Gymnastics is a strenuous sport that demands commitment and time but every minute is worth it. I wouldn't trade my 13 years of gymnastics for anything. It is far more than just a sport in my mind. It creates bonds like I have never had before with my teammates and coaches.
If it was spending 20 hours a week in the gym pushing your body to do things that shouldn't be humanly possible but you know that the harder you work the better you get, just like anything else. Those long hours in the gym might seem awful at the time but I look back at the memories of those late nights at the gym or early morning Saturday practices and think about all of the fun we had.
I was lucky enough to have coaches that will forever have left a mark in my life. I couldn't be more thankful to have had the greatest most supportive coaches any gymnast could ask for. My coaches were never easy they pushed me hard but they knew that I could do it. They were my biggest cheerleaders but also my hardest critiques. I wouldn't trade them for anything though because they have had such an impact on my life.
Gymnastics can often be thought of as an individual sport only but in my mind, it is both an individual and team sport. This sport is different because of that. You are up on that beam all by yourself but your teammates are around you cheering you on and hoping you can do your best. You are competing both against your teammates but also competing with them as a whole team.
Meets will always be my favorite part of gymnastics. I loved traveling all around with country with the girls that I had grown up with doing this sport. If it was the car rides, plane rides, or hotel stays doing hand stands in the hall ways. Some of my best memories are from meets. That feeling walking into the meet with your entire team and standing for the National Anthem is a moment you won't forget. You have those pre-meet nerves but you know that your team is there to support you.
Throughout the meet you lose your voice cheering on your teammates and your face lights up when you can hear them cheering and doing the moves to your floor routine with you. Awards come around and as everyone receives their medals you congratulate everyone on their successes. Meets create a special bond for a team and bond that can never be taken away.
This sport isn't like any other. It helps you become dedicated, strong individual, but also teaches you how to be a member of a team and support each other. Even on the hardest days and those prolonged injuries I wouldn't trade my years of this sport for anything. I attribute so much of who I am today to this sport.
