewarded.

And seriously, it's not like she hasn't been "rewarded" ...she's been the all time winner of the PAC 12 gymnast of the week awards, multiple All American awards and the Utah fans really love her. The whole "team" thing doesn't seem like her forte either ....she says all the right things when interviewed but it seems like her real passion is being THE top dog gymnast, individually....and that's fine and more what her elite pursuits will be....although Simone is sure to be an impediment to that.

 

[Flippin'A]

Wow, I didn’t realize the individual qualifiers didn’t count in the team final. Skinner may have a shot as an all a rounder then. Is Jade or other nominative individual guaranteed a spot in finals for the individual event or do they still have to qualify for finals?

They still have to qualify for a spot in the final. And even if an individual only qualifies for a single event via the World Cups she's still allowed to compete the all around. So if Jade wins only vault in the World Cups she'd be able to make the finals on both vault and floor if she performed well enough in qualifications.

The real crux of this is that individuals still count in the 3 per country rule for all finals. Plus team qualifications are 4 up 3 count and finals are 3 up 3 count. So the people they name to the team have to have solid routines on all four events, one of the highest combined scores on three events, and (and this is the part Skinner may be lacking) the ability to be top two on at least one event to make the event final. The trick is, it does team USA no good to put a vault/floor standout onto the team when Jade's an individual because they risk ending up with two outstanding gymnasts really just competing against each other to make the final and not adding to their medal count. The US is pretty far ahead in terms of team scores and they're likely to have a lot of options with similar all around potential so it's going to be tempting to put up Simone, their number 2 all around (Morgan's looking likely,) and a pair of bar/beam standouts who can make those event finals. Again, I'm excited to see what Mykayla can bring to the table, and if her improved form in NCAA can translate to elite. She may very well have a shot. But sadly, she can be second in the country on both vault and floor and still not make the team if the logistical side of things doesn't work out in her favor.

 

[Texastwister]

I saw that she was going to the national team camp in June. And yeah it does sound like a tall order! Beat Simone?! Has anyone ever beat her? Lol

Katelyn Ohashi did.

 

[Flippin'A]

They still have to qualify for a spot in the final. And even if an individual only qualifies for a single event via the World Cups she's still allowed to compete the all around. So if Jade wins only vault in the World Cups she'd be able to make the finals on both vault and floor if she performed well enough in qualifications.

The real crux of this is that individuals still count in the 3 per country rule for all finals. Plus team qualifications are 4 up 3 count and finals are 3 up 3 count. So the people they name to the team have to have solid routines on all four events, one of the highest combined scores on three events, and (and this is the part Skinner may be lacking) the ability to be top two on at least one event to make the event final. The trick is, it does team USA no good to put a vault/floor standout onto the team when Jade's an individual because they risk ending up with two outstanding gymnasts really just competing against each other to make the final and not adding to their medal count. The US is pretty far ahead in terms of team scores and they're likely to have a lot of options with similar all around potential so it's going to be tempting to put up Simone, their number 2 all around (Morgan's looking likely,) and a pair of bar/beam standouts who can make those event finals. Again, I'm excited to see what Mykayla can bring to the table, and if her improved form in NCAA can translate to elite. She may very well have a shot. But sadly, she can be second in the country on both vault and floor and still not make the team if the logistical side of things doesn't work out in her favor.

And by 3 per country I mean 2 per country. I'm going loopy trying to keep all the rules in my head this time around.

 

[wandrewsjr]

They still have to qualify for a spot in the final. And even if an individual only qualifies for a single event via the World Cups she's still allowed to compete the all around. So if Jade wins only vault in the World Cups she'd be able to make the finals on both vault and floor if she performed well enough in qualifications.

The real crux of this is that individuals still count in the 3 per country rule for all finals. Plus team qualifications are 4 up 3 count and finals are 3 up 3 count. So the people they name to the team have to have solid routines on all four events, one of the highest combined scores on three events, and (and this is the part Skinner may be lacking) the ability to be top two on at least one event to make the event final. The trick is, it does team USA no good to put a vault/floor standout onto the team when Jade's an individual because they risk ending up with two outstanding gymnasts really just competing against each other to make the final and not adding to their medal count. The US is pretty far ahead in terms of team scores and they're likely to have a lot of options with similar all around potential so it's going to be tempting to put up Simone, their number 2 all around (Morgan's looking likely,) and a pair of bar/beam standouts who can make those event finals. Again, I'm excited to see what Mykayla can bring to the table, and if her improved form in NCAA can translate to elite. She may very well have a shot. But sadly, she can be second in the country on both vault and floor and still not make the team if the logistical side of things doesn't work out in her favor.

But remember USA is likely to get two extra spots, the one Jade wins through event World cups and then another spot through AA at next years Pac Rims. So the best strategy would be to send one of those bar/beam gymnasts in the second non-team extra spot, then the team is two all-arounders and one bars/beam and one vt/fx. That way the team is covered in team finals if someone really messes up.

 

[John]

I would not describe her gymnastics as gorgeous, but it is dynamic and strong and exciting. I am one of the many who is not a fan of her attitude, but I’m still rooting for her run. The rest of the USA gymnasts can use the push to step up their vt and fx, even if McKayla doesn’t get there. It’s crazy to think the USA could possibly be putting up two double twisting yurchenkos in an Olympic team final.

To each their own. I do find it interesting that we speak of individuals and new beginnings and changing the gymnastics environment but most don't like individuals nor change.

 

[TumbleTimes4]

To each their own. I do find it interesting that we speak of individuals and new beginnings and changing the gymnastics environment but most don't like individuals nor change.

I’m just not a fan of whining, arrogance, or poor sportsmanship. That in my opinion is not a positive change, nor one that we need. She is not the only college gymnast with difficulty in her routine, but she seems to be the only one whining about it when she gets deductions for those skills. If she wants perfect scores, then she should dial down the difficulty and focus on clean execution like the others have.

I think there are many gymnasts, like Kaitlyn Ohashi, who are doing wonderful things to change the sport. Ohashi, Ross, and Nichols are all fierce and outspoken competitors but they are also very gracious ones as well.