# Configure rotations

Rotations determine how gymnasts move through apparatus during a session. You set the apparatus order, create rotation groups, and the system handles the cycling. This page covers both the automatic and manual approaches.

## Prerequisites

* [Create a session](https://docs.gymart.org/scheduling/create-a-session)

## Steps

1. Open the session you want to configure.
2. Go to the **Rotations** section.
3. **Set the apparatus order.** This is the sequence gymnasts rotate through. For WAG, a typical order is: Vault, Uneven Bars, Balance Beam, Floor Exercise.
4. **Create rotation groups.** Each rotation is a group of gymnasts that starts on a specific apparatus and moves through the order together.
5. For each rotation, set:
   * **Starting apparatus** -- which apparatus this group begins on
   * **Gymnast list** -- which gymnasts are in this rotation

## How rotations work

Picture a WAG session with 4 rotations and the apparatus order Vault, Bars, Beam, Floor:

|                | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 |
| -------------- | ------- | ------- | ------- | ------- |
| **Rotation 1** | Vault   | Bars    | Beam    | Floor   |
| **Rotation 2** | Bars    | Beam    | Floor   | Vault   |
| **Rotation 3** | Beam    | Floor   | Vault   | Bars    |
| **Rotation 4** | Floor   | Vault   | Bars    | Beam    |

Every rotation competes on every apparatus, cycling through the order you defined. After each round, everyone shifts to the next apparatus in the sequence.

## Inferred vs. explicit apparatus order

> **Visual guide:** [View the rotation assignment diagram in Figma](https://www.figma.com/board/tXLxqJcHIK1kq3Pj1Q9p7J/)

Gym Art Meets supports two approaches.

### Inferred order (default)

The system figures out the starting apparatus for each rotation based on how many rotations you have and the standard apparatus list for the discipline. With 4 rotations in WAG, it assigns Rotation 1 to Vault, Rotation 2 to Bars, Rotation 3 to Beam, and Rotation 4 to Floor.

This works for most meets. If your setup is straightforward, you can leave it on inferred and move on.

### Explicit order

You can override the starting apparatus for each rotation manually. This is useful when you want a non-standard rotation order, when you have fewer rotations than apparatus (so some apparatus start empty), or when specific gymnasts need to start on a specific apparatus.

To set it, edit each rotation's starting apparatus in the rotation configuration.

## What's next

* [Assign gymnasts to rotations](https://docs.gymart.org/scheduling/assign-gymnasts-to-rotations) -- fill rotations with gymnasts
* [Manage flights](https://docs.gymart.org/scheduling/manage-flights) -- split large rotations into smaller groups

## Related

* [Scheduling overview](https://docs.gymart.org/scheduling/index)
* [How do competitions, age groups, and subdivisions work?](https://docs.gymart.org/competitions/index)
* [Glossary](https://docs.gymart.org/getting-started/glossary)