BARRIERS | waggymnastics101

Barriers In the Sport

Economical Barriers

Gymnastics is a very expensive sport. There are monthly fees, competition fees, Travel fees, competition outfit, training outfits, grip replacement, and other necessities.

~At a recreational level per session (6 weeks) it costs $ 200

~At a Interclub level per month it costs (12 hrs a week) $ 350

~At a Provincial level per month it costs (20 hrs a week) $ 400

~At a National Open level per month it costs (25 hrs a week) $ 600

~At a Jr.,Sr., and Novice level per month it costs (30 hrs a week)

$ 650

~ Travel Fees per meet $ 300 (min)

~Competition fees average to $ 1000

~Competition Outfit comes to $ 500

~Per training outfit without shorts $ 55 (shorts $25) *If you train 6 days a week you need at least 6*

~Grips cost $70 a pair (need replacement every 3-6 months)

~Chalk per block $4, Tape per roll $ 2, Pre-Wrap per roll $4

Psycological Barriers

Body Image - Gymnast is a sport where your body weight can improve performance. The smaller and lighter the gymnast the easier the skills will come and will take less of a toll on the body. Weight and dieting become more of a factor as the bigger meets get closer. Gymnasts are constantly being judged and performing in leotards in front of a lot of people, this can put a lot of pressure to have the "ideal" body for gymnastics.

Mental Blocks - Emotional and frightening experiences can be imprinted in the gymnast head. With that memorized experience in the back of their head, everytime they attempt that move, they will not go. This is called 'balking', the gymnast will just freeze and not go for the skill or stop in the middle of a skill. Mental blocks can take a very long time to get over and sometimes they can be the reason for quitting gymnastics.

Fear of Failing - The point of training is so the gymnast can go to a competition and show what they've got. A gymnast might be scared to fall or miss a skill because they have put in so many hours for it not to go as planned. This experience can be ego damaging and lower self confidence.

Fear of Embarrassment - When trying something new it will not be perfect the first time. Maybe you will mess up or maybe you won't, and that the thing "If I mess up it will be embarrassing." For gymnasts getting over the hump of not being embarrassed when you mess up can be difficult especially if their teams laugh. It might take awhile before the skill looks the way it is supposed to look and the gymnast might accidentally screw up, yet the laughter might be enough to put them off of continuing.

Fear of Injury - When a gymnast is constantly flipping, turning and spinning on a four inch wide beam or even an 8 feet tall bar, the fear of getting hurt will be present. Falling of the bars, landing short, landing on an uneven surface or spliting the beam can all easily cause injury. It is always a fear of a gymnast no matter how experienced they are, we are all human. The fear might be from past injuries, learning a new skill, moving to a higher beam or not getting spot anymore. It is all a normal nerval system reaction but can also be a challenge to overcome.

Environmental Barriers

Depending on the size of the city in which you live there might only be one gymnastics club or maybe none at all.

Sometimes the club that you are at cannot teach you at such a high level at you have to drive to the next city over.

Coaching can be bad at your club or your coach left and you follow them to the next club.

For example, I used to live in Toronto. I did not like the coaching at my club so I decided to change. The closest club that could provide me with the best coaching and coaching at my level was in Mississauga. For 1 year I drove back and forth from Toronto to Mississauga, everyday. It took about 90 minutes in the morning to get to Meadowvale and the 2hrs on the way home from Futures to Leaside.

Source: Competitive Edge & Manjak's Gymnastics & Eating Disorders