Gymnastics, Hard but Worth the Challenge By: Riley Shapiro

It is not always easy to win trophies. It takes team work, a commitment and hard work.

If you fall don’t give up get back up And give it all you got Hard Work, Effort And a Commitment Is needed If you want To get a new skill and be rewarded

You can’t always get things on your first try. You have to keep trying. Maybe it means getting help the first time.

Just because you master a skill one way, you could try a more advanced way of doing it. But of course if you don’t put hard work and effort into getting the skill you never will.

You can also try the same skills but on different events. For example you can try a balk walkover on floor and then on the beam.

In addition, you must practice other skills that lead up to a new skill. You can’t become amazing over night.

Once you master skills you can work on more fun skills. But that takes practice and focus.

Q: How long have you been taking gymnastics? A: About my whole life. Q: What is your favorite part about gymnastics? A: It feels good when you learn something new. Q: Does gymnastics boost your confidence? A: Yes, because it makes me feel good about my self. When I go out there and be my self when I am practicing or competing and I feel like I did well or at least good enough for me, it boosts my confidence. Q: What is your favorite event? A: Vault, because you soar through the air and when you stick it, you feel like you can accomplish anything. Q: How has gymnastics affected you? A: Gymnastics has boosted my confidence, helped me make new friends and has helped me learn how to make a commitment and stick with it. Q: Do you think gymnastics will keep affecting you in a good or bad way? A: Good way, because I have learned what the values of a commitment are and honestly I think it is pretty impossible to forget such a wonderful impact on my life.

Gymnastics, Hard Work But Worth The ChallengeBy: Riley ShapiroBallerina DreamsGymnastics is more than mats, bars, and beams. It teaches creativity, flexibility, and coordination. Vault gives young athletes a running start toward skills like speed, agility, and power. High Bar is an exercise in courage and strength. Floor helps kids live a life with poise and self-confidence. Trampoline gives young athletes a jump on valuable skills like awareness and control. Balance Beam instills grace, poise, and courage. You might be the most skilled gymnast in the gym and train harder or longer than anyone else, but if self-doubt enters your mind prior to or during competition, you simply will not reach your true potential in gymnastics. I have been taking gymnastics about my whole life, and I could not imagine my life without it. I feel gymnastics has taught me many things. Of course gymnastics has taught me how to do gymnastics but it has gone way beyond that. Gymnastics has boosted my confidence and still continues to. Also I have learned to make a commitment. I think gymnastics has stuck to me so much because I love it so much.Not only have I learned many valuable lessons from gymnastics, many people do as well. For example, “Many people don't realize how hard gymnastics really is. Most of which you see of gymnastics is an illusion created by all the hard work, pain, talent, love, and commitment of this beautiful sport. Do you know what these talented gymnasts do in order to achieve such great skill? I do. In fact, I used to be a gymnast myself. In level 4 I experienced many different gymnasts. I switched through about three different gyms, trying to choose the right one for me, and I noticed something in common with all of them. Out of all the many gymnasts I have met, I haven't found a single gymnast that isn't completely committed to their job. Says Rinabear who wrote the article life as a gymnast. Also, Reyna Gilbert said she learned, “The less confident you are in yourself when performing new or "scary" skills, the more fearful you will be and the more difficulty you will have. It is up to you to trust your ability and to let your body do what you know it can.Gymnastics, Hard Work But Worth The ChallengeBy: Riley ShapiroBallerina DreamsGymnastics is more than mats, bars, and beams. It teaches creativity, flexibility, and coordination. Vault gives young athletes a running start toward skills like speed, agility, and power. High Bar is an exercise in courage and strength. Floor helps kids live a life with poise and self-confidence. Trampoline gives young athletes a jump on valuable skills like awareness and control. Balance Beam instills grace, poise, and courage. You might be the most skilled gymnast in the gym and train harder or longer than anyone else, but if self-doubt enters your mind prior to or during competition, you simply will not reach your true potential in gymnastics. I have been taking gymnastics about my whole life, and I could not imagine my life without it. I feel gymnastics has taught me many things. Of course gymnastics has taught me how to do gymnastics but it has gone way beyond that. Gymnastics has boosted my confidence and still continues to. Also I have learned to make a commitment. I think gymnastics has stuck to me so much because I love it so much.Not only have I learned many valuable lessons from gymnastics, many people do as well. For example, “Many people don't realize how hard gymnastics really is. Most of which you see of gymnastics is an illusion created by all the hard work, pain, talent, love, and commitment of this beautiful sport. Do you know what these talented gymnasts do in order to achieve such great skill? I do. In fact, I used to be a gymnast myself. In level 4 I experienced many different gymnasts. I switched through about three different gyms, trying to choose the right one for me, and I noticed something in common with all of them. Out of all the many gymnasts I have met, I haven't found a single gymnast that isn't completely committed to their job. Says Rinabear who wrote the article life as a gymnast. Also, Reyna Gilbert said she learned, “The less confident you are in yourself when performing new or "scary" skills, the more fearful you will be and the more difficulty you will have. It is up to you to trust your ability and to let your body do what you know it can. Gymnastics is more than mats, bars, and beams. It teaches creativity, flexibility, and coordination. Vault gives young athletes a running start toward skills like speed, agility, and power. High Bar is an exercise in courage and strength. Floor helps kids live a life with poise and self- confidence. Trampoline gives young athletes a jump on valuable skills like awareness and control. Balance Beam instills grace, poise, and courage. You might be the most skilled gymnast in the gym and train harder or longer than anyone else, but if self-doubt enters your mind prior to or during competition, you simply will not reach your true potential in gymnastics. I have been taking gymnastics about my whole life, and I could not imagine my life without it. I feel gymnastics has taught me many things. Of course gymnastics has taught me how to do gymnastics but it has gone way beyond that. Gymnastics has boosted my confidence and still continues to. Also I have learned to make a commitment. I think gymnastics has stuck to me so much because I love it so much.

Not only have I learned many valuable lessons from gymnastics, many people do as well. For example, “Many people don't realize how hard gymnastics really is. Most of which you see of gymnastics is an illusion created by all the hard work, pain, talent, love, and commitment of this beautiful sport. Do you know what these talented gymnasts do in order to achieve such great skill? I do. In fact, I used to be a gymnast myself. In level 4 I experienced many different gymnasts. I switched through about three different gyms, trying to choose the right one for me, and I noticed something in common with all of them. Out of all the many gymnasts I have met, I haven't found a single gymnast that isn't completely committed to their job,” says Rinabear who wrote the article life as a gymnast and used to be one. Also, Reyna Gilbert said she learned, “The less confident you are in yourself when performing new or "scary" skills, the more fearful you will be and the more difficulty you will have. It is up to you to trust your ability and to let your body do what you know it can.

While gymnastics is amazing, there are a few cons. For example it can be very risky. “There is always a 50% chance you could get hurt no matter what skill you are trying to do. Even though, gymnastics mats cover the surrounding floor you still must be very careful about what you are doing so you don’t get hurt. Gymnastics means learning how your body moves and how to control those movements with precision.” According to a study from the University of Sydney and published in the May 2010 issue of the journal “Physical Therapy in Sport.” In acrobatic gymnastics, the participants perform in pairs. Data from 73 surveys of acrobatic gymnasts found 50.7 percent experienced a gymnastics-related injury in the past year and 28.8 were afflicted with a chronic injury at the time of the study. “Not only is gymnastics training time-consuming, it can also be expensive,” says Tamara Wilson. Even though there are a few cons, the pros over weigh them. Gymnastics has taught me and still is teaching me many valuable things that I will look back on in a few years and be very thankful of. Although, remember gymnastics is not only about skill it is about self confidence, commitment and hard work.