Should We Call Them “Sketchecution Scores?” A Look At Afanasyeva’s Floor Routine

Is Afanasyeva being underscored?

I already touched on a few of the scoring concerns I had in the men’s competition.  Now it’s time to look at a few of the women’s.  This post will be about Afanasyeva’s floor – which many would agree is currently the best in the world.

Ksenia Afanasyeva Floor 2013 World University Games AA

D-score: Either 6.3 or 6.4 (I believe this should be a 6.4, but she received a 6.3 in the team and event finals and also at the European Championships – see my D-score analysis below)

E-score: 8.6 or 8.7!

Final score: 15.0

Did you catch that?  She received an E-score of 8.6 or 8.7 (depending on what D-score they gave) for that beautiful, nearly flawless routine.  I’d say a 9.6 would be way more accurate.

This score perfectly represents the biggest problem in judging these days – failure to properly reward near perfect routines with high execution scores.  It’s as if the judges use different standards for these types of routines.  When there aren’t any of the obvious, larger errors, they nit-pick the routine to death and knock the E-score down into the 8’s – not too much higher than the mediocre routines.  This routine just happens to have the most difficulty of anyone in the meet as well (in fact the most of anyone in the world right now), so when her final tally of 15.0 outscores everyone else, most people don’t question the score.

But in today’s complicated judging, E-scores have a tendency to “hide” behind the final score, and if we’re going to demand fairness in this complex, ever evolving sport, we’re going to have to look at them closely at each competition – and challenge them when necessary.  I’d say this is one of those necessary times.   There’s no way she had 1.3 or 1.4 in deductions in that routine, and the judges should be called out on this.  It might not have made a big difference in this competition, but at the world championships it will.  She should be scoring nearly a 16 for this magnificent work.

Her winning routine at this year’s European Championships was a similar story.  Though it scored slightly higher, the judges still couldn’t bring themselves to hand out a 9 in execution:

Ksenia Afanasyeva Floor 2013 European Championships Event Finals

D-score: 6.3

E-score: 8.866

Final score: 15.166

Sorry, that’s not an 8.866.  If you disagree, please post a comment.

Here’s a look at Afanasyeva’s difficulty, and why I think she should be receiving a 6.4:

I’m not sure if the judges are missing something, or not giving her credit for something, such as the tour jete full turn (Gogean) – if they weren’t giving her full credit for that it would knock that value down to a C, and the D-score down to a 6.3.  But I think hers should be credited, and there certainly isn’t anything else that’s even questionable.

I yearn for the days when 9.6 + routines are given 9.6 + scores….