US Worlds Team

In case you somehow have managed to miss out on the official announcement but have stumbled upon my humble little blog, the US Worlds team was named earlier this evening. The seven gymnasts named were Simone Biles, Kyla Ross, Mykayla Skinner, Alyssa Baumann, Ashton Locklear, Madison Kocian, and Madison Desch, with an alternate to be named later, with Brenna Dowell the non-traveling alternate.

Of course, there has been a bit of a collective emotional breakdown in the gymternet at the naming of Madison Desch over Brenna Dowell. And while I obviously, along with the rest of the gymternet, was pulling for Brenna with all my heart, I do believe the outrage seems a bit disproportionate. Desch was the alternate named on the nominative list, so it's not like we had no idea Martha's mine was in that thought process. Also, though we have no idea what went down at camp, Desch has been able to hit more than one routine this season. While I was hoping against hope until the very last second before I saw the selection that Brenna would be named and back to full capacity, I can't say I was shocked or even highly surprised. Unfortunately, the cards have not been stacked in her favor this year.

Now, again, I claim no knowledge of what happened at camp. If Brenna was vaulting consistent Amanars, I would say that she was the gymnast who should have been chosen and the US should have swallowed the very small sacrifice of putting Simone on bars. But I don't know that she was, though I was so hoping she was over the past two days. Martha has named the best teams in times the gymternet doubted her judgement. And really, Maddie will be the alternate, and when have we actually used the alternate anyway?

However, even in light of this disappointment, this team still looks very strong and poised to defend their title. Simone obviously needs no explanation, so I won't even bother with her. Kyla's consistency, level-headed approach to competition, execution, and specialty on bars and beam make her a great member, and she is good enough for the team lineup everywhere. She is a team player but also a standout individual, which will be great for this team. Mykayla was also becoming more and more of an obvious choice as the season went on. Her super high difficulty on vault and floor means she can bring in high scores, even if her execution has been the cause of scorn among the gymternet. I do think she has cleaned up in this area, though, and her form in the air in generally pretty decent, especially on vault. Alyssa Baumann is being brought for her great beam, an unusual weakness for the US, and floor, where she will likely be used as the table-setter. Ashton Locklear and Maddie K are both bars specialists with great D scores and good swing. Ashton has a talent for sticking her dismounts, and Maddie K apparently showed all four events at camp, helping clear any doubts about qualification lineups with this team.

Ultimately, I found this decision a disappointing one, but not a surprise. Brenna had a rough season and her camp clearly wasn't enough to make up for it. Maddie Desch certainly hasn't been perfect this year, but she has been decent overall and is an all arounder, which is what an alternate really needs to be. This team is still the favorite for the title, and Martha knows what she's doing.