By: Sammy Wang
Prompt: Rules in sports’ games rarely change, unless there is a severe threat of injury or malpractice. What is a rule in sports that you would change? Why?
In gymnastics, gymnasts salute judges before and after completing their routine. They don’t only do this out of respect though– it’s critical for their score, as it indicates that their routine is done. If they don’t salute the judges, one-tenth to three-tenths of a point can be taken off their score. I believe this rule should be removed.
Gymnastics is a really tiring sport: it takes a lot of strength to do different splits and jumps while looking composed and graceful. A lot goes into a gymnast’s mind; they have to worry about their moves and staying stable at the same time. This all occurs while they’re moving their body in the air.
And when they complete their routine, their minds are still processing– from wondering if they messed up anywhere– which might make them forget to salute the judges, causing a deduction in their score.
Imagine doing something perfectly, just to find out that you got a deduction to your score just because you forgot something small?
A good example would be the famous Simone Biles. In the Paris 2024 Olympics, she forgot to salute at the end of her routine causing a deduction in her score. Even though the deduction may seem small, all points matter in the Olympics.
There’s also the point that saluting the judges doesn’t give you any extra points, so I believe the rule is quite stupid.
I mean, if a gymnast wants to salute the judges, I have no problem with that; if it works for them, then that’s great. But I find this rule overall useless.
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