The 2015 U.S. World Championships team was announced, and excitement continues to build as the meet quickly approaches.

With the tremendous talent and depth in the country, there were numerous options for combinations of gymnasts on the team. In the end, the selection committee including National Team Coordinator Martha Karolyi named the following gymnasts to the team: Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Brenna Dowell, Madison Kocian, Maggie Nichols, Aly Raisman, and MyKayla Skinner. Two gymnasts, Bailie Key and Alyssa Baumann, were named alternates to the team but will not travel to Glasgow unless they are called to replace a gymnast.

The Alternate

While seven athletes were named to the team, only six gymnasts are allowed on the final team. This means that some time between now and the competition, one gymnast will be moved to the alternate spot. While some years the alternate may be obvious, this year is a little trickier. There is no one obvious gymnast for the alternate spot.

While we can debate all we want, we don’t have nearly as much information as the selection committee does. The committee watches these gymnasts day in and day out at training camps and has a sharpened sense of the capabilities of each gymnast.

Dowell or Kocian could be named the alternate as they have similar strengths- they are both exceptional on bars. Nichols could be named the alternate as she is a solid all-around gymnast but is not in the top three on any event. For her to make the all-around finals, she would need to be selected to compete all four events in qualifications and beat both Raisman and Douglas--assuming Biles won’t be beaten.

UPDATE: In day one of training for the USA, MyKayla Skinner was last up on each event, which could indicate that she may be the alternate, however it has not been confirmed. The USA will have podium training tomorrow, and they will be practicing in their line-up order.


All-Around versus Event Specialists

For the best medal potential, USA must find a balanced mix of all-around and event specialists. 

Looking at the team, there are four gymnasts who could be considered all-around gymnasts: Biles, Douglas, Nichols, and Raisman, and three who we consider specialists: Dowell, Kocian, and Skinner.

While the specialists are certainly able to compete all-around, they have a much better chance at medaling on an individual event than in the all-around competition. 

With USA historically being weak on bars, there has been an overall push for more difficulty and refinement on the event. Dowell has the highest difficulty score of Team USA on bars with a huge 6.7. The area where she needs to improve is consistency and execution. Kocian, on the other hand, has only a slightly lower D score but is extremely consistent and clean. These two gymnasts present USA’s best chances at medaling on bars. 

Vault proves to be a more challenging event as there are only two gymnasts who are eligible to make the vault finals--Biles and Skinner. Gymnasts must successfully execute two vaults from two different families. Skinner has a difficulty score of a 6.4 for her Cheng and 6.3 if she performs an Amanar. At last year’s World Championships she earned a bronze on vault, second to North Korea’s Hong Un Jong and Biles. 

Key, one of the non-traveling alternates, is one of USA’s top all-around gymnasts. She placed fourth all-around at this year’s P&G Championships and Secret U.S. Classic. At her senior international debut at the 2015 City of Jesolo Trophy, she earned silver all-around. Not to mention her immense success as a junior, she has proven herself time and time again. However, with the stiff competition of all-around gymnasts just in this country, along with her lack of specialty on one event, Key was left off of the team.



Experience and Age

This U.S. Team is made up of an unusual amount of experience, and is overall older than in years past. In a sport that has long favored the young athlete, everyone on the current roster is over 18, making us think sixteen may no longer be the peak age for gymnasts.

While 18 still sounds young, it is an anomaly when looking at recent teams. The past two gold-medal-winning World Championship teams combined had just one gymnast over 17, Alicia Sacramone in 2011. While out of the ordinary, age will act as an advantage, because with age comes experience. Three gymnasts will be returning from last years Championship squad, along with two Olympic gold medalists. 

In addition to this, Dowell is coming off a year of NCAA competition. Many gymnasts find that the amount of competitions throughout the NCAA season, coupled with the team nature of college gymnastics makes them calmer, more confident competitors. This seems to have been the case for Brenna, as she has overcome the challenge of making it back to elite competition, and impressing the selection committee enough to be chosen for this Worlds team. 

USA Looking To Continue Dominance

There is no question the US Senior Women are the most dominant team in gymnastics. They have had unprecedented success in recent years, and are undeniably the team to beat. The last time Team USA entered a competition in which they didn’t take gold was the 2010 World Championships. Furthermore, the U.S. Women have won the World Championships the year before the Olympics in each of the last three quads. All of these victories has been followed up by a first or second place finish at the games, and have proven to be a solid indicator of the the team’s talent and consistency.

Individually, one gymnast in particular will be looking to continue her dominance on the world stage. Biles has won a total of nine World Championship medals in the past two years, six of those being gold. She is looking to grab her third consecutive world all-around title in Glasgow--something no woman has ever done. 

Several other members of team USA have the potential to win individual medals as well. Raisman, the 2012 floor Olympic Champion, is back, and with more difficulty than ever before. Sincer her comeback, Aly has returned to form with grace, showing she can can compete consistently at a high level, and on a big stage. Look for her to be a strong contender on both beam and floor in Glasgow. On vault, watch for Skinner to make her mark. She took home the bronze at last years Worlds, and will be in the hunt for a spot on the podium again in 2015. Finally, U.S. bar star Kocian will be vying for a medal on her best event.  She has beautiful lines, and an “international look” judges love. This, coupled with her incredible consistency gives her a shot to make the podium.



What’s At Stake Pre-Olympic Year

Historically, the World Championships preceding the Olympics have impacted who is selected to the team.

Without a doubt, there is no way to replicate the feeling of an Olympic games. There is nothing like it, and every Olympian will tell you the same. However, World Championships is the next best thing. It is an environment where the selection committee can learn a lot about how a gymnast will perform on the big stage, in a three-up-three-count pressure situation.  

In addition, an athlete with a competition like Worlds under their belt is then battle tested. If there were nerves, they may not be as strong the next time around, as the gymnast has an idea of what to expect. Experience of this caliber adds to the gymnast’s confidence, as well as the committee's confidence in that gymnast. 

That is not to say that an an athlete absent from this Worlds team cannot make the team for Rio. The U.S. is full of talent, and many of the gymnasts who attended World Selection Camp could absolutely be considered next summer’s Games. On top of this, there are several Rio-eligible juniors that will make the selection process interesting. It is safe to say the competition will be tight come 2016, and World Championship experience is a definite plus on a gymnast’s resume.

Stay tuned on Gymnastike.org for on-site coverage of this exciting World Championships in Glasgow.


Related:
2015 World Championships Central

Gymnastike Gold Documentaries:  Simone Biles: Lonely At The Top
Gabby Douglas: Buckeye
Brenna Dowell: Sooner Star
Madison Kocian: Continuing The WOGA Tradition
MyKayla Skinner: Team USA's Daredevil