"No one should pay for this"- Calls mount for broadcast issues with USA Gymnastics World Championships selection trials ft Skye Blakely and others

The USA Gymnastics World Championships selection trials recently witnessed a call for support due to the disruption in broadcasting services, which prevented fans from missing out on important aspects of the event that featured some of the best gymnasts in the country. The selection trials took place on September 30 and October 1 at the FlipFest Gymnastics near Crossville, Tennessee.

Following the withdrawal of Hezly Rivera and Claire Pease, only eight gymnasts participated in the selection event, out of which only four gymnasts, including Skye Blakely, Dulcy Caylor, and two others, earned their spots for the World Championships. The selection event aired live on USA Gymnastics' subscription streaming platform FlipNow.tv on both days of the event.

However, the streaming systemization did not sit well with the gymnastics enthusiasts online, as one of them called out the series for broadcast issues with the selection trials. The user complained that the coverage was expensive and even then the entire event wasn't shown on the app. Expressing their frustration over the coverage of the USA Gymnastics World Championships selection trials, the user wrote on X:

"The coverage on @flipnow has always been expensive and terrible but an event where they were charging this much for day 1 to not broadcast until rotation 2 and day 2 to start 15 minutes earlier than advised has moved to a place of consumer fraud IMO. No one should pay for this."

Asking for an apology, they added:

"The fact that @usagym's social media team thought that they could shut down consumer complaints about a PAID service by implying that they cared more about athletes than the people complaining about their streaming failures was manipulative and deserves an apology."

Another user on X expressed disappointment over the coverage of the USA Gymnastics World Championships selection, writing:

"Hey could we please get an update on the FlipNow stream? Many paid for this specific stream that has now been stalled 20+ minutes."

Another gymnastic enthusiast chimed in:

"This is why the whole gymternet needs to rise up and demand better. This exact thing happened to me like 2 years ago, and they still haven’t worked it out. Ridiculous."

Along similar lines, another user on X wrote:

"Yes please!!! I hate to know that I and many others paid for a comp we can’t see."

The 17-year-old Dulcy Caylor garnered praise from Simone Biles' teammate Jade Carey after securing a spot on the World Championships team.

Skye Blakely made her feelings known about competing at the USA Gymnastics World Championships selection event

Two-time World Team gold medalist, Skye Blakely made a comeback this season at the US Championships after recovering from an Achilles tear ahead of the 2024 Summer Games' trials. Day 1 of the USA Gymnastics World Championships selection trials did not turn out as expected for the American, as she faced an error during her performance at the bars and also had a fall off the beam.

However, she made a comeback on day 2 of the trials, where she performed an impressive bar routine, earning the highest score of 14.450 points. Along with this, she again scored the highest points of 14.050 on the beam, where she did a standing full and a front handspring front tuck.

Following these performances and earning a spot for herself at the World Championships, she made her feelings known about competing at the USA Gymnastics World Championships selection trials in the post-routine interview. (as quoted by Olympics.com)

"I definitely woke up and was like, 'Skye, you have to. Like come on. You have to get it done. No matter what the outcome is, just do your best. Really get out there and be aggressive with yourself. I feel like I did a much better job with that [today]" said Blakely.

She added:

"I was like, 'Be aggressive. You can do this. Get up there and get it done. No other option."

Other than Blakely and Dulcy Caylor, a few other gymnasts that competed at the USA Gymnastics World Championships selection trials were Jayla Hang, Gabrielle Hardie, Joscelyn Roberson, Simone Rose, Ashlee Sullivan, and Leanne Wong.

About the author

An English Honors graduate, Nancy is a journalist at Sportskeeda covering US Olympic sports. She has a total experience of 4 years, having previously worked as a Marketing Executive for BYJU’S before finding her footing at SK.

To deliver the best content, Nancy keeps herself updated by reading as much as possible about the athletes and the sport, and believes that researching and trusting credible sources is the key to reporting ethical and accurate information.

Track and Field events particularly interest Nancy, and she is a fan of Allyson Felix. While she cherished each of her victories, her favorite Olympic moment happens to be the retired athlete’s 10th medal at the Games.

Nancy believes that covering the personal lives and training sessions of the Olympic athletes, and showcasing old podcasts or interviews would help bridge the coverage gap of the sport in its off season.

When away from her keyboard, Nancy spends most of her free time reading books. She also writes poems and plans on publishing a book.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua