How to over come....

[gymnast16]

What to do? Sry judges... At my last meet, The judging was off, way ridiculous. Scoring of an 8.600 when the usual score is 9.00-9.215???? I know, this is just part of gymnastics, but why, and when the score was contessed, coaches asked the judges, they said" Well, we didnt feel it was a 9 vault" No reason, just plain that it was because .... and there was nothing on the paper. Also, how is it fair when the judges come form a gym that they are going to judge thier gym, wouldnt they be biased, arnt they, and thier gym always wins first in team awards? Anyone, yea judges too, answer to my Q's???? Also, any other experiences like this from coaches or gymnasts, and have you ever seen a score changed?????? what was it?

 

[NotAMom]

I think it's likely that you just didn't have what they were looking for. Kids who can consistently score high have near perfect routines. This could be the one time that they are focusing on flaws that typically aren't looked at so closely.

I suggest to just let it go. Pay closer attention to the areas that needs work and prepare for the future meets.

Gymnastics is a very subjective sport. IMHO, there are only a couple more in existence that are more so (with dance ranking at the top of that list). Gymnastics scores can swing vastly from one meet to the next, even with near the same routine and level of performance. Also, judges are humans too. There is a lot going on at the judges table during a routine. The higher the level, the worse it gets.

If you are really desperate, it may be possible to make an intelligent guess at what the flaws were if the routine(s) in question was taped. But, you had to know exactly what the other competitors were doing too.

 

[Aussie_coach]

This is a part of competition in any sport. Its often a good experience to not score as high as you had hoped. It may cause you to focus more on improving things, then your scores will be even higher.

A lot of the time you will get judges who are better, they see more, they notice things that other judges don't notice. So you will get more deductions with these judges.

Judges are looking for a certain something in routines which they give 9+ scores too. Dynamics, presentation, excellent body tension and a routine that just stands out.

If you had a video of you vault or routines, it would help because we could give you an idea of what the judges might have meant.

Occasionally getting lower scores than you expected is just a part of competing. It is important to remember that every score you get is just one persons opinion of what you did on one day. Don't get too wrapped up in once persons opinion.

Yes, I have seen scores changed after a protest but it is rare. First of it is generally pointless. Once a competition is over and the places have been awarded its time to move on and focus on the next comp. The only times I have seen it actually changed is if it affected a childs chance of qualifying for a particular competition. Most of the time when there is a protest the score is lowered not raised.

 

[gymalex]

I agree with the poster who said that scores DO vary- often due to judges' experience. You have to roll with it- it is part of our sport.
However, not being able to justify a score is another beast. It sounds like you may have had an inexperienced judge. Compulsory vault (L5/6)can be difficult to score, and sometimes new judges will just give the vault an overall score and rank the vaults without taking specific deductions. It sounds like that may have happened here. And while that is very frustrating, you did get some good feedback. "It didn't look like a 9.0 vault." Well, get back to the gym and start working on better body positions, a higher, tighter block, and sticking the landing.
Chances are good that you'll see that judge again, and you DO want to give her that 9.0+ next time.
Good luck!

 

[cheryl1960]

Yes, we have had experience with this. Last year the girls got scored very low at a meet that was right before states. The coaches were very disappointed and were concerned about what we (parents) would say. Myself, being not very experienced with scoring didn't really know what to think - I thought my J's scores should have been higher-but what do I know!?
Later we found out the the judges had been scoring levels 8 and 9 the week before so the concensus was that they had not set their expectations to the compulsories for these younger girls, and were maybe looking for too much. I don't know if this was really the case but it seemed to justify the scores for everyone and our team moved on to getting ready for state, and did very well!
We have been to watch college meets too where the judges scores have created a stir in the audience, but as was mentioned I think we just have to accept what we get and move on to the next meet.

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

Last year at states, the beam judges were judging pretty harshly at the beginning. I agreed with my score, but my friend did an excellent routine compared to her usual and scored a little lower than she usually did. Sometimes different judges are simply focusing on different things - I guess this is the case when one judge gives you an 8.9 and another gives you an 8.4. Also, I know one judge who is a very tough scorer and usually takes the highest deduction possible, even if your split is only 10* off of 180 - I have heard that some judges take bigger deductions in the beginning of the season to give the girls something to strive for. I don't know if this is true. I would guess that the judge was simply a bit tougher than others, and was maybe focusing on different elements.

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

Here is a way of looking at it from a more technical side. There are no height or length markings as a guide around the table (aside from the 1m line if JO uses that). If a gymnast in the first rotation does an amazing vault that is dynamic, has awesome height and lands a metre further away from where everyone else is landing, the standard has been set. That is a fantastic vault and will score very well, but other good vaults may not get the usual score because this one vaulter has really raised the bar for what is excellent or even possible. With an extra 1-2 tenths taken off for each of height, length and dynamics it is easy for a nine vault to drop down in the mid eights.

 

[NotAMom]

Just to add, pace setting is used often as a scoring strategy in gymnastics. It's seen at the Olympics and commentators point it out in their play-by-play. It is not usually seen at the lower level but becomes more apparent starting at L6.

The situation is very evident if a strong performer happens to be the (one of the) first one up for a rotation. Even if he/she pulls off a strong routine, the judges still have to leave room for potential better performers. This will pull down everyone's normal scores allowing only the even better gymnasts to surpass that score. This can upset a lot of people (i.e. gymnasts, coaches and parents). A similar effect can occur if you happen to follow a strong gymnast in the same rotation. I guess it is possible that this might have happened to you.