Page 24 - International Gym Activity Book

Judging Symbols the Language of Gymnasticsby F.I.G. Women’s Judge, Jacqui GodfreyDid you know that when judges are judging your routine, they are busy writing a language that you may not have seen before!Every gymnastics element has its own unique symbol that the judges write down as you perform your routine. The judges are also recording any deductions and bonus points you may have earned - it is a very busy job. To be sure they don’t miss any of your routine, the judges do this without looking down at their paper!Judges may see many hundreds of routines in a day, so it is important that they use symbols to come up with an accurate score, to stay consistent throughout the meet, and to be able to recall what a gymnast has performed.The symbols work a bit like letters, words ,and sentences in English: each symbol comes Elements can build up in a logical way. Take twisting, for example: Full twist --> 11⁄2 twist --> Double full --> Triple fullAnd turning:Full turn --> 11⁄2 turn --> Double turn --> Triple turnIn this way, judges can use their set of symbols to record more and more complex elements, up to the very hardest skills imaginable.24