Performing at the highest level, male and female gymnasts will perform each event with precision and power on their way to Paris.
MINNEAPOLIS — Thousands of people are expected to gather in Minneapolis this weekend to watch Simone Biles, er, the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team Trials.
The qualifiers, taking place Thursday through Sunday at Target Center, will feature some of the country's most elite athletes, including the aforementioned “GOAT” Simone Biles and St. Paul native and Tokyo all-around medalist Sunisa Lee.
The men and women competing for a chance to represent the United States in Paris are all performing at the highest level in their respective sports, but they still have strengths and weaknesses that will undoubtedly be revealed in each event, for better or worse.
Below are descriptions of the events in which the athletes will compete, provided by USA Gymnastics, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and NBC Olympics.
Floor Exercises
Both the men's and women's competitions begin with floor exercise, but are executed differently.
The performances emphasize tumbling and choreography technique (with music for the ladies and without for the men), but they also give the skaters a chance to show off their individuality, rhythmic ability and stamina.
USA Gymnastics says the dance and gymnastics elements call for “free-flowing” choreography, showcasing strength and technique while covering the entire allotted floor area (40 feet by 40 feet) in a variety of directions and levels of movement.
Although each routine lasts under two minutes (90 seconds for women, 70 seconds for men), floor exercise competitors may find it difficult to maintain their energy and power throughout their performance, despite the difficulty of the routine.
The gymnast's performance Really She's so good, she might even have the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) named after her — just ask Biles, who is the godfather of two floor exercise moves.
- Biles — Double Layout Half Out
- Biles II is a backward salto with three twists and two folds.
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While each athlete's performance will vary, USA Gymnastics says that no matter who competes on vault, spectators can expect explosive performances from both the men's and women's competitions.
Vault is a fast, explosive movement that involves sprinting over the platform and then flipping and twisting back to the mat, showcasing strength, technique, speed, spatial awareness and the ability to land well on one's feet.
According to the diagram, the more twists and saltos (flips or somersaults in which the feet are raised above the head and the body rotates around the hips) a jumper performs during the routine, the more difficult the vault will be.
Again, ask Biles what she thinks about her difficult vault routines: She has two of the most difficult moves ever performed by a woman on the vault to her name.
- Biles – Double layout with half twist
- Biles II – Double Tuck Backflip and Triple Twist
Women-only event
Uneven bars involves swinging around two asymmetrical bars, with the athlete releasing and then reattaching to the bars. Upper body strength, coordination and timing are essential for an athlete to execute each movement smoothly.
The low bar is about 5.4 ft long and the high bar is about 8 ft long. The space between the bars is about 6 ft.
The balance beam also tests physical as well as mental strength, and the event includes flips, acrobatics, choreography and dance elements on a beam just under four inches wide.
Each routine is roughly a minute and a half long, with the athletes moving up and down the balance beam, attempting to cover the entire length of the beam without falling off the end. Spectators can expect to see the athletes perform tricks such as spins, jumps and splits, and finally attempt a dramatic landing to “get stuck.”
Each beam is about 4 feet tall and 16.5 feet long.
Again, you needn't look any further than Simone Biles to know how this routine should be done.
- Biles – Double Twist Double Tucksault Backwards Dismount
Men-only event
Like the women's uneven bars, the parallel bars require excellent upper body strength and perfect transitions from one movement to the next. And like the uneven bars, a successful parallel bars routine tests the athlete's body and mind coordination as they swing from bar to bar, sometimes losing sight of one or both bars entirely.
Athletes will incorporate skills such as forward and backward saltos between the bars, handstands and backward descents in pike position.
Both bars are approximately 6.4 feet above the ground and measure approximately 11.5 feet horizontally. They are 16.5 to 20.5 inches wide.
The pommel horse is a whole different animal.
Possibly one of the most difficult events in the competition, the athlete must perform a variety of techniques including swing elements, scissors elements, handstands and spinning, all in a circular motion and without touching the pommel horse with any part of their body other than their hands.
As with other events, gymnasts are expected to maintain continuous flow through their transitions and appear controlled, powerful and stable. According to USA Gymnastics, pommel horse is the only event where gymnasts cannot stop or pause during their routine if they make a mistake, but instead must continue moving and correct the mistake.
Precision is paramount in pommel horse competitions, and mistakes like improper body position or an unsteady landing can result in an athlete losing points.
The pommel horse is just under 4 feet tall and just over 5 feet long. The distance between the pommel heads that the athlete holds is 15.5 to 17.5 inches, and the pommel heads themselves are about 4.5 inches high.
Players hold on to wooden rings on the ends of two cables that are about 10 feet long and about 9 feet off the floor.
Men's ring competition requires great balance as they perform swings, holds, straight handstands and acrobatic landings that show total control and incredible strength, with each move requiring the skater to remain completely still at the end of the performance.
Gymnasts with exceptional upper-body strength tend to receive high scores because they use strength moves to earn high scores, and USA Gymnastics says it often comes down to how precisely a gymnast lands to determine the winner.
The cables hang down at intervals of approximately 19.7 inches.
Swings, turns, tucks, releases, twists and soaring descents are the hallmarks of horizontal bar competition.
In this event, gymnasts must grasp a horizontal bar approximately nine feet above the ground and perform a series of moves in clean, repetitive motions without pause, touching the bar with only their hands. At least once during the routine, the gymnast must release the bar, become visibly suspended in the air, then re-grasp it, and also change grip on the bar with a back-and-forth swinging motion.
To get a good score, a gymnast must usually land high and acrobatic before landing cleanly.
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