About the Flip Crew

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1. Where do the Gymnastics Teams host their meets?
The Gymnastics Teams host their meets at Huff Hall. [See it on a map]


2. What events are at a Men’s Gymnastic meet?

  • Floor Exercise: The entire floor area must be used during the exercise. The exercise is composed of tumbling passes in various directions, of which must include one forward and one backward- all of which cannot be repeated more than one time during the routine. The gymnast must also perform a balance element and transition skills done with proper rhythm and harmony. For males, the floor exercise must last between 50 to 70 seconds and choreographed to music.
  • Pommel Horse: All three areas of the horse must be covered, the middle and both ends. The movements on the apparatus are continuous and are only interrupted by a required scissors element. The only part of the body that should touch the horse is the hand.
  • Still Rings: One requirement of a still rings routine consists of at least two handstands one from a front swing and the other from a backswing. Other strength elements include; iron cross, inverted cross and planche. The rings must remain still throughout the routine. Points are taken off for unnecessary swings and instability.
  • Parallel Bars: A parallel bars routine consists of swing and flight elements. Strength movements may be used but there are no more than three stop movements allowed during the routine. Some required skills for this apparatus include swinging elements and a release move.
  • Horizontal Bar: Routines on the horizontal bar consist of a series of swinging parts without stops. Gymnasts are required to execute at least one move in which they release and regrasp the bar as well as an element passing through the lower vertical with both hands in a rearways hang.
  • Vault: The vault involves a large amount of strength. This event utilizes a quick sprint followed by a jump off of a spring board, repulsion from the vaulting apparatus and ends with a steady landing. A gymnast must stick their landing after contact with the horse by not taking extra steps after completing the series of movements.


3. What events are at a Women’s Gymnastics meet?

  • Floor Exercise: The entire floor area must be used during the exercise. The exercise is composed of tumbling passes in various directions, of which must include one forward and one backward- all of which cannot be repeated more than one time during the routine. The gymnast must also perform a balance element and transition skills done with proper rhythm and harmony. Finally, the floor exercise must last between 70 and 90 seconds and choreographed to music.
  • Vault: The vault involves a large amount of strength. This event utilizes a quick sprint followed by a jump off of a spring board, repulsion from the vaulting apparatus and ends with a steady landing. A gymnast must stick their landing after contact with the horse by not taking extra steps after completing the series of movements.
  • Balance Beam: The balance beam requires flexibility, amplitude and good balance to perform advanced skills on a four inch beam. A beam routine lasts between 70 and 90 seconds covering the entire beam, including skills with acrobatic elements, jumps and choreography.
  • Uneven Bars: The routine for the uneven bars requires a series of swings and flight movements between the high and low bars. Two release elements are found in each routine and movements should flow smoothly from one to the next. Dismounts can include anything from 1 or more saltos and a number of twists.


4. How are Men's college gymnastics meets scored?

  • 4-6 judges sit at each apparatus
  • 2 judges determine the start value based on difficulties and bonus maneuvers
  • Each judge scores independently
  • The high and low scores are dropped, while the other scores are averaged for a final score
  • There is no longer a highest score in men’s gymnastics.  Gymnasts can earn more than 10 points for each event.

 

5. How are Women's college gymnastics meets scored?

  • 4-6 judges sit at each apparatus
  • 2 judges determine the start value based on difficulties and bonus maneuvers
  • Each judge scores independently
  • The high and low scores are dropped, while the other scores are averaged for a final score
  • The highest possible score is a 10.0 or perfect 10

 

MEN'S SEASON RECAP:

Men’s Gymnastics had a great run this past season, they finished 6thas a team at the NCAA Tournament, with 4 athletes qualifying for Event Finals. These athletes were Vince Smurro who finished 10th on Floor, Mike Wilner who finished 5th on Rings, Austin Phillips who finished 2nd on High Bar and Georgia native, freshman Fred Hartville who finished FIRST IN THE NATION on vault! Although it was a hard fall from the National Championship from the year before, the impressive individual finishes were very heartening for the team.

 

Throughout their season, the Flip Crew did all they could to cheer the men on to victories, which we think improved as we educated sports fans who weren’t very familiar with gymnastics on basic events, rules and scoring. Coach Spring made it clear that he wanted gymnastics to be treated like any other competitive NCAA sport; meaning he wanted us to be loud and proud and he didn’t care if the cheering was positive for us or negative for them, he just wanted it to be a fun, lively atmosphere that fans would want to come back to.

 

We tried to achieve this for him, with a lot of help from the DIA and their announcer, by starting new traditions at games such as the “halfway wave” and the “stuck dismount” cheer. These cheers kept the crowd lively and engaged when they were there, but what got many of them to come were our incentives, such as, a cart-wheel of fortune prize wheel, Papa Dells Pizza, a Krush Roadtrip point and shirts signed by the team.

 

It was a great season overall and the members who came to Flip Crew made that happen, thank you so much for your support of these athletes, it really meant a lot to them and to us. Thanks for helping to make Flip Crew the best gymnastics student cheering section in the nation!

 

WOMEN'S SEASON RECAP:

It was certainly an exciting year for Women’s Gymnastics here at Illinois! The women earned their third ever trip to the NCAA tournament by securing a second place finish at Regionals, just behind Michigan. “The team's 196.025 was the second highest score recorded by the Illini at an NCAA regional, behind the 2009 squad's 196.7. The second qualifying spot was up for grabs throughout the entire night in Morgantown, as it came down to the final routine in the final rotation. Nebraska once again excelled at their best event a.k.a. vault, quickly tallying a 49.650, forcing the Illini to score greater than a 49.025 on balance beam.

 

Unfazed by the pressure, the trio of Amber See, Elizabeth McNabb and Sarah Fiedler all accomplished 9.8's. Sophomore Sunny Kato then followed with a 9.875. Then the veteran Alina Weinstein booked the trip to Los Angeles with her third 9.9 of the night. Furthermore, the Illini's 49.175 on beam was the highest score on the apparatus all day. Following a bye during the first rotation, the Illini began the meet on floor where they posted a 48.950. Giana O'Connor tied for seventh place with a 9.825. Also contributing scores were Jordan Naleway (9.75), Heather Foley (9.7) and Amber See (9.775) Illinois moved to vault next where the squad posted a 48.975. Foley and O'Connor knocked down a 9.8 each. Next, Jaclyn Kantecki and Amber See provided a 9.75 and 9.725, respectively. After sitting out their second bye, the Illini scored a 48.925 on the uneven bars. O'Connor (9.8), Kantecki (9.75), Kato (9.75) and Fiedler (9.775) all provided crucial scores towards the Illini cause before the squad clinched the trip to California on beam.  Also to note, in her first collegiate regionals competition, freshman Giana O'Connor made the all-around podium tying for sixth place with a 39.175.” –fightingillini.com

 

One athlete who had an incredible season was Senior, Alina Weinstien.  Alina had been killing it on the floor all season , breaking the record and then hitting that record again twice but more incredible that that, the New Jersey native earned the First-Team All-American distinction on floor at the NCAA Championships when she placed first in her session in the event with a 9.9. It was her second NCAA All-American honor in her career. Furthermore, she now holds the top all-around score at Illinois with a 39.625 and was the second Illini ever to score a perfect 10.0, capturing the elusive score on vault. If you can’t imagine it could get better, IT DOES. Alina Weinstein has been named one of four finalists for the 2013 Honda Award for gymnastics, honoring the nation's top gymnast. Weinstein becomes the first Illini gymnast to remain in the running for the coveted award. Since its inception in 1985, the Honda Sports Award acknowledges athletic achievement as well as scholastics and community involvement, and is given to female athletes in 12 different NCAA sanctioned sports throughout the year. When the winner has been announced, the deserving student-athlete will then be eligible for the Honda Cup, which credits the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year.

 

Flip Crew promoted the women’s home meet’s all season, getting a sizable student attendance and retaining many of those students because of the implementation of fun, new traditions, like the halfway wave and the “stuck landing” cheer, with a lot of help from the DIA. Flip Crew also gave out awesome t-shirts to anyone who made it to three meets (girls and boys combined) along with other great incentives like DK hot chocolate, Illini Snuggie and mug raffles, an ice cream sundae bar, a raffle for shirts signed by the team and a Krush Roadtrip point. We had a really great season supporting the gymnasts and I know they appreciated our enthusiasm and dedication, so thank you to everyone who came and helped make Flip Crew the best gymnastics student cheering section in the nation!