{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"China Dominates the New Mixed Team Format + USAG Pulls Out of World Cups","description":"China wins the first-ever Mixed Team American Cup using the new LA28 Olympic format\u2014and the result might reveal a major flaw in the event design.  We break down how the three-round elimination format worked, why some teams advanced despite falls, and what strategies teams used when choosing apparatus. Plus, data analyst and figure skating official Dr. Elliot Schwartz joins the show to explain the strategy behind the format, whether teams should be allowed to change lineups mid-competition, and what gymnastics could learn from figure skating\u2019s scoring system and judging transparency. CHAPTERS 00:00 \u2013 Cold Open: Why This Mixed Team Format Was Built for China 01:11 \u2013 USAG Pulls Out of Turkey and Cairo World Cups 03:23 \u2013 Iowa State Cuts Gymnastics + KJ Kindler Fires Back 08:45 \u2013 Jessica on New USAG President Kyle Albrecht 10:02 \u2013 American Cup Mixed Team Format Debuts at the Reborn American Cup 11:42 \u2013 China Wins + Why This Format Favors China 13:01 \u2013 Round 1 Chaos: Brazil and the Philippines Are Eliminated 14:15 \u2013 Round 2 Drama: Asher Hong Falls and the U.S. Barely Survives 17:45 \u2013 Final Round Recap: U.S. Gets Silver, Japan Takes Bronze 19:00 \u2013 Club Gym Nerd Updates: College & Cocktails, Live Shows and More 20:05 \u2013 American Cup Deep Dive: Did It Actually Feel Like a Team Competition? 21:35 \u2013 Could Fans Follow the Meet? Arena Confusion and Missing Scores 23:23 \u2013 Peacock vs In-Arena Experience 25:43 \u2013 Should This Have Been a Head-to-Head Bracket? 28:54 \u2013 Debate Club: Should Teams Be Allowed to Change Lineups Mid-Meet? 31:17 \u2013 Event Selection Debate: Too Much P-Bars, Not Enough Chaos 33:55 \u2013 Comedy Highlights: Claire Pease High-Five Fail + Nastia Clip 35:16 \u2013 Broadcast Problems: NBC, U.S.-Only Focus and Missed Routines 41:17 \u2013 Interview: Dr. Elliot Schwartz on Strategy, Scoring and Figure Skating Lessons 44:01 \u2013 Could Gymnastics Use a Plus\/Minus Scoring System? 47:52 \u2013 Planned Routines, Improvisation and What Figure Skating Does Better 52:01 \u2013 Specialist Strategy: What\u2019s the Ideal Team Construction? 55:55 \u2013 Is Saving Your Biggest Difficulty for the Final Round the Best Strategy? 59:24 \u2013 NCAA Update: UCLA vs Stanford Bronze Medal Reunion Meet 01:00:44 \u2013 Florida vs LSU: Historic 198.450 and Scoring Chaos 01:07:00 \u2013 Perfect 10 Update 01:08:45 \u2013 NCAA Rankings Update 01:10:06 \u2013 Listener Feedback: American Cup Broadcast Frustrations 01:16:29 \u2013 Tim Daggett Back on Air 01:18:15 \u2013 American Cup Right, Wrong and How to Improve It 01:23:47 \u2013 Outro: College & Cocktails After Utah at UCLA 01:25:01 \u2013 End UP NEXT Fantasy Gymnastics podcast every Wednesday College & Cocktails:  Utah at UCLA on Sat at 9:30ish 2026 Cocktail and Mocktail menu here SUPPORT OUR WORK Club Gym Nerd: Join Here Fantasy: 2026 College Fantasy Game now open with weekly winners Merch: Shop Now Podcast Tour Tickets Replay tickets on sale for our fundraiser show with all the tea from Cecile Landi 2026 Live Show Season Pass is now available, 4 shows for the price of 3 Thank you to our sponsor Huel Limited Time Offer \u2013 Get Huel today with my exclusive offer of 15% OFF online with code GYMCASTIC15 at huel.com\/GYMCASTIC15. New Customers Only. Newsletters The Balance Beam Situation: Spencer\u2019s GIF Code of Points Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim Resistance Resources ","author_name":"GymCastic: The Gymnastics Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/gymcastic.com","html":"