When it comes to men’s gymnastics, the floor exercise has always been a solitary and rarefied pursuit. Judged with an eye for artistic merit, showcasing dancing and flair alongside tumbling and feats of strength, gymnasts hurtle headlong across the carpet, completing Arabian pikes or double or quadruple tucks, before falling gracefully stationary as they linger in handstands or the splits. These lithe yet powerful men must summon all of their inner creativity, with their canvas a square of foam and springs stretching 40 foot by 40 foot.
The women perform the floor exercise to music, but besides, they can always turn to rhythmic gymnastics, which combines elements of ballet, and incorporates balls, ribbons, ropes, and hoops. Rhythmic gymnastics can be enjoyed individually or partaken as part of a group, but according to the international organising body FIG, men aren’t allowed to enter.
That leaves the floor exercise as the next best arena for self-expression. But what about when you want to express something with a plus-one or more than that? The floor exercise is a solo competition in the Olympics, or part of the individual or team all-around events, but whatever the scenario, men must always take to the hallowed square alone. There’s simply no place in the whole body of men’s gymnastics for interaction as part of a group.
Thankfully that seems set to change, following an experimental invitational organised by the countries of the Pacific Rim. At this meet men were finally allowed to perform in groups from three to five, in something of a cross between the forms of floor and rhythmic. After the gathered competitors had criss-crossed the carpet fulfilling tumbles to their little hearts’ content, they captured their breath and displayed routines full of character to the cheers of a rapturous audience.
The winners of the first so-called men’s interpretive group were a motley collection drawn from Australia, Canada, and the United States, all apparently of Irish-Scottish descent. Declaring themselves the ‘lollipop guild’, the three participants rocked back and forth and with hands in their front pockets and greased ginger hair, welcomed awestruck onlookers to their curiously imagined ‘munchkin land’.
