Why Sophia Bell is going above and beyond with a new vault never done before at Auburn
Sophia Bell is set to debut a rare vault that over-shoots a 10, and which has never been competed before by an Auburn gymnast. Here's an inside look at the vault and her decision to go for it.
The idea for Sophia Bell to throw a Yurchenko double full came about like a scene from a movie. “You know what? It’s just crazy enough to work!”
Bell intends to be the first Auburn gymnast ever to compete the rare vault in a college meet this Friday when the Tigers host NC State in their season opener. There’s a reason it’s rare: The Yurchenko double full is a highly difficult vault, and, in NCAA gymnastics, the Yurchenko 1.5 already has the maximum 10.0 start value. The double can only offer the same 10.0 start value — with no bonus credit awarded for the extra half twist that is required.
But for Bell — and for Auburn gymnastics at this point — going bigger and going for more just makes sense.
“People have got to be built differently,” Auburn head coach Jeff Graba said last week, on Bell going for this vault. “You’ve got to be willing to take that step. As soon as Soph and us talked and that’s her mentality, that makes your decision for you, because this is a better vault.”
Bell, a sophomore who showed her power particularly on floor last season where she was named SEC All-Freshman, smiled as she recalled where the idea came from to bring more of that power to vault.
What is the Yurchenko vault?
The Yurchenko is a common vault approach in gymnastics, with the Yurchenko 1.5 being the most common vault thrown in major college gymnastics. The launch off the table for every Yurchenko is the same, with a flip coming midair before the landing. The full, 1.5 and double full variations are classified based on how many rotational spins are done in midair during the flip.
Full: 360 degrees (9.95 start value)
1.5: 540 degrees (10.0 start value)
Double full: 720 degrees (10.0 start value)
Last season, Bell struggled with the 1.5, the version with the 540-degree spin, and reverted late in the season to the Yurchenko full — the version with just one 360-degree spin, which has a downgraded 9.95 start value. She was better at it and did her part for the team with it, scoring two 9.900s including one at the regional finals in the postseason’s Sweet 16. But in the summer, she decided she wanted to do more in her sophomore year and wanted more scoring potential, wrestling with the realization that she was better at the version of the vault where she lands facing the vaulting table than the version where she lands facing away from the vaulting table.
Enter, of all people, her mom.