This month, we had 24 perfect 10s, but as fans, athletes, commentators, and seemingly everyone other than the judging panel has acknowledged, not all 10.0s are created, or distributed, equally. Here I’ll break down the deductions I saw when watching the videos in real time and rank the 10.0 from one to five stars. This month, only one vault, one bar routine, and two floor routines were true five-star 10s. Can you guess which ones? As a reminder, here’s my rating scale:
⭐ This was clearly not a 10.0 routine (but still very good!)
⭐⭐ There was definitely a deduction there, but maybe the judges blinked?
⭐⭐⭐ 10.0 vibes, but not actually perfect
⭐⭐⭐⭐ It was a “college 10”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 100% a perfect routine
Vault
Sage Kellerman, Michigan State (Feb. 4)
When she hits this vault, it’s a 10 every time.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Selena Harris, UCLA (Feb. 9)
Deductions
Leg form (-0.05)
Early turn (-0.05)
This vault looked great, but something about it seemed off when I watched it but couldn’t quite put my finger on it. When I slowed it down, you can see she has some leg form coming off the table and initiates her twist before she finishes her block, which is an up-to-five-tenths deduction. This is easier to see from the judge’s angle than the camera angle, and in real life rather than a screen. The NCAA vault review clinic this year highlighted deductions for early turns off the vault, so I would hope this would be something judges are taking this year.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Selena Harris, UCLA (Feb. 19)
Deductions
Leg form (-0.05)
Early turn (-0.05)
Selena Harris is known for her consistency, and this vault was almost identical to her other 10.0 this month. I would say the early turn was even more noticeable here, as she’s almost a quarter of the way around before she leaves the table.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bars
Jordan Bowers, Oklahoma (Feb. 2)
For the record, the forty-five degree angle that the camera operators use on bars is not ideal for evaluating these routines, as it’s so hard to see angles. However, Bowers looked to hit all her handstands, her form was pristine, and her releases were huge and floaty.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Leanne Wong, Florida (Feb. 9)
Deductions
Leg separation (-0.05)
Failure to hold finish position (-0.05)
I know this is really petty, but the finish position has your heels together, and Wong doesn’t hold it with her heels together the full second. She was definitely in control, and she stuck her landing, but rules are rules.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Raena Worley, Kentucky (Feb. 16)
Deductions
Clear hip HS
Body position (-0.05)
Cast HS
Body position (-0.05)
Half pirouette
Late turn completion (-0.1)
Failure to hold finishing position (-0.05)
My biggest issue with this 10.0 was the pirouette. The angle is determined by when the second hand re-graps the bar and has to be completed within 20 degrees of vertical to receive no deduction. Worley is closer to the 30-degree mark here, which would put her in the half-tenth to tenth deduction range. This should have been taken by the judges. She also clearly does not hold her finishing position (although this was also a stick), which was another obvious deduction to take. Worley is absolutely capable of a 10.0 on the event, but this wasn’t her best routine.
Rating: ⭐
Mara Titarsolej, Missouri (Feb. 16)
Deductions
Pike circle to HS
Bent arms (-0.05)
This was a beautiful routine with pirouettes finishing perfectly on top of the bar and great leg form throughout. All I saw were some loose elbows in her pike circle, which the judges should have seen as well.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Gigi Mastellone, Southern Connecticut (Feb. 19)
Deductions
Leg separation (-0.15)
Pak salto
Excessive arch (-0.05)
Full-in dismount
(-0.05 distance)
Mastellone’s bar routine was the first 10.0 in program history for SCSU, but it wasn’t quite perfect. The biggest surprise was the straddle tap going into her Tkachev. Yes, a straddle tap is allowed, but it is to accommodate taller athletes so they don’t hit the low bar on their swing. Mastellone is facing the low bar, so the straddle is not necessary and should be a leg separation deduction. She was also rather close to the high bar on her dismount and had a very archy Pak salto.
Rating: ⭐
Beam
Maile O’Keefe, Utah (Feb. 2)
Deductions
Flexed feet (-0.05)
Balance error on landing (-0.05)
Besides her flexed feet in her side aerial (which you all know by now I can’t unsee), she has a slight lean forward to fight for this stick, which should be a deduction.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Haleigh Bryant, LSU (Feb. 9)
Deductions
Balance error (-0.05)
Body position (-0.05)
I can see why LSU fans and non-fans alike were not happy about this 10.0. She has a very clear lean to the right and balance error on her punch front landing. She also has an ambiguous leg position in her full turn, which is a deduction as well.
Rating: ⭐⭐
Ragan Smith, Oklahoma (Feb. 17)
Deductions
Leg bend (-0.05)
I apologize for the lack of video quality. Since this competition was not televised, this was the best video available to analyze. I couldn’t tell from this quality whether or not her arms were bent in her back handsprings, but I could see her bent leg in her front aerial from far away, which means the judges should have had no trouble seeing it up close. The rest of the routine looked great from here, and I especially love her straddle half back handspring combination.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Ragan Smith, Oklahoma (Feb. 23)
Deductions
Back handspring
Bent arms (-0.05)
Front aerial
Bent leg (-0.05)
Arm bend (-0.05)
Failure to hold finishing position (-0.05)
The bent arms on the back handspring and bent leg on the front aerial are very picky (like the bent arms on giant swings and circling skills that I point out). However, they are still valid deductions and a tool to be used to reward the gymnasts that can do back handsprings with straight arms or front aerials with straight legs. The hold deduction seems to be another problematic area of NCAA judging consistency, as it clearly wasn’t taken in this case and should have been.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Mya Lauzon, California (February 25)
Deductions
Bent arms (-0.05)
Bent arms (-0.05)
Balance error (-0.05)
Crossed legs (-0.05)
Failure to join heels on landing (-0.05)
Again I’m being picky about the arm bend, but Lauzon also has bent arms in her back handsprings, plus a very small (but visible) balance error at the end of her series. She also crosses her legs in her dismount, which was admittedly hard to see. This is a very common deduction for double twists or more, so the judges should have been watching closely for it. The biggest reason this wasn’t a 10 for me was that she didn’t join her heels together on the landing. This means that she landed with her legs too wide to close her heels, which should have required a step to close and finish. Since she didn’t take the step, she should get the deduction for not closing her heels. Yes, her legs are together, but that’s not the rule, unfortunately.
Rating: ⭐⭐
Floor
Raena Worley, Kentucky (Feb. 2)
After so many near-perfect routines, Worley FINALLY gets her 10.0—the first one of her career—on floor. I’m happy to report it was a true 10.0, and I particularly enjoyed her pointed toes and knees together during her full-in.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Haleigh Bryant, LSU (Feb. 2)
Deductions
Foot adjustment (-0.05)
Under rotation of turn (-0.05)
Bryant’s double front is very impressive, but it was overpowered in this routine. She had a large step forward (not controlled), so much that her back foot slid forward to maintain control of the landing. She also is only about seven-eighths of the way around on her switch leap full, which you can tell by the way she adjusts her feet into her choreography.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Gabby Wilson, Michigan (Feb. 4)
Deductions
Exactness of tuck position (-0.05)
Uneven split (-0.05)
Wilson’s full-in is high and powerful, but her tuck is so open it almost looks like a layout with bent knees. The screenshot is from her first flip, and her hips stay open throughout the skill. A true tuck should have at least a 90-degree bend of both the knees and the hips, and she is nowhere near that position here. Plus, although she is more than capable of hitting a 90-degree split, she was a little off following her switch side half, which made her straddle jump uneven. This may be a 10 from most NCAA judges, especially if they have a bad angle for the straddle jump, but it wasn’t deduction-free.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Mya Hooten, Minnesota (Feb. 10)
Deductions
Exactness of turn (-0.1)
Hooten’s tumbling is undeniable when she hits, but every single routine I’ve seen her do, she over-turns her switch side. I wish she would do the same series as Gabby Wilson and do a switch side half to straddle jump so I could finally give her the five-star 10.0.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Jessica Hutchinson, Denver (Feb. 11)
Deductions
Hop on landing (-0.05)
Hutchinson is one of my favorite gymnasts to watch because the extension and precision in her form is truly exquisite. However, this wasn’t a 10 from me as you can see she does the hop to lunge to cover up a slightly under-rotated front double full.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Gabby Wilson, Michigan (Feb. 16)
Deductions
Exactness of tuck position (-0.05)
It’s almost an identical routine to her last 10.0, except her jumps were better here.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Aleah Finnegan, LSU (Feb. 16)
In such a star-studded LSU floor line-up, Finnegan brings her choreography and difficulty to another level.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Aleah Finnegan, LSU (Feb. 23)
Deductions
Rhythm? (-0.05)
Honestly, I’m not sure if I would take this or how I would justify it, other than she jumped instead of rebounded, which made the connection seem slow and less authentic than her previous 10. Otherwise, another fantastic performance by Finnegan.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Leanne Wong, Florida (Feb. 23)
Deductions
Leg form (-0.05)
Pike down (-0.05)
Kathy Johnson Clarke said it best: “If you can tell a gymnast has knees during a skill in layout position, they are not perfectly straight.” Leanne had a minor knee bend and a pike down on her double layout, a new skill for her this year. Otherwise, it’s a 10-worthy routine.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Grace McCallum, Utah (Feb. 23)
Deductions
Foot form (-0.05)
Leg form (-0.05)
Foot adjustment (-0.05)
McCallum’s first 10.0 on floor was a great routine, but she had some foot form issues in her first pass and staggered leg placement, as well as a clear bounce backward out of her second tumbling pass.
Rating: ⭐⭐
eMjae Frazier, California (Feb. 25)
Deductions
Pike down (-0.05)
Failure to close legs (-0.05)
Frazier has a beautiful floor routine with the perfect combination of grace and power in her tumbling and dance. Being super picky, she pikes down on her double layout and also doesn’t complete her ring jump, landing with her feet staggered instead of fully closed. She hides it well in her choreography, but this simple error should have been a deduction.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Article by Rhiannon Franck
Rhiannon Franck is a former national-rated NAWGJ women’s gymnastics judge with over 15 years of USAG judging experience and nine seasons judging NCAA gymnastics. Outside of gymnastics, Franck works at a university as a nursing professor and loves to travel. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
I have to say this column is like the one piece of journalism I look the most forward to every month XD I am relatively new to NCAA (only have watched 3 years) and try to keep score as I go along to kind of learn everything and this validates the WAIT AM I CRAZY feeling I have while watching meets! Also, you really get to understand deductions with all the clips you give.