Compulsory gymnastics scoring can feel like a mystery. Your gymnast salutes, performs a routine they’ve practiced a hundred times, and then a number flashes on the scoreboard that somehow reflects every pointed toe, straight leg, wobble, hop, and handstand angle.

Different organizations use different systems. Some gyms compete Level 1, some don’t. Some use numbers, some use colors. Some combine levels, some separate them. And then there’s Xcel — the program no one warns you about until suddenly your child is in it.