Event
Floor exercise
Skill type
Acrobatic
Value
A
Known as
Front aerial
Aerial walkover
Free walkover
Walkover
About
Despite being far too simple for an elite level floor routine, the front aerial had its moment during the 2013-2016 quad, when gymnasts were able to fulfill the requirement for a forward/sideward acrobatic element by throwing in a random front aerial. Which…no. Unless you are on Dancing with the Stars and have to remind the viewers every week that you’re the one who’s a gymnast, there is no reason for you to be doing a front aerial on dry land.
The rule was changed in 2017 to require the forward acrobatic element be part of an actual tumbling line, and the tacked-on front aerial immediately disappeared from every floor routine. No one missed it.