Rhythmic gymnastics:

Poetry in motion!

The London 2012 Olympic Games may now be behind us but the extravaganza of the closing ceremony and the remarkable performances of athletes from around the world in the varied fields , especially the lightning-like run made by the greatest sprinter ever,Usain Bolt will linger in our memories for a long time to come.

Every sport you witnessed at the Games whether in the athletics ,swimming or any other field no doubt has its own special attraction, but none can dispute the fact that out of all these, the one sport that speaks volumes for the grace of movement of body is none other than rhythmic gymnastics. Those of you who watched the world's best gymnasts in action at the 2012 Games would no doubt have been mesmerized by their sheer talent.

Rhythmic gymnastics may seem so easy to you due to the dexterity and ease in which the contestants perform the various moves with the rope,clubs,ball,hoops and ribbons but in reality it is not so. Just as much as the sports contestants participating in other fields , the gymnasts too have to put in a lot of hard work and be totally dedicated to what they do, because, no matter how much practice one has a single wrong move can cost the contestant the medal,as was proven on several occasions at the recent Olympic Games.

Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport that combines elements of ballet, gymnastics, dance, and apparatus manipulation .In fact ,it is a graceful display of dexterity, versatility, artistry , emotion and a whole lot more. It's simply poetry in motion. The gymnast who always presents herself in glamourous attire has to be very precise in every rhythmic move she makes, and perform even the most difficult moves, with ease to score high points, especially in the category marked 'Difficulty'. The entire performance is judged on three categories;difficulty,artistry and execution. Gymnasts can participate either as individual performers or as a team but they all have to show their skills using four different apparatus, the ball, clubs, ribbon and hoop ,to emerge overall winners.

Rules and apparatus used

It is a sport in which individuals or teams of competitors (2 or more people) manipulate one or two pieces of apparatusSome of the apparatus used are rope, clubs, hoop, ball, ribbon .Sometimes (no apparatus are used. At the London Olympics 4 apparatus were used ;clubs, hoop, ball, ribbon . An individual athlete only manipulates 1 apparatus at a time. When multiple gymnasts are performing a routine together a maximum of two types of apparatus may be distributed through the group. An athlete can exchange apparatus with a team member at any time through the routine. Therefore, an athlete can manipulate up to two different pieces of apparatus through the duration of the routine.

The victor is the participant who earns the most points, determined by a panel of judges, for leaps, balances, pirouettes (pivots), flexibilities, apparatus handling, execution, and artistic effect.

The governing body is the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), The FIG selects which apparatus will be used in competitions; only four out of the five possible apparatuses are sanctioned. Up to 2010, the clubs were not used at the Senior level. For 2011 rope was dropped for senior national, then in 2012 it will be dropped for junior national, and in 2013 it will be dropped in novice, and will continue to be dropped through the years descending national to provincial to interclub until eventually rope will be completely out of rhythmic gymnastics.

International competitions are split between Juniors, under sixteen by their year of birth; and Seniors, for women sixteen and over again by their year of birth. Gymnasts in Russia and Europe typically start training at a very young age and those at their peak are typically in their late teens (15-19) or early twenties.

The largest events in the sport are the Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup and Grand-Prix Tournaments. Only females participate at the Olympics Games. Rhythmic gymnastics does not give individual medals for each apparatus. Medals are only awarded to the all-round champion - the person whose scores on all four apparatus totals the most.

Competitors are required to use the entire floor area during their routines. They should not favour either hand during the routine, instead maintaining a balance between left and right-hand work. The apparatus should remain in motion constantly.There is a time limit of 75-90 seconds for each routine, with 0.05 of a point deducted for every second over or under the limit.

Each routine must end with the apparatus touching some part of the competitor's body. The routine and music must end simultaneously. Coaches are forbidden from communicating with the gymnast, musician or judges during a routine.

In rhythmic gymnastics there are three judging panels: technical, artistic and execution. The technical judges assess the level of difficulty within the routine, giving a mark out of five for the individual event and four points for group events. Artistic judges look at the routine's choreography, musical accompaniment, choice of apparatus, body movements, originality and mastery. They also give a mark out of five for individual routines and six for group events, which are weighted more heavily in favour of artistry.

Execution judges look at the precision of apparatus and body movements, looking at expression and technical faults. In both individual and group events the execution judges give marks out of 10. In the individual event, the marks are added to give a score out of 20, which is then halved to give a score out of 10. For group routines, the total score is not halved, and remains out of 20. Judges penalise performers by 0.05 of a point for slight errors, 0.1 of a point for small errors and 0.2 or 0.3 of a point for more serious errors. More serious deductions are made if gymnasts leave the floor area or lose control of their apparatus.

Facts and pix: Internet

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Rope -The rope is made out of hemp or synthetic material, and is proportional to the size of the gymnast. Swings, wraps, figure-eight-type movements, throws and catches of the rope, and jumps and leaps through the open or folded rope are performed .

Hoop - The hoop is made of wood or plastic, and is 31-35 inches in its interior diameter. Rolls, high tosses and catches of the hoop, spins, and passes through and over the hoop will all be executed by the gymnast.

Ball - The ball is made from rubber or synthetic material and is 7-7.8 inches in diametre. Very bright-coloured balls are not allowed, and the only pattern permitted on the ball is a geometric one. The athletes will perform body waves, throws and catches, balances, and bouncing and rolling of the ball.

Clubs - The two clubs are of equal length, about 16-20 inches long. Clubs are made from wood or synthetic material and weigh about 5.2 ounces each. Circles (the clubs swing parallel to each other) and mills (the clubs swing opposite each other), throws and catches with the clubs as a unit and with the clubs separately, and rhythmical tapping are all skills in a club routine.

Ribbon - The ribbon is a single strip, made of satin or a non-starched material, attached to a stick made of wood or synthetic materials. The ribbon is about 6.5 yards long, and 1.5-2.3. inches wide. The stick is 19.5-23.4 inches long and only 4 inches wide. The gymnast will create all sorts of patterns with the ribbon, including spirals, circles, snakes and figure-eights. She'll also throw and catch the ribbon. It must always stay in motion throughout the entire routine. Compulsory elements for the ribbon include flicks, circles, snakes and spirals, and throws. It requires a high degree of co-ordination to form the spirals and circles as any knots which may accidentally form in the ribbon are penalised and any elements done while there is still a knot in the ribbon acquire additional deductions.