Gymnastics,
Hard but Worth the
Challenge
By: Riley Shapiro
It is not always easy to win trophies. It takes
team work, a commitment and hard work.
If you fall
don’t give up
get back up
And give it all
you got
Hard Work,
Effort
And a
Commitment
Is needed
If you want
To get a new
skill and be
rewarded
You can’t always get things on your first try. You have
to keep trying. Maybe it means getting help the first
time.
Just because you master a skill one way, you could try a
more advanced way of doing it. But of course if you don’t
put hard work and effort into getting the skill you never
will.
You can also try the same skills but on different events.
For example you can try a balk walkover on floor and then
on the beam.
In addition,
you must practice
other skills that lead up to
a new skill.
You can’t become amazing
over night.
Once you master
skills
you can work on
more fun skills.
But that takes
practice and focus.
Q: How long have you been taking gymnastics?
A: About my whole life.
Q: What is your favorite part about gymnastics?
A: It feels good when you learn something new.
Q: Does gymnastics boost your confidence?
A: Yes, because it makes me feel good about my self. When I go out there and be
my self when I am practicing or competing and I feel like I did well or at least
good enough for me, it boosts my confidence.
Q: What is your favorite event?
A: Vault, because you soar through the air and when you stick it, you feel like you
can accomplish anything.
Q: How has gymnastics affected you?
A: Gymnastics has boosted my confidence, helped me make new friends and
has helped me learn how to make a commitment and stick with it.
Q: Do you think gymnastics will keep affecting you in a good or bad way?
A: Good way, because I have learned what the values of a commitment are and
honestly I think it is pretty impossible to forget such a wonderful impact on my
life.
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d
W
o
r
k
B
Gymnastics
is more than mats, bars, and beams. It teaches
u and coordination. Vault gives young athletes a running
creativity, flexibility,
t like speed, agility, and power. High Bar is an exercise in
start toward skills
courage and strength. Floor helps kids live a life with poise and selfW
confidence. Trampoline
gives young athletes a jump on valuable skills like
awareness and ocontrol. Balance Beam instills grace, poise, and courage. You
r skilled gymnast in the gym and train harder or longer than
might be the most
anyone else, butt if self-doubt enters your mind prior to or during competition,
h reach your true potential in gymnastics.
you simply will not
I have been taking gymnastics about my whole life, and I could not
imagine my life Twithout it. I feel gymnastics has taught me many things. Of
h has taught me how to do gymnastics but it has gone way
course gymnastics
e
beyond that. Gymnastics
has boosted my confidence and still continues to.
Also I have learned to make a commitment. I think gymnastics has stuck to
C
me so much because
I love it so much.
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a
Not only have I learned many valuable lessons from gymnastics,
many people do as well. For example, “Many people don't realize how hard
gymnastics really is. Most of which you see of gymnastics is an illusion
created by all the hard work, pain, talent, love, and commitment of this
beautiful sport. Do you know what these talented gymnasts do in order to
achieve such great skill? I do. In fact, I used to be a gymnast myself. In level 4
I experienced many different gymnasts. I switched through about three
different gyms, trying to choose the right one for me, and I noticed something
in common with all of them. Out of all the many gymnasts I have met, I haven't
found a single gymnast that isn't completely committed to their job,” says
Rinabear who wrote the article life as a gymnast and used to be one. Also,
Reyna Gilbert said she learned, “The less confident you are in yourself when
performing new or "scary" skills, the more fearful you will be and the more
difficulty you will have. It is up to you to trust your ability and to let your body
do what you know it can.
While gymnastics is amazing, there are a few cons. For example it
can be very risky. “There is always a 50% chance you could get hurt no
matter what skill you are trying to do. Even though, gymnastics mats cover
the surrounding floor you still must be very careful about what you are doing
so you don’t get hurt. Gymnastics means learning how your body moves and
how to control those movements with precision.” According to a study from
the University of Sydney and published in the May 2010 issue of the journal
“Physical Therapy in Sport.” In acrobatic gymnastics, the participants perform
in pairs. Data from 73 surveys of acrobatic gymnasts found 50.7 percent
experienced a gymnastics-related injury in the past year and 28.8 were
afflicted with a chronic injury at the time of the study. “Not only is gymnastics
training time-consuming, it can also be expensive,” says Tamara Wilson.
Even though there are a few cons, the pros over weigh them.
Gymnastics has taught me and still is teaching me many valuable things that
I will look back on in a few years and be very thankful of. Although, remember
gymnastics is not only about skill it is about self confidence, commitment
and hard work.