The Valuable Lessons Sport Teaches
What value does sport have? Well, let me begin with how grateful I am for sports in general, and particularly the sport of gymnastics. Sport provides the ability to not only learn life lessons, but to develop lifelong relationships as well. At an early age I participated in gymnastics and tennis. Shortly thereafter, I would have to choose between these sports to begin focusing on one. Jumping into the pits and the variety of different apparatuses to practice on was thrilling to me and this is why I chose gymnastics. What I did not know at the time was the three life lessons I was learning: discipline, time-management, and work ethic. It was not until later in life when I would realize these same lessons are also needed to have a successful career.
Throughout the early years in gymnastics, I quickly climbed the competitive levels and ultimately reached the elite level. The practice hours were long. Five to six hours a day, five days a week. Summers even brought two-a-days. Sure, there were difficult days, however, I always enjoyed the challenge. The challenge kept me driven and coming back for more each day. I wanted to perfect my skills and achieve more as a gymnast. I had a dedicated father who always made sure I was on time and ready to attend practices, while my coaches demonstrated passion to teach the sport daily. I am forever grateful for these individuals. These individuals contributed greatly to the success I would experience in my life.
On the difficult days gymnastics brought, I chose to reflect and understand what I could learn. What I learned very quickly was how this sport humbles you. While learning skills you would take falls and sometimes these falls were painful. Not catching a release on the uneven bars meant you would fall literally flat on the ground- face first. A side of humble pie for sure! The irony though is that life will knock you down at some point. How you respond to getting knocked down builds character. You have the choice to decide your outcome. You can stay down, or you can respond with a comeback no one saw coming. The discipline to return to the skills and continue to get knocked down until you perfect them is what life is truly all about.
Practicing five to six hours a day, five days a week can take a toll on any athlete. Add school into this schedule and it does not leave much time for any relaxation. An average day would entail going to school, then to the gym, only to come home late at night and open a textbook. Another key to success in life is possessing time-management skills. It is not easy late at night after you have worked out for over five hours to manage finishing your schoolwork for the next day and also fit dinner in. Sometimes this required doing homework on the weekends in order to get ahead and manage your weekly schedule. Assignments always have a deadline, therefore managing your schedule was critical at a young age to juggle a jam-packed agenda. A great lesson that would help me later in life.
The last lesson learned in sport that I am forever grateful for was work ethic. As a young girl climbing the levels and practicing long hours, you did not realize at the time that you were building a solid work ethic. Something that would last you a lifetime. It is a choice. A choice in life to practice a skill, day in and day out, consistently focused on perfecting it. This is what leads to the development of a strong work ethic. This is what leads to desirable success in anything you pursue in life.
While I listed three main lessons the sport taught me in this blog, there are plenty more. The lessons sport ultimately can teach are invaluable to our lives later. While as a child, a teenager, and then a young adult, I never knew what the sport of gymnastics was building and instilling in me. I would later reflect on my life and realize how grateful I was to understand these lessons and how they could only help me in my professional career.
