By: Lizzy Blessley

Life needs balance. Life needs strength. Life needs flexibility. What better way to get these things than through gymnastics? Gymnastics teaches life skills like discipline, integrity, time management, and persistence to kids from a young age and people of all ages who try the sport. Although the mentality of the sport has the advantages mentioned, it can also be extremely difficult. With the desire to reach perfection, frustration and fear will occur in all gymnasts. In my last competition, I had a nasty fall in warm ups, and everybody thought I was going to be taken to the hospital. However, after a few seconds of gathering my mind, I denied the offers of paramedic help, and decided to compete anyway. I was frustrated that I allowed myself to fall so badly after all the work I put in to prevent falls like that, and I was scared that I would fall again. Despite my fears, I competed and ended up winning out of everybody in the competition.

The fear and frustration may be looked at as negatives of the sport, but gymnastics ultimately teaches gymnasts how to deal with those issues which is a valuable skill to learn. The mental aspect of the sport is sometimes looked at as controversial, but there is no denying that the physical aspect of the sport is nothing but beneficial. Gymnasts must have great strength, agility, balance, and flexibility which gives them good body awareness, reaction times, and an easier time doing more demanding daily functions. Of all of the reasons to do the sport, none are quite as captivating as knowing just how fun gymnastics is. People think I am crazy for putting myself through so many hours and so many mental obstacles, but I just know that they have never fell in love with the feeling of flying. The feeling when you get a new skill, win a meet, and fly through the air is something that does not exist anywhere else. Gymnastics was my first love, and I can guarantee you will find the same love in it.