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In The Know

  • Fredrick Richard named as a finalist for the AAU James E. Sullivan Award
  • Simone & Jonathan are Met Gala host committee members
  • Swim and dive teams support gymnastics
  • The floor at the Jakarta World Championships will be pink
  • LSU is the second team to break 198
  • Kara Eaker made her Bulldog debut
  • Judges will not get feedback from the SCORE board
  • NIL collectives are subject to Title IX enforcement
  • Lucy Stanhope has medically retired from gymnastics
  • Clemson sold out their meet for the 5th time in a row

The 5th Rotation: February 04, 2025

What We’re Talking About

There’s been a lot of chatter this season about the scoring. If you’re tuning in for the first time this gymnastics season change is afoot because finally there’s an oversight committee keeping an eye on the judges scores. If you’re wondering why? It’s because last season we all witnessed impossible, record-breaking numbers every single week and the integrity of the sport became a legitimate concern. This season things have been heading in a better direction and it’s forced coaches, gymnasts, fans and commentators to recalibrate expectations. So far we’ve only seen three perfect 10s (from only two gymnasts) and only two teams have broken the 198 barrier as we enter week 6. This is a good thing.

Sports is one of the last places we can look to for true meritocracy. You stick your landing or you don’t. You bend your elbows on your block or you don’t. You get your turn all the way around or you don’t. The trouble with the scoring this season isn’t that more teams or individuals aren’t putting up big scores, it’s that there’s still not enough separation below the top-scoring routines. If the whole code of points is being used you would see more gymnasts in the 9.6s, 9.7s and 9.8s. This isn’t an attack on any individual, this is literally playing by the rules and rewarding and deducting based on the rules. Sometimes you hit and sometimes you don’t. That’s sports!

The way forward is with transparency. It should be on the screen (or second screen) for the fans, coaches and athletes to see. Can you imagine watching another sport and not knowing why a missed goal, for example, appeared on the scoreboard? We now have more superior athletes than ever competing in college and we should expect to see big scores; but any true competitor will tell you they don’t want charity points. We should respect them enough to let them earn each quarter tenth. A 180-degree turn isn’t subjective and nor should integrity be.

Feelings


Facts


Award(s)


What’s On the Socials?

 

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Quotes

“It’s the only event she hasn’t scored a 10 on, and she knows it, and I’m sure she wants to change that.” ~ KJ Kindler, 6x NCAA Champion

Coach Kindler speaking about Jordan Bowers and her push for the Gym Slam

“That has never left my mind.”
~ Kayla DiCello, Elite Gator

With her rehab underway Kayla is taking it one step at a time as she keep here elite career in mind.

“I had told Janelle [and] she was like, ‘Are you OK?’ And I was like, ‘I think so — I don’t know — but I’m just gonna keep pushing through.

~ Jordan Chiles, Olympic Champion

Jordan’s reaction after scoring her second perfect 10 of the season and entering the lineup, overcoming a 104-degree temperature earlier in the week.

♦♦♦


What? You want even more? Join Club Gym Nerd and you get a bonus episode, College & Cocktails, every weekend after our meet of the week. Once the NCAA season is over you continue to get a weekly bonus episode every Friday afternoon. Plus you get access to all of our archives, exclusive content and more. Then we give the sober analysis on Monday (or Tuesday) after we’ve allowed the data to penetrate our feelings.

This column was composed and compiled by Steve Cooper, Editor, GymCastic; as performed by hosts Jessica O’Beirne and Spencer Barnes.

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<ul> <li>Fredrick Richard named as a finalist for the AAU James E. Sullivan Award</li> <li>Simone & Jonathan are Met Gala host committee members</li> <li>Swim and dive teams support gymnastics</li> <li>The floor at the Jakarta World Championships will be pink</li> <li>LSU is the second team to break 198</li> <li>Kara Eaker made her Bulldog debut</li> <li>Judges will not get feedback from the SCORE board</li> <li>NIL collectives are subject to Title IX enforcement</li> <li>Lucy Stanhope has medically retired from gymnastics</li> <li>Clemson sold out their meet for the 5th time in a row</li> </ul> <div align="center"><a href="https://gymcastic.com/club/"> <img src="https://gymcastic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Join-Club_300x250.png"></a> </div>The 5th Rotation: February 04, 2025
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