This month, we had 16 perfect 10s—excluding those that may be scored at WCGNICs—but as fans, athletes, commentators, and seemingly everyone other than the judging panel has acknowledged, not all 10.0s are created, or distributed, equally. Of the 16 perfect 10s this month, nine of them came from three gymnasts: Kailin Chio (4), Selena Harris-Miranda (3), and Jordan Chiles (2). I’ll break down the deductions I saw when watching the videos in real time, and rank the quality of the 10.0 from one to five stars. 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
Kailin Chio, LSU (March 13)
Deductions
Early twist (0.050)
This was an absolutely beautiful vault, but you can see she does start to turn (the way one shoulder is higher than the other) early on the table before she finishes her block.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Arianna Ostrum, Minnesota (March 15)
Deductions
Arm bend/shoulder angle (0.050)
Leg bend (0.050)
This was also a well-executed Yurchenko one and a half, but she does have a bit of a shoulder angle, bent arm, and bent leg on the table. In real time, I caught the left leg bend and something off with her right arm, so I’m surprised neither judge caught either of these errors. The arm bend would have been hard to see from the side, but in motion, it’s easier to see that the block wasn’t 100% clean.
Rating: ⭐⭐
Anna Roberts, Stanford (March 15)
Deductions
Control on landing (0.050)
I know I’m being super picky (that’s my job, right?), but you can tell she’s not quite in full control of her landing, although she does a masterful job of covering it up. The way she immediately hops her feet together, digs her toes into the mat, and leans slightly to the right makes this not a fully clean stick for me.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bars
Jordan Chiles, UCLA (March 7)
Deductions
Arm bend on catch (0.050)
Control on landing (0.050)
Similarly to Roberts’ vault, Chiles is still trying to absorb the power from her massive double layout, bouncing a bit in her stick and digging her toes into the mat. She was also a little close to the bar on the catch of her piked Tkachev. She may also have had a bit of leg form in her taps into her releases and dismount, but I couldn’t tell for certain from the angle and resolution of the video.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Azaraya Ra-Akbar, Alabama (March 8)
Deductions
Control on landing (0.050)
Apparently this technique of standing quickly to regain your balance is the new “college stick” since gymnasts can’t salute and step their way out of a deduction anymore. The way her hips go forward before she completely locks in her landing is a sign she’s not fully in control of her landing. She also had some bent arms on her circling elements that you can see from a front view, but since she locks her arms straight before the handstand and you can’t see the bend from the side (judge’s) view, I didn’t count that against her.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Selena Harris-Miranda, Florida (March 21)
Deductions
Body position (0.050)
We can all agree that her handstands were the best we’ve seen all season. However, on the double layout, Harris pikes her hips on release to generate rotation, but she should be fully straight throughout the layout. She has this deduction in every double layout dismount I’ve seen her perform. She also bends her arms on her toe circle and straightens her arms before she hits a handstand. Per the code, the bent arm deduction is only applicable if it’s weight-bearing, so you could argue that while she is shifting her wrists, her arms aren’t weight-bearing, and a slight bend is permissible. Others may agree or disagree with me, given that this is a subjectively judged sport and each judge applies the rules to the best of their ability.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Beam
Kailin Chio, LSU (March 1)
Deductions
Balance Error, mount (0.050)
Body position, full turn (0.050)
Chio is arguably the most consistent gymnast on beam with multiple 10s this season. In this routine, she has a small balance check on her mount, where her left shoulder drops slightly. I will also continue to point out the imprecise body position on her full turn, which has been consistent in all of her routines as well. I’m sure I would have been booed in the arena if I gave this routine a 9.900, but it was not a true 10.0.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Selena Harris-Miranda, Florida (March 8)
Deductions
Harris-Miranda was absolutely solid and polished on this routine, and I couldn’t find any deductions. I agree that this is a true 10.0.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Selena Harris-Miranda, Florida (March 13)
Deductions
It seems like Harris-Miranda and the Florida coaching staff have cracked the code on beam and found a routine she can perform perfectly and consistently. Even her celebratory jump has perfect form.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Kailin Chio, LSU (March 13)
Deductions
Body precision, full turn (0.050)
Leg bend, front aerial (0.050)
This routine was 100% stuck with no wobbles, but her leg was a little loose on her front aerial, and, again, her full turn position was unclear.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Faith Torrez, Oklahoma (March 21)
Deductions
Balance error (0.050)
This wobble is barely perceptible, so I don’t blame the judges for missing it at all. However, the way her front foot comes up and turns in slightly as her left shoulder slightly drops and right hip slightly rises gives her away.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Floor
JJ Coleman, Ohio State (March 8)
Deductions
Leg separation (0.050)
Precision in turn (0.050)
This was a great routine by Coleman, but she had a minor form break in her full-in. Her dance pass had the very common error where she overturns her switch side and underturns her straddle full. The judges should have seen this and deducted at least a half-tenth.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Kailin Chio, LSU (March 13)
Deductions
I’m not sure who Chio is looking at during one point in her routine, but her eyes say, “That’s gonna be a 10.” And I agree. Her landings were undeniable in this routine, and she brought the control, precision, and execution to her dance and tumbling that we have come to expect from her gymnastics.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Nikki Smith, Michigan State (March 15)
Deductions
Leg/foot form (0.050)
This was a beautiful routine from Smith, and she just had this minor leg/flexed foot issue in her first pass that would have easily been missed depending on the angle of the judges.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Anna Roberts, Stanford (March 15)
Deductions
Foot adjustment/control on landing (0.050)
Precision in turn (0.050)
This was a great routine, but Roberts did step back out because she needed to, not because she wanted to, as the commentators say. Her front foot also slides a tiny bit as well. In her leaps, she overturns her switch half in a very noticeable way (almost a full quarter), and then underturns her straddle full, which in reality should be a tenth to a tenth-and-a-half deduction, but in college should be at least a half-tenth.
Rating: ⭐⭐
Jordan Chiles, UCLA (March 21)
Deductions
Precision in turn (0.050 to 0.100)
Control on landing (0.050)
As many of you noted at home, Chiles was a bit overrotated on her last pass and took a large step back, adjusting her back foot as well. Although that foot would be hard for the judges to see across the floor, the lack of control on the step back is more obvious. Her jumps have been problematic all season. Here, she takes off with her foot facing the left corner and lands facing the line (about 20 degrees short), and then lands her wolf full facing the right corner (another 20 degrees short).
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.
