More from The Q&A: Jonathan Horton

Jonathan Horton: I’m on the national team until I lose my spot, until somebody beats me out of it, which I don’t think is going to happen.

JC: Not for awhile, at least.

JH: No. (Laughs.)

JC: Can you decide when you compete and when you don’t?

JH: I actually got invited to a competition last March, and I was like, “No.” The senior team coordinator, Ron Brandt, he invites me to everything. But I declined everything up until July. I’m going to Japan for a team competition there. Then, the next big competition after that is U.S. Championships, which is in Dallas.

JC: What will that team going to Japan look like? A lot like the Olympic team?

JH: They’re inviting the top eight teams from the Olympics to the meet, so it’s kind of a big deal. There’s nothing really riding on it … so they’re not going to send all the guys from the Olympics. They’ve got some newcomers working their way up.

JC: What do these young guys mean for the future of the U.S team?

JH: The United States is going to really surprise a lot of people in the next few years because … these young guys are ridiculous. I have to work my butt off to not let them pass me up.

JC: What about a couple of your former Sooner teammates, Chris Brooks and Steven Legendre? How good are they in terms of making an Olympic team?

JH: They’re both extremely good. In four years, who knows what they could do? They could potentially be 2012 Olympians, no doubt. And Steve, right now, could be by far the greatest tumbler anybody’s ever seen on floor. He may go to world championships this year, and there’s no doubt he can win. The U.S. hasn’t had anybody win an individual event in a long time. He’s ridiculous.