Every four years after the Olympics (a period called the quadrennium), men's gymnastics international rules are altered to adjust the difficulty of the sport to the improvement of the athletes. The changes to the International Gymnastics Federation Code of Points (FIG Code) are made in the first year of the quadrennium so athletes can adjust their skills and routines over the next four years to prepare for the subsequent Olympics.

"It's totally different than other sports," said Ron Galimore, USA Gymnastics senior director of men's programs. "As athletes improve their techniques and ability, the rules have to be adjusted. The value of skills changes to maintain the challenge."

The upcoming quadrennium should prove particularly challenging since the FIG men's technical committee enhanced the standards more than usual in an effort to maintain the rules for eight years rather than just four.

For the men's collegiate gymnast, though, there is a double whammy. In past years, collegiate athletes used a modified scoring system that helped the student-athlete obtain higher scores. For the first time in 2001, however, the NCAA championship will stick strictly to the FIG Code of Points.

Modified collegiate scoring

Scoring used at the collegiate level has been altered in some way from the international rules since at least 1980. The modifications in place as of last season allowed student-athletes a higher starting base for certain routines, and added bonuses and increased the value of some skills to help student-athletes increase their scores.

"Under the old NCAA system, if a gymnast was required to perform three hard skills in the routine, they could replace parts with lower-level skills in the routine (with small deductions) and still meet the Code of Points," said Doug Van Everen, chair the NCAA Men's Gymnastics Committee and coach at the U.S. Military Academy. "It should be noted, however, that this modification was developed for the mid- to lower-level college athletes. It would really never be applied at the NCAA championships because the athletes there are always performing at a very high level."

In past years, the start value (or the highest possible value of a routine before bonuses) for the NCAA was 9.2 rather than the international standard of 8.8. A student-athlete will no longer be able to substitute a lower-level skill for a higher skill with a minor penalty. These changes will, of course, be coupled with the more stringent international rules.

Under the modified NCAA scoring system, though, an elite athlete who could demonstrate the most difficult skills may not have elected to do so. Completing a moderately difficult routine without error would produce a better score than risking mistakes with the highest-level skills.

"In 1997 and 1998, I had very high-level athletes," said Barry Weiner, head coach at the University of California, Berkeley. "The goal was for them to do routines that were easy for them and for them to do them flawlessly. In a way, it was somewhat boring to ask these athletes to do routines that didn't challenge them. It was unlikely that anyone would make a grievous error, and that is going to change this year."

Higher scores had advantages that went beyond boosting student-athlete confidence.

"Generally speaking, spectators like to see higher scores," Van Everen said. "People understand the concept of a 10, and the general public likes to see those scores. In order to get those type scores, the start value was elevated to make it a little easier to do."

Besides the fan attraction, the concern for higher scores also came from a comparison to collegiate women's scores. NCAA women's programs use rules that reflect the highest level of competition before the elite or Olympic-level competitor.

"For example," said Lou Burkel, head coach at the U.S. Air Force Academy, "at a coed meet, the women's scores are very high, usually in the upper nines. Now, it is going to be very difficult in men's gymnastics to score a 9.0. That is a big disparity. When a crowd sees that, they are going to think that men's gymnastics has fallen off."

The NCAA Men's Gymnastics Committee pondered the realignment with international rules for years and recognized the benefits of the change, including the collaboration with USA Gymnastics to enhance exposure.

With the change, the top two eligible all-around gymnasts automatically will qualify for the World University Games. Another advantage might involve attracting elite-level athletes to the collegiate ranks; some of those gymnasts have elected to bypass collegiate athletics in favor of training in past years. Coaches debate whether the difference in rules affected the decision of those potential student-athletes.

"It was more of a survival-based decision," Weiner said. "But some of the top high-school athletes decided to use clubs and training centers. They felt like it would hurt their chances to make world-championship level and the Olympic team because of the conflict between collegiate and international rules."

Although Weiner said he did not feel that many athletes had bypassed college for that reason, the rules change will eliminate any doubts.

Following the Code

Internationally, even gymnasts who are used to the FIG Code will be challenged during the upcoming quadrennium. Adjustments to scoring will force athletes around the world to rethink routines.

"In 1980, 1984, 1988 and even in 1992 and 1996, people were really mastering the Code," Van Everen said. "You didn't see that in 2000. I don't think there were any 10s. This time, though, they really changed things. They took out all the easy little things guys could do to score points."

Men's gymnasts now will be required to complete a skill from each of the five elements groups in each event other than the vault, which will force creativity in upcoming years. In the last quadrennium, there were only three requirements for each event. Besides the increase in required skills for events, athletes can no longer benefit from repeating a skill.

"One big change is that the repetition has been eliminated from the code," Burkel said. "It will likely lower scores by two- or three-tenths of a point. It used to be if a kid could do a 'D' or 'E' skill, he would do it twice to help his score."

While the change in the overall philosophy of the scoring system has altered each event, coaches say student-athletes will be hit hardest by the changes on the rings. The vault also will be harder, as skills worth 9.9 last year will be worth only 9.2 this season.

"I think the most dramatic change is on the rings," Weiner said. "In past years, there were ways to get bonuses if you weren't physically strong. There is no way to get a bonus for anything other than de-

monstrating extreme strength. I think that event has changed the most internationally, which will be a double change for the collegiate level."

Bonuses awarded for swing movements along with repetition used to aid rings scores, but strength now is the sole emphasis.

"You'll have to be a moose," Burkel said. "It will likely be a little one-sided, but the really strong ones will take advantage."

"It is much more difficult to judge under the new rules," Burkel said. "There are five requirements on each event and some are very easy to miss. Because of the no-repetition rule and the Code, the judges need to know exactly what the gymnast did. Knowing the skill value is not enough. Therefor the judges need to use symbols for each skill and many have not used symbols before."

According to Butch Zunich, a men's gymnastics judge, three of the five requirements have remained for most of the events. Dismounts, which have always been part of routines, are one of the new requirements, so it isn't all new for judges.