Friendships. What are friendships honestly? According to the Dictionary, friendships are a state of mutual trust and support between two or more people. Friendships are eating pizza at midnight while laughing and cracking jokes.
Friendships are being a shoulder for someone to cry on, or a pat on the back for a job well done. Friendships consist of many memories, thousands of pictures, hundreds of car karaoke sessions, and unconditional love.
I say this because you have people in your life that are close to you that you adore. You know, when I was in high school I had many friends. I was the type of person who did not have a specific group of friends but just hung out with everyone or anyone who wanted to make plans.
Now that I am 23-years-old and a college graduate, I only have three close friends. But there is something to remember, it is quality, not quantity. I rather have three true, caring, heart-filled friends rather than 50 friends that could care less about what goes on in my life.
So, how does friendship relate to gymnastics? Well, that is why I am here writing this short post because it is important to know about friendships within the gymnastics community.
Your Gymnast Spends Her Time at the Gym
This makes sense, doesn’t it? Your little gymnast is at the gym probably 90 percent of the time. If she is not eating, sleeping, or at school- she is probably at gymnastics. Naturally, when you spend that much time around other people, especially those that share the passion for the same sport, it is most likely that you will become good friends with them.
The time at the gym is the time your gymnast gets to know her teammates and her coaches. Of course, she is not going to be best friends with every single person on the team, but she will find a handful of friends that are similar to her.
Gymnasts Understand Gymnasts
This one is important! Friendships are important within gymnastics because GYMNASTS UNDERSTAND GYMNASTS! I know gymnastics parents know a lot when it comes to their little gymnast, the different skills and getting to know how the sport works, but you’re not out there with your gymnast.
You are not side-by-side practicing next to her. It is very easy for gymnasts to be able to vent or talk to each other because they can talk about problems they both understand. As much as I wish we could completely get our gymnast, having the support from teammates is good for the mind and soul.
When gymnastics is your child’s life, it is difficult for your child to be able to relate to other kids that do not do the sport. A gymnast that I know always told me that she didn’t like going to school because she felt like she couldn’t really talk to anyone.
She told me that she would get tired of explaining everything to someone who did not understand the sport and how complicated things are within gymnastics. This is why she mainly talks to her gym friends because they are able to comprehend.
Gymnasts Support One Another
Gymnasts are taught that they are teammates before they are opponents. Gymnastics is an extremely competitive sport and can be played individually and as a team. When competing in a meet, gymnasts perform solo.
There is always one person doing a routine- there is never two, or three, or 10, etc. however, a team receives an award if their gymnasts individually rack up high scores. Also, the gymnasts practice together as a team. They warm up together, learn and try new skills, lose together, win together and basically just get through their daily lives with teamwork.
While a gymnast is performing her routines, her teammates are constantly cheering her on because they want the best for her. Sportsmanship is HUGE in gymnastics because how else would a team make it so far?
Emotional and physical support is so important for your gymnast because it will make her feel cared about, and will give her the confidence boost that she needs. Plus teaching your gymnast to be happy for other people can have an overall positive effect.
In Conclusion
Friendships are important in life. Everyone needs someone that they can talk to and be able to rely on when times are tough or to be able to experience the pleasures in life.
Friendships can inspire and motivate an individual because other people have influences on us- that’s why we all had role models when we were younger and still do to this day. Friendships are good for our well-being and for our self-esteem.
I believe that everything happens for a reason and that people are placed in your life during certain times and for certain situations. I know that people change, lifestyles change, people move away and switch gyms, other people move into the area and join your gymnast’s gym, people quit and try something new, but friendships are a choice.
It is up to your gymnast to pick and choose who she wants to trust in and spend time with. Having friendships is creating happiness in your life. How else can you get through tough mental blocks or dilemmas and who else are you going to share that funny video with?
Without friends, our lives would be boring. Cherish your friends, gymnasts! Find ones that will last a lifetime.
Please feel free to comment and share any experiences that you have gone through when it comes to gymnastics and friendships!
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