Naturally, I faced the competition of other gymnasts, however, meets were not where my most valuable lessons were learned. The impact was greater in times I wanted to quit, and didn’t. For instance, my flyway, a skill I acquired as a child, became impossible for me to execute as a teenager. Each time I attempted to perform it, I froze, fear lingering in my mind. Frustrated, I contemplated abandoning my passion, yet, due to my persistence, I overcame the obstacle. I found quitting would never provide me the satisfaction I hungered for. Gymnastics also challenged my body. I suffered more injuries than the average gymnast with broken feet, fingers, toes, and elbows, a concussion, and two stress fractures in two years. My final injury, a torn labrum, resulted in hip surgery, six months of physical therapy, and the death of my college gymnastics dream. Through disaster emerged strength to cope with every roadblock I encounter. All of my life I had worked towards that goal, and with the lift of a scalpel, it was shattered. Thankfully, the qualities gymnastics has given me has transferred to every aspect of my life including my academic career. I have put in just as much effort in the classroom as I have in the
Neporent, Liz. ‘Olympian Douglas’ Hard Times.” ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014
Sonja Henie is starts off just like others ordinary girl, she grew up in wealthy family in Norway. She is a very talented tennis player, horseback rider, ballerina, and of course we cannot leave out that she is a talented figure skater. Growing up with a wonderful dream since she was young, she attempted at the first Olympic Winter Games held in 1924 in Chamonix, France. Henie performed a jump and a sit spin; it was a big deal at the time because women rarely compete in the Olympic or major events, so not all of them can pull out hard routines like she did. Unfairly, Henie had finish last-eight out of eight competitors, but she didn’t give up yet. After a few years, Sonja fulfilled her dream with hard work by becoming a successful woman and well-known throughout the world. She began “challenges by younger skaters including Cecilia Colledge, Megan Taylor, and Hedy Stenuf. However, she held off these competitors and went on to win her third Olympic title at the 1936 Winter Olympic” (Source A). She became well-known in the ice skating field no...
Kristi Yamaguchi had to overcome an abundance of challenges before she was made into an Olympic figure skater. First off, she was born with clubbed feet, a birth defect in which both of her feet were curved or slanted inward. Kristi started figure skating as a therapy to heal her feet, but she came to love the sport and stuck with it. When the famous Olympian shares her story to her fans everywhere, she inspires them to overcome their challenges and not to stop striving for success.
While there is little diversity in many sports, gymnastics is starting to make giant leaps toward multi-racial integration. Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles are creating waves in the gymnastics community, sparking national pride with each gold medal. They are leading the fight against racism in gymnastics by proving that they are just as good, if not better than the traditional gymnasts due to their hard work and persistence, combined with raw talent. They are inspiring girls everywhere to follow their dreams, no matter what obstacles get in the way. They are the American heroes who made gymnast history.
A women’s sports competition had just received record-setting levels of views but it was all because of personal issues. Many people celebrated that millions and millions of people celebrated attention the women athletes received but some found little to celebrate about. The Kerrigan-Harding incident was a negative incident that showed all publicity off the ice.
Cassidy has been competitive all her life, thanks to her lovely father. It was something that came with every Cordova, the need to win. The satisfying taste of victory. This behavior came into recognition from her family at the tender age of 5, when she first started gymnastics at the Little Pebble. What Cassidy didn’t realize is that gymnastics would be a huge part of her life later on. The young blonde would spend at least 3 hours daily at the gym, polishing her routines until they reached her personal standard. Unlike her other friends at the gym, they weren’t as driven as Cassidy. Participating in competitions, Cassidy had the confidence in her ability and performed the routines flawlessly. People took notice of the blonde, and the word
In the 1996 Olympics it was the USA against Russia every point counted. It was up to Kerri to do a perfect vault so the USA could
While adjusting to America, she makes a new friend, Shannon Lui from her gymnastics team. Gymnastics is Maya’s favorite thing to do. She felt grateful when her father let her do it. She feels free to swing and flip and no worries.
A lot has been made of Kerri Strug’s performance in the 1996 Olympics that allowed the team to clinch the goal. The fact is that she just needed to finish the vault on her feet to mathematically clinch the gold, something that likely gymnasts on the floor that day could have done. However, Kerri Strug has sustained an ankle injury and was literally limping to the runway. So landing upright wasn’t a foregone conclusion. Spoiler alert from 96 she stuck the landing, the U.S. got the gold and Karri got a Wheaties box, you can do it Kerri!
Ariana dream was to become the first black woman in history to win a gold medal in Olympics Boxing. Ariana grew up in the rough streets of Newark. She had a passion for boxing, but her parents were strong Catholics and didn’t approve of her boxing because it wasn’t lady like and they were afraid of her getting injuries. Also, Ariana struggled in school with trying to make friends, knowing that she was awkward and shy. Along having trouble with friends, she also had trouble with boys because many boys thought about her as being cocky and a showoff. Her parents tried convincing her to quit, but Ariana refused. She got injured by dislocating her shoulder and she thought twice about joining boxing again. Lastly, she was skeptical about
The sheer energy of a gymnast alone can be felt by audiences of all ages, but what the spectators lack the ability to feel is the pounding of the bodies that bear the impact of the athletes in action. Gymnastics consists of a mixture of acrobatic performances of four different events for females, and six different events for males (Gianoulis 1). Gymnastics is demanding in a multitude of ways, including: physically, emotionally and mentally. It requires countless hours of dedication. The concerns of most gymnasts are moving up to the next level, or getting a more advanced skill, while the concerns of the doctors, coaches, and parents revolve mostly around the athlete’s health, which is put at stake for the adored yet dangerous sport. Injuries are common among both male and female gymnast alike, but due to the fact a female gymnast’s career peaks at the same time of major growth and development, a female gymnast’s body as a whole is more likely to undergo lifelong changes or affects (Gianoulis 2). Among the injuries of the mind blowing athletes, the most common ones affect the ankles, feet, lower back, wrist, and hands of individuals (Prevention and Treatment 1). From sprains, to the breaks, the intriguing sport of gymnastics is physically demanding on a gymnast’s body.
The start of the 2002 track season found me concerned with how I would perform. After a disastrous bout with mononucleosis ended my freshmen track season, the fear of failure weighed heavily on my mind. I set a goal for myself in order to maintain focus and to push myself like nothing else would. My goal for my sophomore track season was to become a state champion in the 100 meter hurdles. I worked hard everyday at practice and went the extra mile, like running every Sunday, to be just that much closer to reaching my goal. The thought of standing highest on the podium in the center of the field, surrounded by hundreds of spectators, overcame my thoughts of complaining every time we had a hard workout. When I closed my eyes, I pictured myself waiting in anticipation as other competitors names were called out, one by one, until finally, the booming voice announced over the loudspeaker, "...and in first place, your 2002 100 meter hurdle champion, from Hotchkiss, Connie Dawson." It was visions like these that drove me to work harder everyday.