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First Time Fans to Gymnastics!

The University of Michigan (U-M) Women’s Gymnastics meets offer people of all ages the opportunity to watch elite gymnastics in a fun and exciting atmosphere. Attending a meet allows you to experience a collegiate athletic event where nationally ranked teams compete and also treats you to several fan-friendly activities including promotional give-a-ways and athlete autograph sessions. From students to young children to seasoned fans, our meets offer something for everyone and we hope you become a part of the tradition!

If you are attending a U-M Women’s Gymnastics meet for the first time, here are a few things you will need to know:

@ Meets, in the Stands...

Tickets:
Tickets for gymnastics meets are reasonably priced: $5 for adults and $3 for children. University of Michigan students and staff can attend for free by showing their student ID (MCard). Tickets can be purchased at the door prior to the meet.

Venues:
Currently all home meets will be held at Crisler Arena (in prior years, meets were at times held in Cliff Keen Arena). Please refer to the schedule for the dates and times of this season’s meets. You can also obtain directions and parking information online.

• Doors usually open 1.5 hours before the meet begins. By arriving early, you will also be able to watch team warm-ups and enter any kids into the Honorary Gymnast contest.
• Security at Crisler Arena has been heightened over the past two years. Your purse, handbag, or any other type of bag may be searched. If you are planning on attending a meet, please allow extra time for these extra security measures.
• Crisler Arena’s concessions stands are open during the meets with beverages, pizza, hot dogs, and pretzels among other things.

Seating:
All seating for U-M Gymnastics meets is general admission. However, by joining the 10.0 Booster Club, you can enjoy reserved seating, which gets you closer to the action. Also, if you are a student or young alumni, you should migrate to the corner of the floor exercise and sit with the student fan section.

Photos:
Fans are allowed to take pictures during the meets, but flash photography is strictly prohibited, as it is extremely distracting to the athletes. If you are planning on taking pictures at the meets, please ensure that the flash on your camera is turned off.

Cheering:
For those fans who are used to sports at places like the Big House or Yost, it is the norm to be screaming at all times, whether for your team or against the opponents. While we definitely support an energetic crowd at UMgym, it might take you a meet or two to understand when it is most appropriate to let out a cheer. As long as you are not disrupting the athletes (home or opponents) during their actual routines, you generally will be fine.

Clapping is appropriate after a completed routine, but don’t get too carried away, especially if someone else is performing on another apparatus or a gymnast is ‘on deck” with their game face on. You can tell when a gymnast is just about to start her routine as soon as the main judge acknowledges her (after finishing comments on the prior routine) and vice versa.

The best times to go crazy, dance along to Usher, or flash your “Eray-4-President” sign are during change-overs between rotations, when all the athletes are on the move and on their pre-routine warm-ups as a group. Show everyone you are proud AND respectful to be a Michigan Wolverine! Note: in case this was way too much info on ‘how to cheer’ then just come and look at what the fans in the GymFantry are doing. Or just come and cheer.

@ Meets, on the Arena Floor...

Events:
There are four events in women’s gymnastics: vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise. Six members from each team compete in each of the events. Each event typically takes about 20 minutes to complete, with the length of a full meeting lasting 1.5 to 2 hours.

Rotations:
A gymnastics meet is divided into four “rotations”. Each team competes on one event at a time. For instance, if Michigan is competing in vault, the team that we are competing against will be on uneven bars. When only two schools are competing at a meet, athletes will alternate so that spectators can see all routines. When multiple schools are competing at one meet, competition on each event takes place simultaneously.

Judging & Scoring:
The skills or moves incorporated into each gymnast’s routine (for each event) have a value, that when combined, lead to a “start value”. Start values are typically 10.0 or 9.9. Deductions are taken when skills or moves are not performed correctly (for instance, weak form, bobbles, and falls). A fall during a routine results in an automotive 0.5 deduction.

Two judges score each event. At the end of each athlete’s routine, each judge’s score is shown on his or her respective display board. The judges’ scores are averaged together to get the final score. The athlete’s score for that event is then shown on the head judge’s display board (which is raised to indicate that it is the final score).

On each event, the lowest score from each team is dropped and the remaining five scores are then averaged together for the final team score on that apparatus. Since each team event has a maximum score of 10.0, the most points a team can score in a meet is 200. The University of Michigan will usually score between 193.00 and 198.00

Because things move quite fast, it is often difficult to keep track of all the individual and team scores as a meet goes forward. So if you really want to keep track of scores well, grab a program and tabulate them yourself!

Awards:
At the end of the meet, awards are presented to the top three performers on each event. Additionally, any gymnast who competes in all four events is qualified for the Individual All-Around Award. This award is presented to the athlete whose combined score on all four events is the highest. Team results are announced last; the team with the highest combined score from each of the four events is the team who wins the meet.

For even more information about gymnastics, check out our About Gymnastics section.

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