Gymnastics, while captivating, still is baffling to me.

On Thursday night, I watched the women’s all-around competition. I saw one athlete bobble her way through a beam routine and still score higher than another athlete who was steady, and sometimes spectacular, during a demanding beam routine. And I saw judges get on a phone and talk to somebody else before giving out a score.
I also was struck by the difficult double of elegance and power pulled off by both Americans, Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson. The way they blended the roles of entertainer and jock was riveting.

But those two issues also are probably the reasons I don’t follow gymnastics.

The flirty behavior necessary on the floor exercise seems out of place to me for an athletic event.

And give me a sport with a finish line. Or at least one with a scoring system that isn’t open for discussion once the athlete is done competing.

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