They just beat #1 ranked Alabama.

Why are so few pundits predicting OK to win?

One of the biggest complaints about College Gymnastics is that only 4 teams have won, ever. If that continues, why not put UCLA, Alabama, Georgia and Utah in the Final Four (starting 2011) automatically. No need to run the regular season.

It would be great for the sport to see Oklahoma win. Go Sooners!

The second biggest complaint about College gymnastics is the high scoring. Yet I feel the alternative (F.I.G.) rules are far worse. An example from this past weekend’s ScAmerican Cup:

… Aly Raisman’s beam score was LUDICROUS. I’m surprised the commentators didn’t make a bigger deal about that routine. She did one of the most perfectly executed routines I have seen from ANYONE in a really long time, all as a virtual rookie on live television. Not even a hint of a wobble on a single skill, and a NAILED a brand new double Arabian dismount. I would say that was probably the most impressive “rookie” routine I have ever seen before, and the judges rewarded her with a whopping 9.15 E-Score.

What in the world were they watching? Then, Rebecca Bross, whom everyone knew was going to win anyway, nearly falls on her full turn, has a couple of jittery bobbles in between her skills and minor checks on the side somi and front tuck, and then takes a huge lunge forward on her dismount, and receives a 9.1 E-Score. It really is unbelievable. If Bross’s routine was a 9.1, then Raisman’s was a 9.85, not a 9.15. It’s a perfect example of the biggest problem in judging today…an absolute REFUSAL to reward perfect routines with high execution scores, particularly on the women’s side. Those judges should be fired. …

Andy Thornton

Andy likes Raisman’s beam (video) more than I do. But his criticism of F.I.G. judging is totally valid. They box Execution scores atrociously.

But I love it.

This may be the best NCAA season ever. So many teams have proven they can put up big scores.

The Gym Dogs sent a crystal clear nation to the collegiate gymnastics world Saturday afternoon; that they are truly back amongst the nation’s elite.

With its 197.900-197.875 win over No. 3 UCLA at Stegeman Coliseum, Georgia proved to the nation it can compete, and defeat, anyone at anytime. …

Gym Dogs edge UCLA with stellar score

How did the rankings end up after this weekend’s action?

“Time of flight” has been added as “an additional objective criteria”. Sounds like a good idea.

It looks like electronics will be used:

read more – F.I.G. – Time of flight voted new criteria

Does this mean heavier athletes will gain some advantage?

Leave a comment if you know more.

There were two “perfect 10″ vaults on Friday night.

Boise State scored 196.1 this weekend against SUU. (Elise Wheeler broke the SUU school record in the AA with a 39.55.)

E. Wheeler

The highest score of all time is, I think, UCLA 198.875 in 2004. That record score may have been tied by Stanford in 2004.

(In 2004 judges were drugged even more than usual.)

related – College Gymnastics Board – Best score ever recorded in NCAA gymnastics

RESPECT.

Brandi’s scored 10 twice on vault already this season.

Click PLAY or watch the most recent on Gymnastike.

Gymnastics Videos on Gymnastike

… Penn State coach Steve … Shephard said he thought this perfect 10 was about the same as the one earlier this season, and still said he has seen the senior do it even better.

After watching it on video, Personett said she thought the perfect score from this past Saturday was better. She added, however, that a couple of her friends in the stands said the Feb. 23 vault routine was better.

Beam Me Up

Leave a comment if you know of a better quality video of either 10.0 vault.

Watch her Gymnastike interview.

Hey, Penn State went 196.450 last meet. They are perhaps the most underrated team in the NCAA.

UPDATE: Penn State posted a better angle. Click through to their YouTube channel to watch Brandi’s second 10 vault of the season.

The new issue starts with an article by German authors Thomas Heinen, Pia Vinken, and Konstantinos Velentzas addressing a very interesting dilemma of twist directions.

The second article is the contribution by Trevor Dowdell from Australia who is exploring characteristics of coaching.

The third article is about the reliability of judging in men’s artistic gymnastics at the University Games in Belgrade 2009, written by a group of authors from Slovenia and Hungary: Bojan Leskošek, Ivan Cuk, Istvan Karacsony, Jernej Pajek and Maja Bu?ar.

The fourth article comes from Slovenian author Matjaž Ferkolj who has researched kinematic characteristics of Roche vault on vaulting table.

The second issue of our journal concludes with an article from Portugal in which José Ferreirinha, Joana Carvalho, Cristina Côrte-Real and António Silva analyze the evolution of flight element on uneven bars from 1989 to 2004.

It’s all free. Click through to the home page for links (PDF) to each article.

Science of Gymnastics Journal

Ah, the old system, where perfection was a (10) — remember? …

The prime purpose of the new and unimproved scoring system was to better quantify the various elements in a program — required jumps and spins— so that the famously nefarious judges would have less latitude to cheat.

Alas, this created a scoring system so arcane that, by comparison, it makes computing the Standard and Poor’s index child’s play. Moreover, by emphasizing compulsory obligations, the new system diminished the emphasis on artistry. …

Frank Deford in Sports Illustrated – … Go figure

Bottom line: Frank argues that the scoring system has “destroyed the popularity” an Olympic Sport.

Sound familiar?

Frank is talking about Figure Skating.

Mirai Nagasu (left) skated a pristine program last month in Spokane, but lost out on gold to Rachael Flatt by ... 11.33 points?

Until now …

Even though Utah’s gymnastics team beat Georgia 196.55-196.5 Friday, many in the crowd of 15,522 at the Huntsman Center were unhappy with the judging on floor and let the judges know it by booing several of Utah’s floor scores.

The No. 3 Utes scored a 49.125 on the floor with Gael Mackie recording a team-low of 9.575, and Kyndal Robarts and Jamie Deetscreek also earning low scores of 9.725 and 9.75, respectively.

While the marks might have surprised some in the crowd, they didn’t bother the Utes, who acknowledge they and the judges still are adjusting to some new judging codes and qualifications for deductions this year.

For example, on the floor judges previously could take up to a tenth of a point deduction when a gymnast crossed her legs on a twist. Now the code says the deduction is a tenth or nothing at all.

Robarts said her first pass “wasn’t very good,” and Utah coach Greg Marsden said he expects scores to be unpredictable for a bit longer.

“Everyone is still trying to get a handle on how to judge things and what deductions to take,” he said.

read more – New judging codes bring down scores

It’s time to start rewarding gymnasts who can keep their feet together on twists. Courtney McCool, for one.

Judges have been far too lenient on this deduction in both NCAA and FIG.

Do you like the new sticking rule for women’s floor?

Nowadays elite gymnasts are deducted for lunging backwards out of their tumbling passes. Amy Van Deusen at About.com Gymnastics would like to hear your thoughts about this. …

Ana Claudia Silva changes gyms

The 2008 Brazilian Olympian, 17, has signed a contract to compete for Rio de Janeiro’s Flamengo Club this season, as has 2009 World team member Khiuani Dias. Other Flamengos include Diego and Daniele Hypolito and Jade Barbosa. …

Spotlight-ready

Stanford freshman Ashley Morgan is the daughter of baseball’s two-time National League MVP Joe Morgan … Says her Hall of Famer dad, “I’m more proud of her than I am of anything I ever did as an athlete.” …

Why Paul Hamm deserved to win the 2004 Olympic all-around gold, once and for all

Andrew Thornton dissects Yang Tae-Yung’s high bar performance from the 2004 Olympic all-around final. … Yang’s start value on high bar was incorrectly tabulated…

details and links – The gymnastics week in review

I’m not completely convinced by Andy’s conclusion in the Hamm scandal in Athens. But he’s right that Yang Tae-Yung was over-scored by 0.1 in the start score on Horizontal Bar. Yet another blunder for the Men’s judges in that meet that went unnoticed until now.

Thanks Andy.

Flavius Koczi, 2009 Romanian International, Foor Exercise (note the second pass — a back 3.5 to immediate Rudi — extraordinary!)

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (starts at 30sec)

I actually don’t like this routine. A classic example of overuse of one kind of skill.

Still, Koczi was named one of 20 Gymnasts to Watch in 2010

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It reminds me of another strange routine: Zhu Sang Sang – Floor – 25 turns

If you count up all of the turns, twists, and jumps, she actually does exactly TWENTY-FIVE 360-degree turns in her routine! That HAS to be a world record. That was a quad turn at the beginning …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

This was linked by Andy Thornton in a post dedicated to every gymnast who has ever competed backward layout with 3/1 twist … to punch front.

related posts:

• quadruple twist FX – Kent Caldwell

• tumbling – triple and quadruple twist (Artemev)