National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

August 4, 1997

Gymnastics committee studies alignment, format changes

Regional alignment and the championships format were among issues discussed during the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Committee's annual meeting July 7-11.

The committee reviewed the regional alignment and format recommendation that was deferred by the NCAA Executive Committee in May and forwarded to the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet for consideration.

The regional alignment and format recommendation coincides with NCAA restructuring, which allows the recommendation to be considered by the Championships/Competition Cabinet at its September 1997 meeting.

Currently, the National Collegiate Women's Gymnastics Championships employ a format providing for 12 teams and 12 all-around competitors who are not on a qualifying team. Teams and individuals advance to the event from five regional championships, each of which features seven teams and seven all-around competitors.

The committee modified the regional alignment and format recommendation that will be reviewed by the Championships/Competition Cabinet. The committee's recommendation includes six regional championships with six teams participating in each region, using partial seeding.

In other championships issues, the committee will recommend to the new Executive Committee the following regional sites for 1998: University of Pittsburgh (Northeast); University of Georgia (Southeast); University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa (Central); University of Washington (West); and Arizona State University (Midwest).

The committee also considered bids to host the 2000 championships but made no recommendation. The committee will hear in-person presentations from host institutions that have bid for the 2000 championships during a meeting in conjunction with the 1998 national championships. Further, the committee requested that beginning in 2001, bids from interested member institutions be presented in person during the annual committee meeting.

In another action, the committee determined an additional tie-breaking procedure for Super Six qualification. Currently in the team championship (Day 1), ties for third place in each session are broken by counting six scores per event. The new procedure states that if a tie still remains, the high and low scores of the six scores will be thrown out and the remaining four scores will be averaged.

Other highlights

Women's Gymnastics Committee
July 7-11/Kansas City, Missouri

  • Voted that the round-off-entry vault will be allowed in 1998. The committee will recommend that the host institution provide the safety-zone mat used in conjunction with the round-off-entry vault.

  • Met with Meg Stephenson, president of the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC/W) to discuss common issues.

  • Approved announcements of team scores through completion of three events at both regional and national championships.

  • Selected judges for the 1998 championships, reviewed judges' selection procedures, and agreed to request input from the coaches association on the procedures.

  • Recommended to the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet that one additional nonathlete be included in a team's official traveling party.

  • Reviewed a report regarding injury surveillance in women's gymnastics and recommended that the request to increase the height of the horse be tabled until further studies regarding safety and equipment issues have been conducted.

  • Voted that the banquet conducted at the national championships be held on Saturday preceding individual-event competition.

  • Reaffirmed that the national championships in 1998 will be conducted April 16-18.

  • Reaffirmed that the current championships date formula will be maintained.