(GYM) NCAA Gymnastics Championships

I have really enjoyed watching these young ladies this year. Sure, today was a bit of a disappointment, but it doesn't change what they've accomplished and who they are. I have no connection to the program; I only know what I see on TV and read. These ladies appear to be incredibly talented, graceful, intelligent, and of course beautiful. They are outstanding representatives of the University of Florida. And Coach Rowland is helping to create fine human beings. Kudos to her. Winning the NC is not the most important thing, and I write that even though I wanted that NC bad for these ladies.

I look forward to next year.

 

I am not one to blame a loss on the umps, or in the case of gymnastics the official judges. However, there is no doubt the scoring officials are influenced by the home crowd. In this case Oklahoma got the benefit of the doubt when routines were scored, and Florida did not. That is the price you pay in a sport that relies on judges scoring. No matter how you cut it these people go into meets with preconceived notions about certain gymnasts. It's just human nature, so in this case the "home team" was the crowd cheering for Oklahoma. The Sooner team made the most of it and came out on top. However, once again how the heck can you critique our team when they score better than 198 points "on the road". Great season ladies and as a coach I know how bitter and hard it is to lose like this and also realize this was the last time you and your team mates will ever all be together again. Great Season and one to be proud of no matter what happened Saturday in Fort Worth.

 

Right conclusions, but wrong reasons:

Ft. Worth was not a home meet for Oklahoma. Utah probably had as many or more fans there as any other team. Don't let the ESPN mics fool you.

Gymnastics is a strange scoring sport involving subjective voting. This is why it uses 6 judges at nationals throwing out the high and low then averaging the middle 4 scores.

At nationals, judges are affected by preconceived notions; however, it isn't about the home team. The preconceived notions come from the seeding process used heading into the post season. Oklahoma came in the 1 seed and Florida came in the 2 seed. Never mind that the seeding process is flawed, the judges know how the teams are seeded and it affects them. The judges also know how gymnasts grade out over the course of the season. In a close meet like we had in the finals, the judges will give deference to the higher seeded team.

As an example, I offer that ESPN announced what the last score Oklahoma needed to win the national championship, 9.9685. The score received on the last beam routine was 9.9685. Nobody can convince me that the beam judges didn't know what Oklahoma needed if ESPN knew. The judges gave deference to Oklahoma and their 1 seed.

Did Florida have several questionably low scores? Absolutely, but that goes with being the 2 seed. In a close meet, 2 has to prove they are better than 1. It didn't help that Florida came down with a bad case of nerves in the first 2 rotations, see Savannah, Nya, and Sloane. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Bottom line, Oklahoma looked like the 1 seed and Florida looked like the 2 seed.

I argued on this site that seeding matters and took a bit of a hit for saying UF should go all out to lock down the 1 seed. Others said the seed difference between 1 and 2 didn't matter. I think what you describe above shows that there is a difference.

Congratulations are due for having a great season and finishing second in the nation.

Florida will have another whale of a team in 23. My hope is the Gators lock up the 1 seed as early as possible.

 

the number one seed hadn’t won 2 of the previous three titles, including a razor close one with ucla and Oklahoma where UCLA was given a 10 as a lower seed on their final performance to win. By most people’s estimations we were the favorite anyway going into finals, pretty much every pundit had us. The judges would have read that too. If Oklahoma got any favoritism, it’s their 7 or 8 year run and their annual performance at nationals. That’s five titles in the last 8 years, judges know that too. And you can’t lock up the top seed until late in the year because that’s when the majority of the good scores come, look at the progression this year. So there’s no reason to run everyone out there and wear them out to score 197s.
The difference this year at nationals was that Oklahoma stuck their landings, we had a bad vault rotation, and that was that. I said I would support what Jenny did this year regardless of how it finished, and still do. We had a much better post season this year than last, but we still have to get over that psychological hurdle of showing out on the last day. Oklahoma has mastered it, we haven’t for whatever reason. Until we do, people can make whatever excuses they want, but we will be at least one step down the podium.
Jmo.

 

UCLA and Michigan both looked better than Oklahoma. Florida did not look better. In a close meet between Florida and Oklahoma, the 1 seed received deference in scoring. The 2 seed did not look better in the national final.

I agree with the nerves. It carried over to bars too with Sloane's 9.8375, below her season average, followed by Riley sitting down on her landing. ESPN captured Sloane looking like she was hyperventilating between the rotations from vault to bars which is probably why she was a late scratch on the vault in favor of Payton Richards. Kudos to Payton for being ready when called upon.

Will have to agree to disagree about seeding. It does make a difference and it did make a difference Saturday. It's a long season to give rest to gymnasts when they need it and to develop the supporting team members. However, I hope working in that concept that UF goes all in on locking down the 1 seed.

 

Come on ET, OU won. We did not and it wasn't because of seeding. OU responded better.
UF was brilliant in spite of the mistakes. I was just not enough.

 

They did. Boxscore - Florida Gators

One of the things that makes gymnastics tough to follow, for me, is the subjective scoring process. Would like to see the judges in a soundproof environment with some way to ambiguate their perspective on which school is performing without restricting their ability to see the performance. But I won't hold my breath on anybody asking for my input.

Go GATORS!
,WESGATORS

 

I think Ora disproved your seeding theory in the post you quoted.
And let's be real, UF was the hot team and the favorite coming in....your argument would apply more to UF than OU when it comes to who the judges might view as the team to beat

 

Ora disproved nothing. Most people aren't judges in the gymnastics system of judging.

Shocker, we don't agree. You were wrong during the regular season, and you are wrong now.

 

OU won. UF lost. Where did I say that did not happen?

Seeding was involved in scoring. The poster I responded to, hocgators, had no problem seeing the differences in the judging between OU and UF, just he had the wrong thoughts as to why. Interesting that you did not comment on his post. Care to explain?

OU responded to their adversity better than UF responded to their adversity. UF was brilliant in spots and not others when nerves got the best of a few of the gymnasts.

UF didn't do enough to prove the 2 seed was better than the 1 seed.

What's your beef? We agree with the exception that seeding impacts judging in gymnastics.

 

Good try but no cigar.

 

Shocker, you think you were right then, and you think you were right now.
And no one else does

 

Shocker that you think it matters to me when I know I'm right. If no one else agrees, I know I was right on my assessment during the regular season and now. If I had the ear of Jenny Rowland, I would have advised her of same during the season. Too bad she didn't have anyone reading this board.

 

I have no allusion that it matters to you.....anyone who thinks "if no else agrees I know I was right" and thinks our coach needs someone to read the board for his advice, has long since passed the point of rational thought and conversation

 

so move on already. we both know neither of us has any regard for each others opinions on florida sports, shocker.

 

I haven't a clue why you are so upset and taking this personally. We disagree. Sorry . But I like some of what you have posted and surely dont need a pissing match. The only thing I thought was that I liked the coach changing her approach and hoped it would make the team stronger at the end.
It is just not that important. Really.

 

not upset, you responded to my post to apk and ignored what i wrote to you, and you seem to be the upset person, calm down, i do not fault you for having been wrong.

 

Well, it's really not about "Florida sports" in this particular case, it's about logic and common sense

 

tsk, tsk, that smacks of name calling.....

I would take the same position on figure skating scoring and seeding, and you'd take the opposite position just to be argumentative. Proof: You are not saying a word about the issues hocgators put forward to discuss which I responded to. If it is about logic and common sense, shouldn't you tell hocgators too. Hypocracy? You would also be wrong on both gymnastics and figure skating scoring and seeding.

Above, you said it was about "rational thought and conversation." I offered for the pissing contest you started to end: "so move on already." You just can't help yourself.