2024 US Olympic Trials WAG Day 2 (6/30)

[maz-y]

Why didn’t they announce the non-traveling replacement athletes on the floor at Trials? Surely they knew who those would be once they decided on the team and traveling replacements. Kaliya and Tiana were the very obvious next in line based on both all around and event rankings.

 

[Caroline]

can someone explain this to me. In my head the achilles is more stretched in a flexed foot and should be more comfortable in a pointed foot. Isn't the achilles at the back of the ankle?

The calf muscles attach to the heel by the Achilles tendon. When you contract your calf muscles forcibly to jump, you put tension on the achilles tendon. Hope that helps.

 

[Passion]

Valeri gets his Olympian....Hezly Rivera.

Guess we have to stop saying that Liukin's got no one to the Olympics who isn't his daughter.

This is a super late reply but Rivera's Instagram story just reminded me: Valeri has two Olympians this year. He has Levi Jung-Ruivivar in Paris as well.

Before Nastia, he took Brenda Magaña to Athens in 2004.

 

[Laura722]

Why didn’t they announce the non-traveling replacement athletes on the floor at Trials? Surely they knew who those would be once they decided on the team and traveling replacements. Kaliya and Tiana were the very obvious next in line based on both all around and event rankings.

Probably because they do not go to Paris and won't train with the team at the camp before leaving for Paris. They are not alternates the way the traveling replacement athletes are.

 

[LT2]

Probably because they do not go to Paris and won't train with the team at the camp before leaving for Paris. They are not alternates the way the traveling replacement athletes are.

They do practice with the team before Paris

 

[Laura722]

They do practice with the team before Paris

Thanks for correcting me.

 

[RAFIKI]

Why didn’t they announce the non-traveling replacement athletes on the floor at Trials?

I was wondering if it was because this role has been refused by gymnasts in the past. Perhaps they want to give them some time to consider if before accepting. The MAG equivalents were also announced later.

 

[Mthegymqueen]

The MAG equivalents were also announced later.

Who are the men's non-travelling alternates?

 

[RichardL]

Who are the men's non-travelling alternates?

Yul and Patrick Hoopes right? And I think there's one more?

 

[rlayt]

And Donnell.

 

[wishfulgoddess]

Anatomy is definitely part of it. One girl on my team in high school had completely flat feet. She could stretch her feet and ankles until she was blue in the face and they would never have had an arch position. She didn't look like she was pointing her toes when she was. I have a big arch. Even when I'm just sitting fully relaxed, my toes look pointed. Simone has a combination of flat feet, tight ankles, and bad habits causing her toe point issues. She was held by her feet and ankles when she was dipped into the River Styx. (The River Styxthelanding if you want a groaner of a joke today)

 

[Denn]

List of 1st year seniors (so far):
Hezly Rivera
Abi Martin
Helen Kevric
Zhang Yihan
Nakamura Haruka

Wow, that's a short list actually. Not a surprise I guess — we are seeing more and more athletes stay on for many years.

 

[Hatsumomo]

So just a little "What If?" scenario:

What if the USA didn't have a completely separate Olympic Trials since it seems to be an outlier compared to other countries? Instead, the Winter Cup, American Classic, US Classic, and Nationals determined the Olympic Team. Granted, the gymnasts would have approached these competitions very differently and Skye and Kayla's injuries were ticking time bombs anyway. Not to mention there's a lot of money wrapped up in the pomp of Olympic Trials. Is having four competitions + Trials a bit much, especially for a gymnast like Kayla who used them to make her case for the Olympic team? Is there another way to do the Olympic team rigmarole? Should there be changes or is it really just due to the shortened quad that gave everybody less time?

Just thinking because injuries are a normal thing but having 3 of the shortlist gymnasts go down over the span of two days is a bit much.

 

[CameliasFingerpaint]

So just a little "What If?" scenario:

What if the USA didn't have a completely separate Olympic Trials since it seems to be an outlier compared to other countries? Instead, the Winter Cup, American Classic, US Classic, and Nationals determined the Olympic Team. Granted, the gymnasts would have approached these competitions very differently and Skye and Kayla's injuries were ticking time bombs anyway. Not to mention there's a lot of money wrapped up in the pomp of Olympic Trials. Is having four competitions + Trials a bit much, especially for a gymnast like Kayla who used them to make her case for the Olympic team? Is there another way to do the Olympic team rigmarole? Should there be changes or is it really just due to the shortened quad that gave everybody less time?

Just thinking because injuries are a normal thing but having 3 of the shortlist gymnasts go down over the span of two days is a bit much.

Shi's injury seems to have been a fluke, but she was definitely could have benefitted from a year off after 2021. I understand why not, she made insane improvements in a year and wanted to show them, but the shoulder was at a breaking point.

Skye and Kayla also had not stopped at all. I really think the 3 year quad is a huge contributing factor, which really didn't mesh with gymnasts who had been going strong through 2021. I think we are going to see a TON of gymnasts take 2025 off. Other than 1st year seniors, I have a feeling that anyone who competes through 2025 will really struggle to make it to 2028.

 

[Aeris]

Trials is a must! Doing 3 competitions (Classics, Nationals, Trials) is the minimum an elite athlete should be doing during the year, unless injured. Classics should have been a week earlier though (or Nationals and Trials pushed up a week), there should be 3-4 weeks between competitions.

 

[RedBirdie]

USOPC will never go for eliminating Trials. Huge money marker for them, and helps hype up the Games themselves.

 

[arabiandoublefront]

USOPC will never go for eliminating Trials. Huge money marker for them, and helps hype up the Games themselves.

Truth-telling.

 

[Big_rock_show]

USOPC will never go for eliminating Trials. Huge money marker for them, and helps hype up the Games themselves.

In her interview, Alicia seemed to indicate that trials was important. She said that a selection camp was a less-than-ideal scenario.

 

[JDB]

I think holding both nationals and Olympic Team Trials is the best option, now that Marta's survival camps have been abolished.

 

[Rich]

I think holding both nationals and Olympic Team Trials is the best option, now that Marta's survival camps have been abolished.

I dont know. It did cause the Marta like breaking of the gymnasts.