In the summer of 2022, the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Committee released its annual meeting minutes in regards to rules changes. One of the biggest changes the Committee decided on was the increased difficulty requirement for balance beam dismounts. We analyzed routines performed by every gymnast who competed a balance beam routine at a Power Five school (Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-12) from 2022 and 2023 to see how the code changes impacted how beam routines were composed.
Starting with this past season, all dismounts are required to have a minimum value of C or higher. Previously, gymnasts could either perform a C-rated dismount or compete a B-rated dismount, as long as it was immediately preceded by a D-rated acrobatic skill on the beam, such as a front or side aerial. The most popular combination of B and D-rated elements competed prior to the change was the side aerial to back full with a twist. Overall this is a positive change in terms of adding additional difficulty. For individual gymnasts it has been a bit of a puzzle, since they were forced to re-evaluate their dismounts and rearrange their routines to meet the new requirements.
In terms of the effect this code change had on team lineups overall, we found that the Utah beam lineup was the most impacted, with…
