Would Nastia Liukin be on the team if she did not have that fall on the uneven bars in trials?

She had a very good bars routine in '08, so if she hadn't taken so much time off, and nailed her routine, you might've seen her as a bars/beam specialist with Ross out.

Even if she did nail her bars routine, though, I think after Nastia's time off and decreasing consistency, Ross would've gotten in over her as she did.

She spent too much time away from training the last 4 years, and her fall was just one of several things that kept her off the team.

It is harder mentally to put in the necessary work to stay at an elite level, since most people do not want to spend all of their time training, especially when the mature and become young adults.

Nope

Why do folks keep harping about her? It's 4 years later. Notice Everybody in Female Gymanastics peak at there Mid to late teens? Puberty & injuries make her a old woman in this sport.

maybe