National Team camp March 12th

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I thought athletes should have done 1-2 events at Winter Cup or March camp if possible, because it was clear for months that there would be no other meet opportunities before Classics. If they feel comfortable doing 3-4, great. But why demand straight AA on competition surfaces in February/early March when nobody’s competed lately?

The coaches knowing about AA emphasis is one thing. Forcing this to work as an effective, good faith blanket policy moving forward is another. I don’t think Skinner making NT is an issue. But it is strange that there’s a refusal to name specialists with World attendance to the NT in February/March. The selection criteria for Tokyo says the +1 will be considered for EF medal prowess. And, yet, McClain and Blakely still didn’t do AA at either Winter Cup or camp for some reason and therefore weren’t considered, while Drayton makes the senior NT with a couple of 52s.

As time goes on, I see less of a point in Forster’s job. The position should be nixed to save USAG money. Nothing’s happening in terms of strategy or management except kicking AA to a bunch of Cat 3 and 4 US judges, and people seem to think it’s some kind of pearl-clutching, PR shitstorm to tell a 5th place Trials finisher with a bunch of 13s that they can’t go to Tokyo.
 
I found it interesting though as all the other Juniors did and I would think that puts them at a disadvantage rocking up to camp and being the only two not bothering in comparison. The top 5 were also at the Winter Cup and Charlotte Booth and Nola Matthews came 4th but still used the opportunity to up their scores and cement their presence.
 
They still participated in all aspects of the training camp. The only difference is they didn’t have their routines verified on competition surfaces. Perhaps their coaches felt that it was best to not verify routines as they were already named to the National Team and are qualified to Nationals.

There are no junior international assignments this year until the Junior Pan Ams in September, which has a Junior only selection camp the week before.
 
Remember when the two biggest hopes for the US this quad were Gabby Perea and Maile O’Keefe?



 
Those were good days. I don’t care (apart from feeling a bit bad for them) that they didn’t have big senior careers. They still did great gymnastics!

Thankfully it was pre-Flo contract and we got to see it.
 
Maille I really wanted to see as a senior elite. At full elegance and difficulty. Ah well, I hope she’s enjoying college.
 
Maybe its just an illusion because her limbs were so long, but it looks like it took so much effort for Perea to do anything.
 
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O’Keefe was capable of a lot. Great talent and aesthetics.

A few freak injuries happened (like the recurring ganglion cyst on her wrist) but her exit wasn’t physical. Being a US elite was so depressing and triggering for her that she just couldn’t continue.
 
Apparently NCAA is a struggle too. She hasn’t competed all year. She might be out with injury, but that would be news to me.
 
How did Grace petition? I don’t think she won an individual medal at Worlds or a World Cup?
 
Where did you hear this? I don’t think I ever heard that Maile retired from elite because she didn’t want to be there and it made her depressed? I thought the story was that she had the ganglion wrist cysts and she couldn’t continue at the level because of the pain physically.
 

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