Founded in 1984, the Builder Selection Committee is comprised of National Soccer Hall of Fame members, media and historians as well as coaches and administrators with U.S. First Division experience. Committee members serve terms of three years and screen candidates before voting occurs.
This year, the committee will select a class of six new inductees to join the Builder’s legacy of excellence. The Builder Selection Committee is chaired by Bob Sherrer, who has served on the board since 2011. Sherrer will oversee the committee until his successor takes over as chairman in 2022.
For the gymnasts competing at World Selection Camp this weekend, it’s their last chance to make a strong impression on the panel that will choose the U.S. teams for both the World Championships and the Pan American Games. Although Simone Biles is a lock to make both teams, other gymnasts are hoping for spots on the travel rosters.
USAG is looking to fill a few holes in its team lineups, and that’s especially true on bars and beam. Riley McCusker had been considered a lock to make the bars team after her strong showing at the Pan Am Games and a solid performance at Selection Camp, but she’s injured, so that won’t be possible.
That leaves the committee to find two or three additional team members from among those competing in Katy, Texas. The committee will be choosing a five-person squad to compete at the World Championships and a four-person team for the Pan American Games, plus up to three non-traveling alternates.
During the qualifying competition at the world championships and the Olympics, each team puts up four gymnasts on each event, and they drop the lowest score. In the team final, however, only three gymnasts compete on each event, so every score counts. That makes it important that the committee select gymnasts with diverse abilities and a variety of strengths to be part of its travel roster.
It’s also helpful for the committee to use a system of random ordering when rating and discussing nominees. This prevents “presentation bias” — the tendency for those who are evaluated or discussed earlier to receive more attention because they are perceived as having a stronger case. The committee should also conduct rounds of discussion that involve brief structured exchanges between each group. This helps to ensure that every nominee gets a fair hearing and is not swept aside during the process.