Finding Balance

Gymnastics teaches children how to twist and tumble through life's challenges

My heart is pounding and my palms are sweaty. I take a deep breath in and concentrate. As I exhale, my heart drops and my feet leave the floor. Suspended in the air, my hands touch the ground first, and my feet come down next. The silence is broken by the applause of my teammates and a high-five from my coach. I'm on top of the world, and I've never felt better.

Gymnastics is a combination of acrobatics and dance movements that develop strength, flexibility, agility and expression. The word "gymnastics" came from the Greek word "gymnos," which means naked. The ancient Greeks did sports in the gymnasium while nude.

Gymnastics as we know it today began in Germany in the 18th century. Gymnastics gained international recognition in 1896 when it was admitted into the Olympic games.

Gymnastics became a popular sport by accident. During the 1972 Olympics in Munich, there was an unfilled gap in airtime and no major events were going on. So they aired film of a Russian gymnast named Olga Korbut, and as a result, both gymnastics and Korbut became famous.

When you walk into a gymnastics facility, the first thing you notice is all the different equipment inside. Each piece of equipment, or apparatus, is used by gymnasts to execute a skill.

Women's gymnastics events include the floor exercise, vault, balance beam and uneven parallel bars. Men's gymnastic events include the floor exercise, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and high bar.

Gymnastics is an artistic and engaging sport. It takes coordination and determination to develop gymnastic skills. What is a sport and what is its purpose? There is no definite answer because each person's views on the subject are different. In our society, there is a lot of attention on competition and winning, especially in sports.

Alison Collins examines her form asa fellow tumbler rolls across the floor. photo by Robyn Eisenstark

Recreational gymnastics was designed to teach young boys and girls that gymnastics can be a fun physical exercise and build self-esteem. In contrast, competitive gymnastics can emphasize to young gymnasts they are there to train and win.

"Recreational gymnastics is fun because you get to work at your own pace and you don't have anyone pushing you," said Alison Collins, a 15-year-old Arcata High freshman who is part of the Arcata Recreation Divisions gymnastics program.

Gymnastics help children become stronger and more flexible, which can benefit them in all sports. When a child does something they worked hard at, they tend to feel good about themselves. Recreational gymnastics is intended to be fun and make children feel good about themselves. The skills and determination young gymnasts learn can benefit them in all aspects of their lives.

"I think gymnastics gives them confidence in their bodies -- their ability to control their movement," said HSU natural resource interpretation major Willie Richerson. He did gymnastics for six years and now coaches for the Arcata gymnastics program. "It teaches them that being flexible and being strong is a part of being healthy. And it teaches them that they can succeed in things they at first they think they cannot do. After lots of trying and effort, they can. And I think it builds self confidence, which is really important."

Gymnastics is a great way for youth to exercise and learn the way body works. They learn about the importance of stretching and conditioning their bodies and how it helps them lead healthy lifestyles.

"I think it's very positive for kids to do recreational gymnastics," said Jamie Reynolds, director of the program and HSU child development major. "They are not competing against each other or other gyms, but rather we emphasize them to work on certain skills and getting better within themselves."

Children love to have something to look forward to. Going to gymnastics is something for them to look forward to. It's a place to have fun and release all their built up energy from being at school all day. It is also a place where children make valuable friendships and have positive experiences, which later turn into wonderful memories.