Hurry up and wait

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PHILADELPHIA -- Selection procedures for the men’s and women’s U.S. gymnastics teams are different, with the men setting a deadline of July 1 for announcing their squad and alternates and the women postponing that decision until July 20.

It seems logical to wait until the last possible minute, especially in a sport in which most athletes are injured or recovering from an injury.

But Dennis McIntyre, director of the men’s national team, says he thinks it’s better for the men to remove the suspense and know the team structure as soon as possible.

He wouldn’t want to see the deadline pushed back. ‘Probably not for the men,’ he said. ‘Men’s gymnastics and women’s gymnastics is a little different, and a different philosophy. And they react, I think, to things differently.

‘The men, they’re a little bit older and they focus a little bit better when it comes to knowing early what their roles are, going into camp as a true preparation camp where everybody knows what their role is and expectations are. It helps them prepare much better as a team, I believe.’

-- Helene Elliott