The Secret Life of Your Gymnasts

The gym can be a kind of escape.  An escape from the outside world and all its problems.

For my team girls, I've sometimes talked about how Japanese gymnasts and the martial arts world have the tradition of bowing before entering a dojo (school); and when leaving.  It serves as an act of respect; but the physical ritual of bowing also serves as a reminder- a trigger- to put the practitioner into the proper frame of mind to focus upon the task at hand:  The workout.

But sometimes, the problems of the outside world are too great to be ignored and set aside for the 2-4 hours we are in the spiritual battleground that is the gym.

There are times when one of my gymnasts suffered a personal loss- a pet dying; the passing of a loved one.  And we as coaches adjust accordingly to care for the mental and emotional health of our athletes.

Today, one of my Hot Shots- a mature 7 yr old- wasn't quite behaving like her normal self.  Nothing too drastic- but just enough to make me notice that her energy level, her attention to form, and her focus wasn't quite what it normally is.

When we got to RO BHs, she was so off- loose in the air- that I asked her what was going on.  I pointed out what I was noticing and asked if she was tired, not enough sleep, or what.  She said it was a couple of things. First thing was, she didn't have enough to eat or something to that effect.  The second thing she said to me was that her parents were getting a divorce.

My heart broke for her right then and there, so I embraced her with a hug and told her I was so sorry.  She said it was okay (to comfort me, maybe).  But it explained a lot to me, what was going on with her during workout.

She did better after that.  And for a moment, we were both able to focus on the rest of gym as a kind of escape from the really real world and not dwell upon it.

One of my best kids....