What does it take to be elite??

[chabuc]

I appreciate your honesty, but the bottom line is that if you screw up on a college team, you still have the support of your team. If you screw up as an elite, your career is over and you are sitting there by yourself. That's reality.

Well, I can't speak for anyone else but if I'm going down, I'd rather go down alone. For some people team situations mean stress instead of support. Not everyone reacts to teams the same way.

 

[gymnasticsbabie]

Well, I can't speak for anyone else but if I'm going down, I'd rather go down alone. For some people team situations mean stress instead of support. Not everyone reacts to teams the same way.

hahaha amen...

 

[gymgymgymnast08]

I think I would rather mess up my self then mess it up for my team. Not that I want to do either

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Gymnastics is a very individual sport; my opinion is that it would make more sense not to have team competitions at all.

In something like soccer or baseball or basketball, each player's performance is heavily dependent on the performance of their team mates. This isn't the case in gymnastics; it's just you out there. Nobody needs to pass you the ball, and you don't need to pass it to anybody else.

The fact that gymnastics is treated like a team sport seems sort of silly to me. But what do I know?

Admittedly it's been a very very long time (8 years, I believe) since last time I've had any teammates at my level, so my view on this is rather one-sided.

 

[Tuduri]

I ran track while I was in High School. While track and field is an individual sport, we also had team competition. This team competition was a big deal then and I think still is now. Each athlete hoped for the success of his teammates in part because how one placed affected the team's overall standing. And, yes, this placed pressure on the individual athlete to do well to help the team, not just themselves. There are only four girls on my daughter's level eight team. And while they did not place in the top three as a team at their last meet, they were incredibly proud that their team had the best overall bars score as a team! Many of the girls had some terrific individual accomplishments at this meet, but each girl was equally proud of the team's prowess on the bars. We can all feel a sense of accomplishment from both individual and team efforts.

Tuduri

 

[lannamavity]

Gymnastics is a very individual sport; my opinion is that it would make more sense not to have team competitions at all.

In something like soccer or baseball or basketball, each player's performance is heavily dependent on the performance of their team mates. This isn't the case in gymnastics; it's just you out there. Nobody needs to pass you the ball, and you don't need to pass it to anybody else.

The fact that gymnastics is treated like a team sport seems sort of silly to me. But what do I know?

Admittedly it's been a very very long time (8 years, I believe) since last time I've had any teammates at my level, so my view on this is rather one-sided.

I, personally, seldom competed on a "team" during my career as an athlete.

As a coach, I have seen how strong teams (regardless of level) breed even stronger individual gymnasts. Individuals on a strongly knit team learn to compete with eachother while respecting and supporting one another. Even teams who aren't in first place can be great sports and supportive individuals.

The team experience is an opportunity for "life lessons" not available to individuals training and competing alone. It's not everything, but it's a perk to NCAA gymnastics which is only apparant at the very top level of elite gymnastics.

It's always a good character builder to be a part of something bigger than oneself.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I, personally, seldom competed on a "team" during my career as an athlete.

As a coach, I have seen how strong teams (regardless of level) breed even stronger individual gymnasts. Individuals on a strongly knit team learn to compete with eachother while respecting and supporting one another. Even teams who aren't in first place can be great sports and supportive individuals.

The team experience is an opportunity for "life lessons" not available to individuals training and competing alone. It's not everything, but it's a perk to NCAA gymnastics which is only apparant at the very top level of elite gymnastics.

It's always a good character builder to be a part of something bigger than oneself.

I agree with this, but you can be "tight-knit" and supportive of your teammates without actually competing as a team. I had teammates at lower levels, and I cheered for them and supported them as much as I could.

I think there are tremendous benefits to training with a team. But that doesn't necessitate competing as a team.

 

[pink ranger]

To be elite where I live you have to be

Starting gym and obviously talented by about age 6
Natuarlly strong
Naturally flexible
Short
Without any physical problems (like pidgeon toes, hyperextended arms and legs etc)
Prepared to train a huge number of training hours from a very young age
Prepared to reduce the amount of time you attend school in order to attend training.
Prepared to be regularly tested for body weight and told how much you need to lose
Have a parent who is prepared to dedicate a huge amount of their time and their income to your training
A natural performer who likes being in front of an audience
A person who is not stopped by fear

I am not saying this is my opnion for what it should take to be elite, because I don't agree with al of the above. However these are basically the requirements to train elite in my state and country. In Australia being an elite gymnast is not a goal for gymnasts who reach that level it is a goal designed only for those with a serious potential to represent your country at an international level of competition (ie world championships and olympic games).

What does that mean? I know my arms are kind of double jointed, and I hate the way it looks when I do the salute

 

[kvgymnast]

time, strength (mind and body), flexibility, good attitude, love for gymnastics, perseverance and determination...

 

[lannamavity]

What does that mean? I know my arms are kind of double jointed, and I hate the way it looks when I do the salute

And I think that there are more pigeon-toed, knock-kneed elite gymnasts out there now than ever!