Growing up, I was a gymnast. I wasn’t the kind who went to a gymnastics class once a week, I was the kind that left school early every day to get to my four and a half hour to five-hour practice. I was six when I started gymnastics and I competed on my first team when I was seven.

At age eight and a half, I switched gyms and joined the team where I remained until I graduated high school and retired from competitive gymnastics. Now, four years later I can look back at my career and see the nine things that I learned from my experience as a USAG competitor.

1. I learned how to be focused.

You can’t be distracted training gymnastics skills because they can be dangerous and you can get seriously hurt. Even as a seven and eight-year-old child you have to concentrate, pay attention to what you’re doing, listen carefully to your coach, and don’t allow other things to distract you.

2. I learned to take criticism.

In gymnastics, we strive for perfection but never quite reach it. Every move you make is analyzed and picked apart. Sometimes there is praise but more often than not you are told that your legs aren’t straight or your toes aren’t pointed or your hips aren’t flat enough. As a gymnast, I listened to the critiques and tried to make the corrections. Getting hurt feelings wasn’t an option.

3. I learned how to be physically fit.

Besides the uneven bars, floor exercise, vault, and balance beam, gymnastics practices include over an hour a day of conditioning and flexibility. The exercises that we did are ones that I have incorporated into my life and I do every single day.

4. I learned to wait.

Practice was all about waiting your turn. Waiting your turn to get on the equipment, to talk to the coach, or to use the chalk was constant. Patience is a quality that gymnastics taught me.

5. I learned how to deal with disappointment.

There were times on the team when I wanted to move up a level or compete a new skill. Many times I’d work for weeks and be told that if I did it in practice I could compete it. Then, at the last minute, the coach would take it away from me and I had to smile and say ok. These things happen a lot in the gym and in life.

6. I learned how to work with people.

I spent twenty four-twenty five hours a week at the gym including practice, private lessons, and competitions. Most of the girls were very nice but some were bossy, mean, or just thought they were better than other girls. We all had to get along though and, in spite of attitudes, for the most part we did.

7. I learned to be confident.

As a gymnast, I had twenty seven fractures and numerous sprains and strains. I know that even with the best training and safety equipment accidents can happen. It is so important not to take unnecessary risks because anyone can get really hurt.

8. I learned that I am not invincible.

Gymnastics is an individual sport and when you are competing, you are up there on the equipment alone. It is important to be able to get up there and present yourself to the judges with confidence and that is something that the coaches drilled into us.

9. I learned that if you work hard, sometimes dreams come true

I learned that if you work hard, sometimes dreams come true. I decided when I switched teams that I wanted to win a state championship award. So, I worked at home, on my days off, and at practice. I added numbers to my strength exercises and asked for more. When the state meet came that year, I won three state championship awards as well as the “Hardest Worker Award” for my team at the end of the year.

Being a gymnast made me strong and confident and willing to work hard for what is important to me. It made me someone who follows her dreams and never quits. And, even with all the disappointments, injuries, and hard times, I look back on my career and I’m grateful to the sport that raised me.