Photo of young gymnast by Rafal Bergman.
I had good balance and flexibility before the age of ten. I was enrolled in a gymnastic program for years, along with two of my best friends. We had plans of doing gymnastics forever because we enjoyed it so much.
Then came a growth spurt for me when I turned ten. My gymnastics career was finished. I was devastated. I grew and my center of gravity changed. The routines, which had been relatively easy, increased in difficulty. One of my friends experienced the same changes at eleven. . .another career ending growth spurt.
In retrospect, I am glad I was forced to leave the sport.
There were always nagging injuries. Bruises, sprains, strains and other problems are the counterpoint to the fun. There was also pressure to perform competitively. With improvements came greater expectations and increased pressure.
Two questions confront parents. Do they want to expose their child to athletic intensity at an early age? Gymnastics is intense. Adult have high expectations for children. Coaches have reputations and jobs to maintain.
Additionally, every year gymnastic routines become increasingly more difficult. Some of the routines performed at the last Olympic Games would have been unthinkable ten years ago. These routines (or parts of them) are repeated endlessly in practice, creating stress on young bodies.
American gymnast Mary Lou Retton had hip replacement surgery in her mid-thirties. She had a congenital hip problem, but gymnastic activity most likely accelerated the need for surgery. Retton also suffers from arthritis. It can be debated to what extent these medical problems are a consequence of the physical intensity required to become a world class gymnast.
Not everyone has Mary Lou Retton’s gifts to be an Olympic athlete. However, young people do have dreams and see peers their own age or slightly older doing high skill routines. The obvious temptation is to emulate.
Some children do not have the saving grace of a growth spurt. I was fortunate.
Catherine Forsythe
