What Does It Take to Be an Elite Gymnast?
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What does it take to be an elite gymnast? Gymnastics Case study written by Fay Benningwood – Sport Cardiff Women and Girls Coordinator Gymnastics is a sport which requires a great deal of strength, flexibility and agility. The skills can take years to master and gymnasts typically take up the sport from a young age. Unlike other sports gymnastics is a year round sport – so there is no off season. Gymnasts and of course coaches have to be committed to a year round training schedule. As part of the Sport Cardiff Girls Together programme I recently visited the Welsh National Gymnastics squad who train within the Sport Wales National Centre. I wanted to get a feel for how gymnasts at different stages within the sport cope with the demands of the activity, the barriers which they may face during their time participating and what motivates them to keep going. As part of the visit I was welcomed into the afternoon gymnastics training session by National Coach Tracey Skirton along with a team of three media students from the University of South Wales who were set to capture some of the excitement on video. Tracey has coached top level Gymnastics in Great Britain for over 20 years and has coached gymnasts to achieve over 40 British titles and produced more than 35 British squad members. Tracey’s coaching has led her to European, Commonwealth, World and Olympic competitions. I was introduced to two Gymnasts Isobel Richards who is 9 years old and at the beginning of her training within the Welsh squad and Rebecca Moore age 18 a senior gymnast with a number of years’ experience in the Welsh squad. Isobel participates at Capital academy where she started her gymnastics at age 6. Prior to this Isobel had taken part in ballet and it was her mum’s suggestion for her to try gym. Isobel trains 18 hours per week between Capital Academy and the Welsh Gymnastics squad. Rebecca trains 30 hours per week within the Welsh Gymnastics squad which she fits in around studying for A-Levels in chemistry, physics and maths. Firstly I was given the chance to visit the Elite performance centre where Welsh gymnasts are able to receive some of the very best physiotherapy and strength and conditioning programmes to ensure they are kept in top shape to prevent injuries. Sian Harris (Head Physiotherapist) and Fionn MacPartlin (strength and conditioning coach) work with Rebecca as well as other elite athletes from a number of different sports. They design personal programmes to specifically aid the gymnasts training and work closely with the gymnastics coaches to ensure their work compliments the training in the gym. Rebecca demonstrated one or two of her exercises which she completes to improve any current injuries and help to prevent future ones. I returned to the gym to watch Isobel and the other younger gymnasts (age 8-10 years) complete their warm ups. Under the watchful eye of choreographer Ioanna Popova the girls complete sets of ballet routines which aid their flexibility, rhythm and performance skills. From here I was able to see the choreography transformed as part of the girls floor routines. When talking to Isobel it became evident that the set up within the Welsh squad really does inspire the younger gymnasts as they get to train alongside the senior gymnasts who are fantastic role models. When speaking with Rebecca she echoed that having older gymnasts training around you when you are starting out in the sport really does encourage you to keep pushing yourself and the whole team act as a support network - celebrating highs like winning competitions or dealing with lows such as getting back to training following injuries. I asked Rebecca how she manages to complete her 30 hours per week training and balance her school work around that. It becomes clear that being an elite gymnast teaches you how to organise yourself and prioritise areas of your life and make the most of each hour. Whilst most teenagers are flitting through Facebook Rebecca is completing school assignments. Rebecca is an A* GCSE student and currently completing three taxing A-Levels. At present Rebecca is considering her options for higher education and looking at how she could continue to balance her gymnastics with this change. One of the main helps Rebecca has is the great support she receives from her family, teammates and the coaching staff within the squad which all combined enables her to keep her life balanced. I asked Rebecca what she likes most about her gymnastics and she talked about the travel experiences she has had through the sport enabling her to visit countries in America and Europe. I talked to Rebecca about the recognised drop of for teenage girls in sport and if she had struggled at any point during her teenage years to carry on with the training and what had helped her to keep going. Rebecca said that the sport is challenging and hard on the body and there are definitely times when you feel like giving up, but once again she referred to the fantastic support network she has within the gym and how that support and friendship picks you up and helps you get back on track. It is evident that the gymnastics set up is like having an extended family. So if this has inspired you to want to take up gymnastics why not visit the Welsh Gymnastics website (www.welshgymnastics.org) to find out about all the Gymnastics disciplines and track down your nearest club! I would like to thank the University of South Wales media students Sophie Greene (filming and edited), Ollie Parry and Phillip Under-wood Davis (filming) who voluntarily created the video as a feature for this case study. .