In 1976, Nadia Comaneci did the impossible. She performed on the uneven bars so well, she was awarded a score of 10. This was so revolutionary, the score board did not have the option to show a 10. 40 years later we still remember Nadia's name, yet the "Perfect 10" is no longer a possible Olympic score. In 2016 we see Simone Biles doing impossible routines scoring 15.933, and we wonder it means. What happened in gymnastics that something so iconic was changed, and how do we understand the new scores?
Author Dveora Meyers takes a look at the history of gymnastics through the lens of scoring. From what happened before the 1976 Olympics, to 2016, and what this means for the future. The names of the current Olympians are all mentioned, as well as many international and American gymnasts. The focus is on scoring in woman's gymnastics, however it could easily be read as a primer of Olympic Gymnastics from 1976 to 2016 as well. Beyond Olympic gymnastics, NCAA gymnastics is looked at as well due to the fact that they still use the 10 point scoring system.
From four years fans to full quad followers, The End of the Perfect 10 is something all fans of gymnastics should check out.
