The structure of college gymnastics builds routines for consistency, accuracy, and perfect execution. Coaches may choose to limit the amount of challenging, riskier skills to increase the chances of a hit routine, and a lineup can turn repetitive very quickly. Occasionally, a brave soul with trusting coaches will throw an interesting element to stun the audience and judges alike. Whether because of high difficulty or uniqueness, the following skills are rarely seen in the NCAA.
Vault
The most common vault entry would no doubt be a Yurchenko, followed closely by a Tsukahara or a front handspring. The speedy routine and stationary table heavily favor the common entries, which are difficult enough on their own. In contrast, these athletes utilize interesting variations of the usual suspects to reach their desired start value and shine on the event.
Yurchenko full-on to pike – Emma Silberman (Maryland)
With a full twist entry, it’s hard to get the proper block off the table to complete the element. Silberman nails the vault with a controlled pike and a stuck landing.
Front handspring to front tuck half – Kaelyn Tally (Simpson)
Tally is well known for her consistency on vault and has a sky-high block for excellent height in the front half. It’s one to watch on repeat.
Yurchenko half-on to front layout – Sunisa Lee (Auburn)
A front layout from an initial back entry vault is incredibly difficult to execute, yet Lee performs this feat like it’s nothing. Lee’s affinity for layout skills can be seen in her old training videos on bars as well.
The Gymnastics Spot compiled an excellent video showcasing the wide spectrum of vaults in the NCAA, watch it here.
Bars
The basic formula to craft a 10.0 start value on bars typically includes a single bar release, low-to-high bar transition, high-to-low bar transition, and a dismount. Those elements can be combined and played to a wide variety, so bars usually sees more intrigue than vault, at least. The following are examples of the above and beyond.
Bhardwaj (Pak with a full) – Frida Esparza (UCLA)
Esparza became known as a bars specialist in her time competing for UCLA. Her experience competing a jam-packed routine at the elite level allowed her to feel at ease when performing in college, slipping in a tricky Bhardwaj like it’s nothing.
Comaneci (single-bar release) – Georgia Dabritz (Utah)
Like its namesake, the Comaneci is an old-school style release done out of a kip. Dabritz leans into retro gymnastics further by refraining from using grips—an incredibly rare sight in college-level competition.
Deltchev (single-bar release) – Natalie Wojcik (Michigan)
Wojcik’s Deltchev is otherworldly. Clean and casual with incredible height, connected directly to an overshoot. We’re not embarrassed to admit that we’ve watched her Deltchev over 300 times.
Double front with a half twist (dismount) – Audrey Davis (Oklahoma)
Davis performs a unique front flipping dismount and slides in an extra half twist before the landing. While this is already uncommon, she enters the skill from an L-grip swing to showcase extreme shoulder flexibility.
Beam
Routines on beam are given a minute and a half time limit, allowing for more freedom and flexibility in composition. At four inches wide and four feet tall, gymnasts are stereotypically averse to beam. Athletes experiment to find what skills work best for them to stay on the event and show off their prowess.
Standing Tuck Full – Samantha Peszek (UCLA)
Peszek’s gymnastics has gone down in history multiple times, winning the NCAA championships beam title twice in her career as a Bruin. Her standing tuck full is a signature move that she executes perfectly. She didn’t have to add it, but she nailed it anyway.
Front aerial, front aerial (series) – Helen Hu (Missouri)
No, this is not just another excuse to show you Hu’s beam. The 2025 beam champion has a slew of difficult and rarely competed skills packed into her routine, so much so that she has it tattooed on her arm. Most gymnasts don’t even compete one front aerial on beam, but Hu lines up two in a row and hits it every single time.
Side aerial to layout step-out (series) – Kara Eaker (Georgia)
Eaker combines two flight skills for her series, but it’s the direction change that bumps up the riskiness. Not many gymnasts can pull off this combination without major wobbles.
Side aerial layout full (dismount) – Danusia Francis (UCLA)
We see a lot of dismounts off the side of the beam these days, but Francis might take the cake when it comes to creativity. Not only does she perform a side aerial transversely on the beam (an incredible feat in itself), but she connects it to a back layout full. It’s likely we will never see a dismount like this again.
Floor
If beam is a chance for creativity, things get turned up a notch on floor. With individual music choices, dance styles, and the number of passes, an athlete has near-total freedom in how they fulfill the basic requirements to perform a judge-pleasing, audience-entertaining routine.
Biles I – Brie Clark (Clemson)
Clark successfully competed the double layout with a half twist for Clemson this past season. With it, she made history as the first gymnast to perform the skill in a college-level competition.
Double front – Haleigh Bryant (LSU)
Bryant’s well-controlled double front is unmatched in height and consistency.
Silivas (double-twisting double tuck) – Jade Carey (Oregon State)
Such a powerful skill is nothing to the 2020 Olympic champion on floor. But at the college level, it is a rarity to see someone throw such a big tumbling pass. Carey’s stellar execution makes it all the better.
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Article by Frances Leadman
How could you leave off Gabby Perea’s beam dismount series? It was stunning.