In his Stretching Out column, International Gymnast editor Dwight Normile dreams of routines not dictated by a code of points rewarding primarily A-score difficulty.
I quote only a few of his “Skills and Combinations I’d Love to See”. Click through to read the rest.
Floor Exercise
• Full-twisting Arabian dive roll. I don’t think I would ever tire of seeing this breathtaking skill. Remember, it was the exclamation point that completed that memorable back-to-back pass by 1985 world champion Oksana Omelianchik. And refuting the notion that more is always better in gymnastics, I don’t think I’d like to see a double-twisting Arabian dive roll. Ever.
Click PLAY or watch Oksana on YouTube.
• Morgan Hamm’s Airflare is really cool, even if it’s been done already by B-Boys. However, to incorporate it in a floor routine could bring new fans to the sport.
Uneven Bars
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• During her lengthy career, Svetlana Khorkina performed several different elements that took her from the low bar to the high bar, but my favorite was the Stalder-hecht she used only briefly. From a handstand on the low (back facing high), she dropped into a Stalder. But just when you thought she would complete her ascent to a handstand, she simply let go and caught the high bar. It was beautiful and unexpected. I can only guess that it also was inconsistent, because she didn’t keep it for long. Or perhaps her coach, Boris Pilkin, had already invented that crazy, whirling Shaposhnikova she used for years.
Parallel Bars
• I must admit, when I first saw Shinji Morisue chuck a tucked double back to upper arms at the 1984 Olympics, something inside me said it wasn’t good gymnastics. Not that it wasn’t difficult, mind you. I just didn’t think it belonged on the event. I had a hard enough time accepting bent legs on giant swings, but throwing a skill on p-bars in the tucked position seemed to show complete disregard for tradition.
Well, these doubles have overtaken what was once a beautiful event. So if they’re here to stay, how about following them with something other than a front uprise? And let’s be honest, some of the front uprises we see after Morisues are skidding, arm-scraping, reverse push-ups. Still others employ a small kipping action to reach a full support. Why not do a simple back shoulder roll? Or better yet, one of those interesting slip-kips, where the gymnast reaches back from the upper arms, catches in a piked inverted swing, then kips to a support. And if you’re really strong, maybe a Streuli? Or back shoulder roll to Streuli! See, the combinations are endless! …
Horizontal Bar
• More dismounts in combination with release elements. A Tkatchev seems the best candidate to link directly to a dismount, since the gymnast usually has plenty of swing and has time to tap after regrasping. …
read the rest – IG Online Interview – Dwight Normile
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