By Tia Ravara
I began my journey in gymnastics when I was 5 years old. Most of my childhood was spent practicing or going to competitions around the whole country. I am currently a Division III gymnast at the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire. I will continue to compete for a fifth year in 2025 because I was given an extra year of eligibility from COVID-19. Overall, gymnastics is a mentally and physically challenging sport. I’m often faced with countless obstacles that lead me to new solutions and different ways of handling situations. Here is a brief list of the things I’ve learned as a gymnast.
1. Time management
Gymnastics requires a lot of time out of the day so that I can perform my best in competitions. For years, I trained 4 hours a day for 6 out of the 7 days of the week. I now train 5 days a week for 3.5-4 hours a day, with an additional 2-3 total hours of lifting. 4 hours within practices may seem like a long time, but it can take a long time to master a certain skill or perform a routine. I have to be efficient with how I execute my skills to finish assignments because it promotes a better outcome for me in the long run. I also have to balance all of my schoolwork and jobs that I do outside of gymnastics.
2. Perseverance after failure
Failure is inevitable. I strive to perform as perfect as possible at practice. However, I fall and make mistakes on the skills and routines I’ve been doing for years. Mindset can make or break how you perform. There are times when I continue to fall on a skill, and I get frustrated. My coach will tell me a correction and I try to fix it, but nothing changes and I get stuck in a cycle of failure. In order to stop this cycle, I remember all of the time and effort I’ve put into the sport. Instead of continuing to do the skill I fall on over and over again, I’ve learned that doing a drill or doing another skill helps me prevent the continuation of a cycle of failure. By getting creative with how I approach my problems, I can perform better and have a better mindset when practicing.
3. Responsiblility for my actions
Gymnastics is an individualized sport. It requires me to work as hard as possible for as long as possible. What I do inside the gym is just as important as what I do outside the gym. Especially in college, I’ve learned that taking time for myself, having healthy eating habits, and sleeping is important to my body. I perform better in competitions and am able to improve in practice. Keeping myself accountable for these actions helps me succeed in the long run.
Having the right coach and mentor who pushes me past my limits to maximize my performance is key to getting better. However, I have to be “coachable” by respecting them as a coach/ mentor, listening to their corrections, and not taking their criticism personally. Coaches are supposed to help me improve by giving me corrections and drills and I welcome their insights.
Conclusion
I take everything I’ve learned in gymnastics and use it in my daily life. My career goal is to become a field researcher where I’ll have long days being outside observing subjects, collecting data, and working with a team. Time management is key to working effectively and effectively on a team or individually for my projects on time. Failure comes with science, and it can be difficult to accept the reality of it, but failure also results in a better understanding of how to improve in the future. Being responsible for my actions reminds me that I need to focus on myself and the work I have in front of me while trusting others that they can do their work as well. Communicating and listening to ways to improve from other people can help me make my projects the best. By using these skills, I can be a successful researcher.
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