I'm terrified

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I've been thinking about this lately and I need to get this out.

I decided a couple years ago that I didn't want to quit gymnastics. My coach had just left, and all my friends were either switching gyms, competing high school, or quitting. Our team of 17-18 dwindled to 10 within a few months. It was really rough for me to get used to new coaches because my old coach had taught me everything from a pull over to flyaways. But I decided I would never quit. I wanted to FINISH.

I think of finishing as accomplishing all my goals. At first it was just get a move up score from level 6, but shortly before my coach left the idea of competing level 7 was planted in my head. My goal is to compete level 7, just 2 or 3 meets. I really don't like competing because I get super nervous and I have never performed in a meet as well as I can at practice, but I won't feel like I was a true level 7 until I have competed.

My first competition was set to be on Valentines Day, but it was moved to the friday night before but that's my school's homecoming, and I didn't feel I would be ready, so I'm not competing until March 7th.

I don't feel ready for the meet at all, but I know I'll pull it together. Coach keeps telling me that I might not score high, but I won't make a fool of myself and I don't really care about the scores anyways.

Although that is stressful, I'm more worried about after I'm done. My mom doesn't want to pay the gym after I'm done competing, but I have put everything into gymnastics for the last six years. I have no idea how to not do gymnastics. I'll porbably take on more hours coaching and still work out with the when I want to, but I don't want to clean out my locker. The idea terrifies me. I have a life, friends and other things to do, but I can't wrap my head around the idea of not doing gymnastics. I don't know how to not do gymnastics.
 
You can take the gymnast out of the gym, but you can't take the gym out of the gymnast.

Good luck; not much I can say beyond that.
 
A time comes for everyone where it's either time to hang it up altogether or just scale things back a good deal. For those who love gymnastics with all their heart, it's never easy and will probably never get any easier.
When I was 13 I had a potentially fatal injury that landed me in the hospital for 2 weeks. I was advised not to return to gymnastics but that thought scared me probably just as much as the experience I had been through in the hospital. Against my doctors wishes, I went back and lasted another 2 years. I still loved gymnastics but neither my body nor my mind could handle the sport anymore and I knew it was time to throw in the towel. I won't say it didn't hurt because it did, and to some extent it still does. I was still an avid fan and thought of all the what ifs if I would have stayed in the gym. Realistically, I knew I was done, but the thoughts were there.
After that I just stayed the huge fan of the sport I had been for years and still am. I currently coach and try to share my knowledge and enthusiasm for the sport with those kids. I also take a tumbling class twice a week and do what I can handle, it's a good outlet but not serious training.
If your body can still handle it and there is still more you want to accomplish, don't be afraid to keep trying. There is always a way.
 
Just from reading your post, it sounds to me like maybe you're not really "done?" Either way, good luck w/your decision.

-Lynn
 
I know how you feel, I left because I really had to focus on studying and I couldn't do that at gym. The hardest part for me wasn't walking out of the gym, it was hitting the button on here that said Leave Gymnast Group.

You could get a job, coaching or completely outside of gym, or take up other sports/hobbies.

I don't think there's a way not to miss gym, like GT said, you can't take the gymnast out of yourself. Good luck!
 
Sorry you are in that situation - I guess it comes for everyone, but at different times and for different reasons. Either way, it probably doesn't make it any easier:(. I am probably not much help, but the reason I was drawn to reply to this post was that I recently had a talk with my daughter (who is 10 years old and a level 5) about this sort of thing.

It suddenly hit me one day that all she has done since she was 6 is gymnastics. She has never done any school sports or musical instruments, etc., because gym has always taken too much money and time for her to do anything else. I talked to her about this and basically she said that she doesn't feel like she is missing out on anything and that she has never wanted to try anything else. That is fine, but I worry that I may not always be able to keep up with the financial aspects of gymnastics (as it is I can barely keep up).

To make my long story short, I guess I can picture my dd being in the same position as you and feeling the same way as you do about it. I hope that time never comes, and that she can stay in gym as long as she likes, or decides to do something different on her own.

I wish the best for you, whatever that may end up being:)!
 
Thanks guys! That did help. I was thinking about gymnastics a lot that night, and for some reason I started to panic. Thinking too much is never good!
 

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