WAG Leve 8 questions

[CoachAlex]

No

No but we were flat out told that at a meet....by the judges...but unfortunately they did not tell my dd what the deduction was....so...oh well....is what it is. They did tell her that if she did a 1.5 and then the full at the end she qould not have the deduction, but my kid isnt ready for that yet, hah!

My guess is that since she opens with a 1.5 which I believe is a C and ends with an A she can get a deduction for imbalance of elements - all the hard elements first and easy at the end. If you are opening with a 1/2 or a full (Bs) and finishing with a layout (A) there really isn’t a composition deduction.

 

[duyetanh]

My guess is that since she opens with a 1.5 which I believe is a C and ends with an A she can get a deduction for imbalance of elements - all the hard elements first and easy at the end. If you are opening with a 1/2 or a full (Bs) and finishing with a layout (A) there really isn’t a composition deduction.

This is very interesting. She starts with a full and finishes with a layout. She was told she could not end with an A skill. Hmmm. I don't get it. But it is what it is!

 

[raenndrops]

Ending with a LO is a composition deduction because you have to end with a B element...at least that is what my dd coach told her

But a FLO is different than a BLO... a FLO is a B (last salto or a salto in the last pass has to be a B). A BLO is only an A.

 

[coachmolly]

At least 90% of girls here end with a layout or even a tuck. Most do the full or 1.5 line first then the second line is the two-salto line ending with the lay/tuck. We hardly ever see routines with 3 lines.

Why are judges deducting differently than what USAG prescribes? So weird.

I think it's based on the "distribution of elements" piece in the composition deductions. I haven't gone over my level 8 stuff in a bit so I might not be 100% informed, but I judge high school gymnastics which is similar to level 8 and that's how it works. It's pretty subjective, so I couldn't fault judges for collectively coming up with an unofficial rule that helps them know when to take the deduction. Something like "Deduct .1 for no B salto in last pass" is a lot easier to decipher than "insufficient distribution of elements."
With the code written the way it is, there are those athletes that do an up to level first pass, 2 easy passes, and then throw a high level jump/leap into the end of the routine to try to balance things out to avoid composition deductions and that leads to a pretty subjective call that will vary from judge to judge. The No B salto in last pass variation, as unofficial as it may be, is so much more cut and dry for both judges and athletes. And really, it's .1- so if a B skill in the last pass is iffy, that's a pretty easy choice to make.

 

[aerials]

This is very interesting. She starts with a full and finishes with a layout. She was told she could not end with an A skill. Hmmm. I don't get it. But it is what it is!

That's what my dd's coach is telling her too...but if her full doesn't look great at warm ups she does a LO

 

[3rd_time_around]

These are the Special Requirements. The last salto performed in the routine, wherever it is, must be a minimum "A." I'm not sure why a judge would say it had to be a B when it doesn't. I had said that there is no up to level deduction, but upon reviewing my books, there is a deduction for "Acro elements not up to competitive level. " They need saltos or aerials in 2 different directions, but not all 3 directions. And there is only a deduction for not having a B salto at all in the exercise, as in if all the Bs are dance elements.

 

[wandrewsjr]

Here are the compositional deductions for level 8 floor.

 

[raenndrops]

View attachment 7122
These are the Special Requirements. The last salto performed in the routine, wherever it is, must be a minimum "A." I'm not sure why a judge would say it had to be a B when it doesn't.

Maybe the judge also judges high school? I know that around here, the last salto or a salto in the last pass has to be a B for High School or it is a deduction and they (basically) use Level 8 rules, but with a high school bonus structure.