That meetcritique blog where one of our WAG senior judges tackles the age-old question: Is judging subjective?

Is Judging Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Subjective?

Yes. And no. Judging is the science behind the art of gymnastics. Art is subjective but the gymnastics judging profession strives to make it as objective as possible through the application of rules and deductions.  

Some deductions or rules in gymnastics are more objective. These include: 

• Start Value Requirements: Each level has prescribed major elements or special requirements that must be completed to achieve a 10.0 start value. Without completing these items, a gymnast will receive a lower start value. 
• Neutral Deductions: These deductions are applied off the average of the two judges’ scores. More common -0.1 neutral deductions include going out of bounds on floor exercise, overtime on beam or floor, or forgetting to salute at the end of the routine. 
• Flat Deductions: If an error occurs, and the Code of Point has designated it as a flat deduction, then the judge must take a specified deduction. For example, If a gymnast flexes their feet on a skill a flat -0.05 is taken. 

Of course, sometimes the judges get these objective deductions wrong due to human error.  Judges can only take deductions on what they see in real time. Did the gymnast really step out of bounds in the opposite corner of the floor from where the judge is sitting? Maybe, but it depends on if the judge can see it. 

Other deductions in gymnastics are more subjective. These are typically referred to as “up to” deductions because a judge can decide how much to take based on their perception. Here are some common examples of up to deductions:

• Bent legs, up to -0.3
• Legs separated, up to -0.2 
• Insufficient split, up to -0.2
• Incomplete turn in dance elements, up to -0.2
• Insufficient artistry, up to -0.3

However, even those deductions that are more subjective, are often given specific parameters for how much to apply. Here are some examples:

• Guidance for deducting for insufficient split, specific to each levels’ requirement, is given by defining the deduction for degree of split missing. Further, diagrams are provided as visual aids guiding judges on how much of a deduction to apply. 
• The rules also define how much of the up to 0.2 for incomplete turn in dance elements to deduct based on degree of turn missing.
• The deduction for insufficient artistry has been divided into subcategories depending on the level of the gymnast (see previous blog for the in-depth breakdown). 

On top of the specific examples cited in the rulebook for applying deductions, judges are also required to complete yearly continuing education courses to maintain their certification. Much of a judge’s education or training revolves around training the eye to be as objective as possible. That is to say, if two gymnasts have the same degree of insufficient split, their deductions should be the same and our deductions as judges should closely match. This yearly training emphasizes making the subjective art of gymnastics into objective, and universal, math.