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The Discussion: Changing the Code of Points

The Discussion: Changing the Code of Points

The Discussion: Changing the Code of Points

Jun 6, 2011 by Anne Phillips
The Discussion: Changing the Code of Points


The latest edition of the Gymnastics McLaughlin Group hosted by the gymnastics examiner kicks off today with a question about the code of points. 

Many fear the safety of the gymnasts, others long for the return of artistry. Last month, FIG President Bruno Grandi spoke out against the code of points, proclaiming that it has mutated into a time bomb. Now it's your turn to speak out  - What would you do to change the elite code of points (or any of the rules for that matter) for the better? 

There are so many possibilities! Here was my little contribution: 
"I'd like to see each event have an even playing field in terms of D score. You especially see this on the men's side where most guys score in the 15's and many guys can go 16+ on vault. Then you have pommel horse where most all arounders score in the 13s and 14s. It just doesn't make sense."
 
Here's what a few members of the McLauglin Group had to say:
Jen (Full In Full Out): This is so incredibly trite, I know, but…two per country. I think it's total balderdash. The best deserve to be in the finals, plain and simple. This is elite athletics, not “participation trophy” time. I know there are a lot of countries which simply cannot seem to break into the top and that people want to “give them a shot”. But I believe you have to earn your shot. The U.S. didn't used to be a powerhouse gymnastics country. It took years and the occasional break-out star (or boycotted Olympics) before our program became what it did. Granted, I know we have more money than many countries do, but everyone has to earn their place--in the team or individual finals. Plain and simple.
 
Beatrice Gheorghisor (Gymnastics No Ceiling): I would increase by 10 seconds the time limit for each event, keeping the number of skills that count the same as it is now, hoping this would make some room for choreo.
 
Rick McCharles (Gymnastics Coaching): Return to the 'perfect 10' scoring system. There seems to be no way to reward excellence in artistry and performance under an open-ended code of points.
 
Katie (Full Twist): I'm particularly concerned about the amount of injuries that have been occuring of late, I've lost count now how many Achilles tendon tears we've had so far this year and the amount of ACL tears is creeping up so I do feel that this has something to do with the code - the need to have the bigger moves and higher start values to win. If we want the top gymnasts to continue in the sport then their safety is a major concern, the code should be looked at in this way. I think the Men's code is ok, it's more so the women's that needs to be looked at.