I am a level 8 gymnast. My feet are gripping the beam so tightly my knuckles are white, I can feel the power in my legs, the stability of the beam, the adrenaline running through my veins, the blood pumping behind my ears, and the fear in the pit of my stomach. This is it. Level 8 national championships. This is the moment before I go for my back handspring on beam.

There’s so much running through my head the countless times I’ve succeeded doing this skill perfectly in practice ,as well as the many more imperfect attempts, the ways things could go bad like missing my hands or one of my feet slipping. Of course there’s more technical things to think about too like are my toes pointed, legs straight, arms extended, am I high enough off the beam? This is one skill a matter of two seconds out of a minute and thirty second routine and all this flashes through my mind. Whether in competition or in practice gymnastics teaches you confidence, determination, and how to win and loose with grace. I’ve been a gymnast for a little over 11 years now and the experience of being a gymnast has molded me into the person I am today.

Confidence is a key factor in gymnastics. Whether you’re at practice or in competition confidence is important. At practice confidence is what makes you try new skills and keep going for the skills that you repeatedly eat mat on. Confidence in competition is necessary to the be the best you have to look like the best. When you’re competing the way to command attention is a sure sense of confidence.

Get Recruited
Put Your Athletic Profile online for FREE