Originally posted by Az Pirates
The scoring can be really confusing!
At the olympic level routines have different start values based on the difficulty of the elements. So someone starting out of a 10 value can score higher, even with mistakes, than someone with a perfect routine but a lower start value.
The judges then deduct points for LOTS of different things.
A fall is a 5 tenths deduction - pretty big; but, make a few small, less noticable mistakes like a bent knee, a missed connection, not pointing toes, etc. all worth a tenth or two and that can add up quickly.
Even though a routine looks flawless a girl may have omitted a skill or missed a connection - you might not realize it - but you can bet the judges will catch it!
I saw a coach at a local meet fuming because he thought a gymnasts' score was too low - then he looked at her parents video of the routine and realized she had completely omitted a required skill. BIG deduction.