US Olympic Gymnastics Trials 2012: What You See Is Not What You Get

As the 2012 United States Olympic Gymnastics Trials wrap up on Sunday evening, a committee will meet and decide this year's Olympic team.

What's that? You thought the trials determined the Olympic team? Ha! Welcome to the wonderful world of gymnastics.

The idea in most sports in the U.S. is that the best way to determine who should be on the Olympic team is through competition. The top three in each event at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials make the Olympic team. Finish fourth? Too bad. That's why the nearly unprecedented dead-heat between Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh has made such news: The two tied for third place at the trials.

Now, officials have to figure out a way to break that tie, either through a run-off or a coin toss. Most observers want to see a run-off because they believe a tie should be settled on the track. A coin toss, on the other hand, would be as outrageous as asking a committee to decide which runner should go to London.

It's the same story in swimming, where athletes who tie for a key place (such as eighth in a semifinal, with eight swimmers advancing to the finals) swim to decide who advances.

That's just not how gymnastics works. This is a sport that is subjective at its core. It's not a question of how high you jump or how many spins you make. It's a question of how good the judges think you were while watching the competition in real time. A gymnast can make a minor error, and if the judges miss it, he or she won't be penalized. Conversely, if a judge thinks a gymnast made an error, it will be reflected in the score.

(There's been some improvement in this since gymnastics dropped the 10.0 scoring system, but judges' mistakes can still affect scores.)

For years, America's women's team has been under the control of Bela and Marta Karolyi. That's not necessarily a bad thing—since the Karolyis defected from Romania in 1981, they have lifted U.S. gymnastics to unprecedented heights. Mary Lou Retton? Coached by Bela Karolyi. Kerri Strug? Coached by Bela Karolyi. As a result, Karolyi was hired as U.S. National Team Coordinator in 1999. His wife Marta took over in 2001. The Karolyis required U.S. team members to participate in camps held at their Houston compound. These camps were often more rigorous than competitions, and they required final say on all selections for U.S. senior teams.

The camps led to several injuries. Last year, Mackenzie Caquatto injured an ankle during one of the camps. As a result of the injury, the 2010 U.S. team member missed out on the 2011 World Championships.

Meanwhile, coaches of other gymnasts grumbled that the selection process was unfair. This year, the process was changed slightly. The individual all-around champion will earn an automatic spot on the five-member team. The other four members, plus three alternates, will be selected by a committee composed of Marta Karolyi, Steve Rybacki and 2004 Olympian Terin Humphrey. Then, the U.S. Olympic Committee has to approve the selections.

(The selection procedures are presented in a 43-page document. Really.)

So, on Sunday night, finishing second overall won't be a guarantee. Well, you might say, at least America's best gymnasts will all be here to try to make the team. That's fair, right?

Not exactly. Athletes at the trials are pre-selected. Those who missed competitions due to injuries have to petition for inclusion. Chellsie Memmel, the 2005 world all-around champion, underwent two shoulder surgeries in less than a year, the second of which was this past February. In May, she performed poorly at the U.S. Classic in Chicago, and her petition to continue at the Visa Championships was denied, prompting many to point out how much she had given to the team in the past while destroying her shoulder.

To not allow Memmel an opportunity to earn her way onto a team that's selected by a committee anyway? That's just gymnastics as usual.