As the gymnasts start their pre-season training, it’s time for fans to prepare their brains and eyes for the beautiful gymnastics they’re likely to see in 2024. For the casual viewer, bars can be the hardest event to understand, follow, and appreciate. A good bar worker swings and floats between and above the bars in a way that is effortless. However, understanding the names, shapes, and values of the different skills can be difficult.
To help, I created a video to explain the general formula for an NCAA bar routine, the most common skills you’ll see, how they’re different from other similar skills, and their names and difficulty values. The focus is on circling elements, release elements (both single-bar release and those between the bars), and pirouettes. My hope is that after watching the video, you will be better prepared to appreciate and weigh in on the routines you see throughout the season.
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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.
