ROV

I hope all of you have had the chance to watch some of the Olympics. There are so many awesome stories and performances in this year’s contest.?

The other night, I was watching Women’s Gymnastics, and I remembered a story that my good friend Kevin Warren shared with me over 30 years ago. At the same time, another friend, Matt Martin , remembered the same story and texted me about it!

The scoring in gymnastics has changed over the years. No matter how old you are, you probably have heard the term “A Perfect 10” (no inappropriate comments here, please!).?

“A Perfect 10” was what gymnasts strived for. In the old scoring system, they used to have a term called “Code of Points.” In 1975, they added three scoring areas to the compulsory routines called ROV, which stands for risk, originality, and virtuosity.

In layman's terms (me), this meant that if you did everything you were supposed to do (compulsory) and did it flawlessly, of course, you would receive a 10, right? Nope. If you did EVERYTHING you were supposed to do and did it FLAWLESSLY, you would receive a 9.4. NO gold medals were awarded (at least in my lifetime) for a score of 9.4.

So, how would you get a 10? ROV. Each category was worth .2 points.

Risk – Doing EVERYTHING that you are supposed to do but doing it FLAWLESSLY, plus doing something deemed risky or uncommon. In a sense, it means doing things that others choose not to do. There are numerous examples in gymnastics where gymnasts have been seriously injured. Ok, do all that and get a 10, right? Nope. Only gets you to a 9.6.

Originality – Doing all that stuff above and adding something that no one else has done where they start naming the move after you. Also known as “signature moves”. Simone Biles has 5 moves named after her. 11 women have moves named after them (Korbut, Biles, Schaefer, Ray, Amanar, Okino, Dick, Fel, Hindoriff, Dowell, Moors). For this to happen, you must perform the skill at a World Championship or Olympics.

Ok, so I make a move that is so risky that nobody else wants to do it, and I make a move that is so original that they name it after me; I get a ten, right? Nope.

Virtuosity – Don’t look this one up in the dictionary because it will confuse you. Here are some of my favorite definitions. “Performing the common, uncommonly well”; “Unlike risk and originality, virtuosity is elusive yet immediately recognizable.”

Wow, that is a lot. No wonder a 10 was so rare. In fact 1976, Romanian Nadia Comaneci became the first gymnast in Olympic history to be awarded a 10. Unfortunately, world politics started to influence the system badly, and the new scoring system was implemented in 2006.

So, what does that have to do with us?

I have always loved this concept of ROV and try to take it into my daily life. In our lives, we have compulsories; those things that we must do in the job.

Here is where we separate from the pack!

While handling the compulsories of life, we take risks.

While fulfilling the compulsories of life and taking risks, we practice them so much that we make it all look UNCOMMON, and not only that, but we also do them with confidence and conviction.

So do what you are supposed to do in your job; do it uncommonly well with confidence and conviction. Earn the right to take risks.

Let’s just see if you don’t start getting moves named after you! I better get going in this life, I have never heard anybody call a move, “The Kaplan”!

#BeUncommon #BeElite #ROV