what's with all the hand gestures on beam routines? (women's gymnastics)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The dance part of the beam and floor routines has been reduced to the bare minimum so that the gymnasts can get in enough skills to maximize their start value. It's really too bad, if you look back 20-30 years ago, you'll see difficult tumbling combined with interesting dance elements on both beam and floor.

It's the same with figure skating these days. It's all about the point value of your routine/performance. I've followed gymnastics and skating for years, and the new point system really takes a lot of the fun out of watching, especially when no one really understands how the scores are determined.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The dance part of the beam and floor routines has been reduced to the bare minimum so that the gymnasts can get in enough skills to maximize their start value. It's really too bad, if you look back 20-30 years ago, you'll see difficult tumbling combined with interesting dance elements on both beam and floor.

It's the same with figure skating these days. It's all about the point value of your routine/performance. I've followed gymnastics and skating for years, and the new point system really takes a lot of the fun out of watching, especially when no one really understands how the scores are determined.

agreed. Although, I watched 2 of my favorite gymnasts from the mag 7's routines on youtube a few days ago - I think the Dominiques (Dawes and Moceanu) would have done pretty well even under this new system. And their routines were pretty damn cute, too, even with the incredibly hard tumbling. You can still add some dance-y stuff, it has just become less worthwhile to do so. I still remember the pass Dawes did where she went one way then turned it around and went the other way - it was 2 tumbling passes in one. She was awesome. And Moceanu? Cute as a button.

[Anonymous]

I did gymnastics in high school in the 80s and the girl who danced at the American Ballet Theater always got top marks on floor even though her tumbling wasn't that great. She was just beautiful to watch and back then you actually got decent points for dance elements. As I remember it Mary Lou Retton was a big turning point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would say that Douglas, Weiber, and Raisman were graceless.
Only Mustafina combined grace with power.
The other graceful ones kept falling.

I would say, Weiber was the worst. Her routine was just jumps with really heavy landings. Thump! Thump!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would say that Douglas, Weiber, and Raisman were graceless.
Only Mustafina combined grace with power.
The other graceful ones kept falling.

I would say, Weiber was the worst. Her routine was just jumps with really heavy landings. Thump! Thump!

To be fair, floor exercise no longer requires you to be very graceful. Jordyn has a muscular tumbler's body, not a ballerina's. She's built for vault and floor ex. Kyla Ross is built more for beam and bars, which is why she was on the team.

Jordyn just did NOT have a good meet. Poor thing. She was good during team competition, which is when they needed her most.

I don't particularly like Raisman's floor ex. The weird shoulder move was just not needed. I don't understand how they put together routines that don't seem to go with the music at all. She had some dance moves in there that worked, and some that didn't. However, she nailed all the stuff that mattered, and this is why she won a gold. I was pretty happy for Catalina, though - I love that she was able to compete with the teenagers and look great doing it with her grown-up self.

You know who is REALLY odd looking? That Italian chick. It's like her chest and legs are connected. Short-waisted doesn't even cover it.

[Anonymous]

Watch a gymnast with no rhythm is boring and hard to follow and you wander why they have music that makes them look foolish. A gymnast who has rhythm (another skill to put the tumbles etc in the right place without face planting or plane looking goofy. Shows true what I believe a true woman gymnast to be. It is not called artistic gymnastics for nothing yes if the wavy hands come to nothing your point is valid but if it fills a space in the music to keep your interest it is part of the art form.

[Anonymous]

I did not watch this year. Did China have any 5 year olds competing, per chance? Trying to pass them off as a 16 y.o.?

Didn't they get a gold medal or two or three taken away when found out in the past?

Much like the school system in FA County, in reverse - funny!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The dance part of the beam and floor routines has been reduced to the bare minimum so that the gymnasts can get in enough skills to maximize their start value. It's really too bad, if you look back 20-30 years ago, you'll see difficult tumbling combined with interesting dance elements on both beam and floor.

But not nearly the level of athleticism that you see today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:new poster, I swear. I don't actually like the russian gymnasts. I prefer the strong, solid Americans.

Gymnastics is interesting to me because it so mirrors society in terms of not really knowing how to deal with women. As a sport, gymnasts hasn't really decided if it's about athleticism, or if it's still about women being lovely. And then there's this whole sexualized aspect to it (the skimpy uniforms) that's mixed with the keeping the "girls" young - the underdeveloped female bodies, the ponytails, calling them girls.

It's less obvious in the Olympics, at the highest caliber of sport. But I've been to a few meets at the collegiate level - some of the women look so awkward trying to do the required "dance" moves.

I think they really can't decide if it's about strength or not.

All uniforms for all sports are getting skimpier

I don't think so. Swimming is a good example where they are wearing more fabric because it is "faster" than bare skin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:new poster, I swear. I don't actually like the russian gymnasts. I prefer the strong, solid Americans.

Gymnastics is interesting to me because it so mirrors society in terms of not really knowing how to deal with women. As a sport, gymnasts hasn't really decided if it's about athleticism, or if it's still about women being lovely. And then there's this whole sexualized aspect to it (the skimpy uniforms) that's mixed with the keeping the "girls" young - the underdeveloped female bodies, the ponytails, calling them girls.

It's less obvious in the Olympics, at the highest caliber of sport. But I've been to a few meets at the collegiate level - some of the women look so awkward trying to do the required "dance" moves.

I think they really can't decide if it's about strength or not.

All uniforms for all sports are getting skimpier

Not basketball.

[Anonymous]

On beam, the arm movements are for balance...just a more graceful way to portray it bc part of the scoring is subjective remember. So what would look better? Flowy arm movements or wobbly balancing?

On floor the arm movements is part of the performance to mark the beginning of a required move or, again, to help with balance after execution of a requirement...especially if you need to gracefully stop momentum of, say, 3 back flips in a row.

[Anonymous]

former gymnast here. I agree with OP and was watching the current event. The flip flop hand gestures and the curious back arching done on the beam is not attractive and relatively new. Just to confirm, I went back to Olga Korbut in 1972 on the beam and you don't see it. Her arms are held out with hands somewhat flayed but there is no flick-flick or the weird adjustment of the back/torso that is done now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:former gymnast here. I agree with OP and was watching the current event. The flip flop hand gestures and the curious back arching done on the beam is not attractive and relatively new. Just to confirm, I went back to Olga Korbut in 1972 on the beam and you don't see it. Her arms are held out with hands somewhat flayed but there is no flick-flick or the weird adjustment of the back/torso that is done now.

Nadia did it in 1976.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odTtfnWdfGU

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did not watch this year. Did China have any 5 year olds competing, per chance? Trying to pass them off as a 16 y.o.?

Didn't they get a gold medal or two or three taken away when found out in the past?

Much like the school system in FA County, in reverse - funny!

Yes, they did. Of course, the World Championships took place in China...guess they thought that was a good reason to throw in some 10-12 year olds.

[Anonymous]

Can someone please shoot whoever requires these girls to waste so much time with the hands movements?! I mean this is why I don't get in to sports at all. ABSOLUTELY STUPID!!!