WAG How is this possible?

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CoachMeg

Coach
Quick question....

A gym down the road from us took their level 8's to State this past weekend. One of their girls (no injury that I could see) only competed beam and floor. Throughout the season, vault and bars had been her lowest scoring events, usually scoring between 5.5-7.0. It was obvious she had some trouble with the events so like I said, at State she only competed beam and floor. She scored a 8.6 on beam and a 9.025 on floor giving her a 17.625 AA. Yet somehow, she qualified to Regionals. If her coaches would have petitioned for her to qualify, it would have to be after the State meet was over, correct? So I don't think that was the case because she was given the Regionals leotard at the meet, and the gym posted it on their website congratulating her moments after her session awards ended (She got 14th on beam and floor and 24th AA - 25 kids in her age group).

It is to my understanding that you need a 34.0 AA to qualify to Regionals (I'm in Region 5). So how is this possible?

I am not trying to bash her or the gym, I am just trying to better understand the system because I am truly puzzled.
 
does region 5 have a specialist category with a score of 9.0 in one event? Region 8 has it for 9/10 but I think it is a 9.5.
 
I'm speaking from region 2, but this is how that would happen in our state/region.

Girl declares as an event specialist by a certain date (it's usually mid-February here). In our state, you can compete up to 2 events as a specialist. Achieve minimum qualifying score on each event to get to state (usually minimum of 8.0 at one meet). At state, score a minimum qualifying score in one or both events to make it to regionals. In our state, qualifying score for event specialists is 8.5 per event. Get score, make regionals, but only compete in events you qualified for.
 
An 8.5 would qualify for regionals!!!!!! Seems on the low side but I clearly know nothing.
 
She probably qualified on floor with her 9.025. In my region for event specialists qualification to regionals is a 9.0. Not weird at all.
 
Oh, I read this as level 9. In my state you can't qualify to regionals in level 8 as an event specialist. But we don't do a flat score and region 5 does, so I guess it's still possible.

Edit: in any state in my region you can't, obviously. Level 8 is by placement so no event specialist. 9 and 10 can declare and qualify with a 9
 
ImageUploadedByChalkBucket1427778931.492153.jpg


Looks like the 9 on floor would carry her.

http://region5.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Region-5-Individual-Event-Specalist-Rules-for-2015.pdf
 
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You can qualify as an event specialist. You have to declare in advance and if you qualify you can only compete those events, not all of them.
 
Thanks so much everyone! I thought about her qualifying as a specialist but then I thought that a 9.025 was too low. Our gym has never had any specialists before, but I've seen some girls specialize on one or two events at Regionals/Nationals and they've always been in the 9.5-9.8 range.

So thanks for enlightening me on Region 5 and in particular Illinois qualifications, I am truly learning something every single day in the gymnastics world :)
 
Thanks so much everyone! I thought about her qualifying as a specialist but then I thought that a 9.025 was too low. Our gym has never had any specialists before, but I've seen some girls specialize on one or two events at Regionals/Nationals and they've always been in the 9.5-9.8 range.

So thanks for enlightening me on Region 5 and in particular Illinois qualifications, I am truly learning something every single day in the gymnastics world :)

no, no event specialist at Nationals.
 
Whoops! Another thing I'm learning! I don't coach optionals nor do we have any "specialists" at our gym. Everyone competes every event unless injury prevents them or some other reason. So I'm not really aware of the specialist qualifications. Last year when I was looking up the Level 10 Nationals results, I saw some girls that only competed 1 or 2 events. Many of them placed in the top 10 on those events, some in top 5, and a couple won 1st on the event they competed. I assumed they were event specialists. I guess not.
 

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