Valeri Liukin is one of the very best coaches in the world. Yet after the injury on Vault (Double Twisting Yurchenko) to Rebecca Bross on National TV, criticism rains down.
If she had pulled out a typical Bross miracle, we’d say he was a savvy God of coaching. She’s tough as nails. Everybody knows it.
Gymnastics Examiner:
… Liukin’s decision to let Bross vault a double-twisting Yurchenko — and rest assured, had he told her to vault a full twist, or a Yurchenko layout, or to scratch completely, she would have complied — was the wrong one, as events have shown. It has cost Bross the opportunity to compete at this fall’s World Championships, and given her yet another hurdle to overcome before next year’s long, drawn-out Olympic team selection process. …
Examiner – Rebecca Bross at the 2011 U.S. Championships: A reflection after an injury
Coaching gymnastics, at all levels, requires decisions on whether or not to compete a difficult skill. (Level 8 Tsukaharas in many competitions can be terrifying.)
Liukin made the decision. Right or wrong.
But why?
Rebecca’s goal is to win the Olympics. In order to do that he has a timeline over the next 12 months. Success at the World Championships is part of that plan. But to make Team USA, Marta wants the team fit NOW, fine tuning up to Tokyo.
Certainly if VISA Championships were not for a month yet, Rebecca wouldn’t have been doing that vault on to hard surface. Her ankle is not fully recovered.
Liukin won the 2008 Olympic AA with Yurchenko 1 1/2 twist. But obviously he felt that Rebecca had to show DTY or risk being left off the Worlds Team.
USA is not going to win Tokyo with clean execution. They must do more difficulty than Russia & China.
Couch Gymnast:
… Can I just say for the umpteenth million times, I do not like this code?
In her review of the shambles that was the first night of the Visa Nationals, Blythe at The Gymnastics Examiner ever-so-aptly described it as an “embarrassing display of non-mastery of difficulty.” And in many ways she wasn’t far wrong. The general improvement in many of the women’s performances on Day 2 proved that for some the ‘hot mess’ that was the first competition could be put down to nerves. Still, there is something in what Blythe says. …
We have all said it before, there is too much focus on difficulty in this code. Sometimes we are saying it because of the persistent and probably salient truth that all this difficulty sacrifices execution. It is also sacrificing both the quality of the sport and the gymnasts themselves. …
I agree. This code rewards high start value. The coaches know it. And they coach for difficulty.
Kelly Manjak told me the same thing. If Canada wants to qualify as a team to the London games, they need DTY. He’s had two gymnasts injured on DTY.
Blythe Lawrence disagrees:
… As it was foolish of Aliya Mustafina’s coaches to let her attempt an Amanar in a European Championship she would have won by a wide mile without it in April, it was ridiculous of Bross’ coaches to let her vault the Yurchenko double when she could not have won even if she had done it perfectly. …
Yet the 2012 Code is not all bad. Vault is not much more dangerous than in the 2008 Code. Here’s my “Report Card”. (Red is bad.)
FIG needs to kill the score of any gymnast who does dangerous looking gymnastics. That’s the only way to stop them from taking grave risks in order to win.
After any injury we need reflect on what could have been done to prevent it. In this case, injury preventable, I’d say the coach and the code share the blame.
When we look back at this Code of Points 10yrs from now, most will agree it was a failed experiment.
Perhaps the American Team selection system contributes, too. Valeri felt that Rebecca could not be injured right now (like Bridget Sloan) or Marta might feel that her best days were behind her.
One more thing. If she had been landing on the FIG Double Mini-tramp landing surface, rather than the FIG 20cm Vault mat, the chance of injury would be less. It’s a much more forgiving surface. Wider and longer.
related:
• Examiner – Women’s night one: Why we should not despair
• Aunt Joyce – Nationals: A Reflection
Gymnastics Coaching.com 