The Daredevil of Team USA

Mar 18, 2014 by Jennifer Teitell

This week Team USA travels to Italy for their first international team battle of 2014 with an incredibly deep roster. The leader for Team USA is clearly 2012 Olympic Champion Kyla Ross and we expect Kyla to perform at her usual high level with flawless execution. However, Mykayla Skinner could be the surprise star in Jesolo. The 17-year-old from Desert Lights is the daredevil of USA Gymnastics. Skinner is not a household name but her huge skills and explosive gymnastics give her the “WOW” factor. In Jesolo, Skinner plans to compete the most difficult floor routine in the world with an incredible 6.8 difficulty rating!

Skinner burst onto the elite scene with an all around victory at the 2011 American Classic and was later added to the US Junior National Team. The sixteen-year-old made her senior elite debut at the 2012 City of Jesolo Trophy competition placing fifth on vault and fourth on floor. She was age eligible for the 2012 Olympics but did not qualify to trials after a heartbreaking fifteenth place finish in the all around at the Visa Championships.

Skinner could have easily thrown in the towel, but used the disappointment from 2012 to fuel her in 2013. She continued training and added even more difficulty to her routines. The determination paid off at the 2013 Fiesta Bowl Invitational where Skinner became the first female to successfully compete a laid out double double on floor exercise. The excitement did not stop there as Skinner also debuted her incredibly difficult Cheng vault, making the skill look way too easy. Skinner then went on to place sixth all around at the P&G Championships and make her first Senior National Team, successfully competing her laid out double double and Cheng vault in the process.

Right after the 2013 World Championships where Victoria Moors of Canada successfully landed the laid out double double to have the skill named after her ("Moors"), I had the opportunity to film a workout at Desert Lights and was floored by some of Skinner's amazing new skills. I asked Skinner’s coach, Lisa Spini, about the double double being named after Moors. Spini said, “We have a few other potential 'Skinners' we are working on.” I loved the positive attitude of her coach, and after watching Skinner found out how right Spini was to be so positive.

Later that day at Desert Lights, I was standing next to the vault waiting for Skinner’s famous Cheng when Mykayla busts out a 1/2 on with 2 1/2 twists off! She twisted so fast on her vault, I had to review the video in SUPER slow motion so I count her twists. After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I turned to Skinner’s coach and said, “she's an animal!” Spini's reply was a huge smile, as if to say, “just another day in the life of Mykayla Skinner.”

Like most gymnasts, Skinner’s routines are not without controversy and have received their fair share of criticism for execution. Even with all of her new tricks, Skinner and her coaches are working extremely hard on her form and artistry and it has clearly paid off with this international assignment. Coach Spini said, “We are very happy that the national coaching staff and judges feel that Mykayla's artistry and form are improving all the time. We are excited for Mykayla and the rest of the USA Team to have a successful competition".

The strict and complex code of points has limited some of the variety we see in today’s routines. We tend to see many of the same skills, series and combinations over and over again. However, Mykayla Skinner always seems to find new and exciting skills to add to her routines. Skinner will debut a slew of new skills in 2014 including upgraded dismounts on beam and bars. Skinner plans to end her bar routine with a double double and has added the Patterson to conclude her beam routine. On floor, Skinner has landed triple doubles in training. Most gymnasts would be thrilled to open their routine with a tucked double double and Skinner performs that skill in her third pass and might even move it to the end of her routine this weekend.

This weekend is Skinner’s big chance to show National Team Coordinator Martha Karolyi that she can handle the pressure on the World stage. A strong performance in Italy should silence her critics and put her in contention for a spot on the World Team.

Gymnastike is the only place you can watch workouts and podium training in Jesolo, plus all the top routines from the competition. We will give you the very first look at Skinner's new 6.8 floor routine! Click here to sign up for Gymnastike Gold and watch exclusive videos of Team USA's 2014 World Premiere in Jesolo.