Photography by John Cheng
MyKayla Skinner (Desert Lights)
MyKayla Skinner
All I should have to tell you about Olympian MyKayla Skinner’s work ethic is that she considers the 35-city (35!) Gold Over America Tour to be a reward. Skinner is, of course, the powerhouse gymnast who stepped up to the vault at this summer’s Tokyo Olympics when Simone Biles withdrew from the competition. Skinner won silver for Team USA. Now, with the Gold Over America Tour, at Enterprise Center on October 15, Skinner will have a chance to perform with Biles, as well as Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, Grace McCallum, Laurie Hernandez, and Katelyn Ohashi, among others. However, there aren’t routines involved this time. They’ll be throwing some skills, yes, but the program will include dance choreography, themes of women’s empowerment and increasing awareness around mental health, and the story of each gymnast’s career. St. Louis Magazine caught up with Skinner in August, just after the Olympics. Here’s what she shared about Gold Over America.
When we watch Team USA at the Olympics, you all are very focused, determined, serious, before going out to compete. Gold Over America feels like a different vibe.
Definitely. I like to pump up the crowd, and I like to dance. I don't know if I'm a very good dancer per se, but I'm excited to go out there and shake it, have fun with the girls, reconnect with them, and let people come and have fun with us. There's going to be a VIP experience—you get to come down on the floor with us…. It's just gonna be a lot of fun all around, and it's going to be nice to not have to be super serious and intense.
Is training for a tour like this different from training for competitions?
It's much different. From my experience from the Kellogg's Tour [of Gymnastics Champions] we were there for a week, and we spent many, many hours a day just trying to put [the program] together really fast…. It’s going to be different because we'll be mixing in gymnastics and dance choreography and different pieces, so I look at it as like learning a new floor routine…. For me, this is just a lot of fun.
The tour has themes of mental health awareness and women’s empowerment. How will those show up in the program?
Our biggest thing is just [communicating] that message to everybody because mental health is such a big thing, and especially in the athlete world, and a lot of people don't realize it. I really hope whether you're an athlete or not, that we can make a difference and really help them.…. Watching Simone go through what she was going through, it was crazy, but she needed us. We were able to be that team, that sisterhood, for her.... It was a good learning experience for me, just watching her go through what she did and how strong and positive she was. That’s going to leave a big mark on me. Hopefully from our experiences, we can do the same for others.
It feels like we would not be having this conversation even five years ago. Do you think gymnastics is changing?
I was there with [former USA Gymnastics coach] Marta Karolyi and [former USA Gymnastics national team physician and convicted sex abuser] Larry Nassar, so I've been through it all with all of [the athletes]. It's been awesome to see them grow and turn into the women they are.… Just to see that they're making a change, making a difference, and hopefully making the sport of gymnastics a lot better than it's ever been—I know that it's still going to be a long process, but overall I think it's been good.
Purchase tickets for Gold Over America here.
