Jr Olympic vs. College vs. Elite Gymnastics - What's the Difference?
The college gymnastics season is in full swing, and every young, aspiring gymnast loves to watch these amazing women perform. Some young gymnasts want to compete in college, while others want to go all the way to the Olympic level. But what’s the difference between NCAA and Olympic gymnastics? And how do they compare to the Jr. Olympic program your gymnast is in now?
Surprisingly, college gymnastics is closer to Jr. Olympics than you’d think. And the elite level gymnastics is very different from both.
Scoring
One of the biggest differences between Jr. Olympic gymnastics, NCAA gymnastics, and elite gymnastics is how they are scored. Both Jr. Olympic and NCAA gymnasts are scored using a “perfect 10” scoring system. Each gymnast starts her routine with a score of 10.0, and points are deducted for mistakes made or required skills left out. It’s easy to tell that a routine scored on the “perfect 10” system was great because the score is easy to understand.
Elite gymnastics, however, is scored differently. In 2005, the scoring system was changed to use two scores: a difficulty score and an execution score. The difficulty score is based on the difficulty of skills and connections included in the routine and has no limit on how high the score can be. The execution score is based on how well the gymnast performed the routine, with deductions for errors or bad composition of the skills. This score starts at a 10.0, similar to the NCAA scoring. These two scores are added together to give the final score, which can end up higher than 10.0. It’s a little more difficult to understand just how good a routine was when scored this way, but understanding the two separate scores and how they work together can make it easier.
Levels
Only Jr. Olympic league gymnasts compete on the basis of levels. This allows gymnasts to advance through the levels at their own pace and ensures a thorough understanding and capability of skills. Gymnasts must compete at each level and reach a certain all-around score in order to advance to the next level. They must also be a certain age to compete at each level. Levels 1 through 3 are “developmental”, meaning they may not be competitive and are designed to teach basic skills to young gymnasts and get them ready for higher levels. Levels 4 and 5 are “compulsory”, meaning they build on the skills learned before in a competitive environment. Levels 6 through 10 are “optional”. Levels 6, 7, 8, and 9 have difficulty restrictions. Levels 8, 9, and 10 evaluate the composition of the routines as well as the skills performed.
NCAA and elite gymnasts do not compete in levels. Each gymnast is judged under the same rules and expected to perform the same difficulty of skills as the others.
Training
It’s not surprising that elite gymnasts will spend more time training than Jr. Olympic or college gymnasts. Olympic gymnasts can spend up to 40 hours each week in the gym, while the NCAA limits training to 20 hours each week. However, college gymnasts and Jr. Olympic gymnasts compete much more often than elite gymnasts. One is not any easier than the other, though. They’re just different.
In the end, either option is a great goal for your gymnast to aspire to reach. It all comes down to the experience your gymnast wants. If she wants to train hard every day and devote herself to gymnastics, and prefers competing on her own, the Olympics are a great dream to work towards. If your gymnast wants the fun experience and support of a team and wants to balance more than just gymnastics in her life, then college gymnastics is the way to go.
