What are the different gymnastics levels?
Lori is right… there are ten levels in the Junior Olympic program, with Level 1 being the easiest and Level 10 being the hardest. The first three levels are training levels, and competition starts at Level 4. Levels 4-6 are compulsory levels – meaning that everyone performs the same routines. Levels 7-10 are optionals levels – meaning that everyone makes up their own routines. The higher the level, the more difficulty you must include in your routine. After Level 10, you can try out for the Elite Level. That’s the level that Olympic gymnasts compete at. In the Junior Olympic program (Levels 4-10), gymnastics is scored from a 10.00, and points are deducted if you make a mistake… such as falling, bending your knees, or leaving out a required skill. At the Elite Level, you actually get two scores. One score is based on what skills you perform; the harder the skills, the more points you get. The other score is based on execution – it starts from a 10.00 and points are deducted for erro
