After the meet of her life at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, MyKayla Skinner was named as an alternate. A powerful gymnast with impressive difficulty, Skinner contributes most to Team USA on vault and floor. During Trials, she hit eight out of eight routines, and finished fourth all-around to Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez, and Aly Raisman.

Skinner is currently in Rio with the rest of Team USA, where they will put the finishing touches on their training until the Olympics begin on August 5. The gymnasts on the five-person team are Biles, Hernandez, Raisman, Madison Kocian, and Gabby Douglas. The other two alternates are Ashton Locklear and Ragan Smith.

We talked with MyKayla the week after Trials about her performance and the difficult position of being an alternate.


Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

FloGymnastics: How happy were you with your performance at Olympic Trials?
Skinner: I was so happy. It was so awesome to even be at the Trials. I told myself to go out there and have fun, because it could be my last competition. I just wanted to go out there and do the best I could. I'd been working really hard in the gym, and I went out there and gave it my all. I hit four for four both days, and had the meet of my life. I was just so glad I went out there and did my job.

What was the atmosphere like in the sold-out arena with so many USA fans?
It was so cool. I've been to Worlds and stuff, but just having all those people cheer for Team USA and seeing so many fans cheering you on just made me feel like, "I got this. They believe in me."

Your floor has always been one of your strongest events, and it improved a lot even just this season. At the beginning of 2016, you had a 6.2 D score and on day two of Trials, you had a 6.6. Tell me what you focused on to increase that score.
Especially after what happened at 2015 Worlds, and since I'm not very flexible, I wanted to work on getting my leaps a little better and work on the execution. I've also been doing a dance class two times a week, and I think that definitely helped, as well as focusing more on the landings and having enough endurance to get through that floor routine. I've been working with a private dance teacher. We'll work on turns, we'll work on flexibility, and we've been working on my floor dance.

Speaking of dance, tell me about the dance you did after your floor routine at trials.
At camp and during podium training, sometimes I'll just dance a little when the music is on. Everyone makes fun of me and they're like, "MyKayla, you gotta do it again! It puts me in a good mood, so keep dancing." So since they knew I was last up on floor, Aly and Amelia were like, "OK, if you hit your floor routine, you HAVE to do your dance moves." I was like, "OK, if I remember, I'll do it." And as soon as I finished, I was like, I gotta do it. So I just went up and made it a little fun. I feel like in college they always have so much fun, and in elite, we're always so serious. So I was like, this is a big meet--probably my last--so I just want to go out and have fun with it.

You've also made some big improvements on beam going from a 5.6 D-Score in Glasgow to a 6.4 on day 1 of Trials. Tell me about your improvements there.
I feel like I've always had crazy skills and I've learned so many things, but I haven't really had time to fully get them before something else comes up. I've been working on that full in dismount--I've actually had it for a while, but I hadn't been able to compete it to really get the endurance to do it at the end. I wanted to get that for Trials, and then adding the front mount definitely helped my start value. I've also been working on my leaps and getting that execution higher.

Did Martha get a chance to talk to you that night?
She did for just a second--we didn't get to talk much. I know she talked to Lisa and said she was really proud of me. Especially after the first day, she said, "Wow, you looked really amazing; just keep it up." Lisa told me some good things from her, so she was definitely proud of me.

What emotions did you feel when the team was announced?
It's kind of hard when you don't end up making the top five… but I still I couldn't believe I even made alternate. If they need me, I want to be able to go out there and be ready to do whatever they want me to do. It's an amazing opportunity, and I still get to be called an Olympian, so that's just so cool that I've made it this far.


Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

What did your coaches say to you after the team was announced?
They were so proud of me. It was hard, but they said, "You went out and got the job done. You did the best you could do, and that's all that we could ask for. We love you so much." They're just so proud of how far I've come over the past few years.

The level of competition is the U.S. is just so high--what is it like being in the mix and a part of all that?
It's so crazy and so intense, especially training with all the girls. It's definitely hard, but I think it's also good, because having so many great girls pushes you to get even better. The U.S. is competitive, but I'm so grateful that I'm able to be part of Team USA. I wouldn't want to compete for any other team.

You've been in a similar place when you were alternate for the 2015 Worlds. Did that experience prepare you for this?
It's hard because going through Worlds was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. I'd never had that experience of being the alternate. But being in that position definitely pushed me harder to want to be even better. It is hard, but I'm just going to go out there and give it my all. I still have to do everything the team does and just stay positive, because you never know what could happen.


Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Did it ever cross your mind to turn down the alternate position because you didn't make the team?
I knew I wanted to keep it, but at the same time, it was kind of hard for me. Like, "Oh man, I'm in this position again." It's hard to do routines knowing you might not compete. It's very hard, but it's my last meet, so just to even be able to be an alternate is just an amazing experience. It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing, so why not do it?

What will the next few weeks be like for you?
We're just plugging away with routines again--we don't really get a break. Straight from camp, we go to Rio, and we'll have training. If I end up not competing, I'll come home. I don't really know what I want to do after that--if I want to do some of the tours; if I want to go right to college; or if I'm going to wait a little bit longer to go to college. I'm supposed to go to college a week after I get back from Rio, and I feel like it's a little rushed, so I'm going to take it day by day and see how it goes.

Are you still planning to join the team for the next NCAA season even if you don't go to Utah in September?
As of now, I'm still planning on that. I might just take the first semester off. I just feel like it's so rushed to go in so early I just kind of want a little break--go on vacation or something and enjoy the moment. I feel like I don't need to rush into college right away.