Unfair gymnastics. Don't the judges catch on?

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aerialriver

Coach
Gymnast
I am curious about something I have experienced this year. For t&t I competed level 9 again and this year I noticed a lot of girls not doing their required skills, often opting for harder skills with more DD, but the issue is those are skills you are required to perform at the level, and in t&t if you don't do a required skill there is supposed to be a big deduction and I just didn't see it be taken.

Fast forward to yesterday. I competed Ladies division Mod op. There is also a ladies mod 8. This gal told me she competes mod 8 but dropped down to mod op because she wanted people to compete with and no one else entered mod 8. She then performs all her mod 8 routines including arabians off bars and on floor and scores really big. But for mod op you are supposed to be limited to one B skill at least on floor and beam. I was a bit irked because I felt like a level 2 competing against a level 6, and the fact that she was rewarded for it. In my opinion she should have been bumped up to mod 8.

Anyways more ranty than anything. But I am curious if you see these types of things happening, and what is usually done or what is supposed to be done? Is this normal?
 
Can't comment for US but over here there would definitely be a large deduction for including a skill that was 'barred' at a particular level. I think it is something like 0.5 and if it were a requirement such as a dismount, the gymnast would also receive a 0.5 deduction for not having a dismount so 1 mark in total.
Rules like this are generally for safety, and also I think should encourage gymnasts to enter into a category where they are allowed to do those skills without deduction!
At your meets does your coach go around with you - like they would at a youth meet? If so, and it happens again, get them to question it with the judging conveynor or floor manager.
 
I don't know about T & T but for JO program there are upper level skills that can be done at a level below but they are limited to specific ones and instead of for example if its a C move at one level it would replace the B move at the level they are competing.

I am assuming for T&T it would be the same type of thing - there might be moves at one level that can count for a lower move at another level. I would also assume that if it weren't this way then you would have many coaches/owners protesting the routines.
 
Kind of reminds me of when girls who have been elite for years or even on the National Team , "drop down" to Level 10 in their Senior years and steal the thunder of the girls who have been competing JO for years. There used to be a rule that you couldn't compete in the JO cycle the year after you were elite, but evidently that's not the case anymore...
 

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