Whenever your gymnast attends a meet, be it regional, local,or otherwise, you probably realize that he or she is beingjudged on his or her performance. You may or may not likehow the panel rates your child’s routine, but rest assuredthat the ancillary staff is there as an impartial and fairgroup which works together to offer unbiased scoring. Thisis where the playing field of the competition is at itsmost level. Granted, gymnastics judging is not a science,and there can be mistakes made. This is why it is alwaysgood to have an idea of what the judges are looking at whenthey make their decisions. I'm here to help!
First, judges take a look at whether or not your gymnast hasfollowed the rules of attendance. Each meet may have adifferent dress code, but most typically, associations willask that long hair be tied back close to the head, thatjewelry be removed, and that all clothing that may prove asafety issue be removed. If your gymnast is not inaccordance with these rules, his or her participation maybe interrupted until the issue can be resolved. Barringthat, the judges’ rating is based entirely upon thegymnastic performance. Since there are so many differentkinds of gymnastics, we’ll just give you the basics incommon to all of them.
The next category judges usually look at is overalldifficulty. In other words, if your gymnast is attemptinga more advanced routine, then he or she will start off withmore points than someone who is attempting a beginner’sroutine. The more somersaults, vaults, flips, and so forthused, the better chance of a good score; also, the moredifficult a position he or she uses for somersaults (pikedor straight versus tucked), the higher the difficultyrating will be. Also, consideration is given to thegymnast who makes use of more complex movements (usuallytermed ‘segments’ or ‘elements’); these are typicallylooked at in terms of degrees (180, 360, etc). The moretwists and turns a gymnast does, the more complicated theroutine.
Beyond complexity, the judges look at execution. Somethingthat is full of twists and turns and poorly executed willscore lower than something that is simpler but perfectlyexecuted. The criteria for measuring this aspect ofgymnastics include stability (Did he or she waver in theterminus of the segment? Did he or she take an extra stepor falter with any element?) and landings (Did he or shestumble? Did he or she hold position for no less thanthree seconds at the end of the routine?). Instability inany part of a routine can be disastrous - not only in termsof judging, but, indeed, in terms of safety. Most gymnastslearn, with time, to be very measured and precise. If theystumble when coming to a stop, they appear not to have thelast bit of polish that gives their routine the extra‘oomph’ it needs to pass with the judges. Then, of course,if a gymnast doesn’t hold the typical arms-up finalposition for more than three seconds at the end of theroutine, points are deducted. These are just things tokeep in mind.
Finally, when all is said and done, total points arecalculated. Depending upon the type of routine yourgymnast has performed, he or she will be given a basenumber of points, from which the raw score is computed.Each misstep - and each flourish - weighs on the raw score.
Typically, additions and subtractions are made in the formof fractions of a point - .1, .2, .3, .4, .5, and so on.Sometimes, judges are limited in the amount of points theycan deduct for a single mistake (in other words, sometimesthe subtractions are limited to .5 points at a time). Inthe end, this gives us our all-too-familiar scoring system.Of course, you definitely want to push for a “10.”
In any case, lots of encouragement is deserved by your gymnast.
If something should go unfavorably during the judgingprocess, at the very least you will have an idea of whathappened. Keep in mind that gymnastics judging is not ascience and mistakes can be made. Your little one shouldnot bear the burden of politics; he or she is a championregardless of whether or not a perfect score is attained.
By Murray HughesGymnastics Secrets Revealed”The book EVERY gymnastics parent should read”
http://www.gymnasticssecretsrevealed.com/gymnastics-articles/gymnastics-judging.htm
Life After Gymnastics - Is There One?
Here are the men’s and women’s all-around champions from thelast five Olympic Games -- these are just briefbiographies, but they surely give you an idea of yourgymnast’s potential.
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Nutrition is extremely important for any young person,especially an athletic one, and even more so during thedevelopmental years of their life. Whether your child isinvolved in soccer or football, gymnastics or swimming orLittle League, he or she needs a good nutritive balance inorder to be successful in any endeavor. It cannot bestressed enough that anorexia and bulimia, chronicmalnutrition, are absolutely devastating not only to anathlete’s career, but also to overall health andwell-being. You should always watch for decreased eatingin your child, no matter how robust and healthy they mayseem.
Gymnastics: Injury, Prevention, Treatment – A Brief Overview
In every sport--not just gymnastics--there stands the riskof injury, no matter how adept or flexible your gymnasthappens to be. The sport requires a lot of psychologicaland physical preparation, in part because it is extremelyrigorous, and in part because it demands a higher level ofskill than most other sports. The complexity that routinesentail increases the risk of painful injury and fatigue ifproper preparations are not taken to ensure all-aroundsafety.
