NCAA committee recommending format changes to gymnastics championship

According to a news article posted on the NCAA's Web Site, the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Committee is recommending two significant changes to the format for its annual championship meet.

The committee is recommending that four teams advance to the second day of its annual championship meet instead of six, and that all six scores for each apparatus count instead of only five, the article says.

NCAA gymnastics coaches voted at their annual coaches meeting last May to adopt the changes, sending those recommendations to the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Committee, which met two weeks ago.

The article says that the NCAA's Championships/Sport Management Cabinet must approve the changes.

Both proposals have been strongly supported by Utah gymnastics coach Greg Mardsen.

Coaches believe that shifting from a six-team final to a four-team final would make it easier to broadcast the event live because it would eliminate the need for byes and would therefore shorten the competition.

Both changes, according to many coaches, would make it easier for casual fans to be able to follow the meet — in person or on TV.

According to the article, the NCAA hopes to implement the changes in time for the 2011 championship meet.

An official announcement from the NCAA to its schools about any actions taken by its Women's Gymnastics Committee has been expected to arrive sometime this week.

E-MAIL: drasmussen@desnews.com