The World of Gymnastics

Gymnastics Vaut Table

Who in their right mind would sprint at the speed of lighting down an eighty-two foot runway toward a big stationary object? A gymnast! And this stationary object that she is running towards is a gymnastics vault table.

The vault table is an apparatus that both men and women artistic gymnasts use. Vault is very different than all the other apparatuses, this is the only event where there is no routine performed.  If you turn your head or blink your eyes you could miss the vault; within seconds it’s over. Luckily, a gymnast gets two chances in a row to perform vault; the judge will judge both vaults and take the higher of the two scores. Another very unique thing about vault is, if a gymnast baulks they get no deductions and have thirty seconds to start over and attempt a new vault. If a gymnast baulks this means the gymnast runs down the runway and stops before he/she reaches the spring board. If a gymnast touches the spring board then stops and doesn’t go over the vault then this is considered their vault and they will receive a zero from the judges.

Vault is probably the hardest event to judge because it is so quick. The slightest mistakes can drop your score a whole lot. When vaulting a judge looks at many different things depending on the vault the gymnast will perform (there are many different types of vaults). There are five steps in a vault no matter what vault you attempt; there is the run, pre-flight, hand contact, post-flight, and the landing. Here are a few things the judge always judges when dealing with these five vaulting steps: how fast a gymnast runs, if their run accelerates as they get closer to the vault, the angle the gymnasts punches the spring board, the angle of their shoulders as they hit and leave the vault table, head position (must be neutral), the block off the vault (no bent arms), the height and distance when leaving the vault table, and a stuck landing. These are only some things a judge looks for no mater what vault the gymnast performs. A judge will look for much more with each specific vault.

Vault may take a split second to perform but is worth the same as any other event. There is so much energy, power, speed, and technique that go into a proper vault. If you follow and succeed at the five vaulting steps you will have a great, high scoring vault.

springboard

There are many different types of gymnastics, such as: women’s artistic, men’s artistic, acrobatic, rhythmic, trampoline, tumbling, and group. But women’s artistic gymnastics is the most common type. Artistic gymnastics is a very fun yet competitive sport that is known and practiced around the whole world. People who take or participate in gymnastics are called gymnasts.

Women’s artistic gymnastics consist of four events: the uneven bars, balance beam, floor exercise, and vaulting table. On each one of these events gymnasts have a timed routine. Every competitive gymnast only gets one chance to perform each routine, except for vault. On vault the gymnast gets two chances and the judges awards them the highest score out of the two vaults.

Women’s gymnastics includes children of all ages and ability. There are specific categories in gymnastics depending on a child’s skill level, not age. There is recreational gymnastics which includes mom and me, preschool, kindergarten, beginner, advanced beginner, and intermediate. Compulsory gymnastics which consists of levels one through six. There also is optional gymnastics which is comprised of levels seven through ten. The unique thing about artistic gymnastics is it takes many different abilities to be a good gymnast. Gymnastics takes strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, speed, power, agility, endurance, control, etc. Not only does gymnastics take a great amount of physical ability, but also takes just as much mental and psychological strength as well.

Artistic gymnastics is different then any other sport. Gymnastics is not only a team sport but it is also an individual sport. A gymnastics team receive a team total of points based on the highest three scores on each event. Gymnasts also receive an individual score, this score consist of the total points each gymnast receives on all four events. This means gymnasts not only compete against different teams but against their very own teammates.