Very upsetting meet please help

[superflipgirl]

I know that in usa gymnastics, scoring is just based on how the gymnast performs. But I am on rec team, and I had a very disappointing meet today. I got an 8.3 on bars, and I saw people with much worse routines that got higher, same thing on vault, my vault felt amazing and the judges just ripped me off. In case any of you don't know, in rec meets, the judges are just coaches or older gymnasts from the gym. I know many of you are going to say that the judge can give me whatever they want and I don't know if my routine is good or not because I'm the one performing it, but believe me, it felt amazing and I saw people with much worse vault and bars who got higher scores. Everyone keeps telling me this isn't possible, but I really think it must have had to do with the way I look. Everyone says I'm pretty, I'm not really overweight, and I wasn't wearing makeup or jewelry, and my hair was good too. Do you think it's even possible that the "Judges" ripped me off because of how I look? Do you think this is fair? I got the lowest all around on my team and last place in my age group. I know it's not just because of how I performed. I also need some advice on how to handle bad scores, because I really need to get used to them if I'm going to do high school gymnastics next year. I keep trying just to have fun, but I always cry when I get lower scores then I wanted. It really sometimes makes me think that I don't want to do gymnastics anymore sometimes. When my dad asked me how the meet went, I tried to tell him, but it just makes me so sad talking about it that I started crying and my mom had to tell him about it. Please Help!

 

[fishchimes]

If these coaches/gymnasts are from the gym, maybe you can ask them to break down the deductions for you. Since they are not actual judges, though, they might be inexperienced and scored you wrong.

Definitely tape your events next time so you can see what they saw. Sometimes you can make mistakes and not even realize it!

Don't be discouraged when you get a bad score. As long as you did the best you could on that particular day, it doesn't matter. Just push through it and the pain will eventually go away.

 

[Aussie_coach]

It does happen that people are sometimes scored lower because of the way they look, particularly if these are not qualified judges. Gymnastics is a very subjective sport. If you look like a gymnast you will often score higher than someone who doesn't. Even if they are better.

Having said that, even if your skills feel good there could be things causing you to lose points that you don't know about. Sometimes gymnastics judging can be hard to understand and something almost unnoticeable can cause big deductions. Perhaps you could post some video's of yourself doing your routines and the coaches and judges on here could give you some feedback on things to improve.

I think the problem with you being upset with scores is when you said "i cry because I get lower scores than I wanted". Focussing on scores rare;y gets you anywhere, instead focus on doing your best gymnastics and the good scores will come. Don't set goals to get a certain score, instead set goals like not falling off on beam, connecting your whole bar routine, being tight and so on.

 

[NotAMom]

Try to focus on your skills and form is the best way to improve your scores. Even though gymnastics is a subjective sport, scoring is (somewhat) tightly regulated. If people are scoring better than you but your skills are better, the chances are your form isn't as refined. Those deductions can add up quickly. Like Aussie Coach said, try to get your routines taped and then review it with your coach(es). Try to be receptive to critique even if it's hard to accept.

 

[superflipgirl]

Thanks for the advice everyone but I am still emotionally sore from this meet, does anyone else have an opinion on this?

 

[bogwoppit]

My oldest has has many meets where she has felt this way, sometimes you just don't have what the judge is looking for. So waht I worked on with her is setting goals that have nothing to do with judging or with scores,medals or placements. Since she has worked on that for each meet she has been able to handle the results much better and no longer feels devastated if the judges don't see what she does.

Judged sports are hard and learning to handle the judgement is a huge part of the mental game of gym.

 

[Pickle's Mom]

I can tell from your post how upset you are. My first advice to you is the get some distance from the meet. Eat some ice cream, go to the beach with your friends, watch a movie. Being upset is natural, but it’s not going to help you in this situation.

None of us were at this meet, so there’s no way that we can tell you what you did wrong or what the coaches may have seen. The only people who can give you this information are the coaches and judges.

The subjective nature of judging in gymnastics is frustrating, but it isn’t unusual in life. If you got a C on a paper in school that you thought was really good, what would you do? If you were my daughter, I’d suggest you talk to your teacher. DO NOT say “why did this person get an A and I got a C…â€￾ Honestly, almost any teacher or coach is going to bristle at that.

Instead, ask “what do I need to improve so I can score better next time.â€￾

 

[superflipgirl]

Thanks for helping, but I wasn't really upset about the scores or placements themselves, I was more upset that I was getting lower scores than people with obviously worse routines than me, and I KNOW it wasn't just my performance, I think the judges really thought I was ugly or something and that's why I'm upset. I would rather get lower scores like high 7s in high school or usag, because I know I actually would have deserved those scores, I probably would be a little disappointed, but I would think "Well, if the judges gave me those scores, I just have to improve a little" but in rec meets, the "judges" usually judge anyway they want, so I know that no one in the meets really deserves those scores.

 

[gymcoach34]

Superflip Girl,
People have been giving you great advice, you are not listening to them. Accept what happened, realize its over, talk to your coaches and ask them what you can do improve.

Honestly, if you were my athlete, I would tell you its your attitude thats holding you back. Obviously, if the routines were worse than yours, they would not have scored better. I would tell you to stop blaming the judges. Find out what you need to work on and WORK at it. Do not try to blame others for your mistakes, realize that the judges are not out to get you and work hard, then keep working harder! I feel like if you are old enough to write on CB, you should be old enough & mature enough to accept your scores and move on.

I'm so glad you love gymnastics so much- I'd love to coach a kid with your passion! Use your passion to push yourself to work harder and keep an open mind and you will see positive results.

 

[superflipgirl]

I'm sorry gymcoach34! I'm not trying to be mean, but I was taking their advice I just wanted to know what people thought was going on! I was just upset about it, and I was crying for 3 days straight! And I am old enough to be here, I just have ADD so sometimes I get out of control with my thoughts! Thanks for your advice anyway!

As for everyone else who replied to this thank you so much for your advice! Sorry for my bad temper in this post!

 

[NotAMom]

SFG, you're a teen so we will let you off the hook. However, you need to learn to put disappointments behind you.

In the sport of gymnastics, assuming all being equal, the subjectiveness still can come from the inconsistency in what judges look for at a meet (which shouldn't be IMHO for an indoor sport in a controlled setting). Just say, if the emphasis at vault is the landing, then no matter how good of a vault you hit, you just cannot score well if you don't stick that landing.

The best way to remedy inconsistencies is to learn how to do a routine hitting every skill. If you can matter that (which is not to say you have to be perfect), it's (almost) score proof. Guaranty you. It goes back to the attitude for the most part.