Coaches and Athletes
Famous Coaches and Athletes
Over the years there have been some great coaches and athletes. In the past 100 years, many of these people have changed the meaning of gymnastics. The skills being performed are harder and the coaching is more insightful. Coaches train gymnasts smarter and more regularly take on competitions. Athletes are becoming are becoming bigger and stronger. Here are some of the most notable coaches and female athletes who have changed the gymnastics world.
Olga Korbut
Olga Korbut was a gymnast at the 1972 and 1976 Olympic Games. Her success in gymnastics captivated many people and greatly increased and inspired people to try the sport. The Olympics she competed in were one of the first to be televised. She promoted participation in the sport and was the first gymnast inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. She had such a great influence that her name is still recognizable in the common household today, 40 years later.
Nadia Comaneci
Nadia Comaneci was the first Olympic gymnast to score a perfect 10.0 (Ebsco). Her stunning performances were unmatched and led her to great success in multiple Olympic games and European championships. Comaneci was one of the most celebrated and popularized gymnasts. She was even featured on the front covers of time magazine, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated all in the same week (IGHF)! Nadia Comaneci is considered the most celebrated gymnast of all time.
Bela Karolyi
Bela Karolyi is regarded as the most successful gymnastic coach in the history of the sport. He produced 28 Olympic gymnasts, 9 of them champions, 15 world champions, 12 European medalists and U.S. national champions (Sports Byline USA). He accomplished all of this in the 30 years that he coaches in both Romania and the USA.
Mary Lou Retton
In 1984 at the Los Angeles Olympic games, Mary Lou Retton became the first American woman to win the all-around title in gymnastics. In addition, she won the most medals, 5, of any athlete at the Olympics that year (IGHF). She was recognized as "Sportswoman of the Year" in 1984 by Sports Illustrated and "Most Popular Athlete in America" in 1993 by Associated Press (IGHF). Her name is still common in American households and she is one of the great prides of American Gymnastics.
Larissa Latynina
Larissa Latynina, of U.S.S.R. held the record for the most Olympic medals from 1964 until 2012. She held 18 Olympic medals won from 3 different Olympic Games (IGHF). She also won and competed in many World and European championships. Latynina was regarded as the best gymnast of her time.
Valeri LIUkin
Valeri Liukin was men's Olympic gymnast in the late 80s. Later he moved from Russia to Texas to start his own gymnastics club called World Olympic Gymnastics Academy, or WOGA for short. He coaches many world class gymnasts as well as his daughter, Nastia Liukin, who was Olympic champion in 2008. This father- daughter team is widely known and respected.
Yelenda Davydova
Yelenda Davydova was a Russia gymnast who competed in the 1970s and 80s. She was the firt woman to do a tkatchev on bars, and font tucks and side-sumis on beam. Some of her international recognition was inhibited by the boycotting of the 1980 Olympic games, which she won. Today, she coaches, judges, runs clinics, and choreographs gymnastics routines in Canada (IGHF). She still contributes much to the gymnastics world.
Kerri Strug
Kerri Strug was an Olympic gymnast at the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta. She is known for being the anchor of the team and helping them win the team gold medal. Team USA was in first place going into the last event, vault, when one of her teammates fell on both of her vaults. It was up to Strug to pull through for the team to win gold. On her first vault, she fell and slightly tweaked her ankle. She was the last of Team USA to vault and it was her best event. She had one vault, which would be the deciding factor for medals. Iconicly, she stuck the landing but had severely injured her ankle. She is one of the most famed examples pf perseverance in gymnastics. She led Team USA to gold.
Nastia Liukin
Nastia Luikin, daughter of Valeri Liukin, was an Olympic athlete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She won five Medals including the gold in all around. Before the Olympics she had been to 9 world championships, winning 3 gold medals, and won J.O. level 10 nationals back to back from 2003-2006 (USAGHF). She continues to be involved in gymnastics as an analyst and Olympic correspondent for NBC (USAGHF).
McKayla Maroney
McKayla Maroney competed at the 2012 London Olympics and is known for her vaulting capabilities. She is currently regarded as the best vaulter in the world. Above is the video of the vault that made her such a star in the gymnastics world. She did not win the Olympic vault final due to a fall on her first vault but is still continued to be considered the best vaulter.
The Coach-Athlete Relationship
Athletes and coaches in gymnastics spend a lot of time together. Often practice schedules as well as meets and other team events have them be together over 20 hours every week and sometimes even more time than they are with their parents. Because of the great amount of time athletes and coaches spend together they develop a special relationship built on trust. Coaches help athletes become great. Athletes are dependent on coaches for improvement. Coaching is the difference between the good athletes and the great athletes. Part of any competitive gymnast’s success can be credited to their coaching.
Coaches often have more impact than any other person, besides parents, in a gymnast’s life. They act as both role models and mentors for a gymnast while at the same time leading them to success. This builds a strong bond of trust. Just as well, gymnasts rely on coaches for spots when attempting new skills. Athletes literally put their lives in the hands of their coach. Also, coaches are responsible for equipment adjustments. They raise or lower the vault, bars, and beam to the need of the individual. According to a study done on world class gymnasts, the most successful of them valued most the psychological motivation and support they received from their coaches as well as the ability of their coach to manage the sociology of a team, whether one-on-one or all together (Massimo 17). While these were the most important ranking things the elite athletes looked for in a coach, they also look for motivational skills, spotting abilities, discipline, organization, communication skills, consistency, as well as many other qualities (Massimo 18). Elite athletes have reached the pinnacle of gymnastics and are able to recognize the best coaches that help them to realize their true potential. Elite athletes are not inhibited by their physical ability but much more by their mental state. The best coaches increase the confidence of a gymnast so that they are able to compete more consistently and to the best of their abilities. Coaches, such as Bela Karolyi and Liang Chow, who have produce a number of successful Olympic gymnasts, including Shawn Johnson, Gabby Douglas, Nadia Comaneci, Mary Lou Reton and others, exemplify this.
Coaches often have more impact than any other person, besides parents, in a gymnast’s life. They act as both role models and mentors for a gymnast while at the same time leading them to success. This builds a strong bond of trust. Just as well, gymnasts rely on coaches for spots when attempting new skills. Athletes literally put their lives in the hands of their coach. Also, coaches are responsible for equipment adjustments. They raise or lower the vault, bars, and beam to the need of the individual. According to a study done on world class gymnasts, the most successful of them valued most the psychological motivation and support they received from their coaches as well as the ability of their coach to manage the sociology of a team, whether one-on-one or all together (Massimo 17). While these were the most important ranking things the elite athletes looked for in a coach, they also look for motivational skills, spotting abilities, discipline, organization, communication skills, consistency, as well as many other qualities (Massimo 18). Elite athletes have reached the pinnacle of gymnastics and are able to recognize the best coaches that help them to realize their true potential. Elite athletes are not inhibited by their physical ability but much more by their mental state. The best coaches increase the confidence of a gymnast so that they are able to compete more consistently and to the best of their abilities. Coaches, such as Bela Karolyi and Liang Chow, who have produce a number of successful Olympic gymnasts, including Shawn Johnson, Gabby Douglas, Nadia Comaneci, Mary Lou Reton and others, exemplify this.
One of the major things that affect the climate of the gym is the discipline and coaching style. Some coaches operate in authoritarian style while others operate in in a “democracy” with collaborative gymnast input or even act more as supervisors than as coaches. They styles of coaching practiced by the coaches makes a huge impact on the environment of the gym. A strict authoritarian coach can make the gym stressful but may also be able to help the athlete make progress quickly. On the other hand, a coach who acts as a supervisor may have limitations in helping their athletes to reach their potential but create a very relaxed environment. There are pros and cons to any type of coaching but what matters in the end is the relationship the coach has with each individual gymnast. A coach must be able to change his or her method of coaching in order to help each individual. Upon being asked what she finds is the best approach to coaching gymnastics, Alli Brisson, Coach at Atlantic Gymnastics Training Center, responded, “To try teaching each individual to their own personal needs. It’s not a cookie cutter type of job.” In my own experience, training and competitions in the earlier levels is very authoritarian. As the athletes get older and gain more experience in the sport, they are allowed more input. Now that I am one of the highest level gymnasts in the gym, the coaching is much more democratic but the success of the gymnasts is much more based on their own internal drive to do well and pursue their goals. Tony Retrosi, 2010 USAG Educator of the Year, stated that “Every kid is different but the one who understands internal motivation will tend to be more successful.”
In a healthy coach-athlete relationship, there is a certain degree of respect. The athlete must respect the coach and trust their decisions in the gym and the coach must respect the athlete as an individual. This teaches a gymnast the importance of respect and being respected which will be carried into life after gymnastics. A gymnast should look upon their coach and see a role model. This will foster the most respect from the gymnast to the coach. But, this can be difficult for some coaches. Some coaches just don’t harness the admiration in order for their athletes to fully believe in and not question. Also, on a more sinister note, there are some coaches that do not respect their athletes. There are multiple accounts of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse gymnastics. In the book "Chalked Up," by Jennifer Sey, 1986 national champion, she recounts shocking things she encountered in her gymnastics career. She, as well as her teammates, were under severe and constant pressure to lose weight. They even underwent weigh-ins where they were severely ridiculed if they gained anything. She went to such measures as spitting into cups to lose some water weight (Harris). Practices like this can severely physically detrimental to an athlete practicing so much as well as psychologically damaging. It can even create habits and problems that carry past gymnastics. Also, the majority of the athletes in gymnastics have not yet hit puberty. The damage they do through disorders influenced by the desire to please the coach can be permanent. For some athletes the abuse is different. The gymnasts have a drive to be great and they know their coach can lead them to greatness. They become dependent on the coach and the coach, in turn, takes advantage of it. In this way, the coach is able to put the young athlete through hell-like conditioning and uber-high expectations as part of the agreement to make the gymnast reach their potential. It is true that some of this may motivate an athlete but too much can cause lasting psychological damage that can result in the need for years of therapy. A coach needs to be able to create a healthy environment for their gymnasts to thrive in. Abuse can cause lasting damage to an individual athlete. It is more important to create a beneficial environment for the athlete that will help them throughout their development and life than to create an empty robot that follows orders.
Overall, the relationship between the gymnast and the coach is essential to gymnastics. A gymnast needs a coach to help them do the best that they are capable of while the coach needs to share their expertise and at the same time get recognition for their feats. A healthy, individualized relationship between the two takes them as far as they can go and overall makes gymnastics more enjoyable for everyone. Under the pressures of competition season there may be some tension but the goal of each should be to be as successful as possible. When the goals are the same and the coach and athlete work well together, the best can be accomplished.
In a healthy coach-athlete relationship, there is a certain degree of respect. The athlete must respect the coach and trust their decisions in the gym and the coach must respect the athlete as an individual. This teaches a gymnast the importance of respect and being respected which will be carried into life after gymnastics. A gymnast should look upon their coach and see a role model. This will foster the most respect from the gymnast to the coach. But, this can be difficult for some coaches. Some coaches just don’t harness the admiration in order for their athletes to fully believe in and not question. Also, on a more sinister note, there are some coaches that do not respect their athletes. There are multiple accounts of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse gymnastics. In the book "Chalked Up," by Jennifer Sey, 1986 national champion, she recounts shocking things she encountered in her gymnastics career. She, as well as her teammates, were under severe and constant pressure to lose weight. They even underwent weigh-ins where they were severely ridiculed if they gained anything. She went to such measures as spitting into cups to lose some water weight (Harris). Practices like this can severely physically detrimental to an athlete practicing so much as well as psychologically damaging. It can even create habits and problems that carry past gymnastics. Also, the majority of the athletes in gymnastics have not yet hit puberty. The damage they do through disorders influenced by the desire to please the coach can be permanent. For some athletes the abuse is different. The gymnasts have a drive to be great and they know their coach can lead them to greatness. They become dependent on the coach and the coach, in turn, takes advantage of it. In this way, the coach is able to put the young athlete through hell-like conditioning and uber-high expectations as part of the agreement to make the gymnast reach their potential. It is true that some of this may motivate an athlete but too much can cause lasting psychological damage that can result in the need for years of therapy. A coach needs to be able to create a healthy environment for their gymnasts to thrive in. Abuse can cause lasting damage to an individual athlete. It is more important to create a beneficial environment for the athlete that will help them throughout their development and life than to create an empty robot that follows orders.
Overall, the relationship between the gymnast and the coach is essential to gymnastics. A gymnast needs a coach to help them do the best that they are capable of while the coach needs to share their expertise and at the same time get recognition for their feats. A healthy, individualized relationship between the two takes them as far as they can go and overall makes gymnastics more enjoyable for everyone. Under the pressures of competition season there may be some tension but the goal of each should be to be as successful as possible. When the goals are the same and the coach and athlete work well together, the best can be accomplished.
Stress and the Athlete
Gymnastics is one of the most stressful sports in existence. In competition, there is only one chance on each event (except vault because you get two tries) to stay on the apparatus doing insanely hard skills. There is one chance to qualify to regionals and nationals each year. In practice, daring stunts are attempted regularly in effort to acquire new skills to climb up the levels and achieve apex performance. Not only are these stunts dangerous but the person attempting them has little knowledge and experience doing them. People fall and get hurt frequently. They get mental blocks preventing them from trying certain skills and progressing. There is even great frustration in repeatedly trying and failing to perform a skill a certain way or with absolutely perfect form. For all of these reasons gymnastics can be extremely stressful on an athlete. Even so, the sport of gymnastics involves great mental effort, perhaps even more than physical effort. There are different ways an athlete may cope with or manage the stress from the sport.
Many gymnasts have designated times to mentally recuperate. Often during stretching at the end of a practice, gymnasts are required to be silent and engage in a meditation period. This helps a gymnast mentally grasp their accomplishments and goals. This meditation also helps to inoculate thoughts in order to remain consistent (Piper). In addition, the deep breathing an slow pace of stretching as well as holding the position slows the heart rate and stress on the body. Meditation is an important part of keeping sane while doing gymnastics.
Relaxation is another technique to deal with stress. Repeating words or certain motions before a skill or routine can be a psychological trick to calm the mind and improve confidence before performing it. This helps a gymnast take on a passive frame of mind before taking on a skill that they fear which would typically result in sweating, increased heart rate, and an adrenaline rush (Gymnastics Zone). Along with relaxation, challenging negative thoughts about performing a skill or a routine can make them easier to attempt. Questioning why the athlete doesn’t think they can perform the skill or is afraid to as well as exploring the rationality of the fear can help to decrease the fear (HelpGuide.org).
Another way many gymnasts manage the stress is by being home-schooled. Without physically having to wake up to attend school, the athletes get more sleep and improve diet. Being in a public school while doing gymnastics can be extremely stressful because of the time restraints, the homework, and travel time to the gym. Doing all of these things while at the same time practicing 5 hours a day or even more can cause huge amounts of stress leading to sleep deprivation, feeling tired all the time, headaches, impatience, frequent pain, anxiety, stomach aches, and an inability to concentrate (Ginsburg). Many people are not able to deal with his so they decide to be home-schooled. Home-schooling allows the stress associated with time management to be eliminated. There may be some lack of social development but the reduced stress associated with traditional schooling but the overall benefit of spending more hours in the gym for high level gymnasts is much greater.
There are also some not so healthy ways that some gymnasts deal with stress. Many girls who are or were formally competitive in gymnastics have struggled with eating disorders. Gymnasts are thought of as the pinnacle of physical fitness. That, along with the drive for perfectionism associated with the sport, supports the type of mind frame that causes eating disorder. Many other sports also have the occurrence of eating disorders but it is especially prevalent in woman’s gymnastics. 28 percent of all elite gymnasts suffered from disordered eating patterns and according to the NCAA 51 to 62 percent of all gymnasts have eating disorders (Elements Behavioral Health). Christy Henrich, a national team member, died at the age of 22 from anorexia nervosa and bulimia. This made USAG take a closer look at the practices of gyms around the country. One reason so many gymnasts and coaches are determined to stay the right weight is because extra weight can make competing certain skills difficult and can increase the impact of landing causing more repetitive use injuries. There are some justifications for being cautious about what you eat as a competitive gymnast but eating unhealthily or in an unhealthy pattern can be detrimental to overall performance and therefore needs to be treated. More emphasis needs to be put on healthy eating in gymnastics rather than being thin. This is a form of perfectionism that needs to be curbed.
Today, gymnastics teams often have a sports psychologist. Since 1992, the U.S. National team has used a sports psychologist to help the athletes deal with the stress they face due to high expectations, difficult skills and important qualifications (Gymnastics Zone). In gymnastics, comprehensive mental training is necessary in addition to the physical training. A positive environment can increase performance in practice and meets. Stress is an impeding factor that needs to be recognized, dealt with, and reduced in order to create the best and most successful athlete.
Many gymnasts have designated times to mentally recuperate. Often during stretching at the end of a practice, gymnasts are required to be silent and engage in a meditation period. This helps a gymnast mentally grasp their accomplishments and goals. This meditation also helps to inoculate thoughts in order to remain consistent (Piper). In addition, the deep breathing an slow pace of stretching as well as holding the position slows the heart rate and stress on the body. Meditation is an important part of keeping sane while doing gymnastics.
Relaxation is another technique to deal with stress. Repeating words or certain motions before a skill or routine can be a psychological trick to calm the mind and improve confidence before performing it. This helps a gymnast take on a passive frame of mind before taking on a skill that they fear which would typically result in sweating, increased heart rate, and an adrenaline rush (Gymnastics Zone). Along with relaxation, challenging negative thoughts about performing a skill or a routine can make them easier to attempt. Questioning why the athlete doesn’t think they can perform the skill or is afraid to as well as exploring the rationality of the fear can help to decrease the fear (HelpGuide.org).
Another way many gymnasts manage the stress is by being home-schooled. Without physically having to wake up to attend school, the athletes get more sleep and improve diet. Being in a public school while doing gymnastics can be extremely stressful because of the time restraints, the homework, and travel time to the gym. Doing all of these things while at the same time practicing 5 hours a day or even more can cause huge amounts of stress leading to sleep deprivation, feeling tired all the time, headaches, impatience, frequent pain, anxiety, stomach aches, and an inability to concentrate (Ginsburg). Many people are not able to deal with his so they decide to be home-schooled. Home-schooling allows the stress associated with time management to be eliminated. There may be some lack of social development but the reduced stress associated with traditional schooling but the overall benefit of spending more hours in the gym for high level gymnasts is much greater.
There are also some not so healthy ways that some gymnasts deal with stress. Many girls who are or were formally competitive in gymnastics have struggled with eating disorders. Gymnasts are thought of as the pinnacle of physical fitness. That, along with the drive for perfectionism associated with the sport, supports the type of mind frame that causes eating disorder. Many other sports also have the occurrence of eating disorders but it is especially prevalent in woman’s gymnastics. 28 percent of all elite gymnasts suffered from disordered eating patterns and according to the NCAA 51 to 62 percent of all gymnasts have eating disorders (Elements Behavioral Health). Christy Henrich, a national team member, died at the age of 22 from anorexia nervosa and bulimia. This made USAG take a closer look at the practices of gyms around the country. One reason so many gymnasts and coaches are determined to stay the right weight is because extra weight can make competing certain skills difficult and can increase the impact of landing causing more repetitive use injuries. There are some justifications for being cautious about what you eat as a competitive gymnast but eating unhealthily or in an unhealthy pattern can be detrimental to overall performance and therefore needs to be treated. More emphasis needs to be put on healthy eating in gymnastics rather than being thin. This is a form of perfectionism that needs to be curbed.
Today, gymnastics teams often have a sports psychologist. Since 1992, the U.S. National team has used a sports psychologist to help the athletes deal with the stress they face due to high expectations, difficult skills and important qualifications (Gymnastics Zone). In gymnastics, comprehensive mental training is necessary in addition to the physical training. A positive environment can increase performance in practice and meets. Stress is an impeding factor that needs to be recognized, dealt with, and reduced in order to create the best and most successful athlete.
Benefits of gymnastics and athlete Psychology
Gymnastics teaches and encourages many different beneficial habits and behaviors both physical and mentally. Here are some of the most common physical benefits and different behaviors found throughout the sport of gymnastics.
Through gymnastics, athletes obtain huge physical benefits through hard work and dedication. They become strong from the conditioning, repetition of skills, and frequency of practice. This helps a gymnast throughout their life, even after gymnastics, to maintain optimum health and athletic capabilities. Strength through gymnastics is built primarily through bodyweight exercises. This helps to develop all of their muscles through the resistance of gravity. One of the major strengths a gymnast builds is core strength. This leads to greater balance and coordination Balance and coordination are essential to being successful in all four of the events in gymnastics and many other sports and can also help with alignment, foot, and back problems that plague many average people. Gymnasts are also the most flexible athletes which is an impressive combination with the strength they have. Flexibility allows for easier movement and relaxes the muscles, which can prevent injury (Go for it USA). A person also gains endurance with gymnastics. Anaerobic endurance is strengthened in gymnastics. This may not be great for sports such as soccer but it has lifelong benefits especially in case of emergencies. One of the most useful physical advantages gymnasts gain is resilience. Resilience allows for quick recovery from physical activity. Gymnastics can also increase bone density. This can prevent osteoporosis and decrease the risk of breaking bones (National Osteoporosis Foundation). Overall, gymnastics is extremely beneficial to any person physically. In these times when childhood obesity is an epidemic, sports like gymnastics keep them active and teach them good habits.
There are a great deal of behaviors learned from doing gymnastics in addition to the physical benefits. One of the first things a gymnast learns in gymnastics is the ability to concentrate and focus on their task. In order to perform a skill correctly and safely, a gymnast needs to be able to give it all of their attention. This can even be to the extent of completely “zoning-in” to that particular task and blocking all other distractions out. Determination is necessary in order to progress in gymnastics. It is such a mentally oriented sport that you have to want something and set goals in order to achieve it. This goes hand-in-hand with internal motivation. This is one of the skills learned in gymnastics that can lead to the most success. The best gymnasts are pros as internal motivation. Their internal drive gives them the competitive edge to succeed and become productive. It is necessary for gymnasts to be productive in the time that they have. Because of intense and long practices, gymnasts often need to develop strong time management skills. This helps them to complete assignments in the gym as well as out of it. All of these traits can assist in problem solving and be applied to activities in school. This is why gymnasts do well in school and receive high marks. In the chart below, the average GPAs of some of the woman’s gymnastics teams in NCAA are recorded, all having above a 3.285. This is incredible given the near equal hours spent in school and gymnastics, it also exemplifies the perfectionism taught in gymnastics. In order to be a good gymnast, one learns to make small changes frequently and gradually in order to make herself better. In a way, gymnastics is the ultimate transcendentalist adventure. This can lead to great confidence and self-esteem as well as individuality. Gymnasts often have the confidence to get what they need to do done and in the right way. Most carry their self well. Gymnastics creates many mental habits that will bring success throughout life.
Through gymnastics, athletes obtain huge physical benefits through hard work and dedication. They become strong from the conditioning, repetition of skills, and frequency of practice. This helps a gymnast throughout their life, even after gymnastics, to maintain optimum health and athletic capabilities. Strength through gymnastics is built primarily through bodyweight exercises. This helps to develop all of their muscles through the resistance of gravity. One of the major strengths a gymnast builds is core strength. This leads to greater balance and coordination Balance and coordination are essential to being successful in all four of the events in gymnastics and many other sports and can also help with alignment, foot, and back problems that plague many average people. Gymnasts are also the most flexible athletes which is an impressive combination with the strength they have. Flexibility allows for easier movement and relaxes the muscles, which can prevent injury (Go for it USA). A person also gains endurance with gymnastics. Anaerobic endurance is strengthened in gymnastics. This may not be great for sports such as soccer but it has lifelong benefits especially in case of emergencies. One of the most useful physical advantages gymnasts gain is resilience. Resilience allows for quick recovery from physical activity. Gymnastics can also increase bone density. This can prevent osteoporosis and decrease the risk of breaking bones (National Osteoporosis Foundation). Overall, gymnastics is extremely beneficial to any person physically. In these times when childhood obesity is an epidemic, sports like gymnastics keep them active and teach them good habits.
There are a great deal of behaviors learned from doing gymnastics in addition to the physical benefits. One of the first things a gymnast learns in gymnastics is the ability to concentrate and focus on their task. In order to perform a skill correctly and safely, a gymnast needs to be able to give it all of their attention. This can even be to the extent of completely “zoning-in” to that particular task and blocking all other distractions out. Determination is necessary in order to progress in gymnastics. It is such a mentally oriented sport that you have to want something and set goals in order to achieve it. This goes hand-in-hand with internal motivation. This is one of the skills learned in gymnastics that can lead to the most success. The best gymnasts are pros as internal motivation. Their internal drive gives them the competitive edge to succeed and become productive. It is necessary for gymnasts to be productive in the time that they have. Because of intense and long practices, gymnasts often need to develop strong time management skills. This helps them to complete assignments in the gym as well as out of it. All of these traits can assist in problem solving and be applied to activities in school. This is why gymnasts do well in school and receive high marks. In the chart below, the average GPAs of some of the woman’s gymnastics teams in NCAA are recorded, all having above a 3.285. This is incredible given the near equal hours spent in school and gymnastics, it also exemplifies the perfectionism taught in gymnastics. In order to be a good gymnast, one learns to make small changes frequently and gradually in order to make herself better. In a way, gymnastics is the ultimate transcendentalist adventure. This can lead to great confidence and self-esteem as well as individuality. Gymnasts often have the confidence to get what they need to do done and in the right way. Most carry their self well. Gymnastics creates many mental habits that will bring success throughout life.
Academic All-America Teams - Women's NCAA Gymnastics
University - GPA University - GPA
1. Winona State - 3.716 11. Alabama - 3.384
2. Southern Utah - 3.549 12. Penn State - 3.360
3. Lousiana State - 3.505 13. North Carolina State - 3.350
4. SE Missouri State - 3.482 14. U Illinois-Champaign - 3.350
5. U Alaska-Anchorage - 3.452 15. Kent State - 3.334
6. U Wisconsin-LaCrosse - 3.430 16. Bowling Green State - 3.330 7.Central Michigan - 3.400 17. Yale - 3.322
8. George Washington - 3.399 18. Seattle Pacific - 3.300
9. North Carolina - 3.396 19. Univ Pennsylvania - 3.290
10. Utah - 3.390 20. Nebraska - 3.286
(Sands)
University - GPA University - GPA
1. Winona State - 3.716 11. Alabama - 3.384
2. Southern Utah - 3.549 12. Penn State - 3.360
3. Lousiana State - 3.505 13. North Carolina State - 3.350
4. SE Missouri State - 3.482 14. U Illinois-Champaign - 3.350
5. U Alaska-Anchorage - 3.452 15. Kent State - 3.334
6. U Wisconsin-LaCrosse - 3.430 16. Bowling Green State - 3.330 7.Central Michigan - 3.400 17. Yale - 3.322
8. George Washington - 3.399 18. Seattle Pacific - 3.300
9. North Carolina - 3.396 19. Univ Pennsylvania - 3.290
10. Utah - 3.390 20. Nebraska - 3.286
(Sands)
The greatest benefits of gymnastics can be established in a simple ancient Latin phrase, “Mens sana in corpore sano,” which means, “A sound mind in a sound body.” This emphasizes the quintessential link between a healthy body and a healthy mind that gymnastics fosters. This saying even comes from the time of the earliest form of gymnastics, even more liking the two. Gymnastics creates a healthy strong body that can support a healthy strong mind.