How to Break a Tie at JO/DP and Xcel Gymnastics Meets

An often misunderstood rule of gymnastics is how to break a tie for awards in the DP and Xcel programs. Believe it or not, it does not vary by meet, state, or region. The rules are very explicit and are spelled out each season in the Rules and Regulations.

So, let’s talk about ties and what happens when gymnasts tie for score on an event or the All-Around - or oh my goodness - for both!

Age Groups

First, let’s talk about age groups quickly. Age groups are just all the gymnasts in a level, sorted by age, and then split into (somewhat) equal groups. The girls in that age group (ex: Level 2, age group Junior A) would only compete against other girls in their age group for awards. This makes scoring and competition among the gymnasts fairer.

Tie in an Event

So, what happens when two gymnasts tie on an event, such as floor? If it’s for first place, both gymnasts are announced as Champions.

After breaking the tie (I’ll explain how later), the gymnast in second place would either get a duplicate first place award or the second-place award if duplicate awards aren’t available. When a tie isn’t broken, the next placement is skipped. So, in our example, with two first-place gymnasts, there would be no second place. The next gymnast would place third.

For any other place other than first, the meet can offer a duplicate award or break the tie as described below.

Breaking an Event Tie

So, how do you break a tie on an event, such as floor? First, we look to the All-Around score. The gymnast with the higher All-Around total receives the award for the tied place. The gymnast with the lower AA score would be in the next placement.

But, what if, on the rare occasion, the AA totals are also a tie? Then, a flip of the coin in the presence of both coaches breaks the tie.

Breaking an All-Around Tie

As is the case in an event tie, if gymnasts tie for All-Around first place, both gymnasts will be announced as Champions.

If gymnasts are tied for an All-Around award other than first, the individual with the highest event score receives the award. That means they take each person’s highest event score and the gymnast with the higher score wins the award. The other gymnast gets the next placement.

But, what if their highest event score is also a tie? In that case, they look at the second-highest event score, and again, the gymnast with the second-highest event score receives the award. If the second-highest score was also a tie, they go to their third-highest scores and compare those to determine placement.

Wait, could there still be a tie?

Yes, yes, there could be. If the gymnasts had identical scores (not on the same event), they would still be tied here. So, what do we do next? A coin flip in the presence of both coaches will break the tie for the award. Yup, that’s right - we resort to the good old-fashioned flip of a coin to determine placement!

Now you understand how ties are broken in USAG competitions. Enjoy your meet!