Event
Floor exercise
Skill type
Turn
Value
D
Known as
Double Y turn/spin
Double split turn
Named after
Chellsie Memmel (USA) – 2003
Or, as the code’s named-skill section calls her, “Chelsia Memmel.” Still. Now.
About
The double Y turn is a surprisingly new skill on the scene—as in, it was still available to be named after someone even in 2003 when Chellsie Memmel was competing at worlds. That’s because older editions of the code did not differentiate turns the way we do now. There were turns with the free leg anywhere above horizontal (not held with the hands), and there were turns with the free leg in an optional position (of which holding it in a split was one of the choices). So until the 2000s, this turn would have been evaluated the same as a basic double turn.
The clear differentiation between a regular turn position, an L turn position, and a Y turn position is a relatively new phenomenon.
The Memmel turn has evolved into a common composition choice, an opportunity to get an element into the routine that is worth the same as a whole double tuck or double pike. The double L turn is slightly more preferred, but both are prevalent.