Gymnastics is a great sport. Artificial as hell, and stuck with needing judges, but is still a great sport. I still consider myself a gymnast, even though I have been out of the sport for over 10 years now. Gymnastics is largely responsible for who I am now.

I was in the sport for a long time, competing for over 25 years. Most people don't last that long in gymnastics. The sport is quite hard on joints (soft tissue almost always heals well). I was lucky to have a more robust than average body, coupled with enough common sense to back off and allow things to repair themselves. I probably could have been a much better gymnast without the common sense, but I have yet to meet anyone who enjoyed the sport as much as I did.

A gymnastics room is essentially a giant playground, made for adults. All those exciting things you did as a kid, you continue to do as a gymnast. You get to fly through the air and go round and round. You get an adrenaline surge when trying something new, and a glow of satisfaction when you get finally get it right.

Gymnastics also teaches patience and persistence. Most skills in gymnastics take years of work. Frequently, there is very little improvement for a long time. You just keep working at it, and then, one day, it all comes together. I am still amazed when I am coaching a 10 year old, who continues to grind away on Pommel Horse, knowing that he probably won't actually make the skill for another two years. Two years is an awful long time for a 10 year old. Sometimes, during a growth spurt, you actually go backwards, and start losing skills that were once easy. Talk about a tough sport!

Gymnastics is also unusual in that there are different ways or reasons that enable someone to succeed. I have seen gymnasts succeed because they:

			are flexible
			are strong
			are coordinated
			work hard
			work smart
			are small
			are tall

Naturally, the top gymnasts in the world have it all. But, even the tall ones now have a chance internationally, since being an All-Around is no longer required.

I did gymnastics because I enjoyed being in the gym, working out. Most other gymnasts I have met were goal oriented: they wanted to do well in meets, and that was their reason for training. I can honestly say that I didn't enjoy competitions. I was good at at, and probably enjoyed it more than most people, but I don't understand why or how people can enjoy all the stress involved in a meet. Sure, it feels good when it is all over, but the same can be said for banging your head against a wall!

The rest of this page is just a summary of the various phases of my involvement in gymnastics. The interesting stuff has already been said.

Warren (finally, an ex-gymnast)

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