Glossary
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balance beam: a narrow horizontal bar raised off the floor, on which a gymnast balances while performing exercises.
compulsory levels: Compulsory competition is a type of gymnastics meet in which all
athletes perform the same, prescribed routines. The skills are typically
more simple than those performed in optional competition.
events: the apparatus that gymnasts compete or perform on.
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floor exercise: an event in gymnastics competition consisting of various ballet and tumbling movements (as jumps, somersaults, and handstands) performed without apparatus.
Junior Olympic (J.O.): The most popular competitive gymnastics program in the United States.
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leotard: a close-fitting one-piece garment, made of a stretchy fabric, that covers a person's body from the shoulders to the top of the thighs and typically the arms, worn by dancers or people exercising indoors.
optional levels: Optional competition is a type of gymnastics meet in which all athletes perform their own choice of gymnastics routines.
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vault: A piece of gymnastic equipment with an upholstered body used especially for vaulting.