Use this guide when watching the women's gymnastics competition at the Beijing Olympics to understand scoring on vault, bars, beam, and floor exercise.
Gone are the days of Nadia Comaneci and the Perfect Ten. Following a number of years in which increasing difficulty in gymnastics routines made a ten all but impossible, the FIG issued a Code of Points that dramatically changed the scoring system and eliminated the "perfect" ten.
Before the change, gymnastics scores were compiled by using a "start value" that measured the difficulty of the routine and then taking deductions from that start value for errors in execution. In the 1990s, the ten became more and more difficult to achieve because as difficulty increased, few gymnasts actually started from a ten, and those gymnast who were performing the most difficult routines would have trouble performing them perfectly.
In the new system, there are two separate scores, one for difficulty and one for execution. Two separate panels of judges evaluate the difficulty and execution of the routine, and the two scores are added together. The goal of this system is to focus more on the artistry and value of the performance as a whole.
Difficulty: The "A" Score
Though the difficulty of a routine can be determined in advance, the two judges on the "A" panel evaluate the routine as it is actually performed. Certain errors can reduce the difficulty level of an element or eliminate it from the score entirely. Examples include under-rotation, incorrect body position, or a fall. Deductions may be taken from both the A score and the B score for certain errors.
On all apparatus but the vault, credit is given both for the difficulty of each element (A through G, from .10 to .70) and for certain combinations of elements (.10 or .20). Errors between elements such as a pause or a balance check can take away credit for the combination. Repeated elements do not lead to credit for the individual elements, but a repetition can be used in combination. Credit is given only for the eight or nine most difficult individual elements, depending on the apparatus, as well as for the dismount. There is also a credit of .50 for each Element Group Requirement performed, up to five per routine.
On the vault, difficulty is predetermined based on the entry, the number of rotations and saltos (flips), and the direction of flight. For team finals and all around, gymnasts perform one vault each. For event finals, gymnasts perform two vaults and they must have a different direction in the second flight phase or one vault must not have any saltos in the second flight phase.
Execution: The "B" Score
The "B" panel consists of six judges, each of whom awards a score for the execution of the routine. Like the old system, this score starts from ten and errors lead to deductions. There are suggested deductions for each type of error, and maximum deductions are specified in the Code of Points. The highest and lowest scores are dropped and the middle four scores are averaged. If the difference between those four scores is greater than a certain acceptable deviation, the Apparatus Supervisor also has the option to ask a judge to change his score.
While many deductions reflect purely technical errors, other are aimed at the artistry of the routine, such as poor rhythm or additional hops or swings. If there are errors in the composition of the routine, such as too few release moves on bars or insufficient use of the entire apparatus on beam, a deduction is taken from the A score.
The copyright of the article The New Women's Gymnastics Scoring System in Gymnastics is owned by Judith Faucette. Permission to republish The New Women's Gymnastics Scoring System in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
My husband and I are watching the 2008 Olympics as we speak. I am
absolutely appalled that China, on the volt, won the gold, but she FELL on
her landing. And the US who did not fall in BOTH volts placed 4th!!! It
makes me absolutely disgusted with the sport of gymnastics that is STILL
based on an opinion rather than the skill of the gymnast. Why isn’t the
scoring based more on FACT than opinion?? Look at the other events.
Swimming is a touch pad that tells you who is the winner. Running is
chipped. All of the other sports are based on a point system rather than
the opinion. I think it is time that people stand up and say that that this
judging system is NOT ok.
Aug 18, 2008 8:13 AM
Guest
:
As someone who used to coach a competitive gymnastics team, I am beyond
appalled at the new scoring system. By eliminating the concept of the
"perfect 10," you are in effect taking away the incentive for
gymnasts to aspire to perform "clean" rountines. The old system
had a goal each gymnast aspired to receive: performing a clean routine
would get them a score as close to the perfect 10 as possible. However, in
the new system, routines during which an athlete can "fudge" the
excution of elements or "fudge" the landing are awarded the
higher scores simply based on the higher degree of difficulty. We are
diminishing the quality of gymnastics by placing emphasis on the wrong
idea: degree of difficulty rather than excution. In my professional
opinion, a clean routine with a "stuck" landing which has a
degree of difficulty at around 5.8 or 6 should be given a higher overall
score than a poorly excuted routine with a degree of difficulty of 7.7. It
is disgusting that at the olympic level of competition a gymnast can
perform a vault, land on her knees, and still receive a higher score than a
gymnast who landed completely on her two feet and doesn't even take a hop
or a step. Congratulations on ruining the quality of the gymnastics we will
now see as a result of this new scoring system. I don't even want to
mention that the judges who are supposed to be using this new system, have
absolutely no clue what they are doing and how this system should be used.
Aug 18, 2008 11:21 AM
Guest
:
what the former poster fails to realize is that sports of running/swimming
are qualitatively different than gymnastics. The former two are races, the
latter a performance. Any performance based competition is always going
have a level of subjectivity in judging (unless you made all the athletes
do exactly the same routine, then you might make it less subjective, but
somebody would still have to make judgments about who did the element the
best). Before the high-tech methods of registering the winner of swim/run
events, all someone had to do was push a button on a stop watch.
According to your post, a fall on the landing of a vault should
automatically be out of the medal running (basing that on your comparing
the vault winner to the 4th placed finisher), but wouldn't this also be an
opinion. How much do you know about gymnastics? Perhaps the chinese
gymnast had a much harder routine. I personally can do a very good
cartwheel and stick the landing, but in a competition would it make sense
for someone doing a double-back-handspring (completely well, except for a
fall on the landing)to score lower, even though she could have done my
easier skill in her sleep?
Btw, there is some subjectivity
in the judging of at least diving (if not other summer olympic events), so
gymnastics is not the only one that uses subjective judging, or
"opinion" as you like to call. Gymnastics is using a new judging
system it needs a little time to work the kinks out.
Aug 18, 2008 7:18 PM
Guest
:
I agree with the last comment. Alicia Sacramone had that vault hands down.
Thats not an opinion, but a fact. the new system allows for thought towards
or against a gymnast. It takes away from the gymnast being required to
perform as well as possible and gives the ability for the the judges to
score higher for their favorite gymnast. I have chosen to not watch any
more olympics based on the new system.
Aug 18, 2008 8:41 PM
Guest
:
As a USAG judge, I can tell you that the deductions were not taken. Bela
Karoli and Tim Daggett itemized them in the telecast. USAG rules state that
a vault doesn't count unless the landing is feet first. That vault was not
feet first. Unfortunately I don't have access to the international rules,
however USAG can't be that far off since they are set up to have our girls
compete internationally and in olympic competition.
Aug 19, 2008 1:34 AM
Guest
:
There is a school of thought that Olympics sports should only consist of
athletics that involve non-judged scores or times. This limits them to
quantitative measures instead of subjective qualitative judging. Any sport
where a person decides whose performance was better than another's would
not be included in the Olympics e.g. ballroom dancing where a judge can
only watch one couple at a time out of many out on the floor. Borderline
are baseball and softball (RIP) that involves an umpire calling
balls/strikes. Of course this will never happen since television rules
all sports and the highest ratings come in for the judged sports:
gymnastics, figure skating, diving etc. The drama of the scoring
ignites passion and drives popularity. If judging were egregiously unfair
in trampoline, rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming, perhaps their
ratings would come close to matching the others. Until then, if you
don't want drama, stick to the sports with a score (badminton, table
tennis, curling, archery) or a timer (track & field or swimming, but
with their own drama concerning doping suspicions). I think I'd be ok
without the sports involving judges but I know the Olympics would be a lot
less buzzworthy.
Aug 19, 2008 1:53 PM
Guest
:
7:29 PM "Why isn’t the scoring based more on FACT than opinion. Look
at the other events. Swimming is a touch pad that tells you who is the
winner. Running is chipped." Both of your examples are races
where the first to the finish line wins gymnastics on the other hand is a
performance event which is 100% subjective. How exactly do you propose to
make it based on "FACT" rather than opinion? Perhaps they could
make an enormosly complex computer program that would analyze footage of
the performance and determine the score. Although from what you're saying
you think the current deduction system isn't correct and that a gymnast who
falls shold be automatically disqualified which means your problem isn't
with the judges but with the rulebook which tells judges how much they can
deduct for certain mistakes(including falls on landings).
Aug 19, 2008 8:07 PM
Guest
:
my god. this is the worst scoring system ever. even tho this start value
really is a bid factor for getting a good score, its stupid when the mess
up so largely and still score well. for example, one chinese competitor
messed up completely and did not deserve the 15.91 or so that she got. if
its a mistake, u have to deduct it. no quesion.
Aug 19, 2008 10:24 PM
Guest
:
Can anybody help me understand what happened with Women's gymnastics last
night between US and China on the uneven bars? What was with the tie for
Gold and how did the judges determine that China got the gold instead of
US? I just don't understand how that whole thing played out
Sep 14, 2008 4:08 PM
Guest
:
My sister and I watched the 2008 summer Olympics and I love
Shawn Johnson she was my favorite in gymnastics!
