-Uneven Parallel Bars: Low Bar height- 166 cm+or-1 cm (65"-65.75") (From bottom of rail to floor) High Bar height- 246 cm+or-1 cm (96.5"-97.25") (From bottom of rail to floor) Spread- 130 cm to 180 cm+or-1 cm (50.75"-71.25") (From inside to inside of rails)
-Vault: Height- 125 cm+or-1 cm (48.8"-49.6") (From given measurement point to floor)
-Floor Exercise: Evolved from Tumbling. It is performed to music on a soft pad 39'4" (12 m)
-Rhythmic Gymnastics (formerly known as "Rhythmic Sportive Gymnastics"): Rhythmic Gymnastics is a sport-within-a-sport, which combines Dance and Gymnastics with the use of Balls, Hoops, Ribbons, Ropes, and Clubs (apparatus).
-Men's Gymnastics Exercises: Horizontal Bar, Parallel Bars, Pommel Horse, Vaulting, Floor Exercise, and Rings.
- -In the vaulting events gymnasts: sprint down a 25 meter (about 82 feet) runway, jump onto a beat board - a kind of springboard, (run/ take-off segment), land momentarily, generally inverted on the hands, on the vaulting horse or vaulting table, (pre flight segment), then spring or block off of this platform to a two footed landing (post flight segment). The post flight segment may include one or more multiple salto's or somersaults, and or twisting movements.
- In 2001, the traditional vaulting horse was replaced with a new apparatus, sometimes known as a tongue or table. The new apparatus is more stable, wider, and longer than the older vaulting horse - approx. 1m in length and 1m in width, gives gymnasts a larger blocking surface, and is therefore safer than the old vaulting horse. With the addition of this new, safer vaulting table, gymnasts are attempting more difficult and dangerous vaults.
- -The floor event occurs on a carpeted 12m × 12m square, usually consisting of hard foam over a layer of plywood, which is supported by springs or foam blocks generally called a "sprung" floor. This provides a firm surface that will respond with force when compressed, allowing gymnasts to achieve extra height and a softer landing than would be possible on a regular floor. Female gymnasts perform a choreographed exercise 70 to 90 seconds long. In levels 7 and up, they can choose an accompanying music piece, which must be instrumental and cannot include vocals. In the United States, the other levels must perform a routine that is choreographed for them by USAG and these routines come with music. The routines of a female gymnast consist of tumbling passes, series of jumps, dance elements, acrobatic skills, and turns. A gymnast usually performs three or four tumbling passes that include three or more skills or "tricks". Elite gymnasts can have up to six or seven tumbling passes.
-At the compulsory levels (1-6) gymnasts are judged on a scale of 10, but as they reach the higher levels, particularly levels 9 and 10, the gymnasts' start-values may vary depending upon a number of different factors such as skill level and skill combinations. Also, every skill has a letter grade describing its difficulty. At level nine, to reach a start value of ten, the gymnast has to acquire bonus points, which she can achieve by connecting two or more skills of a certain high level of difficulty.
-Compulsory levels of gymnastics have choreographed routines, and all women competing at that level do the same routines. In the United States, compulsory levels go from 1-6; most gymnasts start at levels 1-4 . In optional level competitions, however, all routines are different and have different floor music. Optional levels in the U.S. include levels 7 - 10 (elite). The Olympics, and college level gymnastics are also optional. In the Olympics, gymnasts are considered elite level gymnasts, which is higher level than the U.S. level 10.
-The discipline of rhythmic gymnastics is competed only by women (although there is a new version of this discipline for men being pioneered in Japan, see Men's rhythmic gymnastics), and involves the performance of five separate routines with the use of five apparatus — ball, ribbon, hoop, clubs, rope — on a floor area, with a much greater emphasis on the aesthetic rather than the acrobatic. Rhythmic routines are scored out of a possible 20 points, and the music used by the gymnast can contain vocals, but may not contain words.-Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility and coordination. Artistic Gymnastics is the best known and most popular of the gymnastics sports governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG). Artistic Gymnastics typically involves the women's events of uneven parallel bars, balance beam, floor exercise, and vault. Men's events include high bar, parallel bars, still rings, floor exercise, vault, and pommel horse. Gymnastics evolved from exercises used by the ancient Greeks, that included skills for mounting and dismounting a horse, and from circus performance skills. Other forms of gymnastics are rhythmic gymnastics, various trampolining sports, and aerobic and acrobatic gymnastics.
-There's 10 levels of gymnastics, plus Elite, which is basically Olympic level.
-The things that most gymnasts wear over their hands on bars are called grips or dowels, and you put water and chalk on them generally to help grip the bar better.
-In woman's gymnastics, every person competes the same routine in their level, up until level 7. Level 7 is considered optional and from 7th to Elite, everyone has separate routines.
-Gymnastics is extremely hard on the body. It requires tons of stretching for flexibility. Tumbling puts a lot of pressure on wrists, feet, knees and the back. Gymnasts often become injured because gymnastics is such a difficult sport on the body and it's easy to land a move the wrong way so you twist/strain/sprain/break something.
-Women have to be 16 to be in the Olympic games which was changed from 14 right after the 1996 Olympics.
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