Tom Forster added to USAG selection committee

[Aizheng]

Tom Forster chose 4 major teams in his run as NTC. 2018 Worlds, 2019 Worlds, 2019 Jr Worlds, and the Tokyo Olympics.

The 2018 World team was not AA order. Ragan Smith was 5th AA at World Trials, Kara Eaker in 6th was named to the competing team instead.

The 2019 World team was not AA order, MyKayla Skinner was 4th AA at World Trials, Grace McCallum in 6th was named to the competing team instead.

2019 Junior Worlds was chosen by AA order. Junior Worlds uses a 3-3-2 format, where an AA score is required to compete in any individual EF.

Tokyo Olympics was chosen by AA order. If Forster had gone with the highest scoring team, Skinner would have been named to the main team. The biggest issue with this team selection was the Selection Committee naming only 4 alternates when they were allotted 5.

To me, this is at least a mischaracterization.
In the two world teams, he chose “the team” to be Top 6 AA and publicly stated that the alternates had not been decided.

He then apparently used podium training to decide on the alternates, and I have no idea what criteria he used there. It was not top 5 AA from trials, but to me, that does not change the fact that he chose top AA for every team he could choose (and even justified Grace’s selection with the “integrity of the process”).

 

[MaryClare]

I also feel like the criteria for athlete rep needs to be more selective than simply former senior national team member. With the greatest of respect, DeZiel just doesn’t have the experience of what it’s like as an athlete to be involved in a selection process that is potentially life changing

 

[RichardL]

The endless litigation of Skinner vs McCallum is so funny to me. Maybe we can do Atler vs Dawes next just as a palate cleanser.

 

[Pisenlit3]

I found Grace to be so mediocre and weirdly overhyped (those upgrades that everyone talked about that obviously were never going to materialize), but man was I thankful she kept Skinner off the main team.

Him putting Grace on that team was the best choice ever lol... Can you imagine to have to use Skinner on bars and beam in TF

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Him putting Grace on that team was the best choice ever lol... Can you imagine to have to use Skinner on bars and beam in TF

Well, based on the limited evidence we have, using Skinner would've improved the US score. But of course nobody cares whether the US missed gold by 3.2 points or 3.4.

I'm going to stick my neck out though, the spectacle of an execution panel looking at that beam routine in an Olympic TF situation would've been worth seeing. The US would be like, I see your falls and your attempt to give this away entirely Russia, and I raise you 7.1 for a hit set.

Taken me 5 years, but I've finally chosen a side.

 

[KristyJ]

I also wonder if Tom Forster saying they didn't need the extra few tenths in score just put even more pressure on Simone, contributing to the twisties.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

I also wonder if Tom Forster saying they didn't need the extra few tenths in score just put even more pressure on Simone, contributing to the twisties.

Maybe. And it's yet another thing where the decision wasn't a problem but he sabotaged himself with the rationale. There was a way to say we're not prioritising the highest team total over everything and still sound sensible. He could've said in these highly unusual circumstances, we must pick a team that can cover all bases if anything changes at short notice, need to minimise risks or whatever, and that would have been fine.

 

[Aizheng]

Him putting Grace on that team was the best choice ever lol... Can you imagine to have to use Skinner on bars and beam in TF

Honestly, I think no one else was making a case for themselves, so choosing Grace was fine. My issue actually is with the rationale. If he had just said “we chose Grace, because on a team of four, having backups is super important and a team with Mykayla (or anyone else) on it is not so much better to make the risk of not having a usable backup on beam and bars worth it”, I would have been completely fine.

But saying that 1. it will not come down to tenths because of Simone is a dick move, and 2. He wanted to preserve the integrity of the process implies that only an AA standings approach is has integrity is annoying. Even more so because athletes have indicated that they were not informed that it would be straight Top 4 AA from trials.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Honestly, I think no one else was making a case for themselves, so choosing Grace was fine. My issue actually is with the rationale. If he had just said “we chose Grace, because on a team of four, having backups is super important and a team with Mykayla (or anyone else) on it is not so much better to make the risk of not having a usable backup on beam and bars worth it”, I would have been completely fine.

But saying that 1. it will not come down to tenths because of Simone is a dick move, and 2. He wanted to preserve the integrity of the process implies that only an AA standings approach is has integrity is annoying. Even more so because athletes have indicated that they were not informed that it would be straight Top 4 AA from trials.

Exactly. And it's not like he couldn't have formally made it an AA centred qualifiction process if he wanted! The combination of format and pandemic provided all the excuse needed.