National Collegiate Athletic Association |
The NCAA News - News and FeaturesThe NCAA News -- July 5, 1999 Men's gymnastics panel creates incentive for tougher routines The NCAA Men's Gymnastics Committee lowered the base score of routines from 9.30 to 9.20 and reworked a bonus system to reward those student-athletes performing more difficult routines at its annual meeting June 22-25 in Monterey, California. The committee also discussed a championships format recommendation it will forward to the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet. The purpose for lowering the start value from 9.30 to 9.20 was to create a challenge for the elite student-athletes and to move the base score closer to that score used by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), 8.60. The lowering of the start value also answered concerns expressed by a majority of coaches. The committee, along with lowering the base score, also revamped a bonus system to reward student-athletes for more difficult routines. The bonus system is as follows: Start value + Bonus = Bonus start value 9.2 + .8 = 10.00 9.2 + .9 = 10.05 9.2 + 1.0 = 10.10 9.2 + 1.1 = 10.15 9.2 + 1.2 = 10.20 9.2 + 1.3 = 10.25 9.2 + 1.4 = 10.30 The highest score possible still will be 10.00. Routines performed using the bonus point system that have an execution or combination error of 0.1 or greater, regardless of the start value, will result in the routine receiving a score no greater than 9.95. The committee also adjusted the start values on the vault. The vault presently is judged using FIG vault values plus .3 of a point. The committee decided that if a fall occurs on a vault, the .3 will not be added, and the FIG start value will be used. Championships format Earlier, the committee had submitted a format recommendation to the Championships/Competition Cabinet for review at the cabinet's July meeting. Under this format, the regional competition would be eliminated and all competition would be conducted at the finals site. The championships would be contested on the weekend currently scheduled for regional competition. The committee noted that the recommended format would save money, reduce the amount of missed class time, allow teams to be seeded without incurring travel costs across the country, provide for better judging in utilizing 24 judges, eliminate the repetition of conference and regional competition, and provide additional exposure for more teams. In other actions, the committee recommended to the Championships/Competition Cabinet that one additional person be added to the travel party for teams qualifying to participate in the championships. Currently, 12 student-athletes plus two nonathletes are reimbursed for travel. The committee felt that reimbursement should be provided for at least two members of the coaching staff and one trainer, if a team qualifies. The committee noted that the women's gymnastics championships provide reimbursement for 13 student-athletes and three nonathletes for participating teams.
Other highlights
Men's Gymnastics Committee
(1) The 1.0 deduction for not showing running team scores must be enforced. (2) The host should be assessed a .3 deduction if the vault landing zone is not lined off. (3) The host should be assessed a 1.0 deduction if the vault safety zone is not provided. (4) Head coaches and the director of officials will be required to sign the final scoresheets and verify scores. Scores may be changed if a nonjudgmental error (that is, math error) is found before signing. No changes will be allowed once the scoresheets have been signed.
|