DALTON: No, not really. I think the fact that [Kayla] knows how much time and effort I put into this is a big deal. Going through Worlds together last year was an experience for us. Now she knows how I react, how I function, when I’m competing at the highest level. She understands it and she helps me not get so stressed out.

And in terms of nutrition she eats really well, so she’s helped me out a lot with that. I think that was a big help and why I did so much better last year. She’s taught me the way, nutritionally.

LEGENDRE: Yeah, when Alaina moved here to Oklahoma I got a lot [leaner]. [Laughs] I’m not always happy about it, but I know it’s good for me.

In terms of gymnastics, I think that Alaina and I both have the same philosophy and we understand each other’s goals and dreams. We just want to be able to go out there and do the gymnastics we are capable of. Leave everything out on the floor and let the chips fall.

INSIDE: Speaking of support, there were five OU athletes on last year’s World Championship team. Does it benefit you that so many of the other 2012 favorites are also, or were also, Sooners?

DALTON: I think it was really exciting all of us making that team so that we could be out there together. It was such a special experience medaling with so many of our guys on that team. I think it says something about the program and what Mark has going on here.

We were all very comfortable with each other and I think it made it a very close team, that knew how to work well with each other, because we all came from the same background and had a lot of the same experiences.

It was one of the best experience I’d ever had competing and I know I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.

LEGENDRE: I think it shows that we are doing something right.

As for benefit, having guys that you train with on a daily basis, or have trained with on a daily basis in the past, out there on the floor with you, makes you feel a little more comfortable. Familiar voices, familiar faces … When you are out there, raising your hand, you just don’t feel as nervous. It feels more like home.

INSIDE: What’s your relationship like with the three athletes that no longer train on campus: Horton, Brooks and Naddour?

LEGENDRE: I think it’s great. We all hang out together at competitions, we text each other. Brooks comes up here and works out with us every once in a while and that always gives us a boost. I think it’s a really positive relationship all around.

DALTON: I came [to OU] right after Jon left, actually, so I never got to train with him here, but I always looked up to him, and his medaling at the Olympics was part of what drew me here. He was where I wanted to be. Being on the World team brought us all closer and I still think we have that shared experience. There is definitely the OU family.

LEGENDRE: When I came in, Jon was one of my mentors. The team captain. Then Brooks was my team captain, and then I was the team captain [for Jake and Alex]. So we are all sort of just passing it along.

DALTON: When Steve was our captain I looked up to him. This year Alex and I were supposed to be captains. When I had to step up and kind of lead the team, [after Alex left,] I sort of mimicked what Steve had done for me, because I know that helped me so much.

Alex and I are still friends. We still text. It’s all good.

INSIDE: How does your experience as captains of an NCAA team translate to being part of a World or Olympic team?

DALTON: I think it really helped me. I took being an example to the other guys really seriously. Mostly, I learned to control my emotions better. If you get angry, you can’t come off an event and yell or hit something. That just hurts the team.

I learned a lot about myself being a captain. It was about more than just me. Every day I asked myself, ‘How can I help the team?’

I think my relationship with Mark also grew. He trusted me to be a leader on the team, and I had to trust the plan he had for the team and make sure everyone else trusted it, too. I think I grew up a little, and saw it more from his perspective.

Being a captain just put everything into perspective for me and helped get me on the right path. I feel a lot stronger, mentally and physically, now.

LEGENDRE: I see nothing but positives for NCAA athletes, in general. We are trying to make the Olympic team. It’s a team goal. A team dream. I think competing for a college team, or being the captain of a college team, helps you understand what that team concept is all about.

I think that’s something that gymnasts who are used to training as individuals don’t really get until they’re out there on that World or Olympic floor. They have to learn on the job, where as we come with built-in experience. Success as an individual is great, but success as a team is taking it to that next level.

INSIDE: Five current and former OU athletes are vying for spots on a five-man Olympic team and it’s very unlikely that all five of you will make it. How do you deal with that in-house competition?

LEGENDRE: We know the reality that some of us will be on the team, and some of us won’t. We all want the team to be the best it can be. We root for each other and, in may ways, those are our brothers out there.

But, honestly, I think most of the time we try not to even think about it. We hang out and joke around and everything is exactly the same until we get out on the floor, and then we all know we are going to do the best job we can.

DALTON: It’s always a competition, but we are still friends, no matter what happens. They cheer for us, we cheer for them.

INSIDE: What are the positives and negatives of you two training together for this goal?

DALTON: I can tell you the positive: we push each other. We are good on the same events and we watch each other. It makes you want to push your limits. I think we are always competing, in a fun, friendly manner.

We have become such good friends that we have fun in the gym, every day. It’s made us the best we can be.

To be honest, I can’t see any negatives, at least for me. Steve has helped me so much the past three years.

LEGENDRE: I agree. I don’t see any negatives. I think our training situation is awesome.

We are constantly aware of where we need to be. We are on the same plan, so we peak at the same time, and we are always watching what the other does in the gym. We are teammates, but competitors at the same time. It’s a boost of confidence to see how close I am to him, because I know he’s good. To have that benchmark every day in training is amazing.

Honestly, I think I’d feel a little lost without that. A little out of the loop. It’s too easy to become [complacent.] To think that you’re doing enough, if you’re the best guy in the gym. [Laughs] I don’t have that problem. Competing [alongside] Jake every day, I can always look over and see one of the best guys in the world, and know I’ve got to keep working harder and harder if I want to keep up. He doesn’t let me rest.

Stay tuned this week for the continuation of Passing the Torch- Jake Dalton and Steve Legendre and all the Inside updates from Visa Championships in St. Louis! Join the conversation on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/insidegymnastics & on Twitter @insidegym ! Be sure to celebrate with us in 2012--our 10th Anniversary! www.subscribeig.com

Photos- Grace Chiu