2008 Region III Gymnastics Championships
Ft. Smith, Arkansas
April
11-13, 2008
Meet Referee Greg Kester
1.
Meet Referee (non-judge)
was assigned for each of the (6) sessions.
2.
The format of all 6
sessions was True Capital Cup, as in J.O. Nationals.
3.
The level 8, 9, & 10
sessions (3 sessions total) had 2 judge panels, while all other sessions had 1
judge panels.
4.
Start-Score values were
posted during the level 9 & 10 sessions.
It was agreed upon that the highest start score would
be posted if the head judge felt that parts of the routine could had been
evaluated differently, and made little to no difference in the final score.
5.
Technical meetings with
the judges were held at the beginning of all sessions, covering all pertinent
technical issues. Pre-meet coaches
meetings were held before each session covering scoring and inquiry procedures,
as well as pertinent technical questions.
6.
Score Inquiry forms were
made available and were used for Level 8, 9, & 10 sessions. During the compulsory sessions, coaches were
able to inquire on specific deductions and bonus for any routine.
|
|
Session |
#
of Gymnasts |
#
of Inquiries |
#
of Changed Scores |
Meet Time |
|
1 |
Level 7 |
80 |
1 |
1 (PH) |
5:15-7:58 – 2:43 |
|
2 |
Level 8 |
58 |
0 |
- |
8:15-10:55 – 2:40 |
|
3 |
Level 9 |
44 |
3 |
1 (PH), 2 (R) |
12:00-2:37 - 2:37 |
|
4 |
Level 10 |
101 |
5 |
1 (PH) |
4:15-9:14 - 4:59 |
|
5 |
Level 6, 8-9, 12-13 yr olds |
87 |
3 |
2 (HB) |
8:15-10:48 - 2:33 |
|
6 |
Level 6, 10-11 yr olds |
96 |
3 |
|
12:00- |
7.
Event Reports were
prepared by the head judge on each event, and are listed below.
Terry
Williams (Lev 7, 8, 9, 10, 6,) Hashim Dawan (Lev 8, 9, 10), )
Overall, good routine
construction with the rules.
The use of “A” value skills
for element group requirements have allowed the coach and gymnast to work on
perfecting a skill before they place it in their routine construction. This has
made an increase in the overall performance improvement of the gymnast. However
deductions on landings have increased.
We saw an increase in form
deductions on skills while still in flight.
Landing seemed to have the
largest amount of deductions. Over 95% dismounted with a C skill or higher.
The Arabian fronts performed
out of a roundoff usually had a deduction of .3 because of the position of the
feet.
Many hold parts had short
time deductions. On connecting salto skills most 2nd and 3rd
saltos were low and deductions were taken.
Level 9
Same comment as level 10.
However the 5th element group for bonus was performed by almost
everyone.
Level 8
Level 8 gymnasts added more
difficulty and sacrifice execution. The
routines that scored high were less difficult and performed well. Most landings
were .3 in deductions. Execution of the skills were poor. The average start
score was 12.6.
Very good performance by the 10-11 age group. Most gymnast
performed the bonus on both passes. All showed great control in the press
handstand. However several gymnast are
still getting a deduction in their splits. Plus the back-extension roll is
still being performed with bent arms by most.
Level 6.
Very good performance by the
10-11 age group. Only 6 gymnast did not do the bonus on the first pass.
50% did the bonus on the press. The weakest part of the routine
was the bounder pass. Several gymnast had problems with keeping their
power throughout the pass.
Miscellaneous Comments
Overall
the code has helped in routine construction. Perfection of skills is most
important, with an A skill meeting the element group requirement, this has helped
the gymnast in performing skill that they can do well.
Attn: Level 9 & 10 Coaches: In
preparation for JO Nationals, if you would like any individualized feedback, please
email me and I will be glad to review and give my analysis to any routine: Terry
Williams - twgym1@charter.net
Mark
Sherman (Lev 8, 9, 10), Eric Smith (Lev 7, 8, 9, 10, 6 (10-11 Yr Olds)), James
Sergeant (Level 6 (8-9, 12-13)
Form is as always the main
concern. There are a lot of skills done
at the expense of execution. The average deduction per routine was 1.5 to1.7 in
both levels 9 & 10. Bodies being
straight on circles and leg at horizontal on Scissors moves should be
horizontal for no deduction. Handstand dismounts
had deductions for using strength this needs to be more of a swing move and not
a press.
Form is still the main
concern. The C 2/3 Travels need to be
turned more towards the length of the horse.
Element group #3 and a C dismount was the most missing group or not
completely fulfilled, a substantial number of gymnast fulfilled the C dismount
by using the C incentive handstand although a large number of them had a medium
to large deduction for bent arms, and an additional medium to large deduction
for stopping or strength for swing .
Staying on the horse is still a challenge. The most used skills for difficulty were the D Longitudinal
Travels.
Level 9
Form is still the main
concern. The 4 element special
requirements were general met by most competitors, and a large number of
gymnast received the .3 bonus for all 5 element groups. There were some routines did not use all 3
parts of horse. Many skills did not
receive credit because they were not finished in front support. Handstands were given .5 deduction 95% of
the time. The handstand dismount must come from a circle, schwabenflanke or
other fig element group. Scissors were
generally very poor..
Level 8
Several gymnasts
did not receive dismount element group credit for two reasons: 1) after a fall,
they just jumped over the end of the horse, thinking it was a schwabenflank 2)
non skill e.g. circle off.
Also, in order for
the handstand dismount to get JO “C” credit, it must come from a circle,
schwabenflank or other element. If it is initiated from a travel down, stop,
press, no “C” credit.
The routines were executed
with piked circles and loops. Staying
on the horse on the travel is also common.
The scissor work was general well, but leg cuts could be below
horizontal.
Level 6
The
major problems on the P horse were on the lack of height and amplitude on the
scissors and false scissors. Most of the older gymnasts completed both special
bonus skills (extra cross support circle and full circle dismount. The largest
problem on mushroom was the lack of leg separation on the Flairs, particularly
when passing through front support.
Miscellaneous Comments
Attn: Level 9 & 10 Coaches: In
preparation for JO Nationals, if you would like any individualized feedback,
please email me and I will be glad to review and give my analysis to any
routine: Mark Sherman – mslexus1@airlmail.net
Jim
McKinney (Lev 7, 8, 9, 10), Jerit Pogue (Lev 8, 9, 10, All 6’s)
Many athletes at this years
competition performed routines with 2.0 – 3.0 points off in exercise
presentation. The majority of the
deduction were on poor positions and short holds on strength parts. Because athletes no longer receive element
group three credit for a back uprise to straddle L many were forced to do swing
to strength skills that they had not mastered.
Execution errors were most
common in swing to strength parts coming in to high and bad body position. Most athletes did not perform a C
dismount.
Level 9
The most common level 9 skill
performed was the yamawaki. Most were
done well, however there were some that received a medium or large error for
showing a support phase. Very few
athletes were able to fill the extra element group for bonus.
Level 8
Level 8 gymnasts are the most
likely group to add more difficulty and sacrifice execution. The routines that won were less difficult and
performed well.
- The level 7 routines looked
good. Swinging elements improved
throughout the year. Level 7’s main
deductions were in the back uprise, planche holds, and press to handstands. Coaches should emphasize straight arms on plaches
and handstands..
Level 6
-
Back levers have been continually improving.
Coaches should make sure and emphasize both the entry angle as well as
the final angle. Many gymnasts were
entering .3 too high and holding at .1 too high. The press to handstands were considerably improved. Many similar deductions to the level 7’s on
back uprise skill.
Attn: Level 9 & 10 Coaches: In
preparation for JO Nationals, if you would like any individualized feedback,
please email me and I will be glad to review and give my analysis to any
routine: Jim McKinney/Jerit Pogue – mailto:gymmantx75@yahoo.com
Dean
Matthews (Lev 7, 8, 9, 10), Brian Cooper (Lev 8, 9, 10, All 6’s)
Although a marked increase in
the number of roundoff entry vaults most gymnasts are still using “tsuk type”
vaults as their first vault if they were trying to gain bonus. Stretched body
positions was not as pronounced as it needs to be. A few gymnasts failed to
gain bonus because of a change in vault value as a result of not maintaining a
stretch position. The majority of deductions were taken on stretch prior to
landing and landing faults. Number of falls declined form last year’s meet. A
few gymnasts received zone deductions. More gymnasts received greater bonus in
this year’s meet
Tsuk family vaults were competed
more often as a first vault. Gymnasts used handspring fronts as their main
choice for bonus. Landings and direction (zone violations) were the major
deductions. Fewer gymnasts received bonus during this year’s competition. Run
speed continues to improve for the region and more gymnasts are taking
advantage of the available bonus.
Level 9
Tsuk family once again the
most popular vaults. Most gymnasts performed some type of tsuk during the level
9 session. Gymnasts fell 10 times and received zone violation deductions 8 times
during the session. Lift from the table and stretch prior to landings were the
most common errors other than landings.
Level 8
A number of gymnasts at this
level are still using a handspring vault (a few gymnasts used ½ or 1/1 twists).
Tucked tusks were also common. Distance seemed to be a problem during this
session in addition to falls and zone violations.
Major errors again resulted
from landing faults. The level 7’s showed much better run speed and distance in
their vaults. Lift from the table was still lacking for most of the gymnasts.
Level 6
Few
deductions were taken for arm bend. Run speed and landings continue to be the
areas resulting in the most deductions. Most gymnasts made minimum distance.
Vaults could be improved by showing more lift off of the table.
Miscellaneous Comments
The
new rules seem to favor either a very clean simple vault or a very high
starting value to vaults that might even have a fall. Gymnasts in the middle
range of start values (8.4-8.8) must have a very clean landing or risk being in
the same score range as a handspring vault.
Attn: Level 9 & 10 Coaches: In
preparation for JO Nationals, if you would like any individualized feedback,
please email me and I will be glad to review and give my analysis to any
routine: Brian Cooper – mailto:bcooper58@hotmail.com
J.T.
Fletcher fletcher@bryanisd.org (Lev 8,
9, 10, & All 6’s), James Sergeant (Lev 8, 9, 10), Hashim Dawan (Lev 7)
Level 6 – Nice job having the boys
ready when judge was ready. The top routines
were those getting the bonus. Many sets
were very clean, but without the bonus, virtuousity or both, it is difficult to
achieve the “big score.” The sequence -
straddle L, press and swing hand (2 sec hold) seemed to be the area that made
or broke most scores. Front swings were
good in general and the rest is form (mostly).
Level 8 - Level 8 gymnasts are the
most likely group to add more difficulty and sacrifice execution. The routines that won were less difficult
and performed well. Most common
mistakes were: extra swings and lack of
holding the hold parts. Remember, a
swing handstand, L and presses must be held for no deduction. All routines had 1.5 EG or more.
Level 9 – Nice job with routine
construction. The coaches are doing a
great job! All routines stayed within
the four EGs (namely the support category).
Make sure all hold parts are held two seconds which includes swing
handstands.
Try
to eliminate repeating skills. IE – two
backrises, two L’s, two presses. When
an athlete does two L’s (short on hold) and two presses (short on hold) the
execution deductions are more than they have to be.
Miscellaneous Comments
Attn: Level 9 & 10 Coaches: In
preparation for JO Nationals, if you would like any individualized feedback,
please email me and I will be glad to review and give my analysis to any
routine: JT Fletcher – fletcher@bryanisd.org
Chris
Rippy (Lev 8, 9, 10, & 6 (10-11 Yr Olds), Kevin Bates (Lev 8, 9, 10 & 6
(8-9, 12-13))
High Bar at these levels, as a whole, noticeably improved from the beginning and middle of the season to the Region III Championships. The most typical errors remained the same. They were as follows:
Pirouette and full turn angle deductions .1 - .3 per pirouette & .3 - .9 per routine
In
general, most routines would be better off if constructed around only 1
pirouette.
Bent knees during stemming action .1 - .4 combined for both sides of stemming action
Bent arms in Giant Swings .05 - .1 especially when swinging after release move or
missed skill
Bent knees in taps prior to release & dismount .05 - .1 per instance (there were not many release moves in
Level 9)
Angle deductions in endo, stalder, free hip skills .1 - .3 per instance
In general, most routines in
Level 10 would be better off without the use of a free hip hand for mount.
Landing deductions .1 to .5 resulting from small steps, multiple steps, hands &
knees landings, and complete falls
The 2
biggest areas of deductions, undoubtedly, arise from pirouette deductions and
landing deductions. Improving these 2
areas could up the score from .6 or .8 to up 1.5 difference in score.
Stick
Bonus was harder to come by for Level 8 & 10 as compared to Level 6, 7,
& 9 levels, however, over all there has been much improvement in stick
landings.
Level
10 routines had a lot of endo skills, with or without 1/1 turns to mixed or
eagle grip. Also, keeping exercise presentation errors to 1.0 or less has
become a great accomplishment. The element
group most missed was the el-grip/dorsal group. On a side note, several gymnasts’ routines were constructed with
skills that ended in various grips, this is not allowed. For example, a gymnast is able to do EITHER
an endo 1/1 turn to mixed or eagle grip, but not both. This rule applies to all “1/1 turning”
skills that could end in various grips, i.e. Rybalkos, Healys, etc… Also, for a “cut-catch” release skill to
count for element group II, it must be initiated from AT LEAST 45 degrees above
horizontal. Simply doing the skill from
a swing will receive an “A” value skill and NO ELEMENT GROUP credit.
Level 9
The
basic “stock” Level 9 routine was: Back Uprise – free hip – giant – giant –
blind change – reverse grip giant – reverse grip giant – pirouette – giant –
giant – double back -- missing 1 element
group. (a few routines have cleverly removed the free hip. They mount with something as simple as, stem
in mix grip over the top – change one had to double under grip. This has eliminated the free hip errors
“risk). When a C skill was present it
was usually either an endo1/1 pirouette or a “C” or better valued dismount. Like level 8 gymnasts, level 9 gymnasts
would benefit from constructing routines that they can perform with great
form.
Level 8
The level 8
routine was all about FORM. Most
gymnasts, in general, could have kept their routines a little simpler to gain
higher scores. The routines that won
were constructed around less difficulty in order to provide greater
execution. The winning routine from
level 8 was very simple, and very clean: free hip-giant-blind-reverse
giant-pirouette-giant-flyaway. LESS IS
MORE when it comes to Level 8 gymnasts.
The
Level 7 routine was all about keeping tight form with the hollow body position
in all swinging skills. Most gymnasts
were able to make it through the whole routine without major errors. The most typical error was a late pirouette
turn, falling or strong breaking of form during the transition of ½ turn swing
forward to the giant sequence at the end of the routine. The areas where virtuosity was most likely
to be given was for beautiful giant swings throughout the entire routine, a
beautiful, early pirouette, a very tight, hollow swing ½ turn to nominal
handstand, and a fly-a-way performed with tight, hollow body position with
extreme amplitude. Overall, body
alignment during giant swings was very good.
Level 6
It
is very hard, especially for the smaller gymnast, to reach a horizontal swing
right before the kip and right after the Underswing. Giants, when performed are generally poorly performed but the
vast majority do receive bonus. Cast
into the giants were generally poor, medium deduction. Few get the bonus for the undergrip
cast. Very few underswings are done
with adequate amplitude and a tight hollow position. Very few dismounts are high enough to show a complete opening of
the tuck before the landing,, several layout dismounts were performed with
pronounce pike.
Miscellaneous Comments
Attn: Level 9 & 10 Coaches: In
preparation for JO Nationals, if you would like any individualized feedback,
please email me and I will be glad to review and give my analysis to any
routine: Chris Rippy – arkmengymnastics@gmail.com