So long 10.0

One week ago the National gymnastics team returned to Deva from their training camp in Poiana Brasov. "This year we lucked out and didn't get any snow. We really needed it for our physical preparation. That's why we came back a few days earlier, because without snow the gymnasts could train at Deva just as well," said head coach Octavian Belu.

Together with assistant coach Mariana Bitang, they're trying to get the gymnasts ready for the new routines required by the latest COP. The code changes once every 4 years, so a beam or floor routine that would have scored well in Sydney are now worthless, once the new code went into effect on January first. The changes made were an attempt to increase the sport's speed and showmanship, creating a balance between the artistic and the athletic part of a routine. Just like the International soccer federation did last year, when they brought in new rules for the goalies to make the game more dynamic. "The new code of points will modernize the routines and make extensive use of the coaches' imagination. These new rules are trying to maintain the identity of the sport. The COP changes through methodical progress. I think that from now on there will be no more 10's in gymnastics. Actually, I think that's what was wanted," he explained. Andreea Răducan, the new team leader, believes that "in a way, we'll start over. It's like we're learning a new alphabet."

Octavian Belu also added he will not send his A team to the tri-meet (ITC) that will be held in the US in March. "We'll send our up-and-coming girls there. For example, I can't go there with Andreea Răducan and I have good reasons to say so. Now the COP's changed. Accommodating to it is fairly hard. If she were to make a mistake over there, the judges would be ruthless, not to mention there is a judging mentality. They always remember mistakes, and take them into account at official competitions. They form a bad image [of the gymnast]. We have to take these things into account as well."

The FIG approved the new vault, a "table" called Pegasus, set to be used at Worlds in November. Unlike the traditional vaulting horse, Pegasus has only one supporting leg, "It's a drastic change. On the other hand, the FIG decided to only have one vault in the team competition instead of two, so we'll only have one score on vault from now on," added Belu. The first Pegasus model was manufactured by the Dutch company of Jansen & Fritsen and presented at the 10997 Worlds. The German firm Spieth is the only other world-wide manufacturer for the still pricey new vault. The apparatus was tested at last moth's Olympic Gala in Antwerp by Russian gymnasts Elena Zamolodchikova, Svetlana Khorkina and Alexei Nemov.

Maria Olaru, former world all-around champion, retired from the sport because of the new COP. "The routines I used to do aren't worth anything anymore," she said "and I'm sure it would have been hard for me, almost impossible, to adapt to these new rules. I always took longer than my teammates to come back, either after being injured, or after a hard competition."

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