Presenting to judges

[gymmomof1]

At my DD's out of state meet this weekend she presented to the judges the way she always has: on vault track, on floor, on springboard for bars and on side of beam for beam. When we went to watch another level and saw that they made the girls on floor get off the floor and present then go to the spot on floor. I was wondering if there is a specific way to present to the judges and if a deduction is occured if not presenting correctly. Thanks for the insight

 

[bogwoppit]

Our girls do present from the side of the floor and then walk to their starting spot. It has always been that way here.

 

[Azgymmiemom]

Our girls do present from the side of the floor and then walk to their starting spot. It has always been that way here.

yup, same here. Of course, we have been told that you are judged from the moment you present until your finishing presentation, too...so that would mean if a girl "forgot" and took a few steps and then turned and presented at the end of her routine, those steps would be counted as deductions...judges, coaches...? help? is that true?

 

[bogwoppit]

WHat you do between the salutes can be judged, depends how harsh the judge is and I imagine at the lower levels there is some slack given.

One of our younger gymnasts literally crawled off the floor at her last meet and saluted from her knees (not injured, just bratty), she got a massive deduction and had her ear chewed off by the coach in front of the whole gym.

The salute is all about respect and what happens in between is all about the judge.

 

[gympanda]

I prefer for kids to present from their starting position. I don't really care to watch them walk onto the floor...especially in a big meet where we are trying to judge 90+ kids and are in a hurry. However, in compulsory routines, we judge from when the routine starts to when the routine ends...not from when they salute. I'm definitely not judging them walking onto the floor. Some coaches have a very strong opinion about not starting on the floor, runway, springboard, etc...but from a judging point of view, when I salute I'm ready to watch a routine, not a kid salute and then "get ready" to go.

 

[gymmomof1]

Thanks for the input. I think like you gympanda, I always thought the judges would want the girls ready to go. I may have seen it done the way Bogs and Azgymmiemom's kids do it but it just didn't set off any bells with me until this meet. By the way Azgymmiemom it was the Classic Rock invitational--a lot of fun and a wonderful venue . DD and all of her teammates had a great time!

 

[Ribbon]

I've never heard about been deducted because not saluting the judges, although is impossible for me to think not doing the salute. It's just a part of the routine itself, I've never seen any gymnast not doing the salute, including the littlest ones. As someone has said before, our coaches take the salute really seriously in many ways. What we do is we start walking as usual and then when we reach the border of the matt (or floor whatever you prefer call it) we salute, I personally don't do anything with hands or something like that because disconcentrate me a lot, so I just go there and go up to relevé and throw a regard to the judges and the walk to my starting point and for the end, just go and salute but It's more for the public than for the judges and the groups what they use to do is get together in a line and go to the front border of the matt and there salute.

 

[Kiwi]

At my DD's competitions the girls all present from their starting position. I've never seen anyone present from beside the floor.

 

[marie83]

There is a 0.3 deduction taken off the final score for each event the gymnasts fails to present/salute for. This is taken from the code of points. I know we also follow this rule throughout all the levels in GB. Not sure about in the US. The judges should begin judging when the first move is initiated in the routine and stop at the end of the routine.

About where you present/salute - I don't think there are any actual rules in the code of points, so it is down to the region/individual club to set their rules.
I know in my region of the UK we tend to have very busy comps and so for floor the gymnasts are encouraged to walk on as soon as the previous gymnast presents at the end of their routine, get to their starting place and stand in first position until the judge signals to them to present. (We have back to back routines - one age group, then the next then back to the previous one etc so there are 2 sets of judges)

One of the coaches at my club thinks it is rude to start on the springboard for bars and beam, but personally (as a coach and judge) I'd prefer to see the gymnasts start on the springboard so that they are ready to go. (I once had a gymnast to HAD to start on the springboard for beam as she couldn't see the judge through the beam!)

I know that at the top levels (Worlds, Olympics etc) gymnasts have to present before stepping onto the floor but I'm not sure at what age/level it becomes the requirement here. I'm pretty sure that even at the British Champs there is a lot of presenting on the floor!

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

My DD has forgotten on a couple of occasions to salute the judges when she was a level 3. She was so cute she ended her floor routine and started to walk off the floor. Her coaches and most of the team parents were yelling to her to salute. She proceeded to walk back out onto the floor and salute! Too funny. Our whole section at the meet was laughing so hard!! Alex was very embarrassed at all the attention!

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

Sometimes I think it is a strategy... I have seen little one present to the judges after vault, turn to show their number, turn around and present again, all held for at least 2 seconds with a cute smile. After all that time I forgot how their straight jump vault was any different to the previous hundred or so I watched.

 

[Azgymmiemom]

Thanks for the input. I think like you gympanda, I always thought the judges would want the girls ready to go. I may have seen it done the way Bogs and Azgymmiemom's kids do it but it just didn't set off any bells with me until this meet. By the way Azgymmiemom it was the Classic Rock invitational--a lot of fun and a wonderful venue . DD and all of her teammates had a great time!

Yes! we were there with the boys on Sunday. The venue is super impressive, for sure! It was fun to see the T & T and the girls go at the same time-there was always something to see! I think I was told at one point that there were over 250 level 4 girls there (!) our girls didn't go, just the boys. And being from NJ you probably didn't think it was cold in there, but we were freezing!!!

Back on topic, though, even our boys present before they step onto the floor. However, for all the other events, they salute right from their starting position-up on the springboard/mat/ whatever-but they also need their coaches to hoist them up on the rings and highbar. Also, they don't have to wait for any music to start...once they walk out, they just go.

 

[Gymnasticgrandkids]

Our girls salute from the side, then step onto the vault runway, floor, springboard, etc. I have never seen it done any other way, by any other gymnast but I am guessing it has to do with region and how they are taught.

 

[gymmomof1]

"About where you present/salute - I don't think there are any actual rules in the code of points, so it is down to the region/individual club to set their rules.
I know in my region of the UK we tend to have very busy comps and so for floor the gymnasts are encouraged to walk on as soon as the previous gymnast presents at the end of their routine, get to their starting place and stand in first position until the judge signals to them to present. (We have back to back routines - one age group, then the next then back to the previous one etc so there are 2 sets of judges)

One of the coaches at my club thinks it is rude to start on the springboard for bars and beam, but personally (as a coach and judge) I'd prefer to see the gymnasts start on the springboard so that they are ready to go. (I once had a gymnast to HAD to start on the springboard for beam as she couldn't see the judge through the beam!)

I know that at the top levels (Worlds, Olympics etc) gymnasts have to present before stepping onto the floor but I'm not sure at what age/level it becomes the requirement here. I'm pretty sure that even at the British Champs there is a lot of presenting on the floor!"[/QUOTE] from Marie83

This is how my DD presents usually saluting from her starting point and I never payed attention to how they did it at worlds so thanks for the insight. Not sure why my quote thing didn't come out right.
Thanks everyone for sharing how they have seen it done or how they prefer the presenting. Interesting

Azgymmiemom it was cold and I was hoping for warmer weather than NJ LOL. It was so much fun. My DD competed Friday am so she was able to enjoy all the other competitions from Friday till Sunday. We were amazed at the boys on the high bar!! She also enjoyed the T&T. I hope we go again next year Maybe we could meet up

 

[MissBear]

I thought you had to start off the floor too until I specifically noticed Rebecca Tunney at junior europeans - she was on the floor waiting for ages in her starting place. I think it's jus a matter of what you are used to. With little ones I'd be afraid they'd forget if to present in the time it takes to walk onto the floor!

 

[gymmomof1]

I thought you had to start off the floor too until I specifically noticed Rebecca Tunney at junior europeans - she was on the floor waiting for ages in her starting place. I think it's jus a matter of what you are used to. With little ones I'd be afraid they'd forget if to present in the time it takes to walk onto the floor!

LOL I think I would be afraid too with the little ones. I remember one time when DD little she was so happy when she finished with the floor routine she forgot to present afterwards LOL. Now it is such a habit that they do it in practice

 

[Deleted member D3987]

a boy story. he does compulsory level 4. he hits his mushroom set. then he goes to the pommel horse and nails that too! he turns to the COACH and gives him 2 THUMBS UP and walks off the mat!! he was oblivious to the judges. most of us wet ourselves we laughed so hard. and so did the judges. gotta love this sport.

 

[Deanna]

I dont know for sure exactly what the "rules" are. But it seems that all 4 of Kadee's meets were just a little different. She has always saluted off of the event. Then stepped onto it or on the spring board, vault runway..ect. Sometimes on floor though is where the difference seems to come in. Sometimes, they salute..and go right to the corner (a couple steps), sometimes they salute and walk onto the floor a little bit. Her next to last meet (which didnt end till 10pm on a friday night..super long day for little ones) they had them salute..walk to the middle..and stand for how ever long it too for them to get the music going. Well, Kadee saluted, then proceeded to skip, hop, jump, bounce her way out to the middle..once there she then decided to twist her body back and forth while clapping her hands together. Once the music started she was all business. But she had already racked up the deductions, that it didnt matter that it was her best routine she ever did..it was he worst score. She got nailed for over a point..(think coach said 1.3 points) for all her steps, jumps, leaps, arms..ect. The coach said most judges over look that kinda thing..or would just take one or two .2 or .1 deductions..but this lady was a real stickler for not "fooling" around..and nailed her with the most she possibly could. Anywho..I think there is a general way its done..but with in each there are variations..ie..she had them walk to the middle of floor after salute vrs just to the edge.

 

[Empowered]

I don't think I have seen a gym around here that doesn't have the girls salute from the edge of the floor exercise. It varies on bars, vault and beam where they salute by gym, but not on floor. It seems every gym here has the girls salute from off the floor then walk to the starting position.

Almost every meet we compete at in this area though only does a block warm-up for the very first set of gymnasts on floor. All of the subsequent groups warm up in between and generally stay out there until the judge is ready to salute the next gymnast. So in order for the gymnast to be waiting in position she'd likely be trampled by the frantic warm-up. Maybe that's why? No actual idea though.

 

[clrmom]

Our girls always salute the judges from the edge of floor and then walk to their starting position. As a matter of fact, the coaches will tell the girls to move back if they move their toes over the white line, so I always thought it must be a rule of something.