Competitive Program

Women’s Artistic Gymnastics

To the casual spectator, the sport of gymnastics might seem elegant and simple but this surface beauty and simplicity can be deceptive. As an observer, you really need to understand the physical challenges and technical details to appreciate the artistic beauty and physical power of gymnastics. Years of training, conditioning and practice go into each and every performance. Each athlete has her own arduous story about her personal journey and individual accomplishments. She has likely had to sacrifice many tangible and intangible things. Gymnastics isn’t necessarily about winning or losing competitions…it is about the feeling of flying through the air, sticking a perfect landing and the excitement of learning a new skill. For many gymnasts, they love gymnastics for the person it helped them become.

Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Apparatus

Vault:
This is one of the most difficult events to judge as each vault is performed so quickly. There are four basic types: layout, inverted twisted, and rotated. Scores are awarded on the basis of difficulty and execution. A vault consists of two principal elements: pre flight (the approach to the table) and after flight (from the table to the mat). On pre flight, the judges check position of the arms, shoulders, legs and hands at take off. On the after flight, they look at the height of the vault, balance, twists or somersault and the landing which should be squarely on both feet with no movement. Each gymnast is allowed two optional vaults which may be the same or different. The gymnast posts the number of the vault she is going to attempt. The best of two scores are used.

Uneven Bars:
A routine requires at least ten moves including the dismount. The key to a good score on the bars is continuous movement. Breaks or pauses in the routine result in point deductions. Positions of support, standing or sitting should be momentary. A fall is an automatic 0.5 deduction, with 30 seconds to remount. The gymnast must move from one bar to the other with a series of swings, twists, somersaults, and handstands. The judge look at the passage of the hands from bar to bar, the suspension of the gymnast’s body away from the bars, the use of both bars in the routine and the continuation of movement. Depending on the courage, skill and daring of the performer, this is one of the most dynamic and exciting events in gymnastics.

Balance Beam:
Despot the four foot height and four inch width of the beam, the gymnast is expected to do what amounts to a floor routine on this apparatus. The key word is balance; the judges deduct points for wobbles and falls (a fall is an automatic deduction of 0.50). The routine includes dance movements and maximum use of the entire length of the beam. Rhythm is of extreme importance. A slow monotonous exercise with stops before a difficult element is undesirable. The routine lasts only 1 minute and 10 seconds. The beam requires a great deal of concentration and perfection of execution.

Floor:
A favorite of many gymnastics fans, the floor combines dance and tumbling with the creativity and personality of the individual gymnast. Floor exercise is accompanied with music. It combines tumbling and dance while demonstrating flexibility and total body control. There must be at least three tumbling passes from one corner of the floor to the other during the routine. Stepping outside of the floor boundary is an automatic deduction. The routine must be up to 1 minute and 30 seconds long and must utilize the entire floor including all four corners.

The competitive program at Capital City is comprised of L.E.A.P., Provincial, and National Levels. This program is designed for those gymnasts who have demonstrated exceptional talent in gymnastics as well as other qualities, which may include: age, ability, body type, determination, flexibility, and competitive drive.

Gymnasts are identified from the recreational program by the Women’s Competitive Program Coordinator, Kristi Marks.

The L.E.A.P. program is for gymnasts aged 6 – 9. It is a developmental program, which focuses on physical ability and skill preparation. L.E.A.P. (Lets Evaluate our Athletes Progress) is a province wide program governed by the Alberta Gymnastics Federation and designed to measure the progress of young gymnasts.

The provincial program is designed for gymnasts’ aged 9 and up who demonstrate above average ability for the sport of gymnastics. These athletes will train a minimum of twelve hours per week. They will compete at invitational competitions as well as trials for a spot to represent their club at the Provincial Championships.

The national stream program is for gymnasts’ aged 9 and up who demonstrate exceptional ability for the sport of gymnastics. These athletes will train a minimum of twenty hours per week. They will compete at invitational as well as trails for a spot to represent Alberta at Western Canadian Championships and National Championships.

Men’s Gymnastics

Men’s gymnastics exemplifies strength and dynamic ability. Many of the participants in men’s gymnastics experience the thrill of defying gravity and performing skills that would seem impossible to the average individual. Gymnastics is immediately appealing to young boys as a great activity to channel energy and fearlessness. It is a sport that begins with the development of balance and strength and continues from this point to develop the complete range of physical demands that many other sports only partially develop. It is a balance of artistry with the raw force of strength, power, speed, agility and coordination.

The Men’s Competitive program at Capital City is comprised of pre-competitive, Provincial, National and International Levels. This program is designed for those gymnasts who have demonstrated exceptional talent in gymnastics as well as other qualities, which may include: age, ability, body type, determination, flexibility, and competitive drive. Those athletes that desire to strive for excellence in competitive gymnastics are invited to participate in the CCGC men’s program.

CCGC currently has two members of the Canadian Senior National Men’s Team; Brandon O’Neill and Jared Wells. Most recently, Brandon won a Silver medal at the 2005 World Gymnastics Championships in Melbourne, Australia.

Men’s Gymnastics Apparatus

Floor:
The floor exercise in men's gymnastics is a demonstration of power and strength. It is performed without music, and must use all areas of the floor. The gymnast performs tumbling acrobatic series across the floor, as well as strength moves and balance skills. The routine has to be between 50 to 70 seconds. The floor mat is 40' by 40' and has springs under the mat.

Pommel Horse:
This event is considered by almost all gymnasts to be the most difficult apparatus. The pommel horse looks similar to a vault with a padded surface and two adjustable handles in the centre. The gymnast must perform circular movements on all parts of the 5ft long horse, with only their hands touching. This event requires great coordination, strength and balance. In younger age level competitions the athletes typically compete on a training apparatus known as a 'mushroom'.

Rings:
The still rings are considered to involve the most strength of all the men's events. The rings are suspended 8ft 2in above the floor from a 19 ft frame. The athlete has to perform a series of swings above and below the rings, strength elements, and a dismount. One of the challenges on this event is to prevent the rings from swinging like a trapeze artist.

Vault:
In men's gymnastics the gymnast runs to the vault from no more than 25 m and jumps onto a springboard, then pushes off the top of the vault from their hands and performs a flip, twist or somersault to land on a landing mat behind the vault. The vault is 5ft long and 4ft 6in high. Judges are looking for height and distance as well as a tight body position on this event.

Parallel Bars:
These bars are usually set shoulder width apart 6ft 6in above the ground. The gymnast performs a series of swings above and below the bars, as well as strength balance and release skills. This event requires upper body strength as well as great coordination. In today's competition the gymnasts generally use most of the bars throughout their routine.

High Bar:
Probably considered to be the most dynamic event, the high bar is a fast paced apparatus consisting of big swings around a one inch steel bar that is over 8ft off the ground. Routines consist of swings, release skills, changes of direction and an impressive dismount.