Gymnastics Artistic Gymnastics is a discipline in which competitive gymnasts perform short routines (ranging from approximately 30 to 90 seconds) on different apparatus, with less time for vaulting. TASK 1: Read the women´s events and match each English name of the discipline to its Czech equivalent. Then explain each event in your own words. prostná, kladina, přeskok, bradla o nestejné žerdi Women's events Uneven bars -gymnasts perform swinging, circling, transitional, and release moves, as well as moves that pass through the handstand. Balance beam - the gymnast performs a choreographed routine from 70 to 90 seconds in length consisting of leaps, acrobatic skills, turns and dance elements on a padded sprung beam. Floor exercise -the floor event occurs on a carpeted 12m × 12m square. Female gymnasts perform a choreographed exercise 70 to 90 seconds long with music. The music is instrumental and cannot include vocals. The routines consist of tumbling passes, series of jumps, dance elements, acrobatic skills, and turns. The vault - an event shared by both men and women, with little difference between the two categories. Gymnasts sprint down a runway before hurdling onto a spring board. The gymnast then rotates to a standing position. In advanced gymnastics, multiple twists and somersaults may be added before landing. TASK 2: Read the men´s events and match each English name of the discipline to its Czech equivalent. Then explain the events in your own words. kůň s madly, prostná, přeskok, hrazda, kruhy, bradla Men's events Floor exercise Male gymnasts also perform on a 12m by 12m square. A series of tumbling passes are performed to demonstrate flexibility, strength, and balance. The gymnast must also show strength skills, including circles, scales, and press handstands. Men's floor routines usually have four passes that will total between 60–70 seconds and are performed without music, unlike the women's event. Rules require that gymnasts touch each corner of the floor at least once during their routine. Pommel horse A typical pommel horse exercise involves both single leg and double leg work. Single leg skills are generally found in the form of scissors, an element often done on the pommels. Double leg work however, is the main staple of this event. The gymnast swings both legs in a circular motion (clockwise or counterclockwise depending on preference) and performs such skills on all parts of the apparatus Still rings Still Rings is arguably the most physically demanding event. Gymnasts perform a routine demonstrating balance, strength, power, and dynamic. A routine must begin with an impressive mount, and must conclude with an equally impressive dismount. Parallel bars Men perform on two bars slightly further than a shoulder's width apart and usually 1.75m high while executing a series of swings, balances, and releases that require great strength and coordination. High bar A 2.4cm thick steel bar raised 2.5m above the landing area is all the gymnast has to hold onto as he performs giants (revolutions around the bar), release skills, twists, and changes of direction. By using all of the momentum from giants and then releasing at the proper point, enough height can be achieved for spectacular dismounts, such as a triple-back salto. The vault – see women. TASK 3 Match each paragraph with one of the following headings: RIBBON, HOOP, BALL, ROPE, CLUBS Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which single competitors or pairs, trios or even more (generally five) manipulate one or two apparatuses: RIBBON, HOOP, BALL, ROPE, CLUBS. Rhythmic Gymnastics is a sport that combines elements of ballet, gymnastics, theatrical dance, and apparatus manipulation. ________________ The fundamental requirements of a rope routine include leaps and skipping. Other elements include swings, throws, circles, rotations and figures of eight. _________________ Fundamental requirements of a hoop routine include rotation around the hand or body and rolling, as well as swings, circles, throws, and passes through and over the hoop. __________________ Fundamental elements of a ball routine include throwing, bouncing or rolling, The gymnast must use both hands and work on the whole floor area whilst showing continuous flowing movement. __________________ Fundamental elements of a clubs routine in include mills and small circles, asymmetric movements, throwing and catching. The gymnast must show use of the clubs in both hands and in one hand. _____________________ Compulsory elements for the ribbon include flicks, circles, snakes and spirals, and throws. It requires a high degree of co-ordination to form the spirals and circles as any knots which may accidentally form in the ribbon are penalised and any elements done while there is still a knot in the ribbon acquire additional deductions. During a ribbon routine, large, smooth and flowing movements are looked for. TASK 4 Study the vocabulary, check with an English-Czech dictionary if necessary, and read the text below. Officials in gymnastics. Before reading, study the vocabulary: wobble: to rock slightly from side to side dismount: to get off something such as a horse or bicycle or apparatus execution: the act of performing a difficult action or movement uphold: to show that you support something such as an idea by what you say or do attire: the clothes that someone is wearing inquire: to ask someone for information about something There is there is an A and a B judge. The A judge adds up certain points (that are known to all gymnasts and coaches) for each skill that is completed successfully. The B judge score out of ten and deducts for any mistakes i.e. falls, wobbles, extra swings/steps, bent arms/legs, low landings, "closed shoulders, incorrect body positions etc. These to scored are then added together to give a final score for the gymnast. On vault a score is tabulated for each vault and then the average is found ( at major competitions and the Olympics). On other occasion the higher score is taken. Scoring Basics Since the 2004 Games in Athens, a code of points system was introduced in 2005 to replace the old scoring system for all events. The Perfect 10 as a maximum score was abolished in favour of an open-ended system, designed to allow greater separation of gymnasts' scores. Here is how it works: * One panel of judges starts from 0, adding points for requirements, difficulty and connections. * A second panel of judges starts from 10.0, and deducts for execution and artistry. * The final score is determined by adding the difficulty score and the execution score. A typical score under today's rules ranges from 14 to 17 points. Outside of the change in a gymnasts' final score, the most notable change is that gymnasts are more heavily penalized for execution errors. Falls now cost eight-, instead of five-tenths of a point. Who's to judge? For each Olympic gymnastics event, 9 judges are chosen from a FIG pre-approved pool of multi-national judging candidates. The chosen judges are categorized into 3 groups: 1. The Apparatus Supervisor, or head judge (1 judge) 2. The A panel, who calculate the Difficulty Score (2 judges) 3. The B panel, who judge the Execution Score (6 judges) Difficulty Score (A Panel) The Difficulty Score represents what was previously known as the start value and includes difficulty and credit for connections (two high-level skills that are connected) and element group requirements, which are the basic categories of skills/elements that must be included in a routine. The element group requirements vary by apparatus. This score is determined by the A Panel, which is a two-person panel. The difficulty score is determined by totaling values for the 10 most difficult skills, which includes the dismount. Each skill has a set difficulty value, as outlined in the Code of Points, and for the women are divided into seven classifications, with six for the men. The difficulty value of a skill or element is not recognized if it fails to meet its technical requirements. Also, credit is also only given once for a skill. For vault only, each vault has a predetermined Difficulty Score, which the gymnast or his/her coach enters on an electronic scoreboard at the beginning of the runway. The number of the specific vault and its Difficulty Score are flashed to the judges. On every event but vault, connection value is awarded when specific skills or skill types are executed successfully in succession. The women can earn connection values for the balance beam, uneven bars and floor exercise, while the men can earn it for the floor exercise, still rings and horizontal bar. For men and women, each connection value is either 0.1 or 0.2 points. Element group requirements are the basic skills or elements that must be included in each routine and vary by apparatus. If all of the requirements are included, a maximum of 2.5 points is awarded. Execution Score (B Panel) The Execution Score, determined by a six-person B Panel, now begins at 10 and deductions are made for errors and faults in technique, execution and artistry/composition. The deductions for various errors have increased from previous years. They now range from 0.1 points for a small error to 0.8 points for a fall (previously, a small error was .05 points and a fall was 0.5 points). Neutral Deductions Neutral errors include those for stepping out of bounds or violating time requirements, as well as attire or podium violations. Determining the final score Each judge on the A Panel independently reaches his/her Difficulty Score and then the two compare and reach a consensus. Each judge on the B Panel independently determines his/her score. The highest and lowest scores are dropped, and the gymnast's execution score is the average of the remaining four judges' scores FINAL SCORE = [DIFFICULTY + EXECUTION] - ANY APPLICABLE NEUTRAL DEDUCTIONS Inquiries After the score has been posted, a coach may inquire about the Difficulty Score, first verbally and then in writing. An inquiry may be resolved by using video review. The initial inquiry must be made prior to the completion of the next gymnast's routine. The written inquiry must be submitted before the end of the rotation, and the Superior Jury reviews the inquiry. A fee is assessed for filing an inquiry; it is returned if the inquiry is upheld. Adapted from: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_different_officials_on_gymnastics TASK 5 Listen to an explanation of the Olympic gymnastics judging process, compare with the previous text and answer the questions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0awoYAzJMhQ Profile of the Olympics Gymnastics Judging Process 1. How was the judging process originally constituted? 2. How is the score counted today? 3. Which aspects are considered within the difficulty section? 4. What is included in the execution section? 5. How do the judges come to the final score? TASK 6 Write a summary about the scoring process in gymnastics, then check with the summary from the video.