Rio Rankings

[bogwoppit]

I'm shooting for Tokyo in 2020. Always wanted to go to Japan.

That would be my choice too. My son has gone twice and loved it. It is such an organised country too, you just know they will do a great job.

 

[gymdog]

Hmm, honestly? Any of these girls "could" make an Olympic team but things can happen fast in gymnastics. So we'll see what happens in June. If 1-2 key people get injured that can change things a lot (not even just opening those two spots, but the team composition can change and favor someone else). I'm not sure I would rank in that order if this a general top 10 either but it's not too far off.

Anyway, I guess my main takeaway of this is I think a 5 person Olympic team sucks. I guess we'll see if it really helps raise up gymnastics in other countries, which I'm all for, just feel like there should be some provision for some of the top AA gymnasts in the world even if they are from bigger countries. Sure, don't let countries dominate every spot but I feel like it can be done so that isn't an issue but a few more too AAers from big countries still get a chance.

 

[bookworm]

1. Anyway, I guess my main takeaway of this is I think a 5 person Olympic team sucks. I guess we'll see if it really helps raise up gymnastics in other countries, which I'm all for, just feel like there should be some provision for some of the top AA gymnasts in the world even if they are from bigger countries.

2. Sure, don't let countries dominate every spot but I feel like it can be done so that isn't an issue but a few more too AAers from big countries still get a chance.

Point 1: agree wholeheartedly that the 5 person team sucks, especially with a team as deep as the US....let's hope they don't reduce the # any further...

Point 2: I disagree here....if the US team dominates, sorry , but that is the goal of the sport...to win, not create parity amongst all participants. Kind of like the UCONN women's basketball coach who got dissed by a sportswriter who said that uconn's dominance in women's basketball makes it less likely to be watched because you know they will win... sorry , that's their job to win. It is the job of those countries who aren't winning to step up their game, as the US has done for many years now.

 

[Rockygym]

You are going to Rio? How cool is that.

No going to Pac Rim!

 

[gymdog]

Point 1: agree wholeheartedly that the 5 person team sucks, especially with a team as deep as the US....let's hope they don't reduce the # any further...

Point 2: I disagree here....if the US team dominates, sorry , but that is the goal of the sport...to win, not create parity amongst all participants. Kind of like the UCONN women's basketball coach who got dissed by a sportswriter who said that uconn's dominance in women's basketball makes it less likely to be watched because you know they will win... sorry , that's their job to win. It is the job of those countries who aren't winning to step up their game, as the US has done for many years now.

Well I actually agree with you overall, I meant more like "don't let 3 countries dominate pretty much every single spot." I think it's different if one country dominates as far as awards. I still think there can be a strong international competition while allowing for more participation of the world's best gymnasts. Maybe some wildcard bids at least for the individual competition...maybe more time and space needs to be given to properly run the gymnastics competition (seems like swimming has a ton of permutations and teams, how do they get that?). It seems like even for "weaker" or smaller nations, they would be more competitive with an 8-10 person team to choose from to make their event lineups. I'm not sure what the argument is, that it's more exciting or something if it's less people? I don't know. I mean NCAAs are still exciting and they have a larger team (but obviously have to make a lineup). I think having ten Olympic gymnasts in the country every 4 years also still retains the prestige of the event. Maybe I'm just crazy though

 

[2G1B]

How does swimming work? I mean, you have so many events, do they have to limit the team - have the same person doing 100fly that is doing 200 fly, 100 breast, and a few others? Or can someone go to the Olympics in swimming with only doing one or two events? It seems so crazy to me that it is sooooo limited in number for gymnastics and I imagine it isn't this limited in other sports...

 

[Sasha]

How does swimming work? I mean, you have so many events, do they have to limit the team - have the same person doing 100fly that is doing 200 fly, 100 breast, and a few others? Or can someone go to the Olympics in swimming with only doing one or two events? It seems so crazy to me that it is sooooo limited in number for gymnastics and I imagine it isn't this limited in other sports...

In 2012, there were 25 women on the US Olympic swim team. Most with only 1 event.

Women:
Haley Anderson - 10K Open Water
Elizabeth Beisel – 200 Backstroke, 400 IM
Dana Vollmer - 100 Fly, 800 Free Relay
Allison Schmitt - 400 Free, 200 Free, 400 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay
Missy Franklin – 100 Free, 100m Backstroke, 200 Backstroke, 200 Free, 400 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay
Breeja Larson – 100 Breaststroke
Lauren Perdue – 800 Free Relay
Caitlin Leverenz – 400 IM , 200m IM
Cammile Adams – 200 Fly
Kathleen Hersey – 200 Fly
Claire Donahue – 100 Fly
Chloe Sutton – 400 Free
Rachel Bootsma – 100 Back
Rebecca Soni – 100 Breast, 200 Breast
Ariana Kukors – 200 IM
Micah Lawrence – 200 Breast
Jessica Hardy – 50 Free, 100 Free, 400 Free Relay
Lia Neal – 400 Free Relay
Katie Ledecky – 800 Free
Kate Ziegler – 800 Free
Amanda Weir – 400 Free Relay
Natalie Coughlin – 400 Free Relay
Shannon Vreeland – 800 Free Relay
Alyssa Anderson – 800 Free Relay
Kara Lynn Joyce – 50 Free

 

[twocurlygirlz]

Minimum Requirements to be on the Olympic Team
To make the USA Olympic Swimming Team, a swimmer must finish first or second at the USA Swimming Olympic Trials Swim Meet and they must be a US citizen. FINA rules allow a maximum team size of 52 swimmers (26 men and 26 women). Each country has a maximum of two entries in each of 26 individual events (13 men and 13 women) and one entry in each of the six relays (3 men and 3 women).

Besides individual country's possible Olympic Trials qualifying standards, there are A and B level minimum Olympic Swimming Qualifying standards for swimmers to take part in the Olympic Games. To quote the FINA Olympic qualifying procedures:

An NF/NOC (National Federation - a country) may enter a maximum of two (2) qualified athletes in each individual event if both entered athletes meet the A qualification standard for the respective event, or one (1) athlete per event if they have met the B qualification standard only.
(FINA Rule BL 8.3.6.1)

If a country's swimmers do not make a minimum Olympic qualifying time, they might be allowed a wild card entry:

National Federations/NOCs may enter swimmers regardless of time standard as follows:

• having no swimmer qualified: one man and one woman
• having one swimmer qualified: one swimmer of the other sex

provided that:

• the swimmer(s) participated in the 12th FINA World Championships - Melbourne 2007
• FINA will decide which swimmers will be invited to take part at the Olympic Games based on their performance.

So I guess swimming is the way to go.... =)

 

[sewgood]

If I had to pick the team today, it would be:
Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Maggie Nichols, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian. Traveling alternates: Aly Raisman, Ragan Smith.

My opinion might change after Pac Rims, Classics and P&G, though.

 

[marie83]

If I had to pick the team today, it would be:
Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Maggie Nichols, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian. Traveling alternates: Aly Raisman, Ragan Smith.

My opinion might change after Pac Rims, Classics and P&G, though.

Out of interest, when was the last time the USA had a double Olympian and who was it?
I think it's pretty great that Gabby and Aly are truly in the mix!

 

[HoldThePhone]

Swimming is still difficult to qualify, of course. There are hundreds of swimmers that make trials, and sometimes it doesn't go the way you expect ectopic it to. I too wish there were more spots for gymnasts, and it sucks they're dropping it to 4 next cycle. I appreciate that swimming allows for more people who may only be really good in one event, and therefore SO many are able to qualify by comparison.

My background is swimmimg, and while there are faster swimmers than others, obviously, there isn't really an elite "level"...all swimmers can only do 4 strokes, the strokes don't get harder or more dangerous, just cleaner, more efficient, and hopefully faster.

 

[2G1B]

Are they dropping it to 4 for men too?

 

[HoldThePhone]

I think so, but I can't find anything definitive. All the articles however, quote Steve Butcher who is the FIG Men's technical director, he was not for the cut.

 

[2G1B]

I think so, but I can't find anything definitive. All the articles however, quote Steve Butcher who is the FIG Men's technical director, he was not for the cut.

I think that 4 for the girls is ridiculous. I think it is super ridiculous for the boys considering that they have 6 events.

 

[HoldThePhone]

I think that 4 for the girls is ridiculous. I think it is super ridiculous for the boys considering that they have 6 events.

Agreed. I can't find anything to the contrary. Everything just says "artistic" gymnastics, which encompasses both sides.

 

[twocurlygirlz]

My background is swimmimg, and while there are faster swimmers than others, obviously, there isn't really an elite "level"...all swimmers can only do 4 strokes, the strokes don't get harder or more dangerous, just cleaner, more efficient, and hopefully faster.

Really good point I had not thought of...

 

[vagymmomma]

I haven't read the proposed change in any detail, but I thought it was 4 + 2 event specialists at the 2020 Olympics. Isn't that in some ways better than what we have now? At least 6 instead of 5 will be competing at the Olympics?

 

[HoldThePhone]

Yes but the option to compete with your team, for yourcountry is stripped, and for the Olympics, that's a huge part of the draw.

 

[gymdog]

I think that 4 for the girls is ridiculous. I think it is super ridiculous for the boys considering that they have 6 events.

Right so I mean...let's say you have what, a 4 up 4 count format or 3 up 3 count, whatever, so I mean that's 18 routines...obviously some overlap there with people who will do 2-3 events but why can't there be bigger teams and they have to designate a lineup? It seems like this would only benefit gymnastics developing countries by giving them more of a chance to craft a team score...either way the stronger teams would be stronger but it would be kind of like NCAA.

 

[azara]

I think handing out "equality" spots is very silly at the Olympics. The gymnasts who are handed the universality cards, or the wild cards, should not be in that group and they just lose. I also think the "two per country" rule is ridiculous.

I understand that there's a huge disparity of resources between countries that needs to be addressed, but I think what really tends to build programmes is to have competitions in that country. Holding more comps (and helping fund them, if the country will struggle) in countries which have less resources will be far more effective than chucking gymnasts in spots where they shouldn't be, because they'll just come last and be completely obscured to the public. The gymnast needs to do well for any effect to come out of their participation; that just never happens. Holding competitions, you get coverage, you get some prestige, you get a nice training centre and funding from your country. All good benefits!

Why don't we put a challenge cup in South Africa, like happened for Doha (for the above reasoning)? Or in Egypt, or Morocco, or Belarus, or New Zealand...etc etc. I think that will have a much better effect.