The beam is an artistic gymnastics event performed exclusively by female gymnasts. The apparatus tests the gymnast’s balance and acrobatic skills while perched on a 10 cm wide beam over a meter in the air. Competitors are judged on the execution of a series of leaps, jumps, balance and acrobatic elements. The International Gymnastics Federation believes a beam routine should simultaneously display elegance, flexibility, confidence and self control.
History
It is believed the first beam was used in the 1700s and was a 20-meter long, round pine tree trunk on movable vertical posts. The modern beam event first became part of the World Championships in 1934 in Budapest. It was called the Schwebekante and was only 8 cm wide. This was also the first time that the women’s gymnastics event had its own World Championships.
The Equipment
According to the International Gymnastics Federations (FIG) Apparatus Norms, a competition standard balance beam is 10 cm wide and 5 meters long. The beam is supported by steel legs and is 1 1/4 meters off the floor. Due to the increased difficulty of acrobatic elements performed on the beam the FIG now states that “the surface must have impact absorbent characteristics to protect the gymnast‘s joints and limbs. It should also have elasticity to support the jumps.” The surface is covered in leather or suede and the ends padded for safety.
Rules and Competitions
In the beam event, gymnasts perform a maximum 90-second routine incorporating a series of leaps, spins, in addition to balance and acrobatic elements. The routine has very little dance and is linked with walking up and down the apparatus. She will also be judged on her execution of an acrobatic dismount from the beam. Deductions are taken by the judge for all elements of the routine. Poor technique, lack of coordination, pauses, wobbles and falls will all result in a deduction. If a gymnast falls of the beam during the routine, FIG rules state that she has 10 seconds to remount the apparatus and continue with the routine.
Famous Gymnasts
In the 1970s, Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci pioneered the beam event, pushing other gymnasts to increase difficulty on the apparatus. The Korbut move, where the gymnast dives backward and supports herself momentarily on her hands and swings to sit in straddle, is still performed by gymnasts today. Korbut won the Olympic gold medal on beam at the 1972 Games in Munich and Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci won the same title in Montreal in 1976, scoring the event’s first perfect 10.0.
Safety
To prevent injury from the apparatus, the FIG states all protruding parts of the equipment and surrounding areas should be hidden and cushioned. When a gymnast is learning new skills on the beam she will use a lower piece of equipment before moving to the full sized beam. Various pieces of safety mating and padding are also added to the apparatus to protect young gymnasts.
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