Compulsories and Me

Dear USAG,

Shall I compare thee to the previous cycle? It may happen. A little bit. But you'll handle it.

In non-iambic pentameter, I bear unto you my grievances with Level 4 and Level 5. (Level 6, I'm pretty okay with. I support the motion to exchange the aerial for the front tuck on floor. We see eye-to-eye on that.)

Vault:

Grievance: Level 4 - handstand to flat back position on the mats

I am not convinced that a solid Level 4 vault means success in training a front handspring over the table. They are two different animals.

Proposal: Push the mat behind the table. Drop the table to its lowest setting. Perform handstand to flat back in this manner -- handstand on the table, pop to flat back on mat.

Achieving a handstand on the mats and doing the same on the table are visually, physically, and mentally different experiences. Expose the athletes to the feeling of blocking off the table, as well as overcoming anxiety about reaching out.

Uneven Bars:

Grievance: the front hip circle and the mill circle

I'm still new-ish to this game. Maybe there is inherent value in the front hip circle.

But the mill circle? Teaching undergrip when an athlete might return to it at Level 7 at the earliest, if at all? So many hours of my life spent teaching that skill only for it to vanish as soon as Level 5 arrives.

Just make it go away.

Proposal: An isolated, large cast.

I'm not opposed to the shoot-through. It's a good lead-in to the squat-on. It also helps the athlete learn how to lean their shoulders over the bar to counterbalance their body weight as they cast.

More casts early on!

Second proposal: Replace underswing dismount with a squat-on, jump down to the floor and stick.

I know. I know. The underswing plays a role in Level 5 and 6. It's just a modest proposal.

Balance Beam:

Grievance: the fish pose, and similar choreography

Okay, the fish pose is simple for Level 4. But by Level 5, I think we're ready to step up our game. We bemoan the lack of artistry in elite gymnastics these days, but look at what's mass produced at the lower levels.

Proposal: Bring back the kick turn of the old Level 5 routine (and the two split jumps in Level 6)

Sure, the kick turn wasn't essential. But it was pretty, and dance-like, and required control and flexibility while turning on the non-dominant foot.

I'm okay with the squat-turn's elimination, however. Some things don't wear well.

Floor Exercise:

Alas, we arrive at the biggest grievance of all:

GOD-AWFUL MUSIC.

Even for the most hardcore of us, compulsory gymnastics meets wear on the soul. They are repetitive. They are not exactly inspiring.

And music like this (the random rattlesnake noise is the highlight) and this don't help. At all.

Proposal: Around the world for centuries, and probably going back to when the cavemen drummed on their rocks, musical prodigies have composed lyrical, stunning pieces. Bach's not around to demand that we pay him royalties.

Let's tap in. Let's--dare I say it--teach the lowest levels to tell a story through a routine.

Sincerely,

La Em