College Essay On Gymnastics

Gymnastics is the only sport I have ever done. Most little girls try soccer, dance around for awhile, or join a softball team before they find their passion. Not me. Ever since my parents signed me up for mommy-and-me classes at the local gymnastics center when I was two and a half years old, I’ve loved this sport. My mom tells me that after that first class she couldn’t stop me from doing gymnastics anywhere and everywhere. As the years went on, my devotion to this sport never wavered and I progressed through the levels until I was finally ready to compete.
I went into my first gymnastics meet of my life not knowing what to expect, not knowing how to compete, not knowing I would win. But there I was, on top of the podium with a gold medal
But, despite the kind of practice each day brings, there is always a lingering stress resting on my shoulders. The stress of an upcoming competition, or that I am not good enough, or that I’ll disappoint myself, coaches and parents. The fear of failure pushes me to strive for more and not settle with what I have. A typical day at practice consists of numbers of skills and routines all to prepare for an upcoming competition. The end goal is always to succeed at the meet and if it takes a thousand turns to be ready, so be it. I have come to find, however, that despite the increase in my focus and effort in practice, as I reached the higher levels I was on the podium less and less at meets. When I was younger I monopolized the podium, and now I’m rarely squeezing out a medal or two the whole season. It gets hard to keep loving a sport that doesn’t repay
Well one might ask, then why do you still do gymnastics? No, it’s not for the friends (though that is an added bonus). To get the chance to stand back on the podium again would make all the hard work worth it. Claiming first place at a meet makes me forget about all the sacrifices I’ve made for this sport and I can truly see why I do in fact love gymnastics. I want the satisfaction of hitting all my routines in a meet. I want to know I am good enough. I want the feeling that I deserve it. Everything I have put forth gets me to the top and takes me back eight years when I first won. And once again, I will take in everything around me but this time it looks a bit different: A new teammate stands up there with me, I feel the familiar weight of the medal around my neck, and feel my heart beating fast with excitement. I am not ready to give up this