Catching in competitions
Comments about this discussion:
Started
I've noticed that more and more during jumps, especially in platform high jump and platform long jump, someone stands next to the jumper to catch them. Sometimes the official is asked to help with this. Often the spotter stands so close that they almost touch the participant. I understand that spotting is sometimes done because the participant may find the jump intimidating or stressful. It seems to be happening more often lately, and I’m curious to hear what others think about this.
I think jumping should rely purely on the jumper’s own skill. Having someone stand by creates an advantage and takes away from the personal challenge. In other sports, this is also not allowed or it results in points deduction. Additionally, having someone stand next to the jumper looks a bit unprofessional and makes the competition feel less serious. And not every participant has or wants a spotter.
I’m interested to know everyone’s thoughts on this.
Comment
I think this is an interesting topic worth discussing.
I would definitely agree with you that jumping should rely purely on the jumper's own skill - on the other hand, I can understand that especially with platform jumps, riders want some kind of protection in the form of knowing that someone is standing with them and can (to a certain extent) cushion a fall. I would therefore find it hard to prohibit someone from standing with them as a safeguard for all competitions.
However, I think that the organizer should definitely have the option of stipulating that nobody except the judges and the competitor themselves may be within a certain radius of the high jump/ long jump area. At the same time, in my opinion, it should somehow be stipulated that in the case that someone is allowed to stand nearby for safety purposes, they must keep a clear distance so that it is also clearly recognizable to the judges that no contact is taking place.