In rhythmic gymnastics, the rules are changed every four years. What is the reason?
The international experimental tournament Sky Grace which will be held on December 16-17 in Moscow, will help to think about ways to improve rhythmic gymnastics as an Olympic sport.
Recently, the rules in rhythmic gymnastics change every Olympic cycle. Of course, there are no cardinal differences — athletes continue to perform with objects (the girls use a hoop, a ball, clubs and a ribbon), exercises are put to music, when evaluating performances there are such concepts as "body difficulty" and "subject difficulty". But every four years the "cost" of the elements changes, an additional team of judges disappears or appears to evaluate individual directions in performances. All this can be called nuances only at first glance — in fact, every gymnast and her coaches have to adapt to the new rules for a long time, and not everyone gets it easily.
On December 16-17, the international experimental tournament Sky Grace will be held in Moscow on the initiative of Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva. The Charity Foundation of Alina Kabaeva acts as the organizer of new competitions for rhythmic gymnastics. Gymnasts from 14 countries will take to the carpet, and their performances will be evaluated according to the rules drawn up on the basis of those that were in effect in 2001-2005, and those that are being introduced for the period from 2022 to 2024. They are united by the fact that artistry in exercises, interpretation of music are highly valued in both judging systems, and technical complexity should be skillfully interwoven into programs.
The pursuit of the ideal
— The Sky Grace tournament is experimental. A mix of the rules will be used on it. This is very interesting," Irina Zenovka, choreographer of the Russian national team, told SE. — It's not difficult to put exercises — I remember the old rules perfectly. But it will be more difficult for gymnasts due to the fact that now they do only nine elements of "body difficulty", and before there were more of them. According to the new rules, the "difficulty of the body" is also more appreciated, and there will also be a separate team responsible for artistry. Perhaps such a tournament will help athletes better prepare for the new rules. Although the judging system, which was in 2001-2005, is not quite similar to the new one. But earlier, too, the "difficulty of the body" was more appreciated, so it is useful for modern athletes.
The judging system in rhythmic gymnastics has been constantly changing for almost three decades. Since 1993, the teams of referees have been divided into two groups — now they are those who assess the complexity of the exercises and the quality of the elements. Two years later, there were three brigades — technique, artistry and performance were evaluated. Changes in the rules every four years are explained by the desire to develop gymnastics and pay attention to new trends. Not everyone likes it. But it is believed that in one Olympic cycle, athletes and their coaches manage to adapt to the nuances of the rules, make up ideal exercises for themselves and stop improving. The rules are being changed to give impetus to new development.
The first year after the change of rules can be conditionally called a trial year. This is the time when everyone delves into new details of judging, trying to put and perform the most winning exercises. A year later, the rules may be slightly adjusted — those responsible for the development of regulations also closely monitor the process of their development and application in practice.
New rules and improvement of judging in rhythmic gymnastics
The rules determine the number of elements and their combinations in the exercises. Choosing the winner of the competition with a similar level of training of athletes is always a difficult task. Therefore, the requirements are getting tougher every year. Seriously, the rules changed after the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, when elements and movements not previously performed by athletes were added. In 2003 (at that time, in addition to exercises with four traditional subjects, a jump rope was also used), the requirements for the possession of objects in the elements of movements increased in each form. At the same time, the rating scale also changed. If before that it was possible to get a maximum of 10 points for the exercise, then with the new rules the figure increased to 30. But two years later, this changed again — the programs were evaluated on a 20-point scale. In the same year, another new rule was introduced — cards, where a list of the gymnast's elements was written, which she was going to perform during the exercise.
Then there was a short period when the scores reached their maximum in the form of 30 points, but everything quickly returned to the 20-point system. One of the biggest reforms took place in 2017, when there was no separate brigade evaluating artistry. The cards that were filled out before the start of the competition were also canceled. A year later, the restriction in the assessment for difficulty was lifted — previously it was equal to 10 points, now theoretically it was possible to get any amount. At the same time, there is a rule according to which you can perform as many elements of the "difficulty of the subject" as you like. The main thing is to have time to do everything in a minute and a half. But in the elements of "body difficulty" there was a strict restriction — a maximum of nine. But it was also possible to get much less for this component than for working with the subject.
In the new Olympic cycle there will be rules where the "body difficulty" will increase significantly. Some elements can now be paired, which means there will be more of them in total. In general, this component will be valued higher, and special attention will be paid to artistry — a separate team responsible for its evaluation will return.
— Probably, this is happening in order to improve the judging system, to make it more objective, — Irina Zenovka believes. — As a choreographer, it is not difficult for me to adapt to innovations, it is more difficult for the gymnasts themselves. In any case, we have the same amount of time as before — the season ended around September, and the new one begins in February. At first you have to look more into the rules, consult with the judges, but after two years you already adapt and remember everything.
Already in February 2022, a new season will begin in rhythmic gymnastics, so there is quite little time to adapt to the new rules. But now is the off-season period when you can experiment, think about ways to improve rhythmic gymnastics as an Olympic sport, and also exchange experience between coaches and judges. The Heavenly Grace tournament is designed to fulfill these most important tasks.
Source: Sport-Express.