Infographic courtesy of International Gymnast
I wanted to share Dwight Normile's ideas, as I find he has taken a systematic approach to deconstructing some of the reasons for the recent degradation in women's gymnastics, and to providing evidence of the fall in standards internationally. You will find the link at the bottom of the page.
Dwight proposes that the sport has essentially lost its way and shed strength in depth throughout the international field thanks to the introduction of the open ended system of marking, now ten years old. An imbalance between the difficulty and execution quotients of the mark has led to an over emphasis on difficulty to the detriment of form and technique. Injury has also become far too common a mark of this lopsided approach to evaluation.
I would agree with Dwight, and go further to say that the very essence of gymnastics is the elevation of movement to the level of culture, so that something like a simple tinsica can become an object of delight. Remove the 'difficulty' and the gymnast should still be able to impress with purity of action. Add in the difficulty and the purity should remain within even the simplest and especially the most difficult elements. A gymnast should be capable of delivering routines sustainably without the constant threat of ripping tendon from bone or leaving lower leg hanging disconnected from knee. Through all the years of 'evil' Soviet domination of the sport, when 'abusive' coaches were driving their gymnasts to 'inhuman' effort, injury and injury avoidance was never as strong a determinant of success as it is today. In her recent Gymcastic interview Mackayla Maroney articulated perfectly the dichotomous lives of elite gymnasts as outwardly smiling icons whose inner lives are sacrificed for gold. These young girls face unique pressures in reaching the top of their sport. Pain and discipline has always been a part of elite sport and probably always will be, but in gymnastics the never ending quest for greater difficulty at the expense of sustainable technique is showing its toll in the casualty rates and makes hypocrites of those who laud the sport today for its 'fun', greater inclusiveness and diversity. If you don't possess muscle mass, can't use strength to overcome the gaps in your technique, don't bother with gymnastics today. One wonders what Boris Pilkin, the coach who nurtured the skinny, nobbly-kneed Khorkina to the ranks of the all time greats, would make of the total lack of creative freedom that the sport offers today, if a gymnast wants to win gold.
Lilia Podkopayeva is one example of a gymnast who could perform top difficulty without loss of form or adherence to the fundamentals of gymnastics which have now so sadly been lost. How I would love to see Simone Biles perform her beam and floor routines with the same precision, finesse and attention to detail as the 1996 Olympic Champion. Biles will probably win multiple gold medals in Rio, and deserve it; such a pity though that the judging does not encourage her to balance her athleticism with more attention to the aesthetic. She could be so much better. Take the tumbles out of her beam and floor routines, and what is left? Such a pity that gymnastics has found itself in this position of vacant possession.
A lack of errors does not define perfection, and there is a big gaping hole in gymnastics; not even acrobatics encourages such attention to difficulty without at least paying a nod to what Normile describes as 'form and technique' and what I would label more generally as 'quality'. It is evident not just at medal winning level but right through the ranks. This is not about an approach to 'dance' or 'choreography' as it is understood today. It is not something that can be described as a matter of taste or style, except for that an absence of style is largely its upshot and result. What has been lost is a holistic quality of gymnastics throughout the international field. This isn't old-fashioned, it isn't something that has to jump out of the window as we move towards greater difficulty, it is gymnastics.
I am not sure that Dwight's emphasis on 'The End of the Ten' (as Dvora Meyers calls it in her upcoming book) is entirely accurate as the sole source of our sport's troubles. Others are currently citing the absence of international compulsory programmes as figural. I personally believe that in the end it is a whole network of causal links, influences and pressures that have led us to this less than pretty pass. Changes in the marking system are secondary, and perhaps the closure of compulsories was primary as it touched the very heart and form of the sport. Yet ice skating, diving, myriad other sports have been subject to similar changes without the devastating effect it has had on gymnastics. There is something about the way that the FIG has managed these changes that has left gymnastics - women's, in particular - damaged and tainted. For those whose world view and frame of reference stretches wider than the wow factor of wondering at extra twists and turns, cringeing at fluffed landings and torn muscles, and clapping along to impossibly percussive, upbeat floor music, the sport has lost its way.