How to Become an... Olympic Gymnast
Written by Jay Jarman
Introduction
“You have to fight and refuse to quit!”,Gabby Douglas states.
And she’s right. I may be in level Excel Gold, throwing my round-off back handsprings with bent knees and bad technique like they're nothing, but when you’re in the Olympics you HAVE to give it your all and try your best. A few fun facts about being an Olympic Gymnast are: the first modern Olympics were held in 1896, gymnastics is one of the most popular events in the winter Olympic games. And what a LOT of people don’t know about gymnastics is that gymnastics is a very dangerous sport and people risk their lives every single day at gymnastics.
Preparing for Competition
Day to Day Life of a US Olympic Gymnast
Professionals in the Field
Justin Springs won a bronze medal in the 2008 Olympic games as a gymnast in Beijing. He also hosts a gymnastics meet called the Justin Springs Invitational. Another professional is Jordyn Wieber. She practices for 30 hours a week (boy, would I be exhausted!). She said that you go to the Olympics with a partner and your partner does two events and you do two events. The judges add up you and your partner’s scores together to make up the final score. Jordyn suggests that you keep your routine all year so that you don’t have to worry about forgetting your routine at your state competition. Since I didn't have the chance to interview either of these people I chose to interview my coach, Karen Insalata. My coach stated that a healthy meal consists of oatmeal, a banana and orange juice for breakfast. For lunch maybe you could eat chicken, a side of yogurt with granola and some fresh fruit. For supper maybe you’d have fish with a side of potatoes and another side would either be grilled veggies or a salad.