Comments on: Paola Galante, Italy – bars and beam

By: coach Rick

coach Rick — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:26:51 +0000

This radical new code was introduced very suddenly, as a knee jerk reaction to the many criticisms of Artistic Gymnasts at the Athens Olympics. (Almost all the criticism was on the Men’s side, for once.)

Shockingly, it has not been as bad as I expected.

Requiring more variety of skills is inevitable. But that change will not be introduced, I predict, until after Beijing. One of many likely changes. Rumours are circulating about the changes planned to the Men’s Code of Points. But I have not seen any rumours yet about the Women’s Code.

By: Francesca Ciappetta

Francesca Ciappetta — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:12:13 +0000

Of course it’s better to see exercises with different kind of skills. A great gymnast must do everything. The problem is on the Code. Why, at this moment, doesn’t FIG require this variety of skills? Why does it recompense only difficulties?

By: coach Rick

coach Rick — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:39:36 +0000

To me as a coach, her Bars composition is not good, regardless of start value. Soon FIG will require a variety of skills such as shown by Tweddle and Liukin.

(We saw the same problem in Men’s gymnastics with gymnasts overusing turns into el-grip on horizontal bar.)

But, Paola is very young. No doubt she is training other skills and will not need to rely so much on Stalder in future.

By: Francesca Ciappetta

Francesca Ciappetta — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:15:34 +0000

Paola’s best apparatus is bars. At 2007 italian championship she won silver medal on this event behind Vany. I think that Casella did a very sharp exercise remarking her qualities. Piked stalter is her favourite skill (I think that is a D). She is relatively tall and flexible and she can increase her A Score with this kind of skill, that it’s not easy. It’s like for the high bar: some gymnast uses big releases, others prefer skills more technical. For the dismount I think that it’s very original. I don’t remember its value (sorry) but it’s very high and very difficult, so she isn’t weak on dismounts, it’s only another choice for make this gymnast more different from the others and it’s a very good thing. Of course she needs to executions more stable. Sometimes I saw her to do very extensive stoop Stalder to Tkachev, other times (like this) very poor. But no one, exept Nadia and few more gymnasts, is perfect!