Any regrets (copied from parents forum)
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I really wished I never stopped gym! I started again a few months ago after a year and a half's hiatus. I never ever ever want to feel that sore again!! X( It was a pretty brutal first month since I had (and yet still have) trouble with the conditioning and had to flop/drop out of bed each morning since I would be too sore to sit up. It's not good to lose lots of skills either. And...it made me wish that I was back to where I was before I quit. But oh well, what counts is I'm doing gymnastics again! 
I really wish I had started at a much better gym. I was at a terrible gym for the first 4 years (of course, I didn't realize it then since I was quite young and had nothing to compare it to). I picked up a lot of bad habits, and 5 years later I'm still trying to correct some of them! I feel like I could be a lot farther than where I am now if I had started at a better gym. But as they say, life is too short to live with regrets, right?
This is going to be long winded but it is something I have always wanted to vent about! When I was a kid I loved nothing more than watching gymnastics on T.V. Shannon Miller and Kim Zmeskel were my heros. I didn't have to chance to start until my best friends did, I HAD to do everything my best friend did. My Mom enrolled me in a rec. program at a local high school's gym. my friend soon quit but I blossomed there. They only offered 4 levels similar to level 1-5/6, I soon topped out and my coach suggested my Mom take me to a "real" gym where I could get to my full potential.
Meanwhile I lived, breathed and dreamed gymnastics, I soon got a trampoline and you could not get me off the thing, it would be 30 degree middle of winter and I would sweep the snow off and jump and flip away for hours, I added a bar to my backyard where I would practice kips until my hands about fell off. My dad made me a beam for Christmas where I practiced naughty things we could not at the gym, back hand springs, tucks, layout step outs (don't try this at home lol)
Any back on point I joined this new "elite" gym where one of my other idols had trained (Missy Marlow) problem was they knew the gym I came from was rec. and they didn't even let me try out they just put me in a rec. class where I stayed for a long long time. My Mom asked me one day why I had not moved up, I didn't know so I asked my coach and she said she didn't know and to hold on while to asked someone. Then here comes one of the elite coaches, I had seen her on T.V. to evaluate little old me! My throat had a huge lump and I could hardly breathe, she looked at my bars, where I could already do all the level 5 skills, and asked the coach about my other skills and said "why is this girl in rec? Put her in level 5 now!"
I was pumped I was going to be on team and compete with the big girls who had a real shot at the Olympics! The only problem while my Dad was on board 100% later telling me he would have moved, taken another job and basically given up his life for me to persue this to the end unfortunately my Mom was not on the same page and she ruled the roost.
No one told my Mom about the expenses of team, the leos, warmups, meets, travel and increased hours and tuition so when I was asked to move up and practice 20 hours a week she made me quit. I am still bitter to this day that she didn't ask questions and made the decision to say no to team as I feel like she snuffed out my dreams. I was especially angry that she still had money for booze and cigarettes. I had nothing else really I was an outcast in school and I know in the end I can't blame only her things really fell apart after that my grades slipped, and I got very depressed and started having anxiety attacks.
We moved when I was 11 after 5th grade, my Mom promised me they would try and get my back into the gym, the first thing I did was find the towns only gym in the yellow pages to have on hand when I got to finally call. 2 years went by where we could not afford it and finally I got to restart at 13. But things were different I was not allowed in my proper level as they said they had no room for levels 6-8, so they stuck me in 5 with the 8 year olds. I was going through puberty and they did not allow shorts which made things awkward. But I was determined to rise up and prove them wrong all of them and make it big. Then my Mom decided the 10 min. commute was too much for her to handle and after dangling the carrot in my face for a second time made me quit again. I was crushed.
When I was 15 I started dance my Mom would not pay for it so I worked, I had my DL as in MT you can get it at 15. For a few months I self taught myself pointe (yeah I don't suggest) to make it look like I had been doing ballet longer and so I would not be in the baby class. I ended up dancing pre professionally, competing and doing well but my heart still ached for gymnastics.
Soon I was 18 out of school and running my own business, no time for anything. After my business closed I moved and every time I moved I looked for a gym that would accept an adult with no luck. Finally at 26 I found one that would allow an adult to do T&T, I didn't even have a clue what that was but I tried it was was instantly in love. I did rec. for quite a while 1 hour a week then was offered a chance to compete. I am now 30 and a level 9/10 and feel so blessed to be finally fufillling my dream even though it took some strange turns.
Long story short I regret my Mom's actions but don't regret a second of gymnastics and am so happy it turned out in the end for me!
Meanwhile I lived, breathed and dreamed gymnastics, I soon got a trampoline and you could not get me off the thing, it would be 30 degree middle of winter and I would sweep the snow off and jump and flip away for hours, I added a bar to my backyard where I would practice kips until my hands about fell off. My dad made me a beam for Christmas where I practiced naughty things we could not at the gym, back hand springs, tucks, layout step outs (don't try this at home lol)
Any back on point I joined this new "elite" gym where one of my other idols had trained (Missy Marlow) problem was they knew the gym I came from was rec. and they didn't even let me try out they just put me in a rec. class where I stayed for a long long time. My Mom asked me one day why I had not moved up, I didn't know so I asked my coach and she said she didn't know and to hold on while to asked someone. Then here comes one of the elite coaches, I had seen her on T.V. to evaluate little old me! My throat had a huge lump and I could hardly breathe, she looked at my bars, where I could already do all the level 5 skills, and asked the coach about my other skills and said "why is this girl in rec? Put her in level 5 now!"
I was pumped I was going to be on team and compete with the big girls who had a real shot at the Olympics! The only problem while my Dad was on board 100% later telling me he would have moved, taken another job and basically given up his life for me to persue this to the end unfortunately my Mom was not on the same page and she ruled the roost.
No one told my Mom about the expenses of team, the leos, warmups, meets, travel and increased hours and tuition so when I was asked to move up and practice 20 hours a week she made me quit. I am still bitter to this day that she didn't ask questions and made the decision to say no to team as I feel like she snuffed out my dreams. I was especially angry that she still had money for booze and cigarettes. I had nothing else really I was an outcast in school and I know in the end I can't blame only her things really fell apart after that my grades slipped, and I got very depressed and started having anxiety attacks.
We moved when I was 11 after 5th grade, my Mom promised me they would try and get my back into the gym, the first thing I did was find the towns only gym in the yellow pages to have on hand when I got to finally call. 2 years went by where we could not afford it and finally I got to restart at 13. But things were different I was not allowed in my proper level as they said they had no room for levels 6-8, so they stuck me in 5 with the 8 year olds. I was going through puberty and they did not allow shorts which made things awkward. But I was determined to rise up and prove them wrong all of them and make it big. Then my Mom decided the 10 min. commute was too much for her to handle and after dangling the carrot in my face for a second time made me quit again. I was crushed.
When I was 15 I started dance my Mom would not pay for it so I worked, I had my DL as in MT you can get it at 15. For a few months I self taught myself pointe (yeah I don't suggest) to make it look like I had been doing ballet longer and so I would not be in the baby class. I ended up dancing pre professionally, competing and doing well but my heart still ached for gymnastics.
Soon I was 18 out of school and running my own business, no time for anything. After my business closed I moved and every time I moved I looked for a gym that would accept an adult with no luck. Finally at 26 I found one that would allow an adult to do T&T, I didn't even have a clue what that was but I tried it was was instantly in love. I did rec. for quite a while 1 hour a week then was offered a chance to compete. I am now 30 and a level 9/10 and feel so blessed to be finally fufillling my dream even though it took some strange turns.
Long story short I regret my Mom's actions but don't regret a second of gymnastics and am so happy it turned out in the end for me!
I regret attempting a double layout without enough warm-up which is what caused me to have to quit gymnastics.
I don't think I have too many regrets about individual decisions, more just about the nature of how hard it can be to get involved as an adult.
In some ways I regret not being allowed to do gymnastics seriously as a child; my parents didn't believe it was good for us to spend so much of our time doing any one activity. But I was always terribly uncoordinated and never had great body awareness. Instead I did some rec gym through middle school, danced recreationally through high school, and joined a zillion different clubs. In college, I discovered I loved spending 20+ hours a week practicing things when I got into martial arts. And then I was an adult and found myself getting back into gymnastics.
It's a lot different now than it was when I was 8 or 12. The 7-8 years of ballet and 7 years of Tae Kwon Do have given me a grace and a power and a body awareness that I really, really lacked when I was a child. In many ways, it feels like it just took me a lot longer than it takes most people to be ready to really do gymnastics, and I'm mostly okay with that. My main regret is how hard it is to do this sport seriously as an adult, especially an adult who's never done it seriously before. It's hard to find anyone who will take you seriously, to find a place to take classes, to find a gym that will let you compete. It's harder to find the time when you work 11 and 12 hour days, have a house to take care of, a husband, other adult responsibilities. It would be a lot harder with kids, too! I can't even imagine. It's worth it, but in many ways I regret missing the window of time in my life when it's easier to fit gymnastics into a life and at the stage gyms expect and are more willing to work with you. But I don't regret trying to make it work in my life now, and I remain hopeful and determined I'll be able to fit all the pieces together someday.
In some ways I regret not being allowed to do gymnastics seriously as a child; my parents didn't believe it was good for us to spend so much of our time doing any one activity. But I was always terribly uncoordinated and never had great body awareness. Instead I did some rec gym through middle school, danced recreationally through high school, and joined a zillion different clubs. In college, I discovered I loved spending 20+ hours a week practicing things when I got into martial arts. And then I was an adult and found myself getting back into gymnastics.
It's a lot different now than it was when I was 8 or 12. The 7-8 years of ballet and 7 years of Tae Kwon Do have given me a grace and a power and a body awareness that I really, really lacked when I was a child. In many ways, it feels like it just took me a lot longer than it takes most people to be ready to really do gymnastics, and I'm mostly okay with that. My main regret is how hard it is to do this sport seriously as an adult, especially an adult who's never done it seriously before. It's hard to find anyone who will take you seriously, to find a place to take classes, to find a gym that will let you compete. It's harder to find the time when you work 11 and 12 hour days, have a house to take care of, a husband, other adult responsibilities. It would be a lot harder with kids, too! I can't even imagine. It's worth it, but in many ways I regret missing the window of time in my life when it's easier to fit gymnastics into a life and at the stage gyms expect and are more willing to work with you. But I don't regret trying to make it work in my life now, and I remain hopeful and determined I'll be able to fit all the pieces together someday.
I regret not following my coach to a different gym when I was younger, he had me on the track to be elite.......but I don't completely regret it because my life would be completely different than it is now.
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I would have gone. Once in a Lifetime experience
Like so many others, not having started when I was younger. It's really not mine or anyone else's fault, as I always knew about gymnastics in general (and didn't care for it aside from watching it on TV), but didn't really know about tumbling, in particular - which is what I'm doing now -, until about a year ago, at 18 yo. As a child, I tried swimming and my mother also made me try dancing, although I quickly abandoned it because the classes I tried were either too easy or catered too much to girls and too little to me as a boy. Later, I tried rope skipping and thought it was too hard on the legs and also that it could easily get boring with time. My mother and I both tried hard to find some passion for me; I just needed to find out some more options, haha.
Anyway, luckily for me, here in Portugal, tumbling is not well known at all. So, to retain and attract more athletes, the regulations are pretty relaxed and it's easy to go to competitions at any age and skill level. I had no interest in competing, at first, but under these conditions, I will definitely experience that aspect of the sport. Despite the lack of background in gymnastics, I got there with plenty of flexibility in the back and shoulders (which is where it matters the most), acceptable body awareness and very few fear issues, most of the time. So, now that I've also gained the strength, I'm finally progressing at a good pace and I don't feel like I lost that much time at all. I got there at an age where I know what I want to get out of it for myself (thinking about the pushy gym moms/dads here, who just want their kids to do what they couldn't, regardless of their own ambitions) and am willing to put in all the work to get there. Those two things alone are really starting to give me a clear edge, in comparison with the youngest ones in my club.
Anyway, luckily for me, here in Portugal, tumbling is not well known at all. So, to retain and attract more athletes, the regulations are pretty relaxed and it's easy to go to competitions at any age and skill level. I had no interest in competing, at first, but under these conditions, I will definitely experience that aspect of the sport. Despite the lack of background in gymnastics, I got there with plenty of flexibility in the back and shoulders (which is where it matters the most), acceptable body awareness and very few fear issues, most of the time. So, now that I've also gained the strength, I'm finally progressing at a good pace and I don't feel like I lost that much time at all. I got there at an age where I know what I want to get out of it for myself (thinking about the pushy gym moms/dads here, who just want their kids to do what they couldn't, regardless of their own ambitions) and am willing to put in all the work to get there. Those two things alone are really starting to give me a clear edge, in comparison with the youngest ones in my club.
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