Team USA moving forward

[Puffin]

I think they should make qualifying for nationals harder and perhaps only qualify 12-15 gymnasts. Having sat through nationals there were just too many 50-52AAers and that was with pretty soft judging - USA needs higher standards

 

[CameliasFingerpaint]

Hmm. It’s not really a resurgence. Even at European level, they are not challenging for a team medal, they have no AAers and only voinea is a medal threat.

It’s a relative resurgence, and they finished 4th at Euros last year with a few falls!

 

[Aeris]

It’s difficult for them to do anything like that until the judges judge properly so they can back their decisions

Nah, they have the ability to pick the teams they want and they need to use that power. Like this year, if Roberson was someone whose coach they told "change these things or we probably won't take her" and the coach didn't listen, they easily could have justified leaving her off the team.

They also can have international competition as a selection criteria...and they are the ones who also get to pick who is allowed to compete internationally. Which provides further opportunity to tell coaches they better listen or else their athlete won't get assignments.

 

[makam]

They usually win junior comps, become senior, have an okay year or two and then peace out to college. Enticing ncaa athletes to come back might be the future of the program.

The US isn't the only country with a high rate of failure in converting junior results into senior results. And since the push to peak them at 16 and toss them by 18 has waned, they aren't superstars at 16 and have the option to try a different kind of gymnastics experience in college, and often as campus "royalty", so why run yourself to the ground and risk losing that basically guaranteed opportunity.

It is a sport riding on the backs of children, hoping they stay healthy and skilled into young adulthood. You can't have the same expectations about performance and results as you would with an adult oriented sport or business. Now, when you get adult gymnasts back, you can work with them on expectations and whatnot that you can't with a child (or even the coach of a child).

 

[Passion]

How easy would this be if Women's NCAA just used FIG scoring.

 

[KristyJ]

I think they should make qualifying for nationals harder and perhaps only qualify 12-15 gymnasts. Having sat through nationals there were just too many 50-52AAers and that was with pretty soft judging - USA needs higher standards

Nevermind that 50 is basically all it took to make world AA finals (which shows that the problem is not US only)

 

[BB12]

How easy would this be if Women's NCAA just used FIG scoring.

It would be the end of NCAA.