Voluntaries (again)

[xrachx]

Because I can find little to no information on voluntaries (level 6), I'm being left a big baffled here.

Is it better to have an easier routine competed perfectly, against a harder routine with mistakes in it?

Out of the girls competing the same level in September, DDs routine is not as technically challenging as the others as far as I can see. For example, she has no FHS in her routine, which she can do but generally lands a bit squatted. But, other girls competing it are worse than DD, with the majority of time landing so squatted they are basically sat on the floor. Others have one handed cartwheel, FWO, BWO, all of which DD can do, albeit she struggles to keep straight arms/legs (possible 0.1/0.3 deductions).


DDs current routine, although easier, she can complete perfectly and her HC (who is also a judge) says it may only see very minimal deductions on the day dependant on which judge is on floor.


So, realistically, will DD be able to be competitive with an easier but less challenging routine, or should she expect to be a long way from the medals?


Roll on Grades, at least the way they run is transparent!

 

[Sari]

As long as she meets all of the requirements in her routine - yes, she'll be competitive. Judges can deduct more from a harder but sloppy skill than from an easier, cleanly executed one.

 

[xrachx]

As long as she meets all of the requirements in her routine - yes, she'll be competitive. Judges can deduct more from a harder but sloppy skill than from an easier, cleanly executed one.

Wish we knew what the requirements are for voluntaries, as us parents are sat trying to work it out and getting more confused than ever.

But glad to know what I thought was the case is correct, so hopefully her floor routine will be well scored.

Compared to the bar routines, hers is far more complex than the others, so I suppose it balances out too

 

[Jenny]

Some counties and regions publish their levels requirements and some don't. Some skills may be required (like a back walkover) and others may be from a choice of skills (like front handspring, front walkover, handstand forward roll). So it may be that your dd skills fulfil all the requirements anyway. At those levels it is often better to do less and do it better.

 

[Sari]

Plus most requirements aren't actual skills but rather ominous descriptions of a group of skills, at least over here (i.e. [1] a backwards acrobatic element with flight; [2] a balancing skill held for at least two seconds; [3] a connection of two leaps etc.).
So you could, for instance, meet the first requirement with a simple back handspring but could technically also do a back layout which would be considered more difficult. If gymnast A competes a beautiful back handspring, she could just as well beat gymnast B if her back layout isn't quite up to par.

These are just examples of course. Not at all suggesting these are your requirements, I am utterly at loss with the British system, haha.

 

[xxStumpyxx]

My daughter has just started to put together her first routines for Floor, bar and beam and vault in perpetration for her first competiton in August, she has a backwards walkover in her routine which she can do but it is not pretty, the coach has told all the girls they can replace the skills they are not comfortable with, some who can do a front walkover or front handspring are doing that others are doing a dive forwards roll instead, my daughter can land a front handspring in a crouch so she is not putting that in her routine, she can only do her version of a front walkover at the moment, handstand into bridge then stand up so that one is not going in either. My daughter said she is thinking about swapping her back walkover with a backwards roll if she is still not happy or the coach is not happy with it when they get closer to the competition.

I am not sure what level she is doing but these are her moves, are any of them similar to what your daughter or team mates are doing xrachx?

Beam:

Squat on, dancy moves, forwards roll, dancy moves, arabesque, dancy moves, cat leap, maybe more dancy moves and round off dismount

Vault:
handstand (Handspring?) Flatback

Bars:
Chin circle over, cast, back hip circle, squat on jump of dismount or straddle undershoot dismount (my daughter has chosen straddle undershoot dismount)

Floor (with music):
She starts off lying on the ground on her back with her arms outstretched each side of her fingertips on the floor, she sits up and bends her legs at the same time whilst dragging her fingers in, poses for a second sort of side sitting, goes to her knees, does some arm movements, then does this stretch on each side (sort of lunge position) gets ups, does her first acro skill, handstand forward into cartwheel from one knee, does a full spin and then as she stops she does this posey thing and leans back.. That is as far as she has got, she has yet to add a split leap, Tic Toc and back walkover or backwards roll and more dancy moves, probable some more acro skills to add as well.

We have 5 weeks until the competition and as it is their first we are treating it like a display and told them to go and have some fun, no pressure to try and beat anyone as they will be more than likely against girls with more experience and more hours.

Sorry to hijack your thread xrachx