Gymnastics Poems!!

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The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it. Debbi Fields

Running in there without second guessing yourself, without being worried about what bad things could happen, it opens up mentally some new doors and some good things can come out. Brad Walker (American record holder in the pole vault...soon to be world record holder most likely!)
 
Why shouldn't I be calm ? I know that nothing can disturb me. Bjorn Borg

Success starts in your mind. You will become a champion not by chance but by choice. Unknown

Challenges are necessary if we want to perform at our peak. Unknown

The only true competition is the fight between you and your goals, which you decide and control. Carol Johnson

Your power is proportional to your ability to relax. David Allen

You get what you focus on. David Justus
 
'The vision of a true athlete is someone who is bent over drenched in sweat, when no one is watching' - Unknown

'If you tell yourself you are a winner
eventually you will become one.
Until then...PRACTICE.' - Unknown

'You play the course; you don’t play the other guy. I try to shoot par, and if the other guy shoots bogeys, I’m okay.' – Todd Eldredge [Champion Figure Skater]

I love this one:
'All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES' - Unknown

'Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.' - Theodore Roosevelt

'Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.' - Henry Ford

TEAM - Together Everyone Achieves More

Don’t compete like you practice, practice like you compete.

"Impossible is Nothing."

"Give up for a second, and that's where you'll finish"

"The team on the top of the mountain didn't just fall there."

"There's plenty of room at the top, but no room to sit down."

"I believe in miracles - I have to." - Terry Fox

"To get to where you want to be tomorrow, you have to start today."

"The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary."

'Never compare yourself with others because you will become vain or bitter, for there will always be greater and lesser persons than yourself.' - Unknown

"We trained ours off, so we could kick yours"

"It's supposed to be hard, if it wasn't hard everyone would do it. It's the hard that makes it good"
- Tom Hanks - "A League of Their Own"

'Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small people who find it easier to live in the world they've been given, than to explore the power they have to change it.
Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary.
Impossible is nothing.' - Unknown

Believing That You Can Do It!

By Jessica McDuffie

As the day of our competition nears,
Remember the smiles, forget the tears.
Remember the times we've spent together,
Cherish them now, cherish them forever.
Next year it will not be the same,
Some girls lost, some girls gained.
Doing the routine one more time,
To fix that motion and straighten that line.
We've had many falls and lots of tough breaks,
We took our chances but knew what was at stake.
We are all exhausted and ready to rest,
But first we must show the world who is best.
Regardless of what the judges criticize,
Remember they weren't there to realize,
We sweated, we ached, and we worked all the while,
And we hide all the pain with a convincing smile.
So show them now what we have worked for,
Give a little extra where there needs to be more.
Smile and know that we have finished the race,
Regardless of what we win or place.

"Nobody said it would be easy, but they all said it would be worth it"

"If you encounter difficulty, don't change your decision to go, change your direction to get there"

"No one ever attains very eminent success by simply doing what is required of him; it is the amount and excellence of what is over and above the required that determines the greatness of ultimate distinction."

"Have courage when times may fail. Be not afraid to make a change. Take a chance on the inevitable. Make a difference in everything you do. Be the person who you were meant to be. Success is not born; it is made by those who seek to see the difference in everything, turning the impossible into a possible success."

"Make it happen, help it happen, or get out of the way."

"You can never put in too much work for the cause, for if you don't do the work, you'll never know the outcome."

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall"

"Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn't work hard"

"Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footsteps on the moon."

"When you've come from nothing, you've got nothing to lose"

'Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so.' - Belva Davis

'A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.' - Erin Majors

'Don't watch the clock. Do what it does. Keep going.' - Sam Levenson

'Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs.' - Malcolm Forbes

'I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.' - Jimmy Dean

'Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.' -Will Rogers

"People spend their whole life wishing, instead of just doing something about it"

"It's about being proud of your accomplishments one day and trying to beat them the next"

'A champion is someone who gets up even when they can't' -Natalie Rogers

'The key to happiness is having dreams; the key to success is making them come true' - James Allen

'Victory always starts in the head. It's a state of mind. It then spreads with such radiance and such affirmation that destiny can do nothing but obey.' - Douchan Gersi

'An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head.' - Emil Zatopek

'To be a great champion, you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are.' - Muhammad Ali


'Where your smile is truly painted on
because your lips to your teeth are stuck,
and the only thing the coach can do
is pray you don't run amuck.
So all of us should just think a spell
and see that as teammates we're all the same.
We should root for all and everyone
regardless of the name.
Because if you really think about it,
winning isn't worth a dime.
If you haven't had fun getting there
you've missed the best of times.'
- Alana Sadler

'Remember...there is always a little girl in the stands that wants to be just like you. Don't disappoint her.'

'Losers rely on luck. Winners rely on skill.' - Unknown

"Nobody ever drowned in sweat." - Unknown

"Wrinkles merely indicate where the smiles have been." - 'Following the Equator'

"Other people may not have had high expectations for me... but I had high expectations for myself." - Shannon Miller

"The only thing better than winning is losing knowing you gave your best." -Michael Ip

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. " - John Wooden

"I firmly believe that the only disability in life is a bad attitude"

"Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look at what they can do when they stick together."

"Excellence is never an accident; it is the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, skillful execution and the vision to see obstacles as opportunities."

"Great achievements are nurtured with the cooperation of many minds with a common vision working toward a common goal."

"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be.
Now put foundations under them." - Henry David Thoreau

"To climb steep hills requires a slow pace at first." - William Shakespeare

"Skill and confidence are an unconquered army." - George Herbert

"You are never a loser until you quit trying." - Mike Ditka

"Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt." - Special Olympics Oath

"Never let yesterday's disappointments overshadow tomorrow's dreams."

"Know your limits, and then break through them."

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain." - Dolly Parton

"The future belongs to those who believe in their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt

"Arriving at one goal is a starting point to another"

'If you're falling off a cliff, you may as well try to fly. You have nothing to lose'

'I never came upon any of my discoveries through the process of rational thinking.' - Albert Einstein

"The contest lasts for moments,
though the training has taken years.
It wasn't the winning alone that was
worth the work and the tears.
The applause will be forgotten,
the prize will be misplaced,
but the long hard hours of practice
will never be a waste.
In trying to win you build a skill,
you learn that winning depends on will.
You never grow by how much you win,
you only grow by how much you put in.
So any new challenge you have just begun,
put forth your best and you have already won."
- W. A. Clennan


These are really figure skating related, but they could be transposed to gym:

'Do you remember why you skate, or has it been too long? Is it because you’ve worked so hard to get where you are, or because you love to be part of this team? Is it because you don’t want to let anyone down, including yourself? Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become, the hours of practice, the teammates who believed in you, and the fans who cheered for you, is the little girl who put on her first pair of skates - who fell in love with the sport, and never looked back. Skate for her.' - Unknown

'Somewhere behind the athlete you've become, the hours of practice you put in, the coaches who pushed you, the teammates who believed in you, there is a little girl who had her daddy lace up her skates...' - Unknown

'Behind the media and the hype, the rankings and the records, there is a little girl who lived just for the chance to skate...' - Unknown

'Before you put on that dress tonight, remember that girl who fell in love with this sport the day she touched the ice...' - Unknown

"Beneath the mesh and spandex, there are bruises, pulled muscles, sore knees: Everything that would put you on an NFL injury list. This all gets covered up with a smile, because, lets face it, they can't play 4 minutes of music with the ice empty."

'The way I see it people don’t judge you in skating...other than the judges, but really no one judges you for the way you look, the way you act, how much money you have so, if I had a day off from school I wouldn’t spend it on the couch at home, I’d go to the rink.'

Sorry this is so long - I hope they're inspiring though!!
 
Welcome to the club!!!!!

I just wrote another poem...it doesn't dierctly relate to sports, but it's applicable. Bonus points if you know the creature to which I refer in the poem.

Crushed
Lying on the pavement
Sparkling greenish blue
Not a diamond
Nor a jewel
It lays forgotten
Helpless
Hopeless
Wings spread out
Body in a line
Looking up at me-
Full of life
Love
Joy
Moving forward
As it lies
Crushed
No more dreams
Lifeless
Unloved beauty
Once joyful
Now joyless
Once a glittering creature of flight
No more
I am not as it.
I will not be crushed.

And I really did see this "once glittering creature of flight" lying dead on my way home from work. I was so struck by it, that the rest of the way home, I wrote this in my mind, then wrote it on some paper right when I got home.
 
Welcome to the club!!!!!

I just wrote another poem...it doesn't dierctly relate to sports, but it's applicable. Bonus points if you know the creature to which I refer in the poem.

Crushed
Lying on the pavement
Sparkling greenish blue
Not a diamond
Nor a jewel
It lays forgotten
Helpless
Hopeless
Wings spread out
Body in a line
Looking up at me-
Full of life
Love
Joy
Moving forward
As it lies
Crushed
No more dreams
Lifeless
Unloved beauty
Once joyful
Now joyless
Once a glittering creature of flight
No more
I am not as it.
I will not be crushed.

And I really did see this "once glittering creature of flight" lying dead on my way home from work. I was so struck by it, that the rest of the way home, I wrote this in my mind, then wrote it on some paper right when I got home.

A butterfly? haha. idk
 
Another poem

I wrote this for all the gym moms out there.

Who’s your favorite gymnast?

Maybe it is Nastia,
Or 16-year old Shawn.
Or maybe it’s a gymnast
Who’s grown up and moved on.

For me, my favorite gymnast
Is the one I saw today.
With sandman’s sleep still in her eyes,
As she started out her day.

With ankle weights strapped on tight,
Her muscles sure to grow.
How she does it every day,
I will never know.

She warms up with her teammates,
Climbing ropes and doing splits.
And all the while I’m thinking,
Oh My God she’s only six!

So while my favorite gymnast
May not be tops on the floor.
My little gymie is the one
That I am cheering for. ♥
 
^^That's so cute! I really like it.

And a butterfly was a good guess, but it was a dragonfly.
 
We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
 
The Gymnast Prayer
Now as I warm up for this meet, I pray my competition I can beat. And if I fail amidst the cheers, I pray I can hold back my tears. And one more thing success or not, I pray the creator of the beam be shot!

I found this one a long time ago. makes me laugh!
 
of course you’re going to be nervous the first time you do something new- but that’s all the more reason to do it.

Anyone who has never made a mistake
has never tried anything new -Albert Einstein

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most...We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others
- Marianne Williamson, American author and lecturer

If you want a guarantee, buy a toaster.
- Anonymous

You see things; and you say 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?' -George Bernard Shaw

There is no use trying, said Alice; one can't believe impossible things. I dare say you haven't had much practice, said the Queen. When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. -Lewis Carroll

Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.-Will Rogers
Always listen to the experts. They'll tell you what can't be done and why. Then do it. -Robert Heinlein

Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four Cs. They are curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably. Walt Disney
 
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Dare to be different and to dream big. - Cullen Jones

Stick with your dream even when it gets really hard and pratices get tough. All the practice will pay off. - Megan Jendrick

Never limit yourself. Never doubt yourself. Never think you can't do something. You can always achieve your goals. - Brendon Hansen

Dream big. Never, ever let someone talk you out of your dream. - Amanda Beard

Make sure you still love what your doing. Then work your butt off to reach your goals. - Christine Magnuson

Never let the dream die. That dream is the only thing that will keep you motivated through the hard times. - Mark Gangloff

I think the biggest thing is when someone says you can't do something, it shows that anything is possible when you put your mind to it. - Michael Phelps
 
I love those quotes because they are from...swimmers!!!!! :D:D:D

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent-Elanor Roosevelt
Play every game like it was your last-Kobe Byrant
Dream like your #1-Unknown
Impossible is nothing-Unknown
Normal is just a setting on your hair dryer-Unknown
(I sure like this guy Unknown...hehehe)
Successful people make a habit of doing what unsucessful people don't like doing-Bob Bowman
 
Try Again: A Gymnastics Poem

Your body is tight
Your head is dizzy
Your cheeks are flushed
And your all alone
Trying to make that same move
Over and over again
You used to be so confident
You used to land everything
But something snapped
The magic and luster seems to be gone
But nevertheless you will try...again
 
I love those quotes because they are from...swimmers!!!!! :D:D:D

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent-Elanor Roosevelt
Play every game like it was your last-Kobe Byrant
Dream like your #1-Unknown
Impossible is nothing-Unknown
Normal is just a setting on your hair dryer-Unknown
(I sure like this guy Unknown...hehehe)
Successful people make a habit of doing what unsucessful people don't like doing-Bob Bowman

Haha Yep I found them in a swimming magazine!
 
these are for sports in general, but the bolded ones are the ones that i think apply most to gymnastics:

“Just do what you do best.â€￾ -Red Auerbach, American Basketball Coach

“It's kind of fun to do the impossible.â€￾ -Walt Disney

“I believe in looking reality straight in the eye and denying it.â€￾ -Garrison Keilor

“Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.â€￾ -H. Jackson Brown


“Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again.â€￾ -James R. Cook

"What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it." -Alexander Graham Bell

“In order to excel, you must be completely dedicated to your chosen sport. You must also be prepared to work hard and be willing to accept destructive criticism. Without 100 percent dedication, you won't be able to do this.â€￾ -Willie Mays, American Baseball Player

“The rewards are going to come, but my happiness is just loving the sport and having fun performing.â€￾ -Jackie Joyner Kersee

“The first thing is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else. It has to be yours.â€￾ -Peggy Fleming

“Sports do not build character. They reveal it.â€￾ -John Wooden, American Basketball Coach

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.â€￾ -Vincent T. Lombardi

“Sports remain a great metaphor for life's more difficult lessons. It was through athletics that many of us first came to understand that fear can be tamed; that on a team the whole is more than the sum of its parts; and that the ability to be heroic lies, to a surprising degree, within.â€￾-Susan Casey


“I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.â€￾ -Michael Jordan

“Your opponent, in the end, is never really the player up to bat, the girl in center field, or the team in the other dugout, or even the ball you must catch. Your opponent is yourself, your negative internal voices, your level of determination."

"Winning without dignity or grace is not winning."-Stepmom

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.â€￾ –Archie Griffin


“Play to win, don’t play not to lose.â€￾ – Coach Loso

“All I want out of life is that when I walk down the street folks will say, ‘There goes the greatest hitter that ever lived'.â€￾ –Ted Williams

“Champions take responsibility. When the ball is coming over the net, you can be sure I want the ball.â€￾ –Billie Jean King

“You learn you can do your best even when it’s hard, even when you’re tired and maybe hurting a little bit. It feels good to show some courage.â€￾ –Joe Namath


“Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them—a desire, a dream, a vision.â€￾ –Muhammad Ali


“True champions aren’t always the ones that win, but those with the most guts.â€￾ –Mia Hamm

“Winning isn’t everything—but wanting to win is.â€￾ –Vince
Lombardi


“Be bold. If you are going to make an error, make a doozy, and don’t be afraid to hit the ball.â€￾ –Billie Jean King

“It’s lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed in myself.â€￾ –Muhammad Ali

“Other people may not have had high expectations for me…but I had high expectations for myself.â€￾ –Shannon Miller

“There’s no limit to what a man can achieve if he doesn’t care who gets the credit.â€￾ –Laing Burns, Jr.

“I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.â€￾ –Mia Hamm


“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.â€￾ –Henry Ford


“Losing doesn’t eat at me the way it used to. I just get ready for the next play, the next game, the next season.â€￾-Troy Aikman
 
these are for sports in general, but the bolded ones are the ones that i think apply most to gymnastics:

“Just do what you do best.â€￾ -Red Auerbach, American Basketball Coach

“It's kind of fun to do the impossible.â€￾ -Walt Disney

“I believe in looking reality straight in the eye and denying it.â€￾ -Garrison Keilor

“Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.â€￾ -H. Jackson Brown

“Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again.â€￾ -James R. Cook

"What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it." -Alexander Graham Bell

“In order to excel, you must be completely dedicated to your chosen sport. You must also be prepared to work hard and be willing to accept destructive criticism. Without 100 percent dedication, you won't be able to do this.â€￾ -Willie Mays, American Baseball Player

“The rewards are going to come, but my happiness is just loving the sport and having fun performing.â€￾ -Jackie Joyner Kersee

“The first thing is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else. It has to be yours.â€￾ -Peggy Fleming

“Sports do not build character. They reveal it.â€￾ -John Wooden, American Basketball Coach

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.â€￾ -Vincent T. Lombardi

“Sports remain a great metaphor for life's more difficult lessons. It was through athletics that many of us first came to understand that fear can be tamed; that on a team the whole is more than the sum of its parts; and that the ability to be heroic lies, to a surprising degree, within.â€￾-Susan Casey

“I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.â€￾ -Michael Jordan

“Your opponent, in the end, is never really the player up to bat, the girl in center field, or the team in the other dugout, or even the ball you must catch. Your opponent is yourself, your negative internal voices, your level of determination."

"Winning without dignity or grace is not winning."-Stepmom

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.â€￾ –Archie Griffin

“Play to win, don’t play not to lose.â€￾ – Coach Loso

“All I want out of life is that when I walk down the street folks will say, ‘There goes the greatest hitter that ever lived'.â€￾ –Ted Williams

“Champions take responsibility. When the ball is coming over the net, you can be sure I want the ball.â€￾ –Billie Jean King

“You learn you can do your best even when it’s hard, even when you’re tired and maybe hurting a little bit. It feels good to show some courage.â€￾ –Joe Namath

“Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them—a desire, a dream, a vision.â€￾ –Muhammad Ali

“True champions aren’t always the ones that win, but those with the most guts.â€￾ –Mia Hamm

“Winning isn’t everything—but wanting to win is.â€￾ –Vince
Lombardi

“Be bold. If you are going to make an error, make a doozy, and don’t be afraid to hit the ball.â€￾ –Billie Jean King

“It’s lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed in myself.â€￾ –Muhammad Ali

“Other people may not have had high expectations for me…but I had high expectations for myself.â€￾ –Shannon Miller

“There’s no limit to what a man can achieve if he doesn’t care who gets the credit.â€￾ –Laing Burns, Jr.

“I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.â€￾ –Mia Hamm

“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.â€￾ –Henry Ford

“Losing doesn’t eat at me the way it used to. I just get ready for the next play, the next game, the next season.â€￾-Troy Aikman
 
If you want to become a top player in any field, it is important for you to learn how to handle success, but it is absolutely crucial to learn how to handle failure. Arina Nikitina

I am only one; but I am still one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do. Helen Keller

If the whole world followed you, would you be pleased with where you took it?Neale Donald Walsch
 

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