Today, we’re taking a look at the top U.S. gymnasts by D-score on uneven bars. If you missed them, take a look at our previous posts on the top D-scores on balance beam and the top D-scores on floor exercise.

The composition of the D-score on bars is quite different from beam and floor, primarily because there are no dance skills. The routine is instead scored by a set of composition requirements (worth 2.5, same as beam and floor) plus the top eight skills by difficulty, with connection value added in. As a result, connection value is even more important on bars, and a gymnast can really boost her score by connecting as many elements as possible, especially flight elements like releases and transitions between bars.

It’s worth reviewing what the composition elements are on bars. The gymnast must have a flight element from high bar to low, a flight element on the same bar, different grips, a non-flight element with minimum full turn, and a dismount D or higher. As long as all these skills are performed, the full 2.5 points will be awarded toward the D-score.

Check out our analysis below of the top U.S. bar workers by D-score.

Madison Kocian: 6.6 D-score

She currently has the highest D-score out of all the Americans on bars. Her routine is a great combination of high difficulty of skills and solid connections. Two of her connections add +0.20 each because they are both D+E connections. She performs three tough skills in a row to get this extra 0.40 added on to her score: her Komova II connected to Pak Salto connected to a stalder and shaposh with a half turn.

8 highest skills by difficulty:

• Piked stalder + full pirouette: E (0.50)
  
• Komova II: E (0.50)
  
• Stalder + flight to high bar with half turn : E (0.50)
  
• Pak Salto: D (0.40)
  
• Jaeger: D (0.40)
  
• Piked stalder + ½ pirouette: D (0.40)
  
• Stalder + full pirouette: D (0.40)
  
• Full twisting double back dismount: D (0.40)
  

Kocian's total skills score is 3.5

Connection Value

• Komova II + Pak Salto: +0.20
  
• Pak Salto + Stalder, flight to high bar with half turn: +0.20
  
• Piked stalder, ½ pirouette + Jaeger: +0.10
  
• Stalder, 1/1 pirouette + full twisting double back dismount: +0.10
  

Kocian's total connection value is 0.60.

Adding it All Together

To get Kocian's total D-score, you add: 2.5 (Composition Requirements) + 3.5 (Top 8 Skills) + 0.60 (Connection Value) = 6.6

Ashton Locklear: 6.5 D-score

She comes in just behind Kocian in difficulty, and her routine is very similar in composition. She has exactly the same connection value as Kocian, mainly from connecting transition skills. The main difference is that she has one less E skill, so her D-score is 0.10 less.

8 highest skills by difficulty:

• Piked stalder + full pirouette: E (0.50)
  
• Komova II: E (0.50)
  
• Pak Salto: D (0.40)
  
• Maloney: D (0.40)
  
• Overshoot: D (0.40)
  
• Piked stalder + ½ pirouette: D (0.40)
  
• Jaeger: D (0.40)
  
• Full twisting double back dismount: D (0.40)
  

Locklear's total skills score is 3.4

Connection Value

• Piked stalder, full pirouette + Komova II: +0.10
  
• Komova II + Pak Salto: +0.20
  
• Pak Salto + Maloney: +0.10
  
• Maloney + Overshoot: +0.10
  
• Piked stalder, ½ pirouette + Jaeger: +0.10
  

Locklear's total connection value is 0.60.

Adding it all together

To get Locklear's total D-score, you add: 2.5 (Composition Requirements) + 3.4 (Top 8 Skills) + 0.60 (Connection Value) = 6.5

Brenna Dowell: 6.5 D-score

She has the same D-score as Ashton Locklear, but a higher skills score and a lower connection value. Dowell has three major E skills, same as Kocian, and one of those is her big dismount: a full twisting double layout. She only has three connections in her routine, but two of them give her an extra 0.20 each. Her Church to Pak Salto is an E + D connection, resulting in the +0.20. Her Maloney to Tkatchev gets the higher connection value as well because it's a transition from low to high connected immediately to a release move on the high bar—not an easy thing to do.

8 Highest skills by difficulty

• Church: E (0.50)
  
• Van Leeuwen: E (0.50)
  
• Full twisting double layout dismount: E (0.50)
  
• Toe-on + 1/1 pirouette: D (0.40)
  
• Maloney: D (0.40)
  
• Tkatchev: D (0.40)
  
• Jaeger: D (0.40)
  
• Pak Salto: D (0.40)
  

Dowell's total skills score is 3.5.

Connection Value

• Toe-on, 1/1 pirouette + Maloney: +0.10
  
• Maloney + Tkatchev: + 0.20
  
• Church + Pak Salto: + 0.20
  

Dowell's total connection score is 0.50.

Adding it all together

To get Dowell's total D-score, you add: 2.5 (Composition Requirements) + 3.5 (Top 8 Skills) + 0.50 (Connection Value) = 6.5

Gabby Douglas: 6.5 D-score

Along with Locklear and Dowell, Douglas also has a 6.5 start value. Douglas' composition is similar to Dowell's in that they both have the same value in their skills and the same connection value, although the actual skills performed are different. Douglas' routine relies more on her pirouetting as opposed to lots of flight elements.

8 Highest Skills by Difficulty

• Piked stalder + full pirouette: E (0.50)
  
• Piked tkatchev: E (0.50)
  
• Stalder + flight to high bar with half turn: E (0.50)
  
• Pak salto: D (0.40)
  
• Piked stalder + ½ pirouette: D (0.40)
  
• Endo in L grip + ½ pirouette: D (0.40)
  
• Piked stalder: D (0.40)
  
• Double layout dismount: D (0.40)
  

Douglas' total skills score is 3.5.

Connection Value

• Piked stalder, full pirouette + piked Tkatchev on high bar: +0.20
  
• Piked tkatchev + Pak salto: +0.20
  
• Piked stalder, ½ pirouette + endo in L grip, ½ pirouette: +0.10

Douglas' total connection value is 0.50.

Adding it all together

To get Douglas' total D-score, you add: 2.5 (Composition Requirements) + 3.5 (Top 8 Skills) + 0.50 (Connection Value) = 6.5





Related:
The Best on the Floor: The Top D-Scores
The U.S. Beamers: The Top D-scores
2016 Elite Season D-Score Rankings
A Guide to Named Release Moves on Bars: Part 1
A Guide to Named Release Moves on Bars: Part 2