We’ve all watched science fiction movies in which a low-level technician is watching some scanner and all of the sudden the meter readings go through the roof, indicating that something really bad is about to happen.
In women’s gymnastics, the radar just produced a serious blip.
Georgia posted a 198.200 in a meet against SEC rival Florida this weekend. It indicated that the four-time national champions are gearing up for a run at a fifth championship, one that would take some of the luster away from Utah as the all-time best gymnast team in the country. But that’s not all the massive jolt indicated.
Scoring in gymnastics might have reached an all-time ridiculous level. Or at least the validity of a completely subjective scoring system needs to be revisited.
By the way, every Georgia fan can take a deep breath or a Valium. The Gym Dogs might be the most recent example, but are far from the only team that benefits from home cooking and peculiar circumstances surrounding judging.
That won’t stop me from using their successful weekend as an example.
Many people in the gymnastics community have questioned Georgia’s ability to take home a fifth-straight NCAA title, despite having the best all-arounder in the country, Courtney Kupets. Utah has been that good. Georgia might be ranked No. 1, but that’s only because the Regional Qualifying Score is in effect, which drops a team’s highs and averages its best three home and away meets after that. Georgia’s overall average is 196.772 compared to Utah’s nation-leading 196.831.
Whether Georgia gymnasts can send head coach Suzanne Yoculan into retirement on top remains very much in the air as of how the season has played out thus far. Georgia’s 198.200 shouldn’t even factor into how the Gym Dogs qualify for regionals because that should remain their high score for the season. It’s still a hilarious leap that should raise some eyebrows.
Georgia’s previous season high was a 197.250 on Feb. 7 against Auburn. Now, given a superficial look at the circumstances, Georgia setting a new season high that was nearly a full point higher than its previous best might not look too peculiar.
The Gym Dogs are less than three weeks away from the SEC Championships. They were also competing at home in front of a raucous crowd against archrival Florida. Georgia has also found a way to peak for the last four years at the right time, so why not now?
Herein lies the secret of gymnastics8212;a lot of it is about show. Utah head coach Greg Marsden, who has been in this business longer than anyone in women’s college gymnastics, has always been on the forefront of creating that spectacle. Utah was the first team to transform college gymnastics from a piano recital into an NBA All-Star weekend every Friday night.
Georgia displayed similar tactics Friday against Florida.
Firmly grabbing hold of the underdog reins (despite coming in ranked No. 1), Georgia gymnasts donned boxing gloves and entered the arena to Rocky Balboa’s theme song, proclaiming they are “fighters.”
Killing the judges softly, you might call it.
Factor in the high intensity against an archrival8212;and a very good one at that8212;and it has the makings of some explosive performances. It also can lead to inflated scores. Judges are human beings that are not impervious to the crowds. That’s what makes winning in Utah hard. I’ve seen Ashley Postell given a 10.0 on a less-than-perfect beam routine simply because the fans were that persuasive. I’ve also seen Georgia benefit from similar circumstances that simultaneously hindered Utah.
Some can point to the fact that Utah plays against some second-tier opponents and the disparity between the two teams can influence Utah’s scores when facing BYU or Utah State. Those are valid points, but some judges also recognize Utah’s built-in advantage and seem to intentionally not score Utah as high at home to counterbalance things.
So when two very talented SEC teams lock horns in SEC country, it’s not out of the question that scores can become inflated. Despite a 198.200 a week after Utah was given a previous nation-high of 197.525, neither score indicates which team is the favorite going into nationals.
Both Utah and Georgia are locks to reach the NCAA Championships, where the playing field is as level as it gets, at least this year when neither Utah (who hosted Nationals in 2007) or Georgia (who hosted Nationals in 2008) should receive any sort of advantage other than the tools and depth each team brings with it. That doesn’t mean a meet director or bull-headed judge who has spent 20 years building up resentment for a particular coach won’t come into play in a completely subjective sport. At least at that point a 198.200 or 197.525 will be valid and not some caboose that has become unhitched from its engine of reality.
