Seven Deadly Stupidities
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Why is it important to measure twice?

Why is it important to measure twice?

It could get you an Olympic medal

George Pillari
August 08, 2024

Read time 1m40s

Neglecting to measure twice is the most avoidable of the Seven Deadly Stupidities. Why? Because we often rush into something, get the result we want, and move on. My favorite example is the purchase of a new car. When buying a car, emotion inevitably creeps into the decision making. And why not? You are going to spend hours a day in it – everyday.

We got a great deal!

You walk on the lot, find the car you want and negotiate with the salesman (who always seems to have to check with the “manager” before committing to anything). You agree on a price that is $500 below the sticker and you feel great. But where is your second measurement? You would not feel so great when you go to any of the accurate and easily accessible websites like KBB.com to verify the proper price for that car. These sites gather enormous amounts of data on actual car sales, crunch the numbers, and give you a range of value for the car, depending on its condition. And it's free.

In a less depressing example (if you’re for Team USA), let’s look at the recent Olympic competition in the female floor exercise. Rebecca Andrade of Brazil was in first place, Simone Biles of the USA was in second, and two athletes from Romania were in third and fourth. At the conclusion of her routine, the score for Jordan Chiles of Team USA was posted, and she was in fifth place, fractionally behind the Romanians.

Team USA coach Cecile Landi saw the score and had a question. Gymnastics scores have two parts: One score for execution and one score for difficulty. The scores are added together to produce the final score. Execution scores are rated by the judges on a scale of 0 to 10 and are the judges’ interpretation of the artistry and execution of the routine (eg, Did she make two twists with that double back-flip? Or did she step out of bounds and incur a penalty?) Execution scores are final once posted.

Scores for difficulty are a different story. Much like a grade-point average, the contestant gets points for including moves in the routine. The more difficult the move, the more points it is worth.

Difficulty scores count the eight most difficult moves in the routine, with moves worth 0.1 points to 1.0 points each. This is why you see difficulty scores generally in the range of 4.0 to 6.0 with Simone Biles up there around 6.5.

USA gymnast Jordan Chiles

At the end of Chiles’ routine, her difficulty score was posted as a strong 5.8, but that didn’t seem right to coach Landi since Landi knew the moves included in the routine and thought it should total to 5.9.

So, coach Landi went through the formal appeal process, which must be initiated within one minute of the routine’s completion. Sure enough, the judges agreed that they missed an element and added 0.1 to Chiles’ difficulty score, taking it from 5.8 to 5.9 and improving her overall score enough to vault over the Romanians and capture a bronze medal.

Key Takeaways

Never accept that first measurement as the final answer. Figure out how to get that second measurement even if it delays your decision.
You want the second measurement to confirm you are making a good decision, but it may change the landscape, sometimes for the positive (see above).
Stop believing, as I did, that the gymnastics coaches on the sidelines at the Olympics are useless. We just learned about their value.

Neglecting to Measure Twice is one of the Seven Deadly Stupidities.