A Note on Lunges.....

Everyone seems to be discussing what could be done to better the code lately. I plan on also writing my own ideas on this, perhaps in multiple installments. Heck, that was a big motivation for my creating this blog (I really need to get down to that)!

Bruno Grandi released a statement about the need for this after Worlds. His comments were perfunctory, stupid, and uninspiring as always, but one small point made its way into a huge number of the comments- lunges.

I've never understood the nostalgia of the lunge among the gymternet. I never thought they were overwhelmingly graceful, beautiful, or artistic. I thought they looked- well, like you couldn't stick your landing. Most strange to me is the thought by many that a lunge added artistry in any way. It was a step back out of a tumble. In no way did it add anything to the overall beauty, emotional depth, performance quality, or musicality of the routine. Lunges simply were an exit to a skill. Not a unique or a creative one, an exit everyone used. A stuck landing (with the proper upright chest position) is much more pleasing to see. It shows ultimate control and is the perfect exclamation point to a glorious tumbling pass. Think of the satisfaction and excitement of the perfect stuck finish to Aly Raiman's mind-blowing first pass or Simone's drilled landing on her eponymous skill at Classics. No lunge could ever compare.

On the other hand, a lunge is infinitely nicer to the muddy steps and other fudged landings which have become common since the debunking of the lunge. While a lunge may not display the pinnacle of control, a muddy landing is just ugly. I think there needs to be a way to reward perfect sticks while encouraging lunges as the alternative. In this way, I think the whole stick bonus thing might not be such a stupid idea. A lunge wouldn't need to be deducted, but a stick could be rewarded. The motivation is still there to stick, but better to lunge than to fudge the landing. A tenth for every stick might be overkill and unfair, as there are four possible tenths there that aren't available on the other events. However, I think a one tenth bonus for sticking at least two passes- and maybe even two tenths if all four passes are stuck- would be fair and reasonable, as well as doing the job of rewarding stuck landings without having to sacrifice lunges. The best of both worlds!