Q: Owen, I’ve always been interested in how you use your hand/arm to follow the gymnast when doing the giants into the double layout on UB. Is that personal preference, or do the gymnasts prefer that? Is there a functional reason? Never coached gymnastics but I’ve always noticed that!
Owen Field: Just something that we’ve picked up with a few athletes that makes them feel a little more comfortable. Also, should a safety spot be needed, it puts me in a position to react as quickly as possible.
Q: Did anyone ever check the bars at Classics 
Owen Field: Yup! First thing Seth did when we got to the podium and started moving mats was measure the distance! @spiethamerica has a built in tension meter that gives us a digital readout to make sure the bars are at each athletes individual preference.
Q: Wait isn’t the Olympics on Gymnova? Why was the competition on Spieth?
Sarah K: I’m not in charge of that stuff. I’d guess because Spieth is the sponsor of USAG. We like Spieth.
Q: Do you know if trials will be on Gymnova?
Owen Field: I haven’t seen anything official regarding what equipment will be used.
Q: Is there a preference for the athletes? Do you think they would want to compete on the olympic equipment beforehand or it doesn't make much of a difference to them
Sarah K: At this point they are all pretty good at adjusting? They will have plenty of time in Paris to train on Gymnova vs. here very few of us have it in our gyms. For us, it’s not a big deal.
Owen Field: I agree with Sarah. I think one of the big benefits of NCAA is constantly having to adjust to new equipment and different environments. We might compete on AAI in college, but I promise you the is a HUGE difference in the feel and quality of the equipment depending on where you compete in a given week. Getting 5 turns or so on a new set of bars before you compete in a hostile road environment can be challenging, but teaches you a lot.
Q: @CoachOwenField what was up with the bars at classics? If looked like many athletes struggled with spring and working with the bars. As a casual observer the bars didn't look like they had the spring of the AAI or Gymnova. Also why Speith bars when Olympics are Gymnova?
Owen Field: There were definitely some mistakes on bars during the meet this past weekend, but according to our measurements, they were normal. I’m not sure what goes into the decision as to what equipment is used for each competition.
Q: Trinity has been training a lot of really cool upgrades (chuso, front 1/1 + double layout, dty), were these more for fun or is the plan to upgrade going into nationals and hopefully trials? also what has it been like working with her both as a coworker and now as her coach?
Owen Field: The goal is to see some upgrades in competition! Again, it depends on her comfort level and how she’s feeling come meet day.
It’s truly a blessing to be able to work with her and help her on her own journey. We have a good time in the gym!
Q: Owen! I’ve been dying to know if Riley had been trying for an elite return before her recent injury? She seemed to have tease a lot of her previous elite skills in training at Florida
Owen Field: We like to play with a variety of skills at certain points in the year, especially during the summer and fall. It helps to break the monotony and bring some excitement to training!
Q: Does Leanne’s ideal floor routine contain both the Dos Santos and DLO? Is she working any upgrades on bars/beam? Her and Trinity both look incredible congrats and good luck to all!
Owen Field: Thank you! We’ll use practices this week to decide our best plan of attack going forward. I think it’s safe to say that the majority of competitors at the elite level have multiple upgrades they are working. Whether or not they are seen in competition depends on how comfortable the athlete becomes with them and a risk/reward analysis. A lot of times they can even be subbed in and out depending on how they feel in a given day, or how the meet is going up to that point.
Q: Leanne has had some skills downgraded this classics, if possible have y’all gotten feedback from the Technical Lead? And if so, do y’all plan on using the feedback?
Owen Field: Yes, we love feedback!
We treated this past weekend as a stepping stone to get back into this elite season and will use this week of training at home to reevaluate and make any necessary adjustments.
Q: Great! Also, with regards to both Leanne and Trinity, would the strategy for nationals be going safe and steady to ensure qualification to trials or throwing out all the difficulty or a mixture of both!
Owen Field: It will probably be a mixture of both. Again, we’ll use practices this week as well as the numerous training sessions while we’re in Fort Worth, to help determine the best plan for each of them individually.
Q: Is there an upcoming change in the NCAA rules that you are most excited about? Or most afraid of?
Owen Field: None of the changes that we recently discussed at our convention will be official until they are finalized through the NCAA legislative process. We are just the first step.
That being said, I can honestly say that I am excited about a lot of the proposed changes. I don’t think there is anything that I am “afraid of”. However there are a number of rule changes that are more administrative or internal that do not necessarily directly impact what gym fans see on meet day.
Q: What was the adjustment like for the college athletes going to the fig setting on bars?
Owen Field: We use two separate bar settings for our #NCAAGym competitions, a “wide” and “close”. The “close” is a modified version of FIG, so the adjustment is minor.
Q: How does it work for NCAA coaches to coach elite athletes? It’s still so new that we don’t yet know. Does the school pay additional for you to cover elite, is it just part of your normal job now, or does the athlete pay you?
Owen Field: No extra pay for any additional work or time spent in the gym for elite training. We’re salary positions, so extra hours don’t impact what we are compensated.
To be honest, it might sound cheesy, but one of the most important parts of our job as NCAA coaches is helping our student athletes to complete their careers and be able to truly say “I have no regrets.” If pursuing elite is part of making that possible, it just gets added in to the puzzle and we figure out how to make it work.
Q: Is there any conflict between NCAA limitations on gym time and extra time for elite training? Or is there enough give and play in the rules to make that navigable?
Owen Field: In NCAA, we are allowed a maximum of 20 hours of countable athletic related activities per week. This includes team workouts (in-gym/strength & conditioning), team meetings, competition, film review, etc.
If a student athlete requests additional time beyond the 20 hours it is allowed as long as it is at their request.
Q: Do you enjoy coaching Leanne and Trinity's elite journeys? How does it work with coaching at elite meets? Does the university support?
Owen Field: It’s been an opportunity that I never imagined I would have been been granted being involved in the NCAA ranks. I absolutely love seeing more athletes who are willing and able to continue their careers well beyond the historical “16-18yr old Olympic peak”. It feels like this has the potential to continue to become more popular in the future and I think it’s great for the sport.
The university and @GatorsGym are fully supportive of the athletes who wish to continue the pursuit of their elite hopes and dreams during their collegiate career.
Q: Is Trinity planning to do a clear hip full pirouette after the Maloney? Would add .4 to D.
Owen Field: We have played with it in training. Definitely one of those options that depends heavily on her comfort level.
