Ahhh, shades of Evan and Johnny at this past Nationals. What do you do in the case of a tie?
Personally, I say award two Gold Medals...but that's just what I think!
Much like figure skating, when two gymnasts tie...they don't award duplicate medals...there always has to be some kind of crazy tie-breaker situation that always seems to split things the wrong way!
Love Evan to pieces...one of my favorite skaters...no way should he have won Nationals. I was there...it was quite apparent who skated better. In the crowd where I was siting we thought Johnny had pulled it off by no less than 5-10 points. Then the scores...the tie...and Evan gets the Gold...ugh!
From St. Paul to Beijing...it's the Olympic Final on Uneven Bars. Nastia Liukin and He Kexin are dueling it out. Both have good routines...only Nastia's is better than good, it's great. The scores...the tie...Kexin gets Gold? Another crazy tie breaker.
Only in figure skating...tie breaking makes sense (most of the time). Evan won the free so he won the Gold (debatable...but understandable). For the Uneven Bar final there was this crazy if there is a tie instead of just taking the high and low scores out we'll take the high and two lowest scores and whoever has the best score then is the winner meaning (do you see how this run on sentence is just a nightmare!) that the outcome of the competition is based upon only three judges interpretation and two of the three judges has never even had an Olympic medalist in gymnastics in their country!
I'm not the biggest fan of figure skating's point system, but it certainly beats out gymnastics.
I don't usually post whole articles but this is a good one on the Lysacek/Weir Nationals controversy.
Rule change is very clear on how to calculate the scores for elements executed but not clear at all on the calculations for program components.
By Philip Hersh, Special to The LA Times
February 3, 2008
My e-mails tell me that more than a few readers are skeptical of skating officials' explanations in a story about the men's result at the U.S. Championships published Saturday on latimes.com.
Yet those who insist that imprecise language in the rules cannot be the problem, as the skating officials claimed, must be reading a different version of U.S. Figure Skating rule 3435 than the one in the USFS 2007-08 rulebook.
That rule is very clear on how to calculate the scores for elements executed but not clear at all on the calculations for program components, which is at the root of the controversy surrounding whether Evan Lysacek or Johnny Weir should be the winner of the men's competition.
(Lysacek and Weir tied in total score at 244.77 points, with Lysacek winning because he had a higher score in the long program. That score would have been .01 lower -- making Weir the winner -- if the math was done in the way some people think rule 3435 makes clear).
Some e-mailers think the math was purposely done in violation of the rules because the USFS preferred Lysacek as champion.
That would assume that, on the spur of the moment, officials could know the effect of changing the math formula used on the approximately 6 billion numbers that must be considered in the calculation of the scores.
Not only that, but I have received a document used in the International Skating Union accountants school that supports the officials' claim that the correct formula was applied at nationals.
The document shows accountants how to calculate manually the results of a program, giving a hypothetical example of a junior women's free skate.
In that example, this is how the component scores were calculated:
High and low scores were dropped. The rest of the scores were added, then divided by the number of judges. That number was rounded off at that point to two decimal places (in the example given, a 5.6666666 became 5.67, a 5.33333333 became 5.33).
The rounded-off, averaged numbers, or trimmed means, were added. That total then was multiplied by the factor involved.
In the case of Lysacek and Weir, those who think the rule was misinterpreted say the factor should have been applied before the scores were divided by the number of judges, and the number rounded off at that point.
(For the record, that method produces changes in four of Weir's component scores, two that were .01 higher and two that were .01 lower, but does not affect the total. It produces changes in three of Lysacek's scores, two .01 lower and one .01 higher, which is a net loss of .01.)
Sorry to all of you who think I am swallowing an official explanation of a cover-up (one, as I indicated earlier, would have required, even with computers, a group of figure filberts who have been solving Fermat's Theorem in their spare time).
This is my bottom line:
Even if the wrong formula was applied -- and I have yet to see anyone parse Rule 3435 to make it clear that happened -- the only thing that would keep me investigating is proof the formula was not applied the same way to every skater.
Those of you spending all this time and energy on the issue are missing the real problem with the New Judging System: It has led to a free skate (also called the long program, for any non-skating fan who has read this far) with no freedom and stripped the sport of its artistic essence.
No skater now will ever do fancy-free footwork sequences like those of Alexei Yagudin and Philippe Candoloro, footwork that brought crowds to their feet, because the system rewards changing foot positions so frequently the athlete cannot get up a head of steam.
Few skaters do eye-catching moves like Russian split jumps or graceful moves like the Ina Bauer or spread eagle because they take time and earn no points. Most skaters simply race between point-producing elements (even Weir, more of an artist than almost anyone else in the sport these days, had little chance to create any flow while he crammed jumps into the first half of his free skate at nationals).
No one in singles and pairs can game the system enough to do long programs that will be enthralling to watch again and again -- like Kurt Browning's "Bogart'' or Michelle Kwan's "Salome'' or Sale-Pelletier's "Tristan'' or John Curry's interpretation of the score from the ballet, "Don Quixote,'' in which Curry really was a ballet dancer on the ice. The new system has made music almost irrelevant; despite the best efforts of talented choreographers, most skaters would simply do the same elements in the same order, no matter what music were playing.
The physical demands to do all the stuff in the new system are such they reward lithe, small women (girls?) like Mirai Nagasu, Rachael Flatt and Caroline Zhang, who finished 1-2-4 at nationals but are all below the age cutoff for senior worlds. That the age limit exists is not the issue; the issue is the pounding on young bodies under the new system's requirements, as juniors or seniors, so many of these talented skaters might fall apart physically soon after they are eligible for the Olympics and senior worlds.
I like the new system for accentuating the idea that figure skating is a sport. I hate it for accentuating that so much it has all but excluded artistry, except for those skaters who think arm waving counts as artistry.
I am sure nearly all of you who are up in arms upon the Weir-Lysacek calculations would agree with me on this:
Figure skating sadly has become a mind-numbing mathematical exercise, where artistry is only paint by numbers.
What a conclusion! What I said about my heart being able to take the drama...it is a miracle I'm able to make this post! I'm safely back home from St. Paul and what a great time it was but there are still some final thoughts I need to get out!
First, I made the St. Paul Newspaper! They did a story on Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto about their victory. It talks of a fluorescent green Frisbee a "fan airmailed down to her from the stands at the Xcel Energy Center" with the words "Simply Amazing" scribbled on the back...yep that was me! So often when you through gifts down to the ice the competitors get so many that they don't really get to really look through them individually, glad that Frisbee made it to her.
The men's final was great! First, kudos to Eliot Halverson for doing a great job in the free skate and representing St. Paul very well. The top six men all did a great job. Scott Smith got things rolling with a great free skate. I can't remember the last time I'd seen him skate so well and when he finished his program he was pumped! Ryan Bradley showed great charm in his Charlie Chaplin routine but hit the ice hard on a quad toe attempt. Overall though it was a very pleasing performance and a respectable 5th place finish. Jeremy Abbott came and delivered an elegant sweeping program to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz." Jeremy also attempted a quad (he stepped out of it) and landed several successful triple jumps including a triple axel in the back half of his program. His excellent speed, awesome spins, attention to detail and strong component mark got him to fourth place. The bronze medal went to Stephen Carriere (I totally pegged this way back during the Grand Prix!). He was crowd pleasing, energetic, had fantastic spins, great jumps, he really is a whole package skater. Look for him to do well at Worlds!
The story here is the top two men and what a story it is to tell. Johnny had a thin lead over Evan after the short program. Evan took the ice for his free and opened up with a quad toe triple toe combo, but he did a three turn out of the quad. He went on to land a Triple Axel double toe double loop combo in the back half of the program. The program ended with that signature footwork that really brought the crowd to it's feet. The program was solid but he did just a bit of hangin on to some of the jumps, but you have to give him credit for going after the technical merit past the halfway point. Johnny came out an opened with a quad toe that he slightly two footed (but kudos to him for going for it!) and then went on a triple jump frenzy landing triple after triple perfectly! He had a little jilt on his final triple flip but it was an outstanding program. The only criticism is that his program is heavily front loaded with jumps. Here's where it gets intense. Evan squeaked by with a higher Technical Element Score for the better technical skill after the halfway mark. Johnny won the Component Score with better jump control and beautiful line and extension. When the dust settled and the scores went up...it was a tie! They had exactly the same score! The crowd was slightly bedazzled at this point and the announcer came on and said because Evan won the free skate (and he did so just barely) he won the gold but talk about a nail biter! Both were in good spirits during the Ice Network press conference and seemed thrilled about their performances and that it was so close.
The exhibition was amazing. All of the top skaters got to take another turn around the ice. The Miami University Syncro team came and wowed us with their skill. Some local Special Olympics came and put on a show for us. However the most exciting part for me came at the end. All of the skaters got to throw goodies such as t-shirts and stuff that they had signed into the crowd. I happened to be the recipient of a US Figure Skating Tee signed by Charlie White! It was a great end to a great week.
Side note, and this is unofficial because it hasn't been reported on the USFSA site but the Pioneer Press reported that the USFSA has in fact put Meissner on the World Team along with Ashley Wagner and Beatrisa Liang.
What a day! So much to report...it was incredible! But I have to first start with some boos. The way the ladies were split into a morning and evening group for their free skates was just unfair and it sucked (I guess we blame NBC for that!). The fans didn't like getting up that early and it showed because the attendance in the morning was very low. It sucked for the competitors because their practice was at 6:10 a.m. and also it just plain sucks to skate early in the morning. The arena didn't have breakfast food and I was just plain miserable...but I got over it! Three finals today and all were spectacular in their own way.
In the pairs, Vise and Trent were unable to land their history making throw quad salchow but they were good enough to make it to fourth place with a respectable free skate. Castile and Okolski nabbed the bronze (and a spot on the world team, more on this in a moment) with a good free skate. For it being their first competition of the season they looked fairly well trained with a beautiful program set to "Sheherazade." It's clear however if they wish to improve their world ranking they'll have to add in side-by-side triples in addition to their double axels. The silver went to the veteran team of Inoue and Baldwin. They were also unable to land their history maker (throw Triple Axel) but were still able to have a decent performance (a bit slow at times...I still think they should be better trained than this) and also make the world team. For the first time in forever John hit his triple toe! The winners and easily so were McLaughlin and Brubaker. They had some minor glitches but showed great speed, excellent throws, and solid lifts. The only problem for them is despite the win they didn't make the world team. Keauna is still to young to compete at the event...get this...Rockne is now too old to compete at the Junior Worlds so I guess their competitive season will end at the Four Continents Cup. Big news though! At the end of their free skate John Baldwin proposed to Rena Inoue...and she said YES! The crowd went crazy and Rena burst into tears of joy...it was quite a moment!
In Ice Dance the standings amongst the top four remained unchanged after the free dance. Samuelson and Bates made a case for themselves by having a fantastic dance (except for a freak fall on an easy lift...but it barely disrupted the program). However, they weren't able to close some of the gap between them and bronze medalists Navarro and Bommentre. Speaking of which, they had a loose, jazzy free dance that put the crowd in an ultra calm and them on the world team! Davis and White came out with a free dance and held nothing back at all. They had great speed and unison and twizzles like you wouldn't believe. They solidified themselves as a team to watch as the season progresses. Tanith and Ben were simply the class of the field. None of the silly mistakes from the OD happened in the Free Dance. They were simply amazing and posted numbers that would be tough for anyone in the world to get close to. Really amazing skating!
The ladies...oh my gosh the ladies! If you didn't watch this on NBC you missed out on what was one of the most thrilling and shocking finals ever in U.S. Figure Skating history. Did NBC pick a great time to begin hosting this event or what! Two stories were playing: who would win the medals and who would make the world team (because so many of the top competitors are too young for Sr. Worlds)? Let's start with Alissa again as she found herself staying in 9th place. She just couldn't seem to stand up on her jumps falling on several of them. Now lets talk about the 7th place finisher...prepare yourself for this one...Kimmie Meissner. Kimberly was unable to land either a flip or a lutz and went down on all three attempts at them. You could see how dejected she was from her performance and you got the sense she just wanted to get off the ice, get on a plane, and go home. As she awaited her marks in the Kiss n' Cry she fought back tears as the crowd cheered for her and screamed remarks and adoration's for her to help cheer her up...all she could muster was a lipped, "Thank You." This performance not only leaves her well off the podium but in jeopardy of not even making the world team as three of the ladies that finished higher than her are old enough to go to the World Championships.
One of those competitors that defeated Kimmie is 6th place finisher Katrina Hacker. Katrina didn't have a flawless skate, but she didn't bomb either and was in fact better than Meissner this night. The USFSA will have to decide whether to send her or Kimmie to Sweden. The USFSA's rules are clear that the winner of the event earns a spot and then the USFSA picks the rest. Almost always it is in line with the standings at Nationals but the USFSA is not bound to those placements. Given Kimmie's competitive record (even this season she has twice medaled in Senior Internationals) I don't think it would be out of line for the USFSA to pick her over a competitor with no international experience...we'll wait and see. One competitor that knows she is going to Sweden is 5th place finisher Beatrisa Liang. Despite a couple of singled jumps, Beatrisa turned in a strong performance and earned a spot on the world team.
The top four skaters were near perfect. It was a thing to behold and can I say if this is the program we have right now...the United States' skating prospects look very bright! Caroline Zhang pulled up from 7th to 4th with a flawless performance that instantly brought the crowd to their feet! Her trademark move "The Pearl" drew the largest ovation for a non-jump element I've ever heard. I honestly thought with that performance she was going to rise all the way up to the top and win the title. Little did I know of the performances to come. Ashley Wagner nabbed the bronze with a tremendous performance which included a perfect triple lutz triple loop combo. Her only error came when she slightly overrated a double loop on the back end of a combination, no biggie. When her scores came up and she was ahead of Zhang she just looked shocked! Ashley is also old enough to compete at Worlds and can certainly pack her bags as the highest finisher that meets the age requirement. The silver went to Rachel Flatt who skated perfect (she in fact won the free skate!), triple/triples and all. There wasn't a single flaw to this program and she just beamed the whole way through, what a show stopper! However the night belonged to Mirai Nagasu, who despite falling on her opening double axel, came on strong to win her first senior ladies title. After her opening miscue she went on to land six more triples and despite placing third in the free (both Flatt and Wagner beat her), her lead from the short was sufficient to hold her to the title...what a new face on U.S. ladies skating.
Tomorrow the men skate and I don't know if my heart can take it if it's this dramatic!
So here we are...it's Friday and it's been a pretty relaxed day. Spent some time at Mall of America, exploring the downtown area some more, and basically relaxing. So the poll I took it looks like most people thought Caroline Zhang would be our National Champ with Kimmie getting the second most. Well Caroline is in 7th and Kimmie in 4th so we'll have to wait and see if either can pull it off. They skate tomorrow night!
Had the opportunity to check out the Junior Men's Free Skate this afternoon. What a talented group of men. The winner was Adam Rippon (without curly hair per his coach!). He just oozed across the ice with great speed, great jumps, great spins, he was the full package...a credit to his coach Nikolai Morozov. Brandon Mroz also skated very well to take the silver and Andrew Gonzalez skated well for the bronze. Great skating all the way around.
But the headline event for today was the men's short program and they didn't disappoint one bit! First off almost all the men skated well! The point spread between 6th and 14th place is about 4 points...seriously! Scott Smith squeaked out above 8 other skaters to get into that 6th place (seriously, it is going to be a battle royale on Sunday!) with a conservative but mostly solid effort. Then there is a three way battle for third amongst Jeremy Abbott who is in 5th, Ryan Bradley who's in 4th, and Stephen Carriere (I think I pegged this around the time of NHK trophy!) who's in 3rd. These three men all skated extremely well and are separated by about three points. Then we have the leaders. In second place is Evan Lysacek. He had a bit of two foot on his quad (which is far better than his warm-up where he crashed and burned on it three times in a row!) and a shaky landing on his axel. However, Evan's footwork was fantastic and drew big cheers from the crowd! The leader then of course is Johnny Weir who did not have the quad, but had a beautiful Triple Lutz-Triple Toe combo, gorgeous Axel, beautiful footwork, speed, speed, and more speed, and elegant line. He has just over a point lead over Evan. But the rest of the pack is close enough that if either of these two make mistakes, there will be those waiting to capitalize!
For the love, I can't tell you when I've seen a better men's short program. These men really showed up to compete! Final on Sunday.
First...it is still cold! But I hear it will be warmer tomorrow, as if 21 degrees is "warm." But I'll take it! Also...this internet connection is shaky at best, thus the late report.
Also I have to tell you a story. I'm not one of those people that when I happen to run into important skating people (or skaters for that fact) go crazy and start talking to them, as for their autograph, or stare at them like a deer in headlights. I stay calm and I let them go about their business because I know they need their time to themselves...but inside I'm really like wow! Today I was having lunch at a little Cafe in downtown St. Paul and who should get in line behind me...Ken Congemi! That's right...Evan and Bebe's coach! While I didn't talk to him or even acknowledge to him that I knew who he was, I did observe what he was eating (that's weird and stalkerish, huh?) and I can report that he likes BLT's!
So the original dance...the big story here is that Belbin and Agosto made boo boos. Tanith botched a twizzle and as they went into the reverse twizzle Ben put his foot down. The mistakes didn't cost them the lead, but it certainly put them on notice. Davis and White who are in second actually beat Tanith and Ben in the technical mark and weren't far behind in the program components. Davis and White had a really great performance. Navarro and Bommentre continue to hang onto third place. Their folk dance got a huge ovation from the crowd and they were able to put a little more space between themselves and Samuelson and Bates who are in fourth. The Free Dance is Saturday.
The ladies....I don't even know where to begin! Let's start in 9th place...that's where Alissa Czisny is...ouch! She struggled on every jump element. But it gets even more interesting, Caroline Zhang is in 7th! Her only flaw was a slight step out of her triple toe that was tacked on behind a triple flip. I'm not exactly sure where her deductions were? Beatrisa Liang finds herself in 6th, she was unable to complete her lutz. In 5th is Katrina Hacker (I had to look her up to figure out who she is). She had less technical difficulty than the other competitors but she did it well. My guess that her less difficult repertoire will hang her out to dry in the free skate, but she made the final group. Kimberly Meissner sits 4th after she went down on her triple flip. The top three are quite a story, talk about a coup de tat! Rachel Flatt is in 3rd after a fantastic short program. She hit a beautiful triple lutz-triple toe combo, great spins, good speed, just really great skating. Ashley Wagner is in second after an unbelievable short! She landed a triple lutz-triple loop combination and never looked back. But the biggest story is the leader! Mirai Nagasu wowed everyone. She hit the triples, spun the spins, flew threw her footwork, and did it all with a smile. I'm looking at my poll to the right there and wondering what is going on! The back story is who will make the world team. Remember, Nigasu, Flatt, and Zhang are not old enough yet to compete. Saturday will be interesting...
Well it just wouldn't be a vacation for me unless my Internet connection was tricky but it's up and working now and reports are on the way. I surprisingly had no trouble finding my way around St. Paul and it appears to be a charming city. Winter Carnival (I know! They embrace the cold here so much that they throw their big festival in the dead of winter!) is going on right now and the city is alive and vibrant.
First, can I tell you...IT'S COLD! - 13 when we left the arena last night...brrrrr.
The Compulsory Dance gave great insight to who would fill the vacuum left by Gregory and Petukhov. No surprise, Belbin and Agosto opened up a big lead after the Compulsory Dance. Davis and White were behind in second and the podium gap is currently being filled by Navarro and Bommentre! Samuelson and Bates are close on their heels and I think we are in for a big battle for the bronze. Remember, three spots open for the World Team in Ice Dance. It was certainly fun seeing all those teams slide around the ice to the Yankee Polka.
The Pairs also took to the ice for their short programs and it was a battle of points. The hardest program versus the fewest mistakes. McLaughlin and Brubaker continue their stellar season, the have a very slim lead. They completed a beautiful, huge triple twist, solid side-by-side triples, and only had a slight hand down on the throw triple loop. They skated with good speed and good unison. Right behind then in second are veterans Inoue and Baldwin who are making their competitive debut this season here. They had a flawless program but less difficulty. They completed side-by-side double axels, a double twist, and nice throw triple salchow. They seemed to drop off in speed near the end of the program and their unison looked a tad rusty. For a team that has been training all season for this event...I expected a bit more. Last years chapions Castile and Okolski are in third with a good showing, this is also their competiive debut this season. They may have been higher had they also not backed off the content. In fourth is Evora and Ladwig who pumped up the audience with their rock n' roll short (he's also the local favorite as he is the lone competitior in the pairs field from Minnesota). Dissapointing performance for Nari-Nam and Leftheris, they are in 8th. Things I'm looking for in the free: Can Nari-Nam and Leftheris bounce back, can Vise and Trent (currently 5th) land that throw quad salchow again and move up, who exactly will be on the podium?
I also had the chance to see the Junior Men's short program...too much fun! Adam Rippon and Curran Oi are fantastic. Our future is in great hands!
NBC announced today their commentary team for the U.S. National Championships. It just happens to be the same team they had in Torino with one special addition...Bob Costas (well I guess he was there too but wasn't directly involved in NBC's Figure Skating coverage)!
And of course that means skating icons Scott Hamilton and Dick Button will be along as well (It just wouldn't feel like Nationals without Dick!). Sale and Pelletier will also be poking around a bit and don't forget Sandra Bezic, Tracy Wilson, Andrea Joyce, and Tom Hammond...quite a team for St. Paul!
I remember actually liking this dynamic in Torino so hopefully it will make for good television. I'll actually have to watch it on TiVo...cause I'll actually be there!
Hughes is suffering from a hip injury, which will prevent her not only from competing but also training. In a statement she told reporters, “I'm extremely disappointed to have to miss the U.S. Championships. This is a competition I've been looking forward to all season. This injury is just really bad timing,” Hughes continued. “I hope to be able to begin serious training again in four to six weeks.”
This leaves the world team possibilities wide open. Two (or three...how old is Rachel Flatt?) of the top competitors (Zhang and Nagasu) aren't old enough to make the world team, Kimmie Meissner's skating recently has been subpar, Czisny has never been consistent, and I don't know that anyone was talking about Bebe Liang but maybe we should!
Someone check on Rachel Flatt...is she eligible for Senior Worlds?
And wait I just noticed...what happened to Katy Taylor?
“It is with great regret that we have to withdraw from this year's nationals,” Gregory said. “When we had our accident at Skate Canada, everyone focused on my injuries, but Denis also suffered injuries when he hit the boards.”
“The loss of practice time at this crucial juncture, combined with my unsuccessful efforts to rehabilitate my injured knee, have left us unable to compete at the highest level,” Petukhov said. “Our doctor has strongly recommended that we take the time to heal so that we may be back at 100 percent for next season.”
The fall at Skate Canada was terrible and I can certainly understand why this step is necessary. I hope that they get better soon.
But the withdrawal means we can revisit the possible podium at Nationals. Barring a catastrophic event Belbin and Agosto will win. Probably looks like Davis and White are shoe-ins for silver...but who gets the bronze? Samuelson and Bates? Navarro and Bommentre? Interesting competition ahead!
Over the past few months I have seen a great deal of buzz about this young man...Eliot Halverson.
He has been the poster boy for the upcoming national championships...of the senior men competitors, he's the only one from St. Paul (however it stands to reason that Rohene Ward from Minneapolis will have some support as well). He's made appearances all over the place, he's been plastered all over the USFSA and Ice Network websites, and he's the featured skater at Figure Skaters Online. Ummm, he must be pretty spectacular!
But aside from his celebrity I knew literally nothing about him. I discovered he was the Junior Champ at last years National Championships. I also discovered he was tenth at last years Junior Worlds. He's also a previous Novice Champ.
I got them yesterday and I was like a kid in a Candy Store. I simply can't wait to get to St. Paul for the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. I'm stoked!
I can't make it to all the events so I have posted the tickets to those events for sale on eBay. If you are interested in the Novice or Junior events...it's a great bargain and the seats are great!
Can Evan Lysacek defend his title against a surging Johnny Weir? Will Kimmie Meissner overcome her recent technical issues to win her second title? Will Castile and Okolski come back from injury to defend their title or will past champions reclaim former glory? Will Belbin and Agosto continue to dominate on their way to possibly acheiving one of figure skating's highest honors, a World Championship Gold? Perhaps we may see new Champions in all disciplines? Perhaps not?
All of these questions and more will soon be answered! Get ready St. Paul...the time is near!
Ahhh, shades of Evan and Johnny at this past Nationals. What do you do in the case of a tie?
Only in figure skating...tie breaking makes sense (most of the time). Evan won the free so he won the Gold (debatable...but understandable). For the Uneven Bar final there was this crazy if there is a tie instead of just taking the high and low scores out we'll take the high and two lowest scores and whoever has the best score then is the winner meaning (do you see how this run on sentence is just a nightmare!) that the outcome of the competition is based upon only three judges interpretation and two of the three judges has never even had an Olympic medalist in gymnastics in their country!
