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Women's gymnastics is a complex and dangerous sport that captivates the eyes and hearts of millions every four years at the Summer Olympics. Nadia Comaneci and Mary-Lou Retton are just two of the many amazing young women whose names will go down in gymnastics history because of their heart, determination, and gold medals. There is much more to the sport, though, than just the smiling young pixies who flip and contort their bodies in unimaginable ways.

The vault is traditionally the first event in the four-event rotation of women's gymnastics. The vault requires an extreme amount of speed and strength. The apparatus itself, the vaulting horse, is four feet high, five feet in length and eleven inches in width. The women begin each vault by sprinting down a runway that is three feet wide and eighty-two feet long. After running down the runway, the gymnasts then spring off of the springboard, propel themselves into the air, over the horse, and onto the landing mat after doing a number of twists and flips. The difficulty of the vault and the subsequent score is determined by a variety of things such as body positioning, number of twists, number of flips, and the ultimate stuck landing. In recent gymnastics history, Kerri Strug injured her ankle and fell on her first of two vaulting attempts. But, with the United States' women's team gold medal on the line, she fought through her pain, and landed her second vault on only one leg, saluted the judges, and the collapsed to secure her team's victory.

The second women's gymnastics apparatus following the vault is the uneven parallel bars, or often simply called the uneven bars. The uneven bars are an extremely exciting event to watch, and those gymnast's with exceptional toe point and long lines look beautiful circling and swinging the bars. The uneven bars are, as they sound, two bars at different heights. The taller standing of the two bars is eight feet off the ground, and the lower is five feet off the ground. The bars are also three feet apart from each other, but the height of each and the distance apart can be slightly adjusted to better fit a gymnast's height. The typical uneven bar routine generally starts on the low bar and move up to the high bar. In elite gymnastics, each gymnast is required to perform two release moves wherein they completely let go of the bar, and regrasp it after some sort of flip or twist. Release moves are usually the most difficult and risky part of a gymnast's bar routine, and can result in a fall if timing and body position during the release are not perfect. Throughout the course of the routine, the gymnast moves from bar to bar executing different swings, handstands, and of course the release moves. The routine culminates with a big dismount and, the attempted stuck landing. The uneven bars is an event that requires an exceptional amount of upper body strength, grace, and fluidity, as the entire routine is completed without pause.

The third event in women's gymnastics is the most nerve-racking of the bunch: the balance beam. The balance beam is a nemesis for many a gymnast, and requires absolute concentration, focus, and precision. The balance beam is a mere four inches wide while standing four feet off the ground. Throughout the course of their routine, gymnasts are required to do unthinkable moves on only four inches of space, and make it appear effortless the entire time. In a given beam routine, gymnasts are required to have one element wherein they are very close to the beam, two acrobatic flight moves, one full 360 degree turn, and finally a leap with both distance and height. If you watch gymnastics at the Olympic level, you know that gymnasts also incorporate numerous other dance and acrobatic elements to make their own routine stand out. In addition to the dance and tumbling requirements, a beam routine must also be technically sound in that it must both cover the entire length of the beam and last within the time limit of 70 to 90 seconds. Over the years, the level of difficulty female gymnasts are incorporating into their balance beam routines has reached unbelievable levels. The acrobatic and dance combinations are difficult to even complete on the floor, let alone the four inches of the balance beam. While it is an extremely physical event, the balance beam is also known for being very mentally exhausting as well. Gymnasts perform countless beam routines in practice to prepare their bodies and minds for being four feet in the air, on only four inches of ground, in front of crowds of thousands.

Finally, the last event in women's gymnastics is the floor exercise. The floor exercise is always a crowd favorite, because it incorporates music, and allows the gymnast to express herself more so than the other events. The floor exercise is performed on a padded forty by forty foot carpet that contains springs below the padding. The gymnasts are required to complete four different passes from corner to corner of the floor, and must cover all parts of the floor throughout the course of their routine. The floor exercise routine can last anywhere between seventy and ninety seconds, and the entirety of the routine is choreographed down to every single beat of the music. The best floor exercise routines are those that combine exciting tumbling passes with beautiful dance elements as well. The floor routine also should really be in the style of the gymnast, because personality always shines through in a good floor routine, and can get the crowd going. The United States' women have had some outstanding floor routines in the past from gymnasts such as Kim Zmeskal, Dominique Dawes, and Dominique Moceanu. Each of these gymnasts' routines combined dance, grace, and unyielding energy that made their exercise a crowd favorite.

Women's gymnastics is an extremely challenging and exciting sport that requires a great deal of discipline and dedication. The next time you tune in to women's gymnastics, think of the countless elements that go into each and every routine, and you are sure to have an increased amount of admiration for each and every female gymnast.