TG: When was the last time you felt you failed and how did you overcome it?
NL: 2012 Olympic Trials. I went in as the reigning Olympic All-Around Champion.
All eyes were on me. On my best event, I fell…face first. I was so embarrassed, I wanted to crawl under a rock. I got back up and finished my routine, knowing I had absolutely no chance of making my second Olympic Team. I landed on my feet, and for the first time in my entire life I had a standing ovation. 20,000 people were on their feet cheering for me, for the absolute worst routine of my career.
When I won the Olympics four years prior, nobody stood on their feet. Sure they were cheering for me, but when I fell on my face in front of 20,000 people, when I finished that routine they all rose.
It truly became the defining moment of my career. I also thought that in order for people to love and support me, I had to win, to be the best, to get a gold medal. The moment I had at the 2012 Olympic Trials made me realize life isn’t about winning, but more so the journey. …
At this point, the formula for an internationally competitive D-score on bars is abundantly clear. It took a while—a little too long—for everyone to figure it out, but we’re all finally on the same page. Bars is all about alternating E and D flight elements for as many 0.2 CV combinations as possible.
Since those who connect same-bar releases to each other are a rare breed, alternating E and D flight elements means a cloud of E+D+E and D+E+D transition-element sandwiches in order to get the most out of the code. …