The Gospel of Khorkina Part II
posted by Tyler Duckworth on Monday, September 17, 2007 The First Ball: Atlanta 1996
Prior to the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996, Svetlana retained both her world and European titles on bars, and also helped the Russians to a team silver at the European Championships in Birmingham. Oddly enough, Svetlana also won the bronze medal on vault there as well. A fall from beam in the all-around, prevented her from medalling there, and sadly enough, this wouldn't be the first time it happened...
Thanks to her recent successes at the previous two world championships, Khorkina was considered to be a top contender for the All-Around title going into the 1996 Olympic Games. The Russian team was looking stronger than it had since the break-up of the USSR allowing for a glimmer of hope that Russia was BACK.
However, the competition proved to be a disappointment both for Svetlana and for the Russian team. Svetlana and the other more experienced members of the team, Roza Galiyeva and Dina Kotchetkova, performed strongly, but the younger athletes made several mistakes, seemingly overwhelmed by both the intense noise from the crowd and the strong performances from the US team. As the team accepted their medals, Svetlana remained stone faced, not allowing herself to show how truly devastated she was. There was to be no consolation in the All-Around however. Khorkina performed solidly on floor, beam and vault, but dropped out of contention for a medal when she fell from the uneven bars on a clear underswing half, a transition from the low to the high bar named for her; she finished in 15th place. However, she saved her Olympics by winning the gold on bars, much to her delight, and took the only gold for the Russian women's gymnastics team in Atlanta. Not surprisingly, Svetlana had turned her dissapointment into yet another "Svetlana Spotlight" moment. The silver co-medallists were Bi Wenjing and Amy Chow. 0 Comments | Leave a Comment
Sketchy Scoring, Ksenia
posted by Tyler Duckworth on Thursday, September 13, 2007 Breaking a promise I made before, I will simply not let this atrocity go. What issue you ask?
Oh yeah, the one where Nastia Liukin was literally ROBBED of a Gold medal in the UB final. We'll go over that conspiracy theory behind what happened, but for a quick low-down, this is what's up.
An Australian judge, throughout the entire competition, scored Nastia as an 8.9 on her B - Execution score. Now, this is odd, considering that throughout the entire competition, not one judge other than She-Who-Shall-Remain-Nameless, scored Nastia's B-score lower than a 9.2. In fact, Nastia's strength across the board on all four apparatus is her B-score! (more commonly known as execution) Her B - score average was actually 9.5. At the end of the day, this "difference of opinion" at the end of the day is mainly due to the fact that Nastia lost the world crown to one, Ksenia Semenova, by .250
Nastia : 16.300
Ksenia: 16.325
Given this information, now you can understand all of the Nastia drama. Nastia = Bars. Enough said. That isn't to take anything away from the tiny little Ksenia, as she had nothing to do with this. However, it just seems a bit odd...
But, this entry isn't a discussion of the politics behind this travesty. Well, travesty is a bit heavy. Ksenia isn't THAT bad. Had Catalina Ponor beaten Nastia on beam, well, I'd be in Lausanne already having a meeting with the IOC to have Mr. Grandi removed. Thankfully, PORNO was far from the beam podium, well, fourth is far enough for now. You get the point.
Past all that, let's get serious about how Nastia's dream of Olympic gold can come true, just by tweaking the composition of the order of skills, we come up with some awesome options. Assuming that Semenova doesn’t grow and has her full difficulty UB set ready by Beijing, what do you all think it will take for Nastia to win the UB title? Judging by the UB event final result this year, it seems that all the relatively hit routines will be ranked almost exclusively according to the A score. However, Nastia’s routine is already so long and exhausting that it’s hard to imagine her being able to add many upgrades. I think she needs to restructure her routine to maximize the B score while simultaneously making difficulty upgrades more feasible. Here is what I would suggest:
Her 2007 routine for reference:
KCH, stalder shoot to high bar (B+C)
KCH, piked stalder 1/2, l-grip Endo, Bi 1/2, Gienger (B+D+D+E+D=.4)
KCH 1/2, piked stalder, Tkatchev (B+D+D=.1)
KCH, stalder 1/2, l-grip giant full, Pak salto (B+C+D+D=.1)
KCH 1/2, toe-on shoot to high bar (B+B)
KCH, giant 1/2, double front tuck 1/2 (B+B+D)
19 total skills: (1E, 8Ds, 1C) (8Bs and 1C not counted) 4.0+.6+2.5=7.1
If she adds a regular Bi turn, she could do a shorter, more balanced routine with better use of the low bar and fewer possible deductions for the same A score (then she can work on adding the upgrades listed further down in this post):
Jump to HB, KCH, Tkatchev (B+D)
KCH 1/2, piked stalder 1/2, l-grip Endo, Bi 1/2, Gienger (B+D+D+E+D=.4)
KCH, Pak salto (B+D)
KCH 1/2, piked stalder, stalder shoot to high bar (B+D+C=.1)
KCH, stalder 1/2, Bi, front giant, double front tuck 1/2 (B+C+E+B+D)
16 total skills: (2Es, 7Ds, 1C) (6Bs not counted) 4.1+0.5+2.5=7.1
Advantages of this new routine composition include:
-Eliminates a KCH and toe-on shoot to high bar which don’t add value but can incur deductions
-Eliminates the tap (with bent knees) past low bar before Tkatchev
-Moving the Tkatchev to the beginning of routine may improve amplitude and reduce chance of bent arms upon regrasp
-Eliminates the deduction-heavy l-grip giant full
-Improves the difficulty balance by including a low to high bar transition in a bonus-earning connection (neither low to high transition contributes to A score in 2007 routine)
-Eliminates the tap past low bar in dismount sequence
Once she adjusts to this new routine structure, she can begin to upgrade by learning new skills and combinations such as:
1. Connect Gienger with the Pak salto to eliminate another KCH and increase the A score by 0.1 (If she catches the Gienger too close, she can leave this out and only lose 0.1)
2. Learn a piked stalder 1/1 and connect it to the Tkatchev for a 0.4 increase in A score (or insert it before the Pak salto if she is unable to learn upgrade 1)
3. Connect the second Bi turn to the dismount and increase the A score by 0.2
4. Add the l-grip giant full back in before the second Bi turn to increase the A score by 0.2
Here is the perfect routine, with upgrades 1-3 listed above:
Jump to HB, KCH, piked stalder 1/1, Tkatchev (B+E+D=.2)
KCH 1/2, piked stalder 1/2, l-grip Endo, Bi 1/2, Gienger, Pak salto (B+D+D+E+D+D=.5)
KCH 1/2, piked stalder, stalder shoot to high bar (B+D+C=.1)
KCH 1/2, Bi, double front tuck 1/2 (B+E+D=.2)
15 total skills: (3Es, 7Ds) (4Bs and 1C not counted) 4.3+1.0+2.5=7.8 0 Comments | Leave a Comment
Great insight
posted by Tyler Duckworth on Thursday, September 13, 2007 Given the subject matter of my last entry, re: Steliana Nistor, I think this article is apprpriate for a number of reasons. Later, I'll post some VERY interesting information regarding scoring inconsistances on the Uneven Bars relating to Ms. Nastia Liukin and Ksenia Semenyova in the Event Final comp. That being said, enjoy this gem of an article, and keep taking a deep breath after that roller-coaster of a ride called Worlds 2007!
IGF president would like to use computers in judging
September 10, 2007, 6:22 PM ET
STUTTGART, Germany -- Gymnastics judging could be going high-tech if the head of the international federation has his way.
Three years after overhauling the sport's scoring system to provide more impartial judging, Bruno Grandi said he would like to streamline the process further by using computers, much like figure skating does. Instead of recording execution marks by hand, judges would input them into a computer during the routine.
"The computer must calculate the addition, not the judges," Grandi, president of the International Gymnastics Federation, told The Associated Press during an interview at the world championships.
Grandi overhauled the scoring system after a series of judging errors at the Athens Olympics, most notably the debacle that followed Paul Hamm's victory in the all-around. Hamm was forced to defend his gold medal all the way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after the FIG announced an error had been made in the bronze medalist's score.
Now, instead of a single mark based on the 10.0 system, gymnasts get two separate scores. One, the A score, represents the difficulty of the skills in the routine. The second, the B score, is for execution, how well the gymnast did the skills.
As execution judges watch routines, they note by hand the skills done and whether there were any flaws. When the routine is finished, each judge adds up his or her deductions and submits their final tally.
But Grandi said he is concerned that judges can alter their marks during the addition process to either bolster a gymnast in the standings or bump them down. But if judges would use a touch-screen computer as the routine is being done, that removes any possibility for impropriety, he said.
"During the reflection of adding, the judge becomes the political person. Not a judge. 'I exaggerate this mark, I reduce this one,"' he said. "These reflections, this one negative aspect, I want to avoid this."
Figure skating has a similar system. Using a touch-screen computer, judges enter their marks for elements of the program as they're being done.
Grandi conceded he has packed a lot of revolutionary changes into a short time. Fine-tuning needs to be done, and things like computerized judging wouldn't take effect until after the Beijing Olympics.
Before Beijing, Grandi would like a group of coaches from around the world to re-evaluate some of the difficulty marks. He also wants judges to be tougher with their execution deductions.
After the new code was introduced, many gymnasts packed their routines with one tough trick after another to pad their difficulty score. But they weren't always doing the skills well, leading to ugly routines and many that looked exactly alike.
"You look at the exercises in this competition, we have only [a few] federations that respect the choreography," Grandi said. "They're beautiful. Fantastic. They create emotion like in one theater. The others, music is one thing, exercise another thing. Without rhythm, it's not artistic gymnastics. It's acrobatic gymnastics.
"I want it to remain, in the sense, artistic gymnastics," he added. "I don't want to transform."
The United States was one of the federations Grandi singled out for praise. On floor exercise, for example, the American women actually incorporate their music into the routine. Shawn Johnson times her leaps to coincide with changes in her music, and Alicia Sacramone punctuates her music with her tumbling runs.
For many other women, though, their music is little more than background noise.
"Without fantasy, without creativity, it's not artistic gymnastics," Grandi said. "It's one disaster."
Grandi also said he is still committed to bringing all the judges under the FIG's control.
Currently, judges represent their national federations, an inherent conflict of interest. Judges can try and maintain objectivity, but their fate often has as much to do with the job they do as whether they advance the federation's interests.
"My perception is that, until the FIG really changes how judges are selected, there's going to be issues with what happens in the field of play," said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. "I believe they're headed in the right direction. It's like they're taking forever to wake up from a long nap, and they're having a hard time shaking the effects of" sleep medication.
Overall, Grandi said he is happy with how the new judging system is working.
"I am happy at the end because I know that the revolution of the code of points hasn't destroyed anything," he said. "Gymnastics is one fantastic spectacle, and I don't want to destroy anything." 0 Comments | Leave a Comment
Shady Scoring...
posted by Tyler Duckworth on Wednesday, September 05, 2007 A special thanks to Legolas for helping me with understanding the new code breakdown. Honestly, let's look at an example of obvious overscoring. Funny how is always seems to happen with the ROMbots and Beam? Funny, right?
Steliana Nistor - Romania - Balance Beam, Preliminary Round of Competition
10 Most Difficult Elements
1. tucked full - F, 0.60
2. aerial - D, 0.40
3. layout stepout - C, 0.30
4. front tuck, take off from one foot - C, 0.30
5. switch leap - C, 0.30
6. back tuck - C, 0.30
7. full turn with leg at horizontal - C, 0.30
8. side somi - D, 0.40
9. front tuck, take off from one foot to hold in backward scale - D, 0.40
10. double pike - E, 0.50
Total From Elements - 3.80
Connections Earning Bonus
back handspring stepout - tucked full
B - F, 0.10
aerial - back handspring stepout - layout stepout
D - B - C, 0.20
switch leap - back tuck
C - C, 0.10
round off - back handspring to two feet - double pike
B - B - E, 0.20
Total Connection Bonus - 0.60
Element Group Requirements
1. One acrobatic series, minimum of two elements, one being a salto - back handspring stepout - tucked full, 0.50
2. Acrobatic elements in different directions, forward/sideward and backward - aerial, back handspring stepout, layout stepout 0.50
3. Turn on one foot - full turn with free leg at horizontal, 0.50
4. Connection of at least two different dance elements, one being jump, leap, or hop with split of at least 180 degrees - split jump - sissone, 0.50
5. Dismount - double pike, 0.50
Total From Element Group Requirements - 2.50
A Score - 6.90 (3.80 + 0.60 + 2.50)
Possible Execution Deductions
tucked full
- low chest on landing (0.10)
- wobble (0.30)
aerial - back handspring stepout - layout stepout
- poor rhythm of connection (0.10)
front tuck, from one foot takeoff
- adjustment of torso (0.30)
back tuck
- low chest on landing (0.10)
full turn with leg at horizontal
- lack of precision / overrotated (0.10)
- wobble (0.10)
front tuck, take off from one foot to hold in backward scale
- lack of precision / entry into scale position uncontrolled (0.10)
double pike
- low chest on landing (0.10)
- landed with legs / feet apart (0.10)
Total Deductions - 1.40, B Score (8.60)
Total Score - 15.40 (6.90 + 8.60)
Actual Score - 16.050 (6.90 + 9.150)
She was all over the place, and one could barely count an execution score above 9.000, even if they were stoned. My god. That scale? Are you serious? Watch the Russians do the skill correctly, then get back to me. 0 Comments | Leave a Comment
Stunning
posted by Tyler Duckworth on Wednesday, September 05, 2007 I am basically speachless at this point. Congrats to the U.S. Women's Team for taking home GOLD TODAY in Stuttgart. My girl Alicia was the rock of the team, hitting when it mattered not only on vault and floor but rocked the house with a 15.600!!! on beam. WHAT? WHAT?
No, but in all honesty that was one of the craziest finals I've ever seen! Don't EVEN get me started on Russia and the vault. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the entire 6-3-3 concept it ridiculous. Completely ridiculous. In no way, shape, or form does it measure a strong team. Hopefully, something positive will come from today's fiasco.
But, back to the US. Congrats on such a great meet. So many amazing performances, and this is just the first final of the championships. Holllllaaaa. 0 Comments | Leave a Comment
