Whenever your gymnast attends a meet, be it regional, local, or otherwise, you probably realize that he or she is being judged on his or her performance. You may or may not like how the panel rates your child's routine, but rest assured that the ancillary staff is there as an impartial and fair group which works together to offer unbiased scoring. This is where the playing field of the competition is at its most level. Granted, gymnastics judging is not a science, and there can be mistakes made. This is why it is always good to have an idea of what the judges are looking at when they make their decisions. I'm here to help!

First, judges take a look at whether or not your gymnast has followed the rules of attendance. Each meet may have a different dress code, but most typically, associations will ask that long hair be tied back close to the head, that jewelry be removed, and that all clothing that may prove a safety issue be removed. If your gymnast is not in accordance with these rules, his or her participation may be interrupted until the issue can be resolved. Barring that, the judges' rating is based entirely upon the gymnastic performance. Since there are so many different kinds of gymnastics, we'll just give you the basics in common to all of them.

The next category judges usually look at is overall difficulty. In other words, if your gymnast is attempting a more advanced routine, then he or she will start off with more points than someone who is attempting a beginner's routine. The more somersaults, vaults, flips, and so forth used, the better chance of a good score; also, the more difficult a position he or she uses for somersaults (piked or straight versus tucked), the higher the difficulty rating will be. Also, consideration is given to the gymnast who makes use of more complex movements (usually termed 'segments' or 'elements'); these are typically looked at in terms of degrees (180, 360, etc). The more twists and turns a gymnast does, the more complicated the routine.

Beyond complexity, the judges look at execution. Something that is full of twists and turns and poorly executed will score lower than something that is simpler but perfectly executed. The criteria for measuring this aspect of gymnastics include stability (Did he or she waver in the terminus of the segment? Did he or she take an extra step or falter with any element?) and landings (Did he or she stumble? Did he or she hold position for no less than three seconds at the end of the routine?). Instability in any part of a routine can be disastrous - not only in terms of judging, but, indeed, in terms of safety. Most gymnasts learn, with time, to be very measured and precise. If they stumble when coming to a stop, they appear not to have the last bit of polish that gives their routine the extra 'oomph' it needs to pass with the judges. Then, of course, if a gymnast doesn't hold the typical arms-up final position for more than three seconds at the end of the routine, points are deducted. These are just things to keep in mind.

Finally, when all is said and done, total points are calculated. Depending upon the type of routine your gymnast has performed, he or she will be given a base number of points, from which the raw score is computed. Each misstep - and each flourish - weighs on the raw score.

Typically, additions and subtractions are made in the form of fractions of a point - .1, .2, .3, .4, .5, and so on. Sometimes, judges are limited in the amount of points they can deduct for a single mistake (in other words, sometimes the subtractions are limited to .5 points at a time). In the end, this gives us our all-too-familiar scoring system. Of course, you definitely want to push for a "10."

In any case, lots of encouragement is deserved by your gymnast.

If something should go unfavorably during the judging process, at the very least you will have an idea of what happened. Keep in mind that gymnastics judging is not a science and mistakes can be made. Your little one should not bear the burden of politics; he or she is a champion regardless of whether or not a perfect score is attained.

By Murray Hughes
Gymnastics Secrets Revealed "The book EVERY gymnastics parent should read"

http://www.gymnasticssecretsrevealed.com/gymnastics-articles/gymnastics-judging.htm