The FIG recently made a startling announcement. As recently reported on International Gymnast Online…
Earlier this year, the FIG announced it was developing a new Code of Points which would result in open-ended scores with unlimited points for difficulty. Gymnasts would no longer strive to get the Perfect 10 (though a 10.00 in execution would be possible).
So what does this mean to the non-gymnastics person who is unfamiliar with this kind of lingo? The scoring will now be similar to Ice Skating, with 2 scores. The gymnast will receive one score for execution (which is a fancy word for form – are their legs straight, toes pointed, etc?) between 0 and 10. And they will receive one score for difficulty (ie: how hard are the skills they perform?), which is open-ended. Up until now, gymnasts were given one score with a maximum of ten (hence, the perfect ten), in which execution and difficulty were both taken into account.
This announcement has caused unprecedented turmoil within the international gymnastics community. Coaches, current gymnasts, former World & Olympic Champions, and experts alike are up in arms about the proposed changes in the Code of Points. So I find myself contemplating the changes myself and attempting to write a coherent opinion on the subject.
I agree with those who have argued that an open-ended scoring system would make the sport much too risky. Gymnasts will endeavor to perform outrageously difficult skills in an attempt to outscore their opponents, which would put them in peril and likely lead to more injuries. It would also encourage riskiness over execution because the execution score is limited to 10 points, while the difficulty score has no ceiling. As a guest columnist for International Gymnast Online, Russ Fystrom reminded us of Article 28 of the 1975 & 1979 FIG Code of Points, which states that
“The difficulty of an exercise must never be escalated at the expense of correct form and technically correct execution. The exercises must therefore, in regards to content be adapted to the ability of the gymnast, for in gymnastics, the gymnast is to maintain complete control of his body. Assurance, elegance and amplitude are three chief characteristics.” – 1975 and 1979 FIG Code of Points
I believe that the FIG would do well, as Fystrom points out, to review past Codes in order to shed light on the current Codes.
Perhaps equally disturbing as the death of the 10.00 would be the demise of the All-Around gymnast. This open-ended scoring system will hurt the All-Around gymnast because a gymnast who is spectacular on one or two particular events will be able to neglect the other events and still outscore someone who is equally strong on all the events. For example: a woman could score a 17 on Bars and a 17 on Beam but only a 6 on Vault and a 6 on Floor and still manage to outscore someone who scored an 11 on all four events. Being a well-rounded gymnast would no longer hold priority for the coaches and their athletes. Their attention would likely turn to individual events and the mastery of one event instead of the 4 for women and 6 for men. Emphasis would be placed on winning one event over the all-around. This would be detrimental to the sport because the gymnasts who have historically been the most beloved (excepting the rare few like Olga Korbut) by the public are the All Around Winners, not the Individual Event Champions.
A recent article by International Gymnast Magazine reviewed NCAA gymnastics and examined why it has enjoyed a recent surge in attendance. Three of the top ten schools in the nation boast sold-out crowds at their home competitions. The marketing and ingenuity of the coaches has provoked a tremendous increase in popularity with the general public. But I believe that the popularity is due not only to the hard work of the coaches but also to the scoring. Collegiate gymnastics is easy for the general public to understand. A great routine nets a 9.9 or possibly even a 10.00. Nothing excites the crowd more! They see a fantastic routine and they are not left confused by a score of 9.412, which is typical in Elite Competition. While the collegiate Code of Points could also use some refining, it’s working. When was the last time an International Elite Competition sold out? Perhaps the FIG should stand up and take notice.
After the judging scandals of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, some issues certainly need to be addressed. But is taking away the Perfect 10 the answer? I doubt it. I can’t imagine the sport I love so much without the All Around and without the Perfect 10. They are what define our sport. As a little girl (and yes, sometimes as an adult!) I would imagine myself competing in the All Around Finals in the Olympic Games and concluding the competition with a 10.00 on either Floor or Vault. I can’t imagine dreaming to win the Olympic Uneven Bars Event Finals with a 13.2 or a 16.7 but who knows? Maybe the FIG is right. But I don’t think so.
November 25th, 2005 at 7:01 pm
I hate the new system. Who remembers the days when 9.3 was a fairly poor score? When every once and a while you’d see a perfect ten? Now, gymnasts are throwing out these really hard skills, and hoping to land them. They’re so desperate to earn lots of points, that these gymnasts will do stuff they aren’t ready for, and biff it at a meet. Then, the scores will be lower, and the routine will look like crap. Can someone point out what’s good about this? Why must FIG change what was so good before?
March 20th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
[…] ten” was on it’s way to extinction. I followed up with a post titled “The Death of the Ten.” But in the back of my mind, I admit that I didn’t think it would happen. I […]
April 4th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
I remember when I was a little kid watching this one tape of Nadia Comaneci. I always used to get so excited when they showed her ten.o routine. Now there are no ten.o routines. A 9.6 is amazing now, when then you wouldn’t probably even be in the top twenty. There isn’t really much emphasis now on sticking every landing, or having perfect form. But this is what defines our sport. If you watch old tapes from at least five years ago, the gymnasts made it look effortless and everytime I watch Nadia’s ten.o routine I think to myself, “oh yeah I can definately do a perfect tkatchev just like her!”. Now when you watch the top gymnasts you never think “wow I could do that” or “they make that look so easy”. They throw such hard skills and compromise excecution for difficulty. It’s not right, and this new scoring system is going to make it even worse.
April 21st, 2007 at 11:38 pm
Right on. I just ranted about this in my personal blog. I was a gymnast for 12 years and I’m still a junkie for the sport. We’ve gotten recent evidence at how this new Code isn’t doing any favors. Vanessa Ferrari fell off the beam at the 2006 World Championships and still somehow managed to get gold after she threw in some difficult moves and picked up the points for those.
The exact same happened with Shawn Johnson in the 2007 Tyson’s Cup. She fell off beam (granted, all but a few gymnasts fell off and/or majorly wobbled on beam in that competition) and still somehow managed to win.
Even with a fall being a .8 deduction instead of .5, the new Code is allowing gymnasts to win with falls.
Remember when a fall was catastrophic and not even kicking butt on the other events would put you on the podium?
March 4th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
its been couple of years now and the new system have proven itself to be rather self-sustaining and looks to have a positive impact on the sport.in my opinion it was not a bad idea in renewing the orginal system.sad to say the perfect ten was getting old.
May 7th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
oswald was obviously never a gymnast. i was an elite gymnast and did the sport for 13 years. when an ex elite gymnast cannot even figure out the scoring never mind the layperson there is obviously something very wrong. FIG is killing the beauty of the sport. If u look at gymnasts from the 80s and early 90s there skills were much more original and beautifull. what ever happened to the importance of dance and grace? gymnastics is supposed to be pleasing to the eye. now gymnasts are just little moppets tumbling around. where is the beauty in that?
May 10th, 2008 at 7:49 am
I have to agree. I was a gymnast for 10 years and I love the sport so much but watching it recently depresses me as it is not the same beautiful exciting sport it was. I agree that the old code of points was dated but to be honnest when Silivas and Shushunova were competeing that was gymnastics at its best they were perfect and they got the scores for their beauty of perofrmance and really very difficult skills. I am also confused why they seem to have gone away from the most important part of gymnastics competetions, the alll around final, the one everyone wants to win. I am not at all in favour of “specialist” gymnasts I like the old team style 7 gymnasts 6 compete and 5 scores taken forward, they were real team champions as they were consistant throughout. Ooh now that was a rant!!!!
September 25th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Привет, случилась у меня сегодня неприятность, дверь деревянная была и развалилась. Вызвал бригаду ремонтников с фирмы стройматериалы
Пришли мастера, поставили железную дверь, долго перфоратором работали, сделали. Ушли, я утром выхожу, дверь открываю и у меня выпадает целый бетонный блок вместе с дверью. Вызвал мастеров, сказали, что это моя вина, что я очень толстый и не необходимо было висеть на двери и ушли. Я ведь ничего не делал, а ремонт и уже капитальный делать. Что в таких случаях делать, подскажите.
February 4th, 2010 at 1:20 am
I was just chatting with my friend about this yesterday at the resturant. Don’t know how in the world we landed on the topic actually , they brought it up. I do remember having a amazing steak salad with sunflower seeds on it. I digress…
September 29th, 2015 at 2:49 am
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