Women's College Gymnastics-Is a 10 Still a 10?

[WEDWDW]

With the Women's College Gymnastics Championship happening tomorrow,do you like the dramatic increase in the number of 10s handed out by the Judges in the last few years.

Or did you like it better when 10s were not being given as frequently?

 

[sam_gordon]

With the Women's College Gymnastics Championship happening tomorrow,do you like the dramatic increase in the number of 10s handed out by the Judges in the last few years.

Or did you like it better when 10s were not being given as frequently?

I don't follow gymnastics, so this is an honest question... has the judging gotten "easier", or have the stunts/athletes gotten tougher/better?

 

[_19disnA]

I wondered that too. I doubt that everyone performs flawlessly and routines should be just as difficult, so it would seem like the scoring should be about the same as in the past. Don't follow college gymnastics so not sure how their grading scales work. I know with figure skating a few years ago they went from the 6.0 scale to some totally convoluted system I most often see when watching the Olympics. Seems to me the grading scales should be a simple/straight-forward as possible so even novice viewers could make sense of the scoring. Figure skating in general seems to have its own set of scoring issues since much of it seems subjective and those 'quad' jumps many can now do overpower the skill/artistic aspect of the performance.

 

[Disneefun]

I think in college it has become as much about pleasing the audience as the quality of the skills. And I get it. College is a different beast than elite. You want fans rooting for the team and the individuals. You want that air of excitement. That's what college sports are about, and especially since college gymnastics is on TV more now than it ever has been, you want people invested so that they'll tune in. It's not much different than an exciting football or basketball game anymore. Especially in floor I think there are a lot more 10's for routines that really bring people to their feet with great music and big "wow" skills, even if they're not the most technically difficult.

It doesn't really matter to me one way or the other. As long as the judging is consistent and fair, hand out all the 10's you want, I suppose. And 10's are something the audience can understand, even people who've never followed the sport. And with more novice fans coming to meets, I guess it makes sense not to burden them with complicated scores.

 

[WEDWDW]

I don't follow gymnastics, so this is an honest question... has the judging gotten "easier", or have the stunts/athletes gotten tougher/better?

I think it may be some of both,but I think the Judges more "relaxed" scoring is the main thing.

Even some of the Gymnasts receiving the 10s have commented on it.

Cal sophomore Mya Lauzon received the first 10 of her life at a meet in March. She knew her performance on beam was good, though that didn’t stop her from mulling every minor flaw as she awaited the score. She said she was “kind of surprised” when the 10 popped up.

“I mean, it was still a special feeling,” she said. “I just thought I could have done that a little bit better, especially because previously in the season I have done that dismount with a more stuck, stuck landing. Like in the judge’s eyes that could have been a perfect 10 but me, I know I could have done something better than that.”

Should be a great Championship today-expecting a TON of 10s.

Oklahoma is definitely the favorite,but I think ANY of the 4 could take the Title.

I am picking Utah in an upset-they are amazing on Beam.

 

[WEDWDW]

I think in college it has become as much about pleasing the audience as the quality of the skills. And I get it. College is a different beast than elite. You want fans rooting for the team and the individuals. You want that air of excitement. That's what college sports are about, and especially since college gymnastics is on TV more now than it ever has been, you want people invested so that they'll tune in. It's not much different than an exciting football or basketball game anymore. Especially in floor I think there are a lot more 10's for routines that really bring people to their feet with great music and big "wow" skills, even if they're not the most technically difficult.

It doesn't really matter to me one way or the other. As long as the judging is consistent and fair, hand out all the 10's you want, I suppose. And 10's are something the audience can understand, even people who've never followed the sport. And with more novice fans coming to meets, I guess it makes sense not to burden them with complicated scores.

Great Post.

In Baseball people love the Home Runs,in Football they love the Touchdowns,in Soccer they love Goals,etc..

So I think you nailed it, looks like College Gymnastics "unofficially" and "unannounced" decided to give the people more of what they want-10s.

 

[Disneefun]

I meant to finish my thought earlier, but got interrupted... I think in college fans see the "big wow" and want to see that rewarded. They don't care or understand that there was a tiny deduction somewhere, they just want their person to get a reward for making their jaw drop.

You can't explain the nuances of the sport to a bunch of frat guys or casual fans (and I see more and more that the frats and people who know nothing about the sport coming out to support the teams -- see Oliva Dunne's fandom for reference, but I digress and her thing is whole 'nother issue...). They just want their team to win and see those 10's go up so they can whoop and holler and knock back another beer.

Competing for a school is just so much different than competing for country or individual glory. And I think that while it may mystify some of the girls as to why they're getting the 10's when they know the routine wasn't perfect, I'm not sure they mind. They seem much more invested in the team aspect and rooting for each other and bringing in the audience than they used to be, so I think they're mostly on the side of whatever keeps that happy vibe going, let it roll.

 

[NotUrsula]

In any judged sport, much depends on the mood of the judges and the preferences of the governing body. (Disclaimer: I don't know gymnastics, but my DD competes in another judged sport.)

However, based on the scoring notes from this article published in the University of Georgia student paper, the scoring in college gymnastics seems to just be set at the top of the range. The article claims that expected tallied scores are always going to be above a 9, so the differences will be fractional. Athletes also apparently have the ability to earn bonus points to be used to cancel deductions, which would definitely explain more "perfect" scores. https://www.redandblack.com/sports/...cle_1008352e-56bd-11e2-b46e-0019bb30f31a.html