Author in need of help

[Eisengrim]

Hello everyone,

I'm a writer and I'm currently working on a novel that has a young gymnast as one of the main characters. Now, I know next to nothing about gymnastics, and for the most part that's not going to be a problem, as the sport itself isn't central to the plot. I should be able to bluff my way through most of it with a bit of googling and some YouTube video-watching.

However, there's one major plot twist that is absolutely dependent on gymnastics, and I was hoping you might be able to help.

Specifically, I need an injury, one that would fulfil most of the following criteria. The gymnast is a 13-year-old female with ambitions to become professional, and who has the basic talent to do so. Maybe not quite good enough for the Olympics, but certainly a level or two below that.

1) The injury occurs because she allows herself to be distracted. This would be either because it's something she's done a thousand times before and believes she can do without thinking, or something fairly new whose difficulty she doesn't quite grasp.

2) Ideally, she would be able to credibly blame her fall (or whatever) on others, even though it's her fault, so some sort of group routine being involved would be good.

3) The injury has to be bad enough that her chances of going pro are completely finished, but not so bad that she'll absolutely never be able to do any gymnastics again.

4) I'd prefer it if it were a leg injury that would put her on crutches for a few months, but I can deal with it if not.

Can you think of any routine that could suitably cause such an injury? I'd be eternally grateful for any suggestions.

Thank you.

(P.S.: I hope this is the right forum to post this in... if not, moderators, please feel free to move it -- or to suggest another forum to ask.)

 

[emilykatherine]

She could tear he rack or meniscus while training a full or double twist and they could be be warming up for floor routines

 

[Quadqueen]

Well, first thing I would suggest is that don't refer to what she's doing as "going professional" or "going pro." Maybe she is attempting to reach Elite or Level 10, but she wouldn't be going pro.

 

[Quadqueen]

She could tear he rack or meniscus while training a full or double twist and they could be be warming up for floor routines

I think you meant tear her ACL or meniscus, right?

 

[GymBee97]

Usually its an ACL or Stress Fractures in the back. But honestly I have never seen any injury where any gymnast would blame others for their injury unless the other gymnast crashed into them causing the injury.

it doesn't have to be a big move either. simply letting go of a bar after chin ups on to an 8" mat can do it. It all depends on how they land.

I agree with the "Going Pro" term. it's not what is used. Trying to get to Elite or L10 to make Olympics is closer to the term. Or being Elite trying to become an Olympian (which isn't going Pro)

 

[gymmomtoo]

Yeah, there is no going pro in gymnastics! She could be trying for Elite or a college scholarship.

And perhaps during a tumbling pass on floor, a teammate ran towards the floor causing the gymnast to think she was going to crash into her and pulled up, tearing her ACL?

 

[GymBee97]

I don't think either that Googling or you-tube will give you the research and info you need to accurately portray a real gymnast.

 

[Quadqueen]

I agree with GymBee97...if the gymnastics part is really any part at all of your story, you'll want to get the details right. Gymnasts like to read every book available that has anything to do with gymnastics, because there aren't many. My daughter often complains when stories about gymnasts/gymnastics don't include the correct terminology, because she knows the author doesn't know what he/she's talking about.

 

[Azgymmiemom]

I guess she could be trying to "go pro" if she was a rhythmic gymnast and trying to get into Cirque du Soleil or some other circus like act. Artistic gymnasts don't have a pro venue. Elite, College Scholarship, National Team, Olympics-those would be what the highest levels of the sport would include.

I'd think the acl or a back injury would be the most serious.
The previous posters are right, too. Most injuries in gymnastics aren't even from some great, difficult move. Kids get hurt tripping over a mat walking across the gym. I've seen it happen. Doesn't make for a great story, though. Good luck!

 

[MaryA]

I guess maybe, if she hurt herself while she was distracted by other girls talking or laughing, especially if she thought they were talking about or laughing at her, she might feel resentful of them. But I agree she might be more likely to allow herself to be distracted if it wasn't a particularly difficult skill... working on the low beam or over the pit or something. My daughter's only "major" gymnastics injury (broke her finger and foot in one fell swoop) she did on the beam that is only a few inches off the ground, doing a skill she had been competing for a year.

 

[LIGYMMOM]

I just want to point out that gymnasts typically don't do group routines. Maybe for some type of shoe but not in training or competition. How about she is working her back handspring back layout on the beam, and the girl on the next beam falls, distracting her, causing her to fall and break her leg?

 

[LIGYMMOM]

I meant show not shoe.

 

[raenndrops]

She could be warming up a double full on floor and somebody runs onto the floor in the periphery and she lands, not just TEARING her ACL, but SHREDDING it and tearing her MCL at the same time! (Honestly, the shredded ACL part came from my sister- who managed to do just that... but while sleeping. She has almost completely recovered, but the knee is still weak and she can't do strenuous exercise.)

 

[Amber]

What about a vault injury b/c of the vault table being set to the wrong height? I believe this happened in the Olympics (not last Olympics) to the USA girls...it could definitely lead to a leg injury. Just a thought...

 

[iwannacoach]

I meant show not shoe.

If the show fits...... wear it!!

Distracted by drama in the gym or on the home front would be the presumptive cause for an injury out of the blue. Like bad news texted to a kid in the middle of their practice.... no, it doesn't (or shouldn't) happen, but who's going to tell you you're wrong?

Playful antics are another element of distraction..... like forgetting to check the position/placement of a safety mat before tumbling or doing a dismount. Or a group, that's just finishing their snack break, includes a child who's in the middle of a moment of gossip when she puts her snack bag down on a beam so she can gesture with two hands instead of one, but she and her group fail to notice another group's member setting up for a difficult back tumbling pass on beam.

 

[2G1B]

My DD didn't get hurt from this; but I could see a kid getting hurt in a similar situation. My DD was doing a tumbling pass on the floor when the gym was almost empty. She was the only one on the floor. One of the rec coaches had their kid in the gym - the kid was maybe 2 years old. She went running across the floor as my DD was doing a back handspring and ran right into the toddler. Luckily neither of them were hurt; but my heart stopped. If my daughter had been doing something different she (and the toddler) could have been really hurt. And I could see the gymnast feeling bad; but also being upset with the coach that was the parent...

 

[stxrdusty]

You could use my injury.

I tore the posterior tibial tendon in my left ankle landing extremely short/crashing on a double back on floor. I felt like I could do the skill very well at the time but apparently I was still prone to major errors. My coach couldn't save me from landing badly at all because I didn't punch up (set) in to the double at all. I also landed in between two mats in a crack because of our equipment. So your character could easily blame her injury on someone else though it was clearly her fault, like it was mine. I was on crutches for a month. Trained back, competed 2 months later as a level 9 (fits your level range) without the double in my routine. Then over last summer while starting to train doubles again I hit the bottom of the pit at a neighboring gym clinic and have been out since. This was the injury that truly tore the tendon though it'd been stretched out and I'd had a permanently swollen ankle since the first injury. It was nearly a year since the second injury until a doctor knew exactly what was wrong with my ankle. I had a walking boot for almost a year when people tried to rehab my torn tendon with no avail. My walking boot became my identifier at school. This whole time I went to full practices at my gym and did strength and some bars. There were A LOT of bone spurs and a free piece of cartilage floating around in the joint along with a torn posterior tibial tendon. I had surgery this June. And may be cleared to go back to full training this Friday although my ankle still hurts. I wasn't trying to go pro, but this injury has set me back a year and I've pretty much missed my chance to get to do college gymnastics.

I feel like this could be adaptable to your book. Good luck writing!

 

[onebrokegymmum]

Acrobatic gymnasts do group routines.....

 

[Flossyduck]

Personally I think there is a basic flaw in trying to write a storyline about a gymnast, when you know "next to nothing about gymnastics" and the gymnastics isn't central to the plot. I think you need to pick another sport.

The main difficulty is that gymnastics is absolutely central to every part of life for a girl who is 13 and aiming elite. You perhaps haven't realised that at that age and level girls will be training 20-30 hours (or more) in the gym every week and will probably have been doing so for a few years. Gymnastics at that level is central to pretty much every part of life by then - school life, home life, family and friends, it's all arranged around gymnastics.

The girl would need to have more than "basic talent" at that stage - good grief! I don't know much about the names in USA juniors/espoirs, but if you youtube Ellie Downie, or Catherine Lyons, or Tyesha Mattis routines this year- they are UK 13 year olds at the sort of level you are talking about. Those girls live and breath gymnastics and much of the rest of their life is just a support network for gymnastics.

I'm sorry, but I just don't think you will convince anyone with an idea of an injury and some "bluff".

 

[GymBee97]

Flossyduck you are so right and not just at that level. At L4 in the US (usually the starting level most compete at - at least where I live) my DD practiced 15 hours a week. The average for L4 here is 9 - 15 hours a week and most of them are 6 - 8 yo. By the time she was a L6 it was more like 20 - 25 hours a week which is what she does now and she is by no means going elite. This sport just requires that much of a time commitment to keep them safe and make sure they are doing these dangerous moves safely.

It is unlike any other sport out there and takes years to master. Most other sports kids can really start late and pick up the skills etc to compete in a year or two. As is always said on this board Gymnastics is a Marathon not a Sprint.

These girls at the optional levels (New L6 - L10 and Elite) practically live at the gym after school. The higher levels and Elites may even be homeschooled so they can have more time in the gym. I know at our gym break time in the break room is snacks, some talking and homework getting done. My DD is there 5 days a week trying to get those last hard skills so she can move up to L9 this year not sure its going to happen but she is trying. The amount of dedication and maturity required to master this skill comes at an early age and really I have never seen a gymnast blame anyone else for their injuries except themselves.

Most o f the biggest injuries I have ever seen have been when the upper levels are doing the simplest things not that big hard move.