“Doesn’t Represent Florida Or Oklahoma’ Neutral Deduction”: Record-Breaking Spectacle At NCAA Gymnastics Meet Stirs Scoring Debate Across Internet

Gymnastics is one of the sports to have scores entrusted into the hands of judges. Athletes and spectators have often doubted and argued on the topic and the slight imbalance it might carry. While the talks have lingered on the down low amongst the enthusiasts, it has still persisted. Today, as the NCAA gymnastics season takes precedence, the topic might have found its way up social media platforms.

The factors of biases, oversight, and inaccuracies have been floating challenges to gymnastics judges. Though the governing bodies have set regulations in place to monitor justified functioning, certain situations do not seem to sit right with the fans. Michigan University Sierra Brooks’ scoring during Friday’s NCAA meet stood to be one such instance.

Sierra Brooks fetches record-breaking score

On the 12th of January, Michigan University went against Stanford for their 2nd meet of the season. With a well-seasoned team, the Wolverines managed to clinch a comfortable win with 197.725-193.625 on board. However, amidst all, graduate Sierra Brooks’ unblemished record-breaking all-around score of 39.825 came to be a highlight. And more specifically, her score on the vault amounting to  9.975. One of the fans, picking on the moment, took to X to share their opinion. “Can we replace literally every single NCAA judge because wth is this score,” the post read with Brooks’ vault performance.

Brooks played an integral role in the Michigan gymnastics team, closing out every apparatus with her performance. The gymnast scored 10 on the floor, 9.975 on vault and beam, and finally a 9.900 on uneven bars. But Brooks’ hop during the vault performance away from the rest marked the beginning of a debate on the score amongst fans.

Gymnastics fans express disagreement

One fan disagreeing with the scoring and practice in general expressed their disappointment, saying, “Like I’m sick. And tired!”

Another one disagreed with the scores hinting that a deduction wouldn’t have been necessary and remarked that a few years early, the performance would have been scored higher. “She got the “doesn’t represent Oklahoma or Florida” neutral deduction,” the tweet read.

One of the users was of the opinion that the score was high, sparking further imbalance in gymnastics scoring. “This is just the beginning of the scoring inflation,” the post read.

However, there were also people of different opinions. While one pointed out the performance being crisp, the other explained that Brooks hopped a little while the rest remained perfect, suggesting a justification in scoring.

Another one of the fans took the opportunity to shed light on situations elsewhere. “Check yourselves with the Florida and Oklahoma scores because it’s happening everywhere,” it read.

While the speculations continue to be ever-existing, the gymnastics governing body continue with their efforts to put forth standardized scoring criteria.

Also Read: “Pretty Challenging”: Amidst NCAA Gymnastics 2024 Season, Jade Carey Gets Candid on Her Struggles

Equanimity and egalitarian scoring are the way forward for this sport.

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