At regionals, we had nine 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. Since there are four judges at Regionals, the high and low scores are dropped, meaning a gymnast can receive a 10.0 even if one judge gave it a 9.950 or even a 9.900. There were two unanimous regional 10.0s (Aurélie Tran and Jordan Chiles), and one with a 9.900 dropped score (Lincoln). Let’s see who was right.
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. 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
Nikki Smith, Michigan State (April 2)
Deductions
Arm bend (0.050)
Early twist (0.050)
It’s highly unlikely I’d see this slight arm bend from a side view, but the twisted shoulders are more obvious and are likely what the one judge who gave a 9.950 saw.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Kailin Chio, LSU (April 2)
Deductions
Leg separation (0.050)
This is barely a real deduction on vault because it happens so quickly and is incredibly hard to see from a true side view. But perhaps one judge saw it and took a half a tenth for her leg separation. Otherwise, I didn’t see any deductions.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Kailin Chio, LSU (April 4)
Deductions
Balance error (0.050)?
Did she technically lean forward and lift her heels slightly? Yes. Would I take this as a landing deduction? No. That looks like a controlled landing and stick to me, and I doubt I would have seen her heels move in real time.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bars
Skye Blakley, Florida (April 2)
Deductions
Arm bend (0.050)?
Leg separation x2 (0.050 each)
Staggered legs in tuck (0.050)
I realize that I have two-tenths in deductions here, but of these deductions, I think the only ones judges could see from the side were the staggered knees kicking out of her half-turn dismount. The arm bend is very fast, and her arms are fully extended by the time she reaches a handstand. The leg separation in the taps is also very fast and hard to see from the side. I do think they should have taken the leg form on the dismount, though.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Aurelie Tran, Iowa (April 3)
Deductions
Pike down (0.050)
Tran had a bit of a pike down on her dismount, and she landed in an upright position. Her last handstand may have been a tad short, but if it’s within 10 degrees of vertical, there is no deduction. This was definitely a stellar bar routine from Tran.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Beam
Faith Torrez, Oklahoma (April 5)
Deductions
Balance error (0.050)
Balance error (0.050)
Torrez is a veteran on beam and knows how to hide her mistakes well, but if you look closely, there are two small wobbles in her routine. Watch her feet adjust on the landing on her layout. On her full turn, she drops her right shoulder and opens early to try and hide that she’s a tiny bit off.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Floor
Kailin Chio, LSU (April 2)
Deductions
Control on landing (0.050)
The downside of being so good at sticking your landings is that it really shows when the step isn’t controlled, like in this case.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Kaliya Lincoln, LSU (April 4)
Deductions
Underrotation (0.050)
Body shape, front layout (0.050)
Hop on landing (0.050)
Lincoln has the best double layout in the NCAA right now, and I think she is capable of a 10.0 on floor—but not for this routine. She underrotates her tour jete full (she cheats both the take-off and the landing), and she has a pike into her front layout and a hop on the landing. I hate to say it, but I’m with the 9.900 judge on this routine.
Rating: ⭐⭐
Jordan Chiles, UCLA (April 5)
Deductions
Underrotation, wolf full (0.050)
Balance on landing (0.050)
Is it just me or is she a little off on her landing here? She uses her excitement to hide it well, but her feet are barely hanging on and she has to take a step forward to adjust. Her wolf full also lands just shy of a full rotation.
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.
