Levels & Programs

Xcel Gold Requirements: Skills on Every Event

10 Min Read

Xcel Gold is the third of the six divisions in USA Gymnastics’ Xcel program, between Silver and Platinum. Like every Xcel division, Gold lets the coach build each routine, as long as it shows the required elements for the division.

Contents

Those required elements are the Special Requirements: four on each of bars, beam and floor, worth 0.50 each. Each of those three routines also needs at least six permitted Value Parts; allowed “B” skills can fill an “A” slot. All Xcel divisions are optional, not just Gold and above. What changes at Gold is the difficulty: an allowed vault over the vault table, two circling skills on bars, an acro skill reaching or passing through inverted vertical on beam, and connected flight skills on floor.

The requirements below are from the current Xcel Code of Points (the 2022 edition, extended to July 2028 and revised in August 2026) and USA Gymnastics’ 2026–27 Rules & Policies.

Xcel Gold at a Glance

RuleXcel Gold
Minimum age7th birthday reached
Score needed to enterNo prerequisite score; entry still depends on age and previous competition history
Skills needed (bars, beam, floor)4 Special Requirements and at least 6 permitted Value Parts per event (“A” or allowed “B” skills count)
Start ValueUp to 10.0 on bars, beam and floor; listed Gold vaults are 10.0, or 9.5 with an alternative springboard
Main restrictionsNo “C” or higher skills; no giants or release moves with a bar change; no “B” twisting saltos on floor
VaultAny vault on the Gold vault chart
Score to move up to Platinum32.00 all-around at Gold, or 8.50 as an individual event specialist

Who Can Compete Xcel Gold?

The minimum age for Gold is seven, reached by the day of competition. Gold has no prerequisite score, but prior competition history still matters. Under the Rules & Policies, a gymnast with no competitive experience may start at Bronze, Silver or Gold at her coach’s discretion. A gymnast from the Development Program can enter Gold from Levels 1 to 4, after competing the all-around at that level in at least one sanctioned meet.

A Silver gymnast does not need a mobility score to enter Gold. Returning athletes and gymnasts dropping from a higher division may need to follow additional entry or petition procedures; age alone is not permission to choose any division. Gold is the last Xcel division with no prerequisite score in the standard mobility chart. Our guide to the Xcel levels from Bronze to Sapphire compares all six divisions.

Xcel Gold Vault

Gold uses the vault table, while Silver uses a sideways mat stack. The Gold vault chart is the list of permitted vaults, not the apparatus. Any vault on the Gold list starts from 10.0; with an alternative springboard, the Start Value drops to 9.5. Any vault that isn’t on the list is void.

GroupAllowed Gold vaults
HandspringsHandspring; handspring with ½ twist off; handspring with 1/1 twist off
YamashitasYamashita; Yamashita with ½ twist off; Yamashita with 1/1 twist off
Twist on½ on–½ off (or ¼ on–¾ off); ¼–½ twist on, repulsion off to land facing the table; ¼ on–¼ off, landing facing away; ½ on–1/1 off (or ¼ on–1¼ off); 1/1 on–handspring or Yamashita off; 1/1 on–½ off

Because every listed vault starts from 10.0, a clean handspring can outscore a harder vault performed with more errors. Each gymnast is guaranteed two warm-up vaults and one minute of warm-up.

Xcel Gold Bars

Special RequirementWhat it asks for
1. Clear support skillA skill finishing with the hips clear of the bar and the body at least horizontal (not the mount or dismount)
2 and 3. Two circling skillsTwo 360° circling skills (not the mount or dismount): two of the same skill directly connected, two different skills connected or apart, or the same skill once on each bar
4. DismountFrom the high bar

The circling skills count as two requirements, so a routine that shows only one loses 0.50. Gold needs at least six Value Parts; “B” skills may count, except that giants (on either bar) and release moves with a bar change are not allowed, and nothing rated “C” or higher. There is no extra-swing deduction at Gold, and each gymnast gets one minute of warm-up.

Xcel Gold Beam

Special RequirementWhat it asks for
1. TurnAt least a full (1/1) turn on one foot
2. Two leaps or jumpsTwo different leaps, jumps or hops, one with at least a 120° cross or side split
3. Two acro skillsTwo acro skills, with or without flight, one reaching or passing through an upside-down vertical position; both must start and finish on the beam
4. DismountAny allowed dismount

Beam needs six Value Parts, “A” or “B”, and nothing rated “C” or higher. A split within 20° of the required 120° still earns the requirement, with up to 0.20 deducted for the short split. The routine has a one-minute time limit and no minimum time.

Xcel Gold Floor

Special RequirementWhat it asks for
1. Acro flight passAt least two directly connected acro flight skills
2. Second acro passEither another connection of two acro flight skills, or one aerial or salto
3. Dance passageTwo different leaps, jumps or hops, connected directly or indirectly, one a leap with at least a 120° split
4. TurnAt least a full (1/1) turn on one foot

Requirements 1 and 2 must be met in separate passes. Floor needs six Value Parts, “A” or “B”, except that “B” twisting saltos are not allowed, and nothing rated “C” or higher. The time limit is one minute.

How Xcel Gold Is Scored

On bars, beam and floor, judges calculate Start Value from 10.0. Each missing Value Part costs 0.10, each missing Special Requirement costs 0.50, and a restricted skill costs 0.50; other applicable Start Value deductions, such as having no dismount, also matter. Judges then deduct for execution and applicable artistry. Vault follows its own listed values and deductions. The Code’s Gold example is on bars: a gymnast shows four “A” skills and one “B” (five Value Parts) and only one circling skill. She loses 0.10 for the missing Value Part and 0.50 for the missing requirement, and starts from 9.4.

Our guide to how Xcel Start Value is calculated works through every division.

Moving Up From Gold to Platinum

Platinum is the first division with a qualifying score. To move up, a gymnast needs a 32.00 all-around at Gold, or an 8.50 as an individual event specialist (IES), in a live sanctioned meet, and she must be at least eight. Platinum adds a required “B” Value Part on bars, beam and floor, a kip on bars and a 155° split leap on floor.

Every Platinum requirement, with the Platinum vault start values, is in our guide to Xcel Platinum requirements.

The mobility score is separate from the scores needed to qualify for State or Regionals; our guide to qualifying for State, Regionals and Nationals explains those.

Common Questions

What score do you need to move up from Xcel Gold?

A 32.00 all-around at Gold, or an 8.50 as an individual event specialist, to enter Platinum.

Can Xcel Gold gymnasts do giants?

No. Giants on either bar are not allowed at Gold, even though other “B” skills are.

Can Xcel Gold gymnasts do a back tuck?

Yes. On floor, one aerial or salto can meet the second acro pass requirement. Twisting saltos rated “B” are not allowed.

Final Takeaway

Xcel Gold routines need four Special Requirements and six Value Parts on bars, beam and floor, from a 10.0 Start Value, and any vault on the Gold chart. The big steps from Silver are two circling skills on bars, an acro skill reaching or passing through inverted vertical and a 120° split on beam, and connected flight skills on floor.

Gold’s minimum age is seven, with no prerequisite score; athletes must also follow the entry rules for their competition history. For a Gold gymnast moving to Platinum, the standard route is 32.00 all-around at a live sanctioned meet, or the 8.50 individual-event-specialist route, with Platinum’s minimum age of eight.

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