WAG L10 beam connections: how do they compare?

[josie55]

Just for fun...

How do these connections compare, both in difficulty and value?

- BHS + LOSO
- front aerial + BHS
- side aerial + BHS

And what about these turns?
- leg up turn
- “regular” turn
- wolf turn

full, 1.5 and 2?

 

[gymgal]

Some judges really don't like the change in direction during series. So you run the risk of getting dinged with those subjective deductions. Having said that, I have seen some really pretty front aerial-bjs.

 

[josie55]

That's interesting, @gymgal. I had not heard of that. My dd tells me that with a side aerial + BHS, it can be harder to make the connection b/c the flight skill is first, and if you don't set it up well you can't do the BHS, whereas with a BHS+LOSO a BHS is pretty easy to do well and consistently. No idea if they are worth different amounts, though.

 

[gymgal]

That's interesting, @gymgal. I had not heard of that. My dd tells me that with a side aerial + BHS, it can be harder to make the connection b/c the flight skill is first, and if you don't set it up well you can't do the BHS, whereas with a BHS+LOSO a BHS is pretty easy to do well and consistently. No idea if they are worth different amounts, though.

Sorry, I was talking more about the front aerial-bhs and yes, your dd is correct. In some ways, it is more difficult but changing directions is not as fluid to the eyes, which is the concern for judges. Watch some videos of front aerials-bhs and you will see. It is also very hard to keep that connection since you have to continue the front aerial arm swing and then reverse it, without moving out of form with arms/feet. Some people like this combination. Others think they are too disjointed.

Side note - the side aerial is different as you continue to go in one direction, down the beam. So it appears just as fluid as a bhs-blo, as long as the gymnast doesn't pause

 

[3rd_time_around]

Those are some pretty tough connections to get credit for. They are really cracking down on what is a broken connection, we had a whole class at our recent virtual clinic about connections. A foot/toe movement, a hesitation, an errant arm swing can all break a connection, and changing directions is already hard.

 

[josie55]

Here is another question: if one did front aerial + BHS in L9 without incident, would the same routine earn the connection credit in L10? Or is the bar higher? As an aside, my dd hit this connection successfully at every meet for 1.5 seasons of L9, and then at the end of the season mentioned that it was a miracle she had done so. Such a funny and fascinating sport!

 

[wandrewsjr]

Here is another question: if one did front aerial + BHS in L9 without incident, would the same routine earn the connection credit in L10? Or is the bar higher? As an aside, my dd hit this connection successfully at every meet for 1.5 seasons of L9, and then at the end of the season mentioned that it was a miracle she had done so. Such a funny and fascinating sport!

It’s evaluated the same. Though she’ll get 3 tenths total bonus in L10 instead of the 1 tenth she got in L9.

 

[gymgal]

Here is another question: if one did front aerial + BHS in L9 without incident, would the same routine earn the connection credit in L10? Or is the bar higher? As an aside, my dd hit this connection successfully at every meet for 1.5 seasons of L9, and then at the end of the season mentioned that it was a miracle she had done so. Such a funny and fascinating sport!

It is very difficult to make this connection smoothly so that there are no deductions. My dd used a front toss-bhs as a connection and she had the bhs-blo as a back-up in case she couldn't connect the first. She would pause, re-pose, and then flip the bhs-blo. Eventual goal was to flip all three in the connection together. I don't think she has gotten there in competition yet.