THE SCORE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ELITE EUROPEN JUNIOR AND SENIOR WOMEN GYMNASTS

Artistic gymnastics is generally determined by the rules of the gymnastics Code of Points and long-term processes of learning gymnastics skills. Though intensive, the career of women gymnasts is relatively short, so with the goal of prolonging it the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) prescribes junior women gymnasts should apply easier dismounts than senior gymnasts. The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics of junior routines (N=88) and their differences in relation to senior routines (N=85) by analysing the variables: difficulty score (DS), execution score (ES), total score of each apparatus (TOTAL) and all-around final score (EPTOTAL), achieved at the 2012 European Championship (Brussels). The study established significant differences between the samples in almost all the analysed scores.