Since Optional season is now underway, there have been some questions regarding Vault, especially for Level 8. In order to stay consistent across the country, I have consulted with the National Chairs of the JO and Technical Committees and the JO Program Director and am presenting the following explanation of the rules on their behalf. Please feel free to post this on your websites.
Level 8 Vault Questions:
Is a coach allowed to ask for and receive the average of the first vault at Level 8?
Coaches can ALWAYS ask for the score of the first vault at ANY level. Many times it’s an issue of protecting a slightly injured athlete from doing another vault if the first vault score is adequate and acceptable. Sometimes the gymnast plans to perform two different vaults and the coach wants to know the score of each to determine which was the counting vault. For Level 8’s, it’s essential that the coach knows the score of the first vault to assist in their decision to have the gymnast try a second vault or not.
Please explain the 1.00 deduction for the coach spotting (assisting) during the post-flight for Level 8? Is there ever a time that we would void a Level 8 vault, in regards to the spotting deduction?
If a Level 8 (or any optional gymnast for that matter) is spotted in pre-flight or support phase, the vault is Void.
Since Level 8 is the first level at which salto vaults can be performed, the JO and Technical Committees decided to add a 1.00 deduction for spotting in the post-flight to encourage coaches to not be reluctant to “bump” the salto in order for the athlete to complete more of the BA rotation. While the intent was to keep the athletes safer on flipping vaults, it is also applicable to any vault performed by Level 8’s.
If the gymnast is spotted not only in the post-flight, but also during the landing phase, the spotting assistance on the landing phase deduction of 0.50 will also be applied for a total of 1.50.
| CONNIE MALONEY USA Gymnastics Technical Director of Women’s Jr. Olympic Program |