I knew it would take a mathematician or a scientist to decode the new gymnastics new scoring system for me. This Slate article (thanks, Erica!) attempts to explain it in the simplest terms:
This year, competitors get two scores, each from its own panel of judges.
The A score measures the difficulty of the routine. A relatively easy move like a one-handed cartwheel on the balance beam adds 0.1 to your A score, while bringing off the astonishing Arabian double front layout rakes in 0.7. Performing two or more elements in close succession tacks on “connection value” of up to 0.2 points per transition. The way to max out your A score, then, is to cram the toughest possible moves into your routine and pack them as tightly together as you can manage.
The downside of all that: In the middle of your painstakingly computed, ultra-difficult, absolutely seamless routine, you might fly headfirst off the end of the beam. That’s where the B panel comes in. The B score starts at the top of the scale rather than the bottom, and every mistake takes you further from a perfect 10.0. The new system imposes a kind of mandatory minimum sentencing; after years of complaints about unobjective scoring, judges on the B panel now have less discretion about how many points to deduct for a given miscue. The standard penalties are also harsher than they used to be—a fall that would have cost a half-point in Athens now means a 0.8-point deduction.
The final tally is the sum of the A score and B score; since the difficulty of the current batch of Olympic routines tops out in the 7s, you can expect medal-winning scores to be somewhere in the 16s. And that’s one thing opponents of the new system don’t like. “A perfect 16.9” lacks the ring of “a perfect 10.”
The photography technique in the image above is called stromotion, which I learned all about yesterday from Pret a Voyager. Technology is pretty remarkable, isn’t it?
(image via nbcolympics.com)
The success of U.S. women’s gymnastics can, in part, be traced back to the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. That’s when the American women, coached by Bela Karolyi, won their first gymnastics team medal in a non-boycotted Olympics. The team members were Wendy Bruce, Dominque Dawes, Shannon Miller, Kerri Strug, Kim Zmeskal, and Betty Okino. This great video documents the breakthrough through some never-before-seen home video. Check it out. I think you’ll like it.
http://growingbolder.com/gbinsider/182702
Kelsey
The Growing Bolder Media Group
I’ve totally been confused by this and hadn’t seen the slate article — thanks for posting!