The NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Committee made minor changes to the championships-meet format during its annual meeting June 12-15 in Indianapolis. The changes will affect the team and individual portions of the meet.

In the team portion, the bye rotation will change position to follow the floor exercise and precede the pommel horse. Because the floor competition often is the longest-running event, committee members felt that the bye rotation would be appropriate after that apparatus. Also, host institutions will be required to have an additional pommel horse that would be available for warm-ups during a team’s bye rotation, making more effective use of the equipment available to a team.

Additionally, the committee decided to run three events in two blocks during the individual finals competition. Members believe the change allows for a more natural and perhaps quicker flow of competition at the championship meet.

Finally, members recommended that the championship begin on the third Thursday in April to avoid a conflict with both the Easter holiday and the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. The current formula for deciding the date of the gymnastics championship allows the date to be changed to avoid a conflict with either the basketball championships or Easter, but not both. Moving the championship later will also allow teams — most of which do not begin competition until after January 1 — additional time to complete the 13 allowable dates of competition.

Committee members also discussed the possibility of changing the judging format from a single panel of judges to an A panel and a B panel. One panel would be responsible for judging the elements of a routine, while another would evaluate deductions. The committee decided not to adopt the change at this time.

The committee also indicated it was pleased with the way student-athletes, coaches and judges adapted to the modifications that the International Gymnastics Federation instituted last year.

The committee elected Yoshi Hayasaki, head coach at the University of Illinois, Champaign, to be chair beginning in September.