A Gymnastics Blog
Archive for April, 2009
Injuries
Apr 30th
Part 2
The End
Performing a simple handspring vault, I landed incorrectly, meaning one foot took a disproportionate amount of the impact, mainly on the big toe joint from pointing my toes so much during the move. I was competing in an international friendly at the time and oddly I had complained to my coach that this vault was too easy for my level. I almost felt like Kerri Strug in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. I was in incredible pain but presented to the judge before hobbling off to the side. Bruising and swelling came almost instantly. Half of my foot was swollen, I couldn’t fit it into my shoe. At the hospital I was told that there were no breaks and just to rest.
I was in terrible pain and on crutches for two months. For the next few months I trained occasionally but was unable to cope with the pain for any length of time. Something was never right. I saw two specialists who couldn’t see much of a problem, except a very swollen tendon (“which will go down”), bruising and a lack of movement in the joint due to the swelling. They refused to operate on me, instructing me to ice it before and after training and whenever I felt I needed it.
When I was seventeen, I had to stop training altogether. It broke my heart to make this decision but there was no other way, I was just in too much pain. I lived with the pain for 3 years, not being able to walk home from school or wear high heels, like every other girl did, without being crippled within an hour. I was devastated.
Nearly three years ago, I was referred to a podiatrist. During the first visit, I was diagnosed with a 
“Femoral Anteversion”, a congenital disorder in which the femur becomes twisted and the hip ball-and-socket joint does not sit correctly. Although it is a disorder I’ve had possibly since I was in the womb, the imbalance of my feet played heavily on my hip, only aggravating the disorder. You can see in this picture, how the the “ball” of the “ball and socket” joint is rotated compared to that on the left.
I now have frequent appointments to have my legs, from hips to toes, manipulated and mobilized. To put it bluntly, I lie on the plinth and hold onto the sides while my feet are cracked and bent in mysterious ways and the rest of my joints are pulled,pushed, popped and cracked. The podiatrist also discovered numerous tiny fractures in my past x-rays and tears in the large tendon in my foot, which was in danger of rupturing at some point in the future. I can now wear heels, I can train without pain and swelling.
Unfortunately, the diagnosis was too late. I wish it had been made six years ago as I never reached my peak performance.
Coping with injury
As I said at the beginning, it’s not only physical pain the gymnast has to cope with, but emotional pain too. Having to retire as a practicing gymnast made me feel extremely down and disheartened. I took a few weeks out to get myself together. It always feels odd coming into the gym when injured, everyone’s looking at you and you’re looking back, watching your team mates train and achieve new moves, all the while thinking, “I hope she doesn’t get better than me”.
The emotional pain is tough. The one place I would go to escape everything was where the problem stirred from. There is a strong temptation to feel sorry for yourself, thinking that the injury wasn’t your fault. However, Gymnastics isn’t a team or contact sport – you can’t simply blame someone else for, say, a bad tackle. You know that your technicalities were incorrect and are now suffering the consequences.
Injury is a very tough thing to get through and to get over. When returning after injury there is the frustration that you have to be very careful as your body is vulnerable. There is also the terrible psychological factor that it may take many gymnasts weeks, months or longer to perform the same move that caused the injury. It’s a dangerous sport but well worth it for the thrills
Injuries
Apr 29th
Part 1
Being injured is a terrible event in any athlete’s career. One injury can jeopardise some-one’s progression in the sport or even mark the end of their career. In gymnastics, it is so easy to get hurt. The simplest deviation of a body line can inadvertently cause great harm.
Types of Injuries
There are the obvious types of injuries; muscle strains and tears and broken bones. There are also injuries that develop over a period of time (Osgood Schlatters disease for example, which occurs from a combination of factors such as repetitive jumping ) and much more serious conditions such as paralysis from a high fall, though thankfully this is rare.
As well as the physical sensation of pain, the gymnast has to cope with the emotional effects of unwanted downtime while the injury heals. In a sport like gymnastics, which emphasises adventurousness and includes the use of different types of equipment, participants are bound to become injured at some point during their career.
A personal recap
During my years as a competitive gymnast, I experienced my fair share of injuries. Three of them in particular, come to mind. Surprisingly, the simplest and seemingly most innocuous one has caused the most long-term damage.
The Flyaway Incident
At age eleven, I was performing a tucked flyway on the A Bars. For the uninitiated, this is essentially swinging off the bar and doing a mid-air somersault. It may sound pretty simple, just a matter of letting go but this is not the case.
For a flyaway, you must have the right entry swing into it, otherwise it will be slow which will slow down the rotation mid air, causing you to rotate slower and to land on your face. However, going too fast, perhaps from a fast handstand position and not being able to control your body will essentially mean that you may over-rotate on the late release, landing on your ass or, worse still, what happened to me. The correct body shape is essential. Ideally, you should go from a straight out handstand position, to meet the bar horizontally in a dish shape and then tuck in and release.
In my case, I swung too fast, in control of my body but not controlling my height and not having any spacial awareness that day. I over-rotated, not in the normal sense, but back up onto the bar, bouncing my neck off it and landing in a heap on the floor, with all of my weight on my neck.
I don’t remember it too well apart from thinking that it was so cool that I’d managed to swing up so high but my concerned coaches rushed to my side, checking my breathing and seeing if I was conscious. I didn’t want an ambulance called, for some reason I’ve always had this awareness of my body that I know when something is seriously wrong so I asked for my parents to be called. They knew me well enough to know to let me go with my gut instinct and allowed my parents to make the final decision. They took me to our brilliant physiotherapist and with some cryotherapy and soft tissue work, I was fine and back to training within two weeks. Luckily, I’ve had no long term damage to my neck.
The Beam Flip
I missed the placement of one of my hands when performing a back flip on the beam. I landed heavily, with one shoulder on the edge of the beam. It was instantly swollen and bruised. I was out of training for three weeks before I was able to return. I am reminded of this injury every day when I look at or touch my shoulder. Although not obvious to the untrained eye, my right trapezius muscle has not developed as much as my left, thus leaving me with lob-sided shoulders and a permanent lump. It isn’t painful but it bothers me, I know it’s there and will always be there to remind me of that day and the pain I endured whilst trying to sleep and do other daily activities.
Part 2 to follow soon!
5 facts about gymnastics in Ireland
Apr 24th
1. There are 9 different disciplines in Irish Gymnastics (IG)
- Womens Artistic (WAG)
- Mens Artistic (MAG)
- Tumbling
- Acrobatics
- Special Needs
- All Disciplines
- Aerobics
- Trampolining
- Rhythmic
2. There are eight different regions throughout the country in IG. In these eight regions, there are currently 92 clubs registered with IG, the governing body.
3. While Ireland is not renowned for producing gymnasts to the standard required for Olympic competition, Barry MacDonald became the first and only Irish Gymnast to compete in the Olympic Games when he performed at the 1996 Atlanta Games
4. In Ireland, Salto Gymnastics Club in Lisburn, Co Antrim is the country’s only dedicated gymnastics academy, one of only two full time gymnastics facilities. Every other club must hire time in a sports hall and put their equipment in and out every time they use it.
5. Earlier this year, IG received a core grant from the Irish Sports Council of €169,545 ($220,610.87 ) with an additional €89,000 ($115,806.23) under the Women In Sport grant scheme. Gymnastics is considered a minority sport compared to our national sports, Gaelic Football and Hurling, and other sports such as football, rugby and boxing. These sports gain substantial grants from the Irish Sports Council.
How does this compare to your country?
Note that these facts may have changed since publishing this post as the interest in sport is becoming more popular.
Spotting Talent
Apr 21st
Part 2
Flexibility
Flexibility works hand-in-hand with strength. A combination of the two in a gymnast is a step towards perfection, as long as they know how to control their body (i.e. using their strength to not allow themselves be too flexible eg. over-twisting in the splits). I often find it more impressive to watch a more flexible gymnast on the beam or floor, rather than a gymnast who is mainly powerful, as some of the moves such as a split leap can be so beautiful to watch as opposed to powerful tumbling moves. Although not every great gymnast is naturally flexible, it is something you can develop over time.
Attitude and Dedication
Above all, a gymnast must be determined. Gymnastics is a difficult sport, watching your team mates achieving a move before you can be frustrating. Working for months and months on a move can be so hard, so tiring and frustrating but it’s having the will and determination to carry on that gets you through. Everyone can’t have a “can do” attitude all of the time, and more than likely, I’d get annoyed with them if they did! With gymnastics you must have an open mind, you need to be able to take risks with a willingness to learn and listen to criticism. It can be tough to be a gymnast.
Other Factors
There are also many other factors to consider when looking for your ideal gymnast. Such as, are the parents dedicated enough and willing to travel across the country for competition or to bring their child to training practice however often they might train? I have been told about parents who are not willing to help their child progress.
For example, one parent found it inconvenient to bring her daughter to training. he little girl, has the full package, the physique of a gymnast and all of the above mentioned qualities. The child is now training one hour a week in the recreation class, in my opinion wasting her talent. The coach has said that she has so much potential but will go nowhere with her one hour training a week which she appears to thoroughly enjoys. I think it is an awful shame.
Personally, from my studies in college, I have found a common trend in particular body types. I have noticed that gymnasts with a long, leaner body, they tend to be less flexible, more graceful at dance moves and not always as strong as other body types. Smaller, stockier looking gymnasts seem to be powerful and excel in strength, especially shoulders and legs. Their flexiblity tends to be relatively good but not the best and their dancing and choreography appears to be less co -ordinated and graceful as opposed to the longer, leaner looking gymnast. This does not deter me from selecting a gymnast to invite into the competitive class but it is something I look very closely at to understand the gymnast better.
Have I found the perfect gymnast?
I currently train a small group of 7 – 9 year olds at competitive level. They are all extremely talented. One of the girls in particular outshines the rest in her approach to training. Although the youngest at seven, she is powerful, strong, flexible, determined and always has a smile on her face. In my years of coaching, I have not come across someone as young who listens to everything I say so intently and then puts this into practice. She is an inquisitive little madam but I am glad she is. I am yet to come across the perfect gymnast but this little lady certainly comes close.
Spotting Talent
Apr 21st
Part One
Part of being a gymnastics coach is that I must constantly be on the look-out for new talent. Every September when the new term begins, streams of new kids come through the doors. Kids of all different standards, some who have done gymnastics before, some who have not, some kids who want to be there, others who have been forced by their parents. It’s a big mixed bunch to say the least!
On that first day, while the kids are settling in and being shown how to warm up, the coaches take a quick look around. Immediately, we spot the child who is flexible, the child who is strong, the one who is crying and calling out for her mother, the one who is more interested in picking in between their toes than doing any exercise… the list goes on.
Collectively, the coaches are looking for a strong and flexible gymnast to move up to the competitive gymnastics class for more intense and focused training. Individually, we may search for different things. I look for a gymnast with a bit of flair. I steer well clear of criers. If by the age of five a child can’t stop crying at everything and anything, I don’t really have much time for them. It may sound harsh but a gymnast must be emotionally as well as physically strong. I like a child who is determined and adventurous, who listens and who has a natural feel for the sport . It is rare to find someone with these qualities who is also strong and flexible.
A child who cries for their parents or because you ask them to try something and they won’t, is a child that I find difficult to deal with. You can come across some really fantastic kids who are full of beans and then other kids whose beans…well, their beans are probably in a trail behind them on the floor due to fear of trying something new!
So, what exactly are we looking for?
- Height
- Strength
- Flexibility
- Attitude and Dedication
- Other Factors
Height
Height is believed to be a significant factor in determining a gymnast’s capabilities and performance. There is a general consensus that a gymnast must be small; personally, I don’t think this is true, as there is no proven reason why a taller gymnast cannot be as good as a smaller one. One of my icons was the Russian gymnast, Svetlana Khorkina, who is 5 feet and 5 inches tall. Not particularly tall in general, though it certainly is within the context of the sport. Bela Karolyi, a world renowned gymnastics coach who produced nine Olympic Champions and has coached many stars including Mary Lou Retton, Shannon Miller & Dominique Moceanu was asked by ESPN (Enterainment and Sports Programming Network) “If you could build the best gymnast, what would they look like physically?”. For height, he answered;
“The ideal gymnast would be between 4 feet 7 and 5-2. I wouldn’t be able to pinpoint an ideal height, however. It would be foolish to say that a gymnast above 5-2 could not be great.”
I don’t think there is a set height we are looking for. I, for example, am 5′ 3.5″. That said, it is easier on the coach to lift a smaller and lighter child through moves than a taller, heavier one. Perhaps to an outsider a smaller gymnast looks more impressive and the idea that a gymnast should be short has aesthetic origins.
Strength
Strength is crucial to being a great gymnast. An outsider might think it is easy to get up on the bars and just perform
“one of those twirly things”, perhaps assuming that the speed and momentum must just carry the move on through. That’s simply not the case. Everything we do requires great strength. It not only takes balance to land a move on the beam, but strength also. A lot of emphasis must be placed on the core strength of a gymnast. The handstand shape is involved on all pieces, bars, beam, floor and vault. The importance of strength cannot be stressed enough.
A weaker gymnast will not be able to perform the move as well as a stronger gymnast and, in my experience, a stronger gymnast seems to be more aware of their body, knowing that their technique might not be right but that they are pulling themselves through a move.
All the pain and sweat you endure during all the sit ups, back lifts, leg lifts, chin-ups, press-ups is worth it if you get the results you need to help you perform to your best.
*As this post is long, I have decided to split it into two. Check back tomorrow for the second part
The Recession & Gymnastics
Apr 20th
We are all aware of the Global Recession. How is it affecting your club? Surprisingly, we have not noticed a drop in numbers nor a lack of interest for gymnastics since the global recession came to light. However, we have found during fundraising events that people are not as generous as they would have been a year ago.
You can read here how the Irish Sports bodies are calling on the government to protect the remaining sports budgets. Hopefully it will work out as Irish Gymnastics gains significantly less funding from the government as other sports do.
