The end of the perfect 10 : the making and breaking of gymnastics' top score --from Nadia to now

Intro Dedication Epigraph Introduction Part I: New Ways to Score 1. Sinew and Spandex: The First-and Last-Perfect 10s 2. I Don't Care About Your Art: How Gymnastics Became Less Artistic and More Athletic After Nadia 3. Peak 10: How Gymnastics' Most Popular Score Reached Its Breaking Point 4. Blame It on the Men: The 2004 Olympics and the End of the 10 5. New Code, New Gymnast: The Rise of Simone Biles Part II: New Ways to Train 6. The Guinea Pig Generation: The 2000 Olympic Team and the Blueprint for American Gymnastics Success 7. Camp Karolyi: Inside the National Team Training Camp System8. A Tale of Two Gyms: The New Wave of American Coaches 9. The Winners and Losers of the New System 10. The Perfect 10: The College Years Conclusion: The 10 Is Not a Time Machine Afterword Acknowledgments About the Author Chapter Sources Index Copyright Just in time for the 2016 Olympic Games and the fortieth anniversary of Nadia Comaneci's "Perfect 10," an exciting and insightful account of the controversial world of gymnastics, the recent changes of the scoring system, and why those changes will drive American gymnasts to the top of the sport in the twenty-first century. It was the team finals of women's gymnastics in the 2012 London Olympics and McKayla Maroney was on top of her game. The sixteen-year-old US gymnast was performing arguably the best vault of all time, launching herself unimaginably high into the air and sticking a flawless landing. But when her score came, many were baffled: 16.233. Three tenths of a point in deductions stood between her and a perfect score. But if that vault wasn't perfection, what was? For years, gymnastics was scored on a 10.0 scale. During this era, more than 100 "perfect" scores were awarded in major international competitions. But when the 10.0 scoring system caused major judging controversies at the 2004 Olympics, international elite gymnastics made the switch to the open-ended scoring system it uses today, making perfect scores a thing of the past-and forever altering the sport in the process. Gymnastics insider Dvora Meyers examines the evolution of elite women's gymnastics over the last few decades. With insight, flair, and a boundless love for the sport, Meyers answers questions that gymnastics fans have been asking since the last perfect score was handed out over twenty years ago. She reveals why successful female gymnasts are older and more athletic than they have ever been before, how the United States became a gymnastics powerhouse, and what the future of gymnastics will hold. Bolstered by dozens of exclusive interviews with professionals representing every aspect of the sport, "The End of the Perfect 10" explores a crucial change in one of the most popular Olympic sports, and is a captivating account of elite gymnastics' entry into the uncharted world of imperfection A "delightful and insightful" ( The Wall Street Journal ) account of the controversial world of gymnastics and its scoring system, which has propelled powerful and athletic American gymnasts to the top of the sport. It was the team finals of women's gymnastics in the 2012 London Olympics and McKayla Maroney was on top of her game. The sixteen-year-old US gymnast was performing arguably the best vault of all time, launching herself unimaginably high into the air and sticking a flawless landing. But when her score came, many were baffled: 16.233. Three tenths of a point in deductions stood between her and a perfect score. But if that vault wasn't perfection, what was? For years, gymnastics was scored on a 10.0 scale. During this era, more than 100 "perfect" scores were awarded in major international competitions. But when the 10.0 scoring system caused major judging controversies at the 2004 Olympics, international elite gymnastics made the switch to the open-ended scoring system it uses today, which values both difficulty and technical execution, making perfect scores a thing of the past—and forever altering the sport in the process. With insight, flair, and boundless love for the sport, gymnastics insider Dvora Meyers answers questions that fans have been asking since the last perfect score was handed out over twenty years ago. She reveals why successful female gymnasts like 2016 Olympics All Around medalists Simone Biles and Aly Raisman are older and more athletic than they have ever been before, how the United States became the gymnastics powerhouse it is today, and what the future of gymnastics may hold. Bolstered by dozens of exclusive interviews with professionals representing every aspect of the sport, The End of the Perfect 10 is "the Simone Biles of gymnastics books" ( Slate ), a captivating look at elite gymnastics' entry into the uncharted world of imperfection—and how it has created stronger athletes than ever before. Just in time for the 2016 Olympic Games and the fortieth anniversary of Nadia Comaneci's "Perfect 10," an exciting and insightful account of the controversial world of gymnastics, the recent changes to the scoring system, and why those changes will drive American gymnasts to the top of the sport in the twenty-first century. It was the team finals of women's gymnastics in the 2012 London Olympics and McKayla Maroney was on top of her game. But when her score came after a seemingly flawless vault, many were baffled: 16.233. Three tenths of a point in deductions stood between her and a perfect score. But if that vault wasn't perfection, what was? For years, gymnastics was scored on a 10.0 scale. During this era, 128 women were awarded a "Perfect 10." But when the 10.0 scoring system caused major judging controversies at the 2004 Olympics, international elite gymnastics made the switch to the open-ended scoring system it uses today, making perfect scores a thing of the... Part I: New ways to score. Sinew and spandex : the first and last perfect 10s ; I don't care about your art : how gymnastics became less artistic and more athletic after Nadia ; Peak 10 : how gymnastics' most popular score reached its breaking point ; Blame it on the men : the 2004 Olympics and the end of the 10 ; New code, new gymnast : the rise of Simone Biles Part II: New ways to train. The guinea pig generation : the 2000 Olympic team and the blueprint for American gymnastics success ; Camp Karolyi : inside the National Team training camp system ; A tale of two gyms : the new wave of American coaches ; The winners and losers of the new system ; The perfect 10 : the college years Conclusion : The 10 is not a time machine. In The end of the perfect 10, Dvora Meyers provides an account of the controversial world of gymnastics, the recent changes to the scoring system, and what these changes mean for the future of American gymnastics.