The New Code and its implications...

[blantonnick]

Hello all, I have some issues/feelings/rants about the New Code and its implications on gymnastics as we currently know it.

In my opinion, I believe the Code has done the same thing Wal-Mart sets out to do...Globalize the world to one standard. Let me explain:

If you look at the floor routines of today, they are stock... RO-3/2-1/1-3/2 (+1.1 to the A jury)...This pass is performed almost every Elite level routine, and rightly so. A relatively easy pass (some 14-15 year old gymnasts are able to perform it), at high level competitions, that gives +1.1?! And we are wondering why we dont see a triple performed anymore??? -0.1 to -0.3 for the cowboy and -0.1 to -0.3, for the landing if not stuck, and you risk barely breaking even by doing it in B Jury execution alone.
Just as Wal-Mart moves into a town and swallows up all the neat little shops that produce high quality products with character, for the local community. Special things that mean something, local vendors that care, take pride and work hard at what they do. The new code has taken these 'special gymnasts' and produced a mass market template to work from.
How many people have performed the triple in international competition? I can think of only a handful (Gogaladze, Liukin, Xiaoshaung, Podgorny) Gymnasts who will always be considered innovators, pushing the boundaries of the sport
VS. How many people do the 'magic pass' now? - Millions...

The only thing the New Code has done is level the playing field. Allowing for many more nations to participate at higher levels and medal. Generalized the sport to be cookie cutter, run of the mill.
Where are all the specialty shops going? Just as where are all the Li Ning's, the Liukin's, the Nemov's, ...the gymnasts that innovated, captured your imagination...
But then again...I guess you could argue that when you go to a place like Wal-Mart, you can get everything under one roof at low prices

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I agree, to some extent. I definitely think the code needs to be reworked.

I really like the open-ended aspect of it; it means there is no limit on how hard you can make a routine. I just think they need to adjust how they define "hard."

 

[blantonnick]

'I really like the open-ended aspect of it; it means there is no limit on how hard you can make a routine'

Because you can only perform 4 elements from the same element group, there actually is a limit...please explain??? am I reading the code wrong?

 

[blantonnick]

Also they only count the best 10 elements including the dismount....

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Ok, perhaps I should have said there is LESS of a limit. What I mean is that under the old system, once you had enough difficulty for a 10.0 start value, there was no point in adding anything new, no point in making it harder. Under the new system, this is not the case.

 

[blantonnick]

I see what you mean now...yes this is a good thing, only when done in accordance with the FIG's philosophy. The gymnast must only perform skills and difficulty that is aesthetically pleasing without compromising the execution

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I see what you mean now...yes this is a good thing, only when done in accordance with the FIG's philosophy. The gymnast must only perform skills and difficulty that is aesthetically pleasing without compromising the execution

Which is exactly why you never see triples anymore.

To be honest, I think one of the biggest steps I've seen in the right direction in recent years has nothing to do with the code: the skills challenge at the Winter Cup. I think other top-level meets should have this as well. Now to preemptively clarify, I CERTAINLY DO NOT think that JO level competitions should have anything like this, but I think it would be great for the olympics, the world championships, and the like to have similar competitions. By having essentially a "best trick" competition, you give gymnasts a chance to really push themselves and show off what they can do without the sacrificing scores, and in doing so push the sport forward tremendously. And it would also put on a good show and maybe even draw more support for the sport; it would certainly make for exciting TV.

 

[hammy]

I can't decide whether or not I like the new system. It's obviously got it's flaws, but it also has advantages and leveled the playing field. I think it's made gymnastics a little more interesting, but I do miss aiming for the Perfect 10. I think once they work out the bugs and what not it'll be a decent code--I think it's changed because the times/society of gymnastics has changed.

 

[blantonnick]

'Which is exactly why you never see triples anymore.'

Xiaoshaung's triple in 1996 was one of the best and most beautifully performed, super complex elements ever performed on the floor exercise...I would take -.1 for the cowboy on B-Jury...if he trained the element to that extent and was able to perform it almost to perfection, I know others can as well...but why bother anymore with the new code really...+0.6 to +0.7 compared to the connection passes of +1.1 and higher...the answer is obvious...point is triples CAN be done to be aesthetically pleasing but why bother with it?

 

[blantonnick]

'To be honest, I think one of the biggest steps I've seen in the right direction in recent years has nothing to do with the code: the skills challenge at the Winter Cup. I think other top-level meets should have this as well. Now to preemptively clarify, I CERTAINLY DO NOT think that JO level competitions should have anything like this, but I think it would be great for the olympics, the world championships, and the like to have similar competitions. By having essentially a "best trick" competition, you give gymnasts a chance to really push themselves and show off what they can do without the sacrificing scores, and in doing so push the sport forward tremendously. And it would also put on a good show and maybe even draw more support for the sport; it would certainly make for exciting TV.'

And put elite level gymnasts in danger in the process I believe...you had the fourth place guy in the world wrap his face around the bar in this competition...Gymnastics is not the X Games nor should the direction be for that...you are going to get alot of guys doing tricks that they shouldn't be doing...trying to push for a Quad before they even know how to master a proper basic foundation...I must disagree with this best trick comp...while exciting to watch, they put high level gymnasts in a dangerous position! Let the actual FIG rules let guys toot their ego's, not trying to 'throw' tricks!

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

What I think would be really great would be if the decreased the number of counting skills -- say 7 or 8 instead of 10. That way routines will have to be shorter and have more difficult skills.

We'd still likely see a lot of the 3/2, 1/1, 3/2 combo, but routines could not depend entirely on passes like that.