GYMNASTICS
Teams try on new system
More variety, more skills and, for now, more spills. Such is the world of gymnastics under the new International Gymnastics Federation (FIC) scoring system and code.
Beginning this year, the FIC implemented a new scoring system that allows an athlete to build up points throughout a performance, instead of deducting points from a set starting value. Thus, the traditional 10.0 is no longer the top mark that can be achieved.
"It's changed the dynamic of what you do," said USA gymnastics president Steve Penny. "I think the one advantage that we have with the new scoring system is that our depth is so strong that a deep team is going to have a much greater chance in both the team and individual all-around events."
In addition to the new system, the FIC also revised the code of points, which changed the value of certain skills and the required elements of each event. That means, to get more points, athletes must increase the difficulty of their routines.
As one of the first international events using the new system and code, the Pacific Alliance Championships has already exhibited how athletes are trying to adjust to the changes.
In the women's team and all-around competition on Thursday, the USA's depth was on display. All four American competitors, using more difficult routines on each event than most of the representatives from other teams, executed almost flawlessly. That resulted in no American scoring less than 14.300 throughout the night.
Taking a .500 lead in the all-round going into the final apparatus on Thursday, the usually consistent American Nastia Liukin fell and sat down during the floor exercise. But her 6.100 difficulty mark, the second-highest on the floor in the competition, helped her to still score 14.650. It led to a gold medal for her and teammate Chellsie Memmel.
"It was a totally unexpected thing," said U.S. coach Marta Karolyi of Liukin's fall. "But with the code, they are doing different combinations. ... They are still in a searching stage. And it wasn't a hard skill."
Because the scoring is tougher and the emphasis is placed on difficulty and execution, the athletes have had to keep pace. Liukin said her routines are relatively new to her from the ones she performed when she finished just out of first place at the 2005 World Championships.
But the biggest changes brought on by the new system will be evident tonight, as athletes compete in the event finals. The best performers on each individual apparatus are able to pull out all the stops in the events they consider to be their specialties.
"I think you're going to find that in the individual event medals, there's more competition for those," said Penny. "And some of the countries that don't have as much depth are going to focus on specialists for those individual event medals."
In last night's men's competition, the team and all-around race came down to consistency as many athletes faltered on more difficult routines. The horizontal bar, an event in which release moves are highly valued but disastrous when missed, claimed several victims. Even China's Liang Fuliang, who placed seventh in the all-around at the 2005 World Championships, fell twice.
"(The new system has) helped me as far as the all-around, but it's hurt me on the individual events," said American Brett McClure. And he's not alone. The trick, said Penny, will be trying to find a balance of producing teams that excel in both the team and individual events.
"It's going to be challenging for us to be both a very deep and talented team and be competitive in the team and all-around competitions, and then have athletes who can compete against every other country in the world on the individual events," Perry said. "It's just a different dynamic and we're working to address it and I think we have as many resources as we need to do it right away."