Sunday, August 26, 2012

Changes for the 2013 Code of Points

Recently, FIG voted their draft of the 2013-2016 Code of Points into practice. Although the basic premise of scoring remains the same, some changes have indeed been made with the intention of improving some of the "kinks" within the code. While well intended, I worry that some of the rules won't improve the way that FIG anticipates. Here are 3 of the changes and what I think it will ultimately accomplish in the sport.

1. Leaps out of passes on floor

NBC Sports
The Change: Previously, the connection value for leaps out of passes was .1 for an A leap out of a D or higher acro skill. Now, a gymnast has to compete a B or higher jump out of their passes to receive CV.

The Intention: I assume that FIG was trying to stop the BS that some people were doing out of every pass.  It seems that the CV of the leaps out of passes in combination with their ability to hide sloppiness caused people *cough*LaurenMitchell*cough* to overuse them.

The Reality:  Instead of requiring the skill to be rebounding without any pause or making sure that the leap is sufficient to receive CV, FIG has actually made it harder to do those things. Instead of seeing sissones, straddle jumps, split jumps and double stags out of tumbling passes, gymnasts will have to do HARDER skills out of passes. They're not going to just stop competing leaps if they look ugly, we'll just end up seeing more ugly leaps. Can you even contain your excitement about seeing someone attempt a sheep jump or a tuck jump full out of a double pike?

2. Downgraded Amanar

Gym Examiner
The Change: The Amanar has been downgraded from a 6.5 D score to a 6.3. 

The Intention: Equalizing the "unfair advantage" that people receive by competing the Amanar vault.

The Reality: Frankly, I'm not sure that .2 is going to be much a difference when an Amanar still scores .5 higher than a Double Twisting Yurchenko. Besides, I personally don't think that it will be too much longer that the Amanar will be the vault to beat. Think about where we were in 2008 when only a handful of women could compete the 2.5. I don't see a Triple Twisting Yurchenko or a Yurchenko Double Back too far off. Soon the women who can compete those skills will be the ones with the "unfair advantage." This is just a temporary fix for the so called "unfair vault advantage." 

3. Upgraded skills on Floor 

Grace Chui
The Change: This quad, floor exercise will become the first event to offer .3 for connection value (C+E, when the E is a double salto, A/B+F) and H Skill Values (for Double Doubles & Full Twisting Double Layouts).

The Intention: I assume that FIG is trying to close the gap between floor D scores and the other events. Although this gap has closed some, floor does still remain the lowest scoring event.

The Reality: I worry that coaches and choreographers will become obsessed with these differences and we'll see a ridiculous number of the same skills. I anticipate that we'll see those 2 H skills from girls unprepared to compete them well. Also, I bet that there will be a ton of 1.5s through to double arabians/full ins in search of that .3 bonus. 

26 comments:

  1. 1.5 to Full in are dangerous. Only 1-2 gymnasts have ever tried it. Most recent gymnast, Kristina Goryunova did it in 2008 and stopped. It's a risky combo.

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  2. Lauren Mitchell did what was permissible under the code. Just because no one else was smart enough or brave enough to figure out how they could maximize their score. Funny, I remember when gymnastics was about getting the biggest start value possible within the current code. Not settling for an easier one just whiners with a blog didn't like it

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  3. Why don't they just add another requirement for floor that way the total requirement bonus will be 3.0 and everyone's floor start value's will increase by .5 !!! DUH FIG !!!

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  4. Have they also limited the amount of tumbling passes out of which a gymnast can leap per routine? I thought I recalled a code change stating each routine could only have one leap out of a tumbling pass.

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    1. brichardson848/27/12, 9:58 AM

      No there isn't. There is a change that they can lunge out of one pass, maybe that is what you were thinking of?

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  5. What will be the value of a Yurchenko triple? I really hope that McKayla Maroney will stay around long enough to compete this and have it named for her!

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    1. IF she did that it and IF there was any justice in the world should be around a 7.0

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    2. brichardson848/27/12, 10:01 AM

      My guess is that it will be 6.8 (at least in the 2013-2016 COP). 0.5 above the Amanar. It could only be 6.4 though- that's what most of the other twisting VTs are in difference by the 6.0 or higher point.

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  6. Where can i find the new code?

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  7. Can someone please explain how doing an Amanar vault is an "unfair advantage"? Shouldn't gymnasts have the opportunity to score higher for a difficult vault?

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  8. "Unfair advantage" is code for U.S.A. complete and total domination. They aren't fooling anyone. But I, for one, don't have a problem with a .2 devaluation. Maroney is so high and flighty, she has been ready for another half twist for quite some time now, imo, since she's already competing 3.5 on floor.

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  9. I agree with pretty much this whole post, but am most horrified at the leap changes on floor. It's bad enough to have gymnasts spending all their choreo time setting up ugly jumps. Now we're going to see them "leaping" them out of tumbling passes too? What a stupid idea. The FIG needs to DEvalue leaps and jumps, not up them.

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    1. Have you been under a rock this whole quad? They've been leaping out of passes the since 2009! There is no requirement for it...
      I disagree about the devaluation. Unless they are going to require a specific number of pirouting moves on bars to count... Bars can get so much higher than beam/floor partly because they aren't stuck with having to have 3 of the counting elements be maximum of Es (and a max of 1 E on floor at that!)

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    2. I just think that the leap out of passes is a code-whoring backdoor cover to avoid the stick. What's next? Leaping out of any dismount? (bars, vault, beam). There were lots of under and over rotated passes at these games that were salvaged by a leap. I think the only thing that should be admissible is a punch salto out of a tumbling pass. A bounding leap is just a cop out, in my opinion.

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  10. I totes need Aly's floor d-score with the new code, omg.

    For Leaps...I don't hate them. :O
    I don't think they'll try a sheep jump out of a tumble, that sounds so dangerous!
    However, double arabians+stag are almost always stuck! :)
    so for that, I say, if it helps to have NO landing deduction at all, why not leap? Even without the 0.1 extra, you're saving the 0.1 in a small step, hypothetically.
    but of course, if they can really stick the passes, like the double pike dismounts, that's even better!
    wieber's countless stuck double pike dismounts are beautiful. raisman's double pike+split jump is usually stuck too, but the subtle flailing is eh.

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    1. I'm not sure if they changed the COP since this blog post, or if Bekah is looking at some different info, but looking at the FIG 2013-16 COP pdf I don't see any 0.3 CV on floor. Also it still lists D salto + A dance as worth 0.1 CV, instead of D+B.

      Raisman's floor D-score with the new code (as I read it) is:
      1st pass: C + E + B - C + E indirect is .2, E + B direct is .2
      2nd pass: F + A (dance) for .1
      Dance pass: C + D, A
      3rd pass: E
      Dance: D
      4th pass: D + A (dance) for .1
      Counting D, D, C dance and F, E, E, D, C acro for 3.4, + 0.6 CV, + 2.5 requirements met = same total of 6.5.

      With the changes Bekah mentions, which again I can't find for myself, it'd be .3 for the first CV, and 0 for the two A leap connections, for a total of 6.4.

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  11. To Anonymous 3:15, have you been reading my post under a rock? I'm well aware gymnasts have been leaping out of tumbling passes all quad. If you read what I wrote and thought about it before responding, you would have been able to infer that I was referring to the COP change in which leaps and jumps will now have to be B-value or higher to receive credit. My preceding sentence talked out how it was bad enough to have gymnasts setting up ugly jumps on floor during choreo much less out of tumbling passes. What gymnast ever takes the time to set up a simple split jump on floor? Clearly I was talking about the COP change.

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  12. Hmm. Maybe the Yurchenko triple isn't too far off, but I doubt we'll see any yurchenko double backs. The progression of Yurchenko vaults focusses on twisting, not flipping. I would say if we ever do, it will likely be from a gymnast who may only have a shot at medal on vault, from a non-gymnastics country with strong coaches i.e. North Korea. You don't really progress to double backs because there's no opportunity to build the d score until you can master the double back, so there's no advantage in a team/AA situation, which is what a more all-around/big - 4 gymnast is looking for.

    Also I think a tuck full jump is an A on floor(unless they've changed it in the 2013 code?)... I suspect a lot of tuck 1.5's, wolf fulls, and split (not switch-split) rings, and yes, many sheep jumps. Aly Raisman at times certainly looks like she is capable of a split full out of her double pike. I do think this change will reduce the leaps from passes, but you are right, the ones we do see will be hella ugly.

    Definitely agree about the 1.5 to double arabian. Hopefully we will see more 1.5's to full in's from gymnasts with strong back tumbling, they aren't very common, presumably because a full in takes more power than an arabian? Wondering with floor why they don't have a .3 for D+E connection when E isn't a double salto (2.5 to triple should actually be awarded .4 in my opinion, but that doesn't seem at all realistic).

    Also wondering your take on the E+E pirouette bonus. The only gymnasts this quad I've really seen take advantage of it are Yao Jinnan and Huang Qiushuang (Maybe Tan Sixin, but she only competed in one worlds, or JYY who only seriously competed in 2010). Also, don't know why people bash He Kexin, she has 1 pirouetting connection her whole routine, the rest is all about the releases.

    Wow, sorry for going on!

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  13. Hey Bekah! Can you please do a code comparison of what 2008 routines would have scored in 2012? Because some of these tweets are nutty as a fruitcake. Thanks!

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  14. Very dangerous act.But elegant gymnast.You're very brave and talented.I can't do this.

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