As you walk through the dining halls looking for a table to fit more than six people, your life can suddenly become a rather frustrating one. Especially when you find an eight person table, but one person has chosen to sit in the middle of the table...
Now I'm going to say something rather cliche, but the goal in these situations is to not get mad.
Last week I wrote on the idea that you should find the small things in life that are enjoyable and cherish them. This idea kind of goes the same way. You can't enjoy the little things, or the big things for that matter, if you're drowning in anger.
In gymnastics this becomes increasingly important as you get better and better. The better you get the more you have to focus on. The little details add up and if something is off someone is bound to notice... and point it out... every time... That's the madness of this sport. You might begin to lose focus on your success and soon enough you're a hell of a lot better than you were the year before, but you feel like you've gone backwards. It's a weird feeling, but it happens.
It happens a lot when you are coming off an injury. Will you ever get back to where you were? Can you do some of the stuff you used to be able to do? These questions run through your brain like the roadrunner. Pretend you're Wylie Coyote. You can't ever catch them to get an answer, though in most cases the answer is yes and you're worrying for nothing. For myself I always got angry when I couldn't fix a small problem in an hour. I'd just keep doing the same thing for hours, until my coach had to force me to stop. I'm just stubborn. I'd also get mad every time I hurt myself which was a lot. I'm honestly not sure why I didn't stop the sport, I guess I just enjoy it too much!
Originally I started taking the injuries as a test of devotion. It kept me motivated for a while, but eventually enough is enough. Sophomore year of high school I had to get three screws put in my knee, and I wasn't a happy camper. It took me out for an entire season and on top of that I wasn't sure if my tumbling would bounce back. When you're hurt you can still be productive though. Once I accepted the break forced on me, I realized this was a time to relax, get stronger, and just enjoy myself at the gym. After that I came back faster than was thought. It was supposed to take me between nine and twelve months to bounce back, but it would only take around five or six. Something weird happens when you stay positive, your ability to heal can spike, and a lot can fall into place, that you wouldn't have recognized if you had been struggling in the quicksand that is anger.
Even though gymnastics is extremely dangerous and you're prone to injury, a whole bunch of people still do it. You have to be a little crazy I guess to keep walking into the building where you can knock yourself out or break anything in your body. We do learn useful things though. Being able to let something, whether a comment or a missed turn, roll off your shoulder can let you focus on the little pockets of joy during practice, or the dining hall for that matter. Every day is a new day, the past has past, there's no point in worrying about it after the fact.
Background: Gymnastics is an indoor sport for reasons regarding equipment and minimizing distractions for the athletes. I can't imagine swinging on high bar when a bug flys right into my ear. That'd be so weird. However there are a few meets held outside. One hosted by the Chicago Park District, is held on the beach. It's designed as a fun meet with competitors from age 7-30 and plenty of sun!
Question of the Day: "How many bones have you broken/fractured?" Ok this one is weird because in one way I don't know. Documented in hospitals I've had around seven I believe. Counting the undocumented and repeats, it's roughly 20. I've broken every toe except my big toes atleast once (mainly due to those evilly designed things called stairs) and I stress fractured both forearms twice each. I can know move on crutches faster than I normally walk.
Skill of the Day: Cassina. I'm sure plenty of you have seen this in the Olympics. It's one of the hardest skills to do on high bar, but anyone you talk to insists that it's easier with the twist than without it
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I think it's fair to say that with any sport, frustration is a given. However, staying positive is definitely the best way to get over this frustration and focus on fixing the mistakes. I can't agree more with how applicable this lesson is the rest of our lives, as I am the person that gets irrationally angry at the littlest things, such as that dining hall situation. Also, coming from someone who has never broken a bone, I cannot believe you have broken twenty and your parents still let you do gymnastics. Devotion is a powerful thing I guess.
ReplyDeleteI feel like injuries in gymnastics are pretty common. I have known a lot of gymnasts due to my sister and Woodward Camp, many of them had to quite because of injuries. My sister has struggled with them for what seems like forever... it just how it goes. I like how you say,"Every day is a new day, the past has past, there's no point in worrying about it after the fact." That is something I find many people doing they are always doing what i call "What IF-ing" When it does not matter. You blog has some good lesson that many people need to take to heart.
ReplyDeleteFrustration is always going to be a part of life, though in different forms and levels of importance. If you don't get a good table, it's just for that meal. If you get injured, as you said in a previous post, it could permanently damage your game, or in the worst situations, your health. I have never pursued a sport to this point, and I can't imagine how you managed to overcome this frustration and maintain your dedication to the sport. I don't know if I could stick with any of my passions if I had to endure broken bones for them. Of course, you didn't answer the most pressing question: how did you manage to not break your big toes if you broke all the rest?
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