Women College gymnastics is spectacular - The sport’s scoring system is abjectly bonkers.

[tucktwisttumble]

Thoughts?

https://slate.com/culture/2018/04/c...ort-with-a-major-grade-inflation-problem.html

 

[bogwoppit]

I agree 100%. Super talented gymnasts for sure, but the scoring drives me insane. I have also heard rumours of judges being paid different amount by different schools, and that has an effect on scores given apparently.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Thoughts?

https://slate.com/culture/2018/04/c...ort-with-a-major-grade-inflation-problem.html

The kids get beat up for years , when they get to college they deserve the elevated scores. . The winner is still the winner

 

[Flyaway]

The kids get beat up for years , when they get to college they deserve the elevated scores. . The winner is still the winner

Is the winner still the winner though? When scores are separated by only .0375? Really, when scores are inflated to the point where mere one hundredths separate 1st from 2nd, I'd say that the winner could just as easily not be.

That said, I agree that by college the girls more than deserve to see a few 10's on that scoreboard.

 

[twinmomma]

Is the winner still the winner though? When scores are separated by only .0375? Really, when scores are inflated to the point where mere one hundredths separate 1st from 2nd, I'd say that the winner could just as easily not be.

That said, I agree that by college the girls more than deserve to see a few 10's on that scoreboard.

How is .0375 separating first from second any different than non NCAA gymnastics?

 

[Flyaway]

How is .0375 separating first from second any different than non NCAA gymnastics?

It's not really. I guess my point was, I read the phrase "the winner is still the winner" to mean that the best will rise to the top, inflated scores or not. But in the case of NCAA gymnastics when the scores are inflated, there's not much room for differentiation, so I'm not sure I can always agree that the winner is still the winner in every case.

OR..... maybe I'm just still pouting about Oklahoma not winning. It's entirely possible.

 

[kiwi2406]

Interesting. In college gymnastics, some 10s are better than other 10s, but at the end of the competition the score is an equal 10. Take that Peng's 10 on beam was better than Katelyn's 10 on floor (absolutely no hate towards Katelyn, I love watching her and look forward to seeing her floor routine; and a 10 on floor is arguably more difficult to achieve than a 10 on beam, thanks to the amount of time spent competing is a whole 30 seconds (on average) longer), but they are both scored the same. So does that mean that Katelyn's 10 was inflated; or Peng's 10 was deflated?

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

Would love to see them go to FIG scoring but it won't ever happen.

 

[coachmolly]

I have no problem with 9.9s and 10s in college for truly exceptional routines. It's fun for the athletes and the fans, especially those fans who don't really know anything about gymnastics. And I think it's silly to compare college gym scoring to FIG, of course the margin will be smaller in NCAA. The super close meets between rival teams are part of what makes college gym so fun for athletes and fans alike. I think most of the 10.0 routines I've seen this season have been pretty deserving.
I have a friend who lives near a large university (top 20 ranked this year but not a traditional powerhouse team), she knows nothing about gym but wanted to take her kids to a meet because it was inexpensive and she and her husband graduated from the school. It was a close meet, lots of high scores (mostly deserved), and they absolutely loved it. She is already talking about season tickets next year, this from a total non gym fan- not even really a sports fan. And that's what the sport needs right now.
I do think there are some issues with the judging- there are some pretty serious discrepancies from one part of the country to the next. A 197 at a meet at Georgia might easily translate to a 196.5 at a meet at Minnesota, for example. I also do think some of the big name teams get a few more gifts than their lower ranked counterparts. So perhaps a few of the finer details could be gone over to work out a slightly larger differentiation between great and exceptional routines.

 

[coachmolly]

Interesting. In college gymnastics, some 10s are better than other 10s, but at the end of the competition the score is an equal 10. Take that Peng's 10 on beam was better than Katelyn's 10 on floor (absolutely no hate towards Katelyn, I love watching her and look forward to seeing her floor routine; and a 10 on floor is arguably more difficult to achieve than a 10 on beam, thanks to the amount of time spent competing is a whole 30 seconds (on average) longer), but they are both scored the same. So does that mean that Katelyn's 10 was inflated; or Peng's 10 was deflated?

I don't think you can really compare from one event to the next. In any level or under any scoring system, there always seems to be an event that scores a little higher. I think what it says is that the judges placed each of those routines as the gold standard of sorts on their respective event.

 

[JBS]

I couldn’t find Ohashi’s super six floor... post it if you find it.

 

[Lunde]

There were no 10s on floor during the Super Six final
Maggie Nichols was top scorer on floor with 9.9625
Ohashi was one of several gymnasts that scored 9.95 on floor

 

[Natasha]

Would love to see them go to FIG scoring but it won't ever happen.

I really hope they never go to FIG scoring. There are way too many injuries in NCAA gymnastics already. The wear and tear on their bodies if they go to FIG and have to have even more difficult routines will lead to even more injuries and burn out. I like that the NCAA is a place for the girls to go have some fun- also- remember these girls are not training elite hours in college- FIG would be way too much IMHO.

 

[JBS]

There were no 10s on floor during the Super Six final
Maggie Nichols was top scorer on floor with 9.9625
Ohashi was one of several gymnasts that scored 9.95 on floor

No wonder I couldn't find it.

 

[Aussie_coach]

I think it is all very relative. In the US the scores may appear inflated because you are comparing it to the JO scoring, which is what most are used to.

But when I watch JO. USAG competitions, I always thinks “what, why are the scores so high” because we use the FIG deductions for our levels athletes. I see routines with a fall scoring in the high 8’s and wonder how it is possible, because here a fall is a full point deduction.

 

[3rd_time_around]

I think it is all very relative. In the US the scores may appear inflated because you are comparing it to the JO scoring, which is what most are used to.

But when I watch JO. USAG competitions, I always thinks “what, why are the scores so high” because we use the FIG deductions for our levels athletes. I see routines with a fall scoring in the high 8’s and wonder how it is possible, because here a fall is a full point deduction.

I've seen routines with a fall score in the 9s because its only .5, and sometimes the rest of the routine is amazing. A fall doesn't mean huge deductions in form and execution, so it is very possible to fall and still win or fall and score above a 9.

 

[Aussie_coach]

I've seen routines with a fall score in the 9s because its only .5, and sometimes the rest of the routine is amazing. A fall doesn't mean huge deductions in form and execution, so it is very possible to fall and still win or fall and score above a 9.

Not with standard international deductions. It would be impossible for a routine out of 10 to score above a 9.0 because it is 1.0 for the fall. My point is we get used to doing things a certain way and it looks strange to us when it is done differently.