quit competing or not?? HELP!!!

[tumblegrl]

well i had another really terrible practice today. wanna know how i felt?? i felt like lifting up a tv, which i really cant do, and throwing it at the wall causing an electrical fire!! i know that sounds pretty strange but trust me. i was soooooo mad today, but later i actually let it go!!! wow thats great for me because i get mad kinda easily when i fall a lot constently. anyways, gymnastics is starting to get really hard now and i feel like my coaches are expecting WAY too much from me just because im the highest and oldest gymnast there. (9th grade level 8...in case ur wondering). she is just too hard on me. me and 2 other level 7's (optionals work out together), were doing switch leaps on the low beam and mine and one girl were like the same and the other girl is still learning them. she doesnt do them that often, but me and that other level 7 do them all the time. its in our routines on floor. she was kinda easy on the girl whose switch leap was as good as mine and my coach was really hard on me!!! whats up with that??? i dont get it. also on bars, i just started doing straddle casts on the low bar and i can do it all the time practically. but i can never get my back flat. my coach has been getting on to me about this for about 2-3 weeks now and i still havent fixed it yet. its hard!!! ggrrrrr. so i told my mom and she asked me a few times recently if i wanted to quit and whenever she askd me that i cry because i never want to quit. at least not now. but ive been thinking about it A LOT tonight ,2-11-09, and ive made my decision. i might want to quit competing, only competing, maybe in a couple years when im in 11th grade. im in 9th right now. i dont really like competing against other girls because it gets me nervous and i thought about something tonight. i dont like comparing my scores with other girls to see who got the higher score, or who is better than who. i just dont like that. so i dont ever want to quit gymnastics but i may want to quit competing in like 2 years. do u think im making the right choice??? i need a lot of help because i havent been happy about gymnastics at all lately and i need some encouragement. i get a lot from my om and im thankful for that. so will u please reply back with advice or if im making the right choice or not or encouragement. that will make me feel a lot better for me to know that i have other help from people who might experience the same things i go through. thanx!! :worried::weepy:

 

[Aussie_coach]

Hi, first of all know that the way you are feeling is quite normal. Gymnastics is a frustrating sport because you don't improve and progress steadily. Sometimes you go forward in big leaps and bounds, sometimes it feels like you are not progressing at all and sometimes it feels like you are going backwards. It doesn't mean you are, if you lose a skill or go backwards or arent getting something you will get a lot more from it than just doing it. If you get a skill easily you wont learn as much about the depoth of that skill. But if you struggle with it, in the end you will usually get it better.

Your coach is pushing you because he/she wants to see you achieve and believes in you. It would be much worse if your coach didn't bother to push you at all. When she is hard on you tell yourself thats she wouldn't do it if she didnt think you were capable.

It seems with the competition issue you are taking it to heart too much. Competition doesn't have to be about scores and comparisons. Why not just go out there and enjoy yourself, enjoy competing and spending the day with your team mates. Forget about the scores and the places.

After you compete just think about your routine and say one thing to yourself that you did well. It can be anything from sticking a sskill beautifully, good presentation, or just getting back up after a fall and keeping on going. Congratulate yourself for what you did right and then forget it and focus on the next thing you have to do.

 

[nicci1999]

I'm sorry you're having such a rough time right now. But I agree with Aussie Coach, if your coach didn't believe you were capable of doing these skills, and doing them right, and didn't believe that you were worth the effort, she wouldn't be pushing you as hard as she is. I'm sure you're an excellent gymnast, and she wants you to be a phenomenal gymnast, the best you can possibly be.

So far as competing, and I am sorry if this comes across as a bit harsh, but life is competition. You're always going to be comparing your scores against other people, no matter what you do in life. Someone is ALWAYS going to do better than you, but that should give you motivation to keep going, and to push yourself a little more. Only you can achieve your full potential, and to decided whether or not to keep going. But, at the same time, you need to have fun with it as well, and KNOW that YOU did the best you could, that you tried your hardest, and if it didn't go exactly as planned, then so be it. There is always next time, there will always be a next time. Always aim to improve what you did, but don't kill yourself over it. Sending good thoughts your way for some practices to go amazing!

 

[tumblegrl]

i changed my mind..

i actually want to compete all through high school instead of quitting. i love it way too much lol thanx 4 the advice!!