WAG XCEL Silver Vault judging question (WAG)

[taliabc1]

I was at a competition last weekend, the team that was on vault had 2 coaches present. The first coach was at the vault table, however sneakily had her hand holding the front corner of the top mat. The second coach was leaning on the mat at the back. This was all to keep the mat from moving while their gymnasts compete.
After the first 5 or so gymnasts competed, and nothing was said by the judge, the first coach was now holding onto the front strap of the mat, and now the second coach had her knee jammed into the first 8" mat with her body weight leaning into the top 8"mat. Both were obviously pulling or pushing on the mat during landing. I have been a mens judge for 12 years, I don't know if womens rules are different, but this did not seem proper to me.

Main question
Can coaches hold a mat on vault for a handspring to back vault during a competition?

 

[raenndrops]

If there is no Velcro to hold the mat in place or the Velcro isn't working, it is (or could be) a safety issue. If the mat were to slide away from the vault table and the gymnast did not have enough repulsion, she could hit her head on the vault table or snap her head back between the table and the mat that moved. Depending on how much force the head comes down with, it could be no big deal or could cause serious injuries.

 

[taliabc1]

If there is no Velcro to hold the mat in place or the Velcro isn't working, it is (or could be) a safety issue. If the mat were to slide away from the vault table and the gymnast did not have enough repulsion, she could hit her head on the vault table or snap her head back between the table and the mat that moved. Depending on how much force the head comes down with, it could be no big deal or could cause serious injuries.

True, however it is stacked mats that slide when the gymnasts lands on their back, then gets pulled back into place by the coach to reset it for the next vault. Not a safety issue. No other team held the mat during the competition, only this one team.

 

[fuzi]

No rule against it. I've seen coaches hold the mat at lots of meets, including state championship.

 

[GymDad9.9]

No rule against it. I've seen coaches hold the mat at lots of meets, including state championship.

curious, off-topic...on compulsory vault, is there a distance from the table and vault track a coach is supposed to be? I was at a meet last fall where the coach was awfully close to both and was quite vocal in his encouragement of his athletes.

 

[taliabc1]

No rule against it. I've seen coaches hold the mat at lots of meets, including state championship.

Thanks, I have been a coach since '86 (National level), a mens judge for 12 years, and a former gymnast; this just seemed odd as i have never seen this done in competition before and was just wondering if there was a rule in the womens code. Thank you for answering my question.

 

[Jard.the.gymnast]

curious, off-topic...on compulsory vault, is there a distance from the table and vault track a coach is supposed to be? I was at a meet last fall where the coach was awfully close to both and was quite vocal in his encouragement of his athletes.

In my country it's 1 meter, i believe it's allowed in the US, as long as the gymnast doesn't get touched. Can someone with more knowledge confirm this?

 

[fuzi]

Thanks, I have been a coach since '86 (National level), a mens judge for 12 years, and a former gymnast; this just seemed odd as i have never seen this done in competition before and was just wondering if there was a rule in the womens code. Thank you for answering my question.

It's the same idea as a coach standing on a bar dismount mat so it doesn't slide.

 

[taliabc1]

curious, off-topic...on compulsory vault, is there a distance from the table and vault track a coach is supposed to be? I was at a meet last fall where the coach was awfully close to both and was quite vocal in his encouragement of his athletes.

The coach is supposed to be near the vault table for safety of the gymnast, but is not allowed to coach the gymnast during the routine. After or before is fine, but not during. I haven't encountered a loud vocal coach during a routine in my years of judging, but there is a deduction for coaching an athlete during a routine. Not sure were the line is drawn for this, or it may have been deducted within the final score. As a spectator we have no idea where or what the judge deducted for.

 

[fuzi]

In my country it's 1 meter, i believe it's allowed in the US, as long as the gymnast doesn't get touched. Can someone with more knowledge confirm this?

For compulsories and Xcel, coaches can be as close as they want as long they don't touch the gymnast.

 

[raenndrops]

True, however it is stacked mats that slide when the gymnasts lands on their back, then gets pulled back into place by the coach to reset it for the next vault. Not a safety issue. No other team held the mat during the competition, only this one team.

"Proper" vault stack systems have a velcro strip on each side or end of the stacked mats and the velcro holds them in place so they don't slide.
And it "could" be a safety issue given a "perfect storm" of conditions.
Apparently, this one team wanted to be extra cautious.

 

[3rd_time_around]

Yes, it's allowed, and for safety reasons I like it when they hold a slipping mat.

 

[Vivianflips]

I got my ponytail pinched between he vault table and mat stack once when it slid, not fun! I still do not really understand how that happened but holding the mat in place probably would've prevented it.