A few months ago, I was honored to do a presentaton at the Olympic Training Center for the parents at the boy’s Future Stars Camp. Following is the opening of that talk. I originally wrote it as,”So your son has chosen to be a gymnast.” Several parents asked for copies for the gymnats, so I rewrote it to the athletes. I thought it might be appropriate to post as the men’s Olympic team will be selected today.
~~~~~
So you’ve chosen to be a gymnast! Let me share a few interesting statistics with you about that choice.
* There are approximately 800 college football teams totaling 64,000 players. For the top 119 NCAA D1 teams there are 85 scholarships per team. *There are approximately 20 men’s college gymnastics teams, with about 15 athletes on a team and 6.3 scholarships.
* There are approximately 4500 professional baseball players. Alex Rodriguez makes 32 million a year plus 4 million in endorsements. *There are no competitive professional gymnastics careers available and when was the last time you saw Jonathan Horton in a Mercedes Benz commercial?
* When Phil Mickelson’s mom goes to watch him play golf & he misses a putt, she worries that the extra stroke will cost him the Championship. *When your mom is at a meet and watches you miss a tkachev, crashing from 15 feet in the air, she worries about what body part you’ve injured this time.
* Over four years about 424 players will participate in 4 Super Bowls. *Over those same 4 years, only 5 gymnasts will be chosen to one Olympic Team.
Gymnastics has no off season, the skill requirement is off the charts, the practice time is ridiculous and the expense is huge. You’ve chosen one of the most difficult & undervalued sports for a male athlete.
BUT….. You’ve also chosen one of the most pure, beautiful, amazingly fun, satisfying, outrageous, and rewarding sports! Sorry, but making a 30 foot putt just can’t touch nailing a full twisting double back! As a gymnast you will learn strict discipline, practice unparalleled resilience, gain immeasurable self-confidence and learn the necessity of attention to detail. As the CEO of a company, those skills will serve you well. Gymnastics is a sport that’s in your blood for life; it’s who you are and what you do. Your teammates become your blood brothers, your second family. You are not doing gymnastics to be more popular in school or to become rich & famous, but because it’s what you love to do. To have the privilege of that passion is a gift that you’re oh so lucky to have. Cherish it and hold it close to your heart.
~~~~~~
When our team is selected today, several deserving athletes will not be on it. Our men’s team is one of the strongest and deepest we’ve ever had. Some very talented gymnasts will be watching the Olympics from their livingrooms along with the rest of us. It doesn’t seem fair. But, they’ve chosen to chase this crazy dream!
In Celebration of Sport!
Gail Royce-Mental Performance Coach
MentalEdgeCoaching.net
303-697-6389
Copyright © 2011 The Mental Edge/Mental Edge Coaching