Description of Women’s Events
VAULT
The vaulting horse stands 120 cm tall and is 35 cm wide by 160 cm long. The runway is 1 m wide and a maximum of 25 m long. All mats surrounding the women’s apparatus are 12 cm thick.
Vaults in women’s gymnastics are grouped into four categories, with the various body positions and movements performed defining each category. Depending on the type of vault selected by the gymnast, she must meet the requirements specified in the Code of Points, the official text giving the relevant value of each skill performed.
A successful vault begins with a strong, accelerated run. The best vaulters explode off the board, raising their feet up over their head with tremendous quickness during the preflight phase of the vault from the springboard to contact with the horse. During the support phase (when the gymnast pushes off the horse) the judges are looking for proper body, shoulder and hand position and an instantaneous repulsion.
The second flight phase and the landing are critical areas. Watch for the height and distance traveled, as well as the number of saltos and twists. Usually the more saltos and twists, the higher the difficulty value of the vault.
UNEVEN BARS
The low bar tan be adjusted to between 140-160 cm tall while the high bar must be between 235-240 cm tall. At the base of the bars, they are 100 cm apart, and the bars tan be adjusted to a maximum of 143.5 cm apart from each other.
The most spectacular of the women’s events, the uneven bars, demands strength as well as concentration, courage, coordination, precision and split-second timing. Watch for the big swings that begin in handstands on the high bar, incorporating multiple hand changes, pirouettes and release elements.
The routine must move from the low bar to the high bar, incorporating many grip changes, releases and regrasps, flight elements, changes of direction, saltos and circle swings through the handstand position.
The entire routine should flow from one movement to the next without pauses, extra swings or additional supports. Each routine must have two release elements.
BALANCE BEAM
The balance beam stands 120 cm high. It is 10 cm wide and 500 cm long.
The beam routine must last between 70 and 90 seconds and cover the entire length of the beam. The gymnast must use acrobatic, gymnastics and dance movements to create high points, or peaks in the exercise, consisting of two or more elements performed in a series. An example of an acrobatic series is a cartwheel into a back handspring into a back salto. A gymnastics series might consist of a body wave into a turn, followed by a split jump.
There are a few special requirements on the balance beam: one acrobatic series including at least two flight elements; a turn on one leg of at least 360 degrees; a gymnastics leap or jump with great amplitude; one gymnastics/ acrobatics series; one gymnastics series; and an element close to the beam.
The overall execution should give the impression that the gymnast is performing on a floor, not on a strip four inches wide. Watch for variations in rhythm, changes in level (from sitting on the beam to sailing high above it), and the harmonious blend of gymnastics and acrobatic elements.
FLOOR EXERCISE
The area of the floor exercise is 40 feet by 40 feet.
The floor routine must be choreographed to music, lasting between 70 and 90 seconds and covering the entire floor area. The gymnast must use acrobatic and gymnastics elements to create high points in the exercise. These include two acrobatic series, one with at least two or more saltos; an acrobatic - gymnastics series with great amplitude; and a gymnastics series with considerable height and distance of movement. Throughout, the gymnast must harmoniously blend these elements while making versatile use of floor space changing both the direction and level of movement.
The quality of grace may be disguised by movements of playful theatrics, but look for a dancer-like command of music, rhythm and space. The gymnastics elements should flow freely into each other while the leaps cover impressive distances and the pirouettes and turns add excitement to the music.
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