Gymnastics is a very unique sport. It's not as well-known as it used to be, and when people find out I used to be one they give me the same look of surprise and awe that I found a bit unsettling at times. It's upsetting how this sport isn't as popular as it once was, but watching it during the Olympics every four years is definitely something that most of us look forward to. Here's a few things I learned as this 2 year old mommy and me class turned into the sport of my life for the next 16 years.
1. Discipline, discipline, discipline.
If you didn't hate conditioning, you weren't doing it right. It was fun, only when your coach wasn't screaming at you because you and your teammates weren't in sync with your push ups.
2. You're gonna fall...a lot.
We try not to, but it happens. And when it does, it's usually during one of the biggest competitions of your life. Like, you know, the 2012 Olympic trials.
3. Rips on rips on rips.
Just when you thought your bar routine was going so smoothly.
4. "Stick It" was your team's go-to movie during every get together.
It had everything gymnastics-relatable and an awesome soundtrack, but pretty much EVERYONE hated Joanne Charis.
5. Two words: shin splints.
And sometimes, they were even more painful than rips. But, as gymnasts, we always work through the pain no matter what.
6. Prepare to have an entire drawer dedicated to just leotards.
You knew you were dropping a couple hundred dollars when you walked in and saw this.
7. Trying to match your tiger paws, leotards, and shorts.
So many colors, so little space to keep everything. You could spend hours trying to pick out shorts, scrunchies, and wrist supports to match your favorite leotard.
8. The feeling you get when you stick that landing.
It's unlike any other feeling in the world. Also, anyone who's ever been a hardcore gymnast in their life knows that this vault alone should have gotten a perfect score.
9. Your team will become your family.
Even though sometimes you butted heads because competition season was in full swing, it's one team and one goal.
10. You'll miss it way more than you realize once you stop.
It was such a huge part of your life. After a while, you'll start to miss it more than you think.
Being "retired" for almost 4 years now, my life definitely has not been the same without going to practice and competing the way I used to. I still miss it a lot, not just because of all the fun I had doing it, but also all the sport and life lessons it taught me. As the saying goes, once a gymnast, always a gymnast.
