Ron or Jeff, Maybe one of you can answer this question. I want to know when the pursuit of perfection concept is going to be implemented in local and regional judging? Didn't it come to the forefront some 4-5 years ago? Maybe even more. The only place I have seen the POP rules or concept enforced is at National Future Stars. Otherwise the judging has been by opinion. That in my mind has to be changed. It can not be up to each individual judge what shape is preferred. I spend alot of time on shapes in the gym and to not see the results of that work at meets which is the platform that most gymnasts prepare for gets frustrating. Is there a standard model that gets passed along through the judging community with certain strength elements on rings as well as positions that may present themselves throughout a routine that may better define what a skill "should" look like? I believe that too many judges play a bigger role in the results of a meet than need be. Thanks . Dave

Dave - Jeff is the one to answer this one I will pass it on.

Dave,

The POP Document has been rolled into our updates since the beginning of this quadrennium.  I think you're quite right in your observation that it seems that the only place it's really enforced is at Future Stars. Frankly, I would hope that it's always enforced, that is really the point of it's inclusion.  I just think that operationally, when a judge is looking at an entry level routine that the gross errors completely obliterate the ability to really use the POP deductions effectively.  I guess the analogy is that the POP document is so detail oriented that it's kind of the "sharpening stone" and the remainder of code is kind of the "grinding wheel". (if that makes any sense).  You make another great point in our need to define what exactly the preferred body shape really is.  This coming quadrennium, for the first time, we'll be writing more philosophy behind the decisions and the routines so that we can get a bit closer to the ideal you're describing.  Stay tuned for more on this.

If we truely want to educate coaches and judges as to what we want to see implemented in terms of the POP (outside of Future Stars), then we need to closely look at how we evaluate our compulsories. 

If you take a look at USAG's compulsory T&T book, or the JO Women's Compulsory book, they pretty much spell out how each skill is to be performed with additional literature on the side for possible drills, etc. that should be mastered before attempting the routines....  They also start from the ground up... with Level 1-3 suggestions, skills, and drills.

I would like to see the OLD B.A.S.P program incorporated into the book (non-competitive Level 1-3 skills and/or routines), and I would like the AGC to really identify and specifiy what the skills should look like in the "special performance criteria" of the "red book."

For example, in the Level 5 routine on FX, there is a pancake split.  Many coaches (and judges) find it virtuous to show a 180 degree center split with the athlete's chest on the FX.  I prefer a 90 degree pancake, because I am thinking ahead to the flexibility needed for a stalder/endo on high bar.  Both are clearly hard to do, but either are usually acceptable to the judges...and in some cases, many judges will give virtuosity to one or the other...  In Future Stars, it's clearly defined as a 90 degree pancake.

Take another example...circles on mushroom.  If I take (with a grain of salt) most of what I have been seeing from China and some of the presentations by Kelly at Nationals (2 years ago), there is a lot of benefit to be gained by training circles with a very tight arch in the chest, focusing on the leaning....  We have no direction in that red book for up and coming coaches as to what USAG wants to see... and then you have competitions at the compulsory level where two gymnasts peform TRUELY different circles..... and score the same.

Additionally, there should be specfic deductions for NOT performing compulsory routines with attention to detail that the POP requires....  If the Level 5 PB routines is mostly handstands, then give specific deductions for improper head alignment, improper back alignment, improper swing technique, etc... and make them large enough to differentiate between a good gymnast and a GREAT gymnast.


Again, just my 2 cents.

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Kevin Preston
Co-Owner, Preston Gymnastics Academy
www.prestongymnastics.com
www.eventsatpga.com

Region 7 www.region7men.org
USAG MD www.mdmensgymnastics.org