I've seen gymnasts getting badly injured on a yearly basis. They are talented, but always breaking a wrist, arm, elbow... always in a cast at least once a year from level 5 thru level 8. When as a parent or coach do you step in and say. "maybe this kids body isn't cut out for gymnastics?" . Is it worth having a potential lifetime of debilitating pain chasing a chase to do D1 gymnastics for a few years? If you can't make it healthy thru the lower optional levels.... what are their odds of getting level 9 and a handful of level 10 years under their belt and staying healthy? I'm curious the injury history of the average D1 gymnast through their JO career. I know it's normal to have a break or two and some nagging injuries at least once or twice. But is the average D1 gymnast really have to push through being broken every other year or more?
I think I'd say the point to call it quits is when you see a pattern of no longer enjoying it overall.
Personally, I get injured. I got injured a lot as a kid who did no sports. I get injured now as an adult gymnast. Half my injuries aren't caused by gymnastics.
Getting to D1 imo shouldn't be the reason you go to the gym every time. You should be going because it's something positive for you. Even with the injuries, imo it should be a positivr overall. that doesn't mean injuries cant suck, and you're allowed to feel bad when you have one.
A gymmie who has a new big injury every year, but still has a blast 90% of the time and alwys recovers well might be well off staying.
One with equal injuries but who is just getting exhausted from the constant circus of recovery rehab training injury, is perhaps better off quitting.
I think a lot depends also on how and why these injuries are happening. Ideally you'd investigate and act on that. If you keep having overuse injuries, you may need to make a better prep plan to physically prepare your body for what you're doing.
If you are having accidents often on skills, imo that's a coaching issue. An accident is always possible, but if you're having frequent injury causing accidents, then your coach is letting you independently do skills you're not yet safe to do.
And then theres the options of "just bad luck" or "i injure easily". In the last case, its similar to the overuse thing. Finding a fysio or such to do good physical prep to stabilise joints BEFORE something goes wrong may prevent injury in ánd out of the gym. And quitting gymnastics may not even reduce your injuries if you're very injury prone.
For me, I'm kinda injury prone. I don't always notice my own limits, but I'm trying to learn. Im hypermobile, but I'm trying to strengthen and stabilise my joints. I have hectic attention span, so I get hurt tripping over wires etc in and out of the gym. I get injured sometimes, gymnastics or not. But for me it isn't breaking my love for the sport in the slightest. It did at one point, when we found a bone cyst by pire chance and i migjt need surgery. i got so tired of it, of havinng to plan adjustments to accommodate not being weigjt bearing witj my foot etc, that i needed a bit of a break from the sport. and thats okay too! i ended up not needing surgery after all.
Anyway... that kinda got onto a tangent. but the short answer is: gym imo has to be a net positive in ghe gymmies life.
