Women’s Gymnastics
Women’s gymnastics is a sport that requires strength and balance to perform different stunts. It combines power with the grace of dance. It began in Greece as a sport for men. It focused on exercises that would help men prepare for war.
A photo of a girl flipping on a balance beam
The History of the Sport
Gymnastics became an organized sport in 1881. The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) is in charge of it. The FIG sets the rules for the sport. It decides how routines are scored.
It was first included in the Olympic Games in 1896. Only men were able to compete. Women’s gymnastics entered the Olympics in 1928.
In 1976, a young girl named Nadia Comăneci scored the first perfect 10 in Olympic history. She went on to receive six more perfect scores during that same Games. She brought a lot of attention to the sport. Young girls everywhere wanted to take gymnastics.
A photo of a girl doing a balance beam routine
The Four Events
Women’s gymnastics focuses on four events: floor exercise, balance beam, vault, and uneven bars. Floor exercise combines tumbling skills with dance moves. Tumbling can include stunts like back handsprings, layouts, and flips.
The balance beam is a raised beam where gymnasts perform a routine. They must stay on the 3.9-inch wide beam throughout the routine until the dismount. Athletes lose points for wobbling or lack of balance.
The vault is set at 4.10 feet high. The gymnast runs and jumps onto a springboard. She springs onto the vault with her hands. Then, she twists and turns in the air. For the most points, she must stick the landing. Even a small hop at the end can result in a loss of points.
On the uneven bars, the gymnast moves from bar to bar during her routine. She finishes with a dismount. The upper bar is set at 8.2 feet high. The lower bar is set at 5.6 feet.
A photo of a girl doing a floor exercise routine
USAG
USA Gymnastics (USAG) oversees body the sport in the United States (U.S.). It is responsible for selecting and training the country’s athletes for the World Championships and the Olympic Games. In 1984, Mary Lou Retton became the first U.S. gymnast to win an all-around gold medal in the Olympic Games. But, U.S. did not make a big impact on gymnastics until several years later. In the 1990s, the Americans started consistently winning Olympic and World team medals.
The 1996 Olympic team was the first American team to win a gold medal. Since then the U.S. continues to have top athletes in international competitions. In 2016, the U.S. won the team gold medal by more than eight points.
A Changing Sport
The sport continues to change as new athletes bring their talents into the mix. They add their own style to dismounts and stunts. Training styles are different. Coaches and athletes are willing to take more risks, too.
It certainly makes you want to tune in to see what the next group of champions will be doing.
Women's gymnastics is a sport that combines strength, balance, and grace. It originated in Greece as a sport for men and focused on preparing them for war. However, it became an organized sport in 1881 and was included in the Olympic Games in 1896 for men and 1928 for women.
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) is in charge of setting the rules and scoring for gymnastics. Women's gymnastics focuses on four main events: floor exercise, balance beam, vault, and uneven bars. Floor exercise combines tumbling skills with dance moves, while the balance beam requires gymnasts to perform routines on a narrow beam without wobbling. The vault involves the gymnast running and jumping onto a springboard before twisting and turning in the air. The uneven bars require the gymnast to move from bar to bar during her routine before finishing with a dismount.
In the United States, USA Gymnastics (USAG) oversees the sport and is responsible for selecting and training athletes for international competitions. The US made a big impact in gymnastics in the 1990s, consistently winning Olympic and World team medals. In 2016, the US women's gymnastics team won the team gold medal by a significant margin.
The sport of women's gymnastics continues to evolve as new athletes bring their own talents and styles to the sport. Training styles have changed, and coaches and athletes are more willing to take risks. This constant evolution and the rise of new champions make women's gymnastics an exciting sport to watch.
Which detail teaches you how the rules for gymnastics are set?
The USAG is responsible for selecting and training the country’s athletes for the World Championships and the Olympic Games.
Each individual competition has its own rules.
The FIG sets the rules for the sport.
The Olympic Committee decides and sets the rules for gymnastics.
The detail that teaches you how the rules for gymnastics are set is "The FIG sets the rules for the sport."
What is the importance of the 1984 Olympics?
Mary Lou Retton was the first U.S. gymnast to ever win a gold medal.
Mary Lou Retton became the first U.S. gymnast to win an all-around gold medal in the Olympic Games.
1984 was the first year that the U.S. won the team medal in the Olympics.
The 1984 Olympics was the first Olympic Games where women’s gymnastics was an official event.
The importance of the 1984 Olympics is that it was the first year that the U.S. won the team medal in the Olympics.
Which detail supports the inference that gymnastics continues to change over time?
New athletes will have stronger coaches who have been in the field longer.
New athletes will try to change the USAG rules.
New athletes start training at younger ages.
New athletes add their own style to dismounts and stunts.