Gymnastics… As young kids, we wake up and can’t sit still until our parents tell us it is time to go to gym. The joy that once pulsated through our bodies is far too soon diminished and ripped away from us, as the elite atmosphere kicks in and soon takes away the thing that we had once seen as the greatest time of our life. Now, that is not to say that elite gymnastics is horrible and I regret it, because I don’t at all. I guess what I am trying to say is that elite gymnastics should only be a place where our joy continues to grow because now we have the actual chance to put our long term goals into play.
When I google gymnastics, wikipedia says “gymnastics is a sport practiced by men and women that requires balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, endurance and control”. But let me relay some of the important things that it leaves out. Gymnastics requires sacrifice, dedication, discipline, getting back up every time you fall down, repetition, mental toughness, along with support, joy, and communication; and this is still probably only half of it. Support, joy, balance and communication are beyond the most important of these and it just so happens that wikipedia is not the only one who neglects these things; coaches, parents, and athletes do as well…
It is sad to look back and think that it required things to get this bad for there to finally be a movement for change. It is sad that the mental and verbal abuse was not only never acknowledged, but rather ignored, no matter how apparent it was. Time for change has been long overdue. We are now crying out and demanding that our voices be heard once and for all and that all of our reports are taken seriously and not simply swept under the rug, because exactly as sexual abuse leaves its undying marks, this type of verbal abuse does just as well.
Our voices were never heard sooner simply because of the fear instilled in us and the authorities that silenced us. Either we were terrified of speaking up or when we did we were invalidated. So when I talk about communication, I’m not referring to there just being open communication between the athlete and coach but between the athlete and parents as well. This does not mean that the athlete is just talking to talk, but instead really being heard and understood. For gymnastics to move forward, gymnasts need to be able to have trust in the program and that everyone around us is willing to put their pride aside and do whatever it takes to protect us as people and fully support what we want.
Now as young women, we aren’t asking for all the power. We just need compromise. We don’t always know what is best, that is why coaches are hired and parents are there to guide. Verbal and mental abuse, unfortunately, are probably present within any high level sport but that also does not mean that that is the only way to win. Coaches need to learn when to keep pushing and when to pull back and that it is easier to understand and make corrections when it comes from an educational standpoint, rather than a reprimanding one. As developing individuals, it becomes extremely easy to take these antagonizing remarks personally. We haven’t developed as people yet, so of course we are impressionable, eager for approval, and more than anything I can assure we want success just as much as you, if not more.
There was a point during my freshman year of college, when it became undeniably clear that I didn’t want to be great again because when I had been great, I was miserable. I, of course, now know that it wasn’t the result of me being great that made it miserable, it was the culture and environment that came along with it. It was the fact that the way I viewed winning became impaired because no matter what the results were, it still wasn’t good enough. I still wasn’t good enough. I have such a vivid image of me coming home after winning American Cup, in 2013, crying. I was in excruciating pain as one of my vertebrates was protruding out from my spine. My well-being had been neglected for the chance to win a gold medal and at just 16 years old, I was told my back would never be the same again. This was more than the result of a physical burnout, this was the product of a mental one too.
