emotional gymnasts/teammates!

[tahlee]

i am from australia and the squad i train with range from level 4 to 7/8.
we tend to get along great but there is one girl in level 7 who constantly breaksdown during training which causes several problems:
1. the girls in the squad get distracted trying to comfort her and less time is spent training [and this is more apparent during comp season]
2. distracts our coach from us
3. creates distruptions in our rotations
4. brings down the mood of the team
5. stops her from training, and the rest of the squad from training.

she will breakdown over things like not getting a skill perfect, having a minor injury or having the coach not see every skill/routine.

our coach is now trying to ignore if it is minor but after 6 months nothing is changing!

does anyone have suggestions to deal with this, parents coaches or gymnasts?

thank you in advanced

 

[gymjoy]

1. the girls in the squad get distracted trying to comfort her and less time is spent training [and this is more apparent during comp season]
2. distracts our coach from us
3. creates distruptions in our rotations
4. brings down the mood of the team
5. stops her from training, and the rest of the squad from training.

These points can be fixed quickly - imho. When the girls starts in on her breakdown the coach should first briefly give her some feedback on whatever skill she is working, and move on to another girl. If she continues the coach should warn her that if she continues crying/being upset she will need to leave the floor until she is under control. At no time should the other gymnast stop their training, or the coach his coaching to attend to this gymnast (as long as she is not physically hurt). Once she sees that she is not getting the attention she desires, and that the team is moving on with out her, this behavior will fade away.

she will breakdown over things like not getting a skill perfect, having a minor injury or having the coach not see every skill/routine.
I don't think her behavior is really about any of those things, but a desire to be the focus of attention.

our coach is now trying to ignore if it is minor but after 6 months nothing is changing!
This is a good start, but the coach should probably sit down with this girl and her parents to talk with them about her behavior, how it is not appropriate, and how he is going to handle it in the future.
I would suggest asking your parents to address the issue with your coach, explaining how you feel about all the distractions and interruptions to training this one girl causes. Be gracious and polite, of course, because this girl might have trouble you know nothing about outside the gym.

For yourself, try to stay focused on your goals and training.
Good luck

 

[coachmolly]

There were times when I was a very emotional gymnast, it was just part of my personality. I'm very hard on myself and also incredibly sensitive. It was not because I was looking for attention, I often tried to hold back the tears, I was just an enormous headcase in the gym. However, my coach took a tough stance with me. If I was at a meet and the tears didn't stop, there was a chance I would be scratched from the next event. If I was at practice, I could be sent to condition until I calmed down. My teammates did not become distracted comforting me, my coach didn't pay much attention, and I was left on my own to sort everything out.
I think your coach just needs to be a little more strict with this behavior. If she keeps giving her attention every time she breaks down in the gym, she's only reinforcing the behavior. If the girl finds there are no benefits to her outbursts, only consequences, that might be enough to influence her to stop or to at least make less of an issue of it when things come up. If that doesn't work, talk with her and her parents. There could be issues going on outside of the gym that are causing extra stress in her life. As a coach, I think emotion is totally fine. Gymnastics is hard and can be incredibly frustrating. However, if it's shown in a distracting way, it needs to stop.
The age of the girl is also a factor, but I'm guessing this girl isn't too little. If I'm coaching with someone else and a little one starts to cry, I do take time to talk to them about what's going on and try to sort out the issue, provided that the other coach can still keep an eye on the other kids. But this is for kids no older than 8ish.
Distracting the coach from the other girls can be a safety issue and your parents would certainly have reason to bring this up with the coach. It can be so frustrating to have one girl in a group who really seems to bring everyone down and hold everyone back, so I think you do need to let your coach know how you feel. Good luck!