It is pretty safe to assume that all of us have struggled with self-confidence or self-worth at some point in our lives. Whether you're male or female, there is one stage of your life where you feel as if you are unimportant compared to other people or that you're opinions, thoughts, and ideas are just not as relevant or as important as someone else's. I found this personally to be true around my middle school years. Everyone is going through that 'awkward' phase. You know, being the 'tall' one, the 'short' one, the 'chubby' one, the 'brace' face, the list goes on and on. I was your typical middle schooler- I had braces, was on the chubbier side, and wasn't confident in myself in close to anything that I did. So many young people, especially girls, are constantly judging themselves and their actions. They think they are not smart enough, not pretty enough, or not talented enough. I was just like most of these girls -- until I found gymnastics.
When I was four years old my mom signed me up for gymnastic classes at our local gym. I started that, along with dance, with my best friend. I fell in love instantly. Now, when you're 4 years old and you're told you can run around, play in a foam pit, and swing upside down on bars it's hard to not fall in love. When my friend had decided to quit gymnastics and go with dance, I decided that I would quit dance instead and stick with gymnastics. I went from being at the gym for 50 minutes a week to close to 25 hours a week over the next few years of my life.
As I began my middle school years, I started to be more self-conscious of my body and the way I was perceived by my peers. I felt like I was constantly watching what I said because I didn't want to sound 'stupid' or 'dumb.' Gymnastics quickly became my relief, my go-to thing to help relieve stress. No matter how bad my day was at school, when I went to practice all the stresses of the school day just seemed to disappear. Without gymnastics, I am not sure I would've gotten past those super awkward middle school days.
You're probably wondering, "What exactly did gymnastics do for her?" It gave me confidence. It gave me confidence to not only believe in myself, but also to believe in my actions. When you get up in front of those four judges, you are competing by yourself. There is no one else for you to rely on. If you do well, it's all because of you. If you do poorly, it's all because of you. While this may seem like a lot of pressure for an 11 year old, it really teaches you to value quite literally every step you take and to never second guess your moves-ever. Gymnastics also gave me confidence in my body image. I was ~blessed~ with a very short stature, I will never have skinny legs or a thigh gap and gymnastics taught me to accept that. Gymnastics taught me to value muscular legs over a thigh gap because a thigh gap isn't going to get you over the vault table -- muscles are. Gymnastics also showed me that with healthy exercising, you can reward yourself with that huge piece of cake every now and then and that it's nothing to be ashamed of. Gymnastics taught me to stand up in front of a crowd and always hold my head high, even if I had just fallen down or wiped out. With every failure in the sport, you gain something. You learn something about yourself at every practice and competition and grow as a person.
So to the sport of gymnastics, I thank you. I thank you for giving me my back bone. For giving me the confidence to stand tall in everything I do. For giving me the confidence to embrace those leg muscles and to really embrace that piece of chocolate cake. Thank you for helping me get passed my awkward middle school days and for truly helping me mold into the person I am today. And to think, it all started with a love of playing in the foam pit and hanging upside down.
