WAG Floor question for coaches/those in the know

[profmom]

We recently hosted a meet and rented equipment. The floor we rented was very hard and our team had an uncharacteristic number of falls. One of the parents working the meet asked the rental guys about it and they told him it's some kind of new harder floor that is to be the new standard. Has anyone else heard about this? I hope it's not true -- seems like a harder floor would be tougher on ankles and knees.

 

[bogwoppit]

What brand was the floor and was it foam block or sprung?

 

[profmom]

Deary's was the vendor. It was a spring floor.

 

[LizzieLac]

My DD says that when the spring floors are new they don't "give" and provide as much bounce. Make sense I guess - the springs are new. So maybe the girls found it hard and it threw them off.

 

[bogwoppit]

Interesting. I know here we have to use GymNova floors, they are very springy, which also causes problems, but a hard floor can be brutal. The US seems to allow for the use of any equipment, old, new and in between.

I am sure @coachp or @dunno will have some insight on whether harder floors are a anew standard.

 

[profmom]

I sure hope it was a misunderstanding and it was just that the floor itself was new/not broken in and not that this is to be the new normal!

 

[MILgymFAM]

Differences in equipment can be so hard on kids. My ODD can not use the tumble floor at YDDs gym because it's so hard, with so little bounce, that all she does is fall. Hope she never has a floor like that at a comp.

 

[Amusibus]

On a related note, I've been wondering, over the years have the floors gotten springier? I did gymnastics in the 1980's and the floor at our gym and others is SO much springier than I remember, but maybe it's just my inaccurate memory. Anyone know?

 

[bogwoppit]

Oh yes floors of today are nothing like they were back then. Back then it was just a floor, no springs, not fancy technology. Beams too.

 

[COz]

What's inside a beam?? Just the outer coating is softer?

 

[bogwoppit]

What's inside a beam?? Just the outer coating is softer?

Here is the FIG document. Page 71/72 concern the beam. Beams now have built in shock absorbers, unlike the old solid wood ones.

http://www.fig-gymnastics.com/publicdir/rules/files/app-norms/Apparatus Norms 2014-e.pdf

 

[Amusibus]

Hmm makes me wonder what I could have done on today's equipment!

 

[bogwoppit]

Always am amazed at what gymnasts could do then. But that beam was so hard.

 

[Amusibus]

Oh I remember! Certain parts of my anatomy especially (I recently learned the proper term for this is "straddling the beam"). Fun times.

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

Oh I remember! Certain parts of my anatomy especially (I recently learned the proper term for this is "straddling the beam"). Fun times.

Around here it is called "splitting the beam". OUCH!!!

 

[rosettasmom]

My dd calls it crotching the beam

 

[Amusibus]

ewww

 

[raenndrops]

Oh I remember! Certain parts of my anatomy especially (I recently learned the proper term for this is "straddling the beam"). Fun times.

BT/DT ... then I learned to only work on a 12 inch beam, lol - wasn't on a team or anything... all self taught. Handstand to bridge on beam and no way to get back up... couldn't kick back over and ended up straddling the beam.
Once I was on the little beam, I would do a little jump, and straddle so my feet would land on the floor. Then I would sit down on the beam to get up... Much safer and LESS painful

 

[Deleted member D3987]

I sure hope it was a misunderstanding and it was just that the floor itself was new/not broken in and not that this is to be the new normal!

yes, it is a misunderstanding. they don't know what they're talking about. Deary uses an AAI spring floor.

there is no such thing as breaking in a floor. a vaulting board yes. floor, no.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

On a related note, I've been wondering, over the years have the floors gotten springier? I did gymnastics in the 1980's and the floor at our gym and others is SO much springier than I remember, but maybe it's just my inaccurate memory. Anyone know?

of course some of us grey hairs know. the first spring floors had 1 inch tall springs. and that was in the early to mid 80's.

after Seoul 1988 we went to 4 inch tall springs. and now most floors have 2 inch foam tops.

looks like this: