The Stunt Gym!

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The 40 x 40 is too large for most places

It’s about time this issue has been addressed.   There is no logical reason on Earth to have the floor exercise routine performed on the 40 x 40 floor.  As far as I can tell this is a throw back to the old days when gymnastics was performed on the wrestling mats because of the shared gym space in the YMCA’s, Sokols, Turnveriens and school systems where sports education was a multi-sport training facility.

There is no artistic benefit in having the floor be 40 x 40.   Routines should be composed for one side view.  Of course for judging panels, two sets of panels can be placed on two sides to speed up competition time.  But aesthetically, the 40 x 40 is awkward.  Cheerleaders have floors  that are 42 x 54 rectangles which provides a more pleasing performance area and more space for tumbling.

Tumbling, in my opinion, should be removed from the floor exercise routine altogether, except the gym acro combinations that flow better with dance.

And, frankly, schools are closing down because of one main reason: too much overhead.  The high expense of overhead is increased because of the size of the floor area which makes finding warehouse space with the room for a floor hard – and costly – to find.  I have actually seen gyms with support pillars in the floor that athletes have to perform around because they could not get a space large enough for the floor.

So, the FIG needs to consider the cost of the industry and remove those things that are cost prohibitive.  The 40 x 40 is one of them.  It would be much easier to have a 25 x 40 floor fit in most spaces than the 40 x 40.  It has got to go. It is a dinosaur that needs extinction. Good riddance to the 40 x 40.