The chalk fills the air as you walk in. The sight of people moving in all directions around you. The sound of the bars squeaking and the thumps from the floor crowd your ears. The smell that most people would describe as feet, but it doesn’t bother you because you are used to it and don’t smell it anymore. This was the gym. The place I came to 5 days and 20 hours a week. The gym was my second home, even though it felt like I was there more than my actual house. I remember when I was younger, and gymnastics was actually fun. But now, my mind was crowded with stress and my body ached every day. Practice was no longer something fun to look forward to, but a routine thing. My entire life revolved around gymnastics. Practices were long and grueling. The four hours of practice began to feel longer and longer each day. Practices were worse during meet season since you had all the pressure from your coaches to be the best. Even though the sport was tough, it shaped me into who I am today.

 I would wake up early and the nerves already began to start in my stomach. It’s meet day and meet days were the most stressful. I’d spend for what felt like hours, brushing and braiding my hair until it was perfect. It was a few minutes before I went on beam, and nerves fluttered throughout my whole body. My arms and legs shaking. Every gymnast felt this before competing. It was my turn to go. I took small steps towards the beam and the judge saluted me. My arms trembled as they touched the beam, and my time started. Beam was probably the scariest to compete. Not only are the judges scoring your every move, but you’re also doing dangerous skills on a 4-inch platform with the audience watching silently. Sure, there was noise from the audience and the floor music playing in the background, but when it was my turn to compete, everything went silent. All I could focus on was me and hitting my skills. One small slip and I would already be deducted half a point. Meets were extremely stressful but afterwards I felt accomplished. Meets were my chance to show people what I’ve been working hard at for a year.

Gymnastics was a time-consuming sport and took everything out of me. I would come home from practice feeling dead and all I wanted to do was take a shower and sleep, but I couldn’t. I still had mounds of homework to finish. I decided to quit gymnastics right before summer because of injuries and school. Looking back at it, I wonder how or why I even did it. The sport took so much out of me, and I didn’t realize that until after I quit. Once I stopped, I also remembered all the skills gymnastics taught me. Some may think gymnastics is just a physical sport, but it was also a mental sport. I already had the skills, but my mind determined whether I’d go for them or not. Though some may think gymnastics includes only physical abilities, the skills always come down to the right mentality. Not only did I learn the gymnastics skills, but I also learned life skills. I didn’t know it at the time, but the skills I learned in gymnastics can help me throughout my life.        

Gymnastics taught me balance. Not only being able to balance on a beam, but also balance between school and friends. I learned determination; I was taught how to work hard to achieve my goals. I understood teamwork. Gymnastics is scored individually yet is also a team sport. If one person decided not to go for a certain skill at practice, we all got punished and had to condition. In life, every person is faced with the struggle of collaborative work and I perfected that skill through gymnastics. A skill I learned about in gymnastics that helps me most in life is dedication. I had to dedicate my time, and basically my life, to be able to do gymnastics. Being dedicated means to be committed to something. Since I quit, I am now able to be dedicated towards school and other things in life. All the skills I learned at practice can apply to my life.

Gymnastics was a tough, demanding sport but I wouldn’t trade my 10 years of doing it for the world. There were many days where I said I was not going to come back. There were many days where I would be so sore that my muscles would shake to the point where I couldn’t even feel them, but I pushed through. Every day at practice I was pushed to my limits and beyond. Gymnastics has helped me physically and mentally. It taught me skills in life that I wouldn’t have if I didn’t do the sport. The skills I learned are a part of who I am. The sport changed my life. Gymnastics shaped me into the person I am today.