Height in gymnastics

[10.0]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]I know there is a lot of debate on this and I have my own thoughts but I am wondering what others think. I have been watching a lot of college gymnastics lately and notice almost all of the gymnasts are very short for being adult age.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Do you think this is due in some way to all the athletic activity actually stunting their grown? Or that as gymnasts become higher levels the shorter ones tend to succeed more so that is what we end up seeing more of? Also when these athletes retire either college or elite level do many of them have late growth spurts? [/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]I think it is even stranger now days as people in general seem to be getting taller, I know the short little girl gymnast body was popular in years past and now more body types are accepted but why are all these college women so short?[/FONT][/SIZE]

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[superflipgirl]

I think that higher level gymnasts tend to be shorter, because training longer somehow affects when you hit your growth spurt(I'm not exactly sure about this, but I've heard stories similar to it). My first year on team was when I was 11, and before that I barely was training more than once a week. I hit my growth spurt a little bit late, sometime between 7th and 8th grade, and I grew A LOT. I was about 4'11" at the beginning of 7th grade and now as a high school freshman, I'm 5'4" and the second tallest person on my club team. That's just what I think, but it sounds like that's what happens.

[Bobby]

I know the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) did a long term study on one of the earliest cohorts of elite gymnasts through their program which found that elite gymnasts did in fact eventually reach their predicted full adult height (based on family histry) and other aspects of growth and maturity.
In other words it supported the idea that gymnastics doesn't make them short any more than basketball makes them tall.
But it may have slightly alowed down growth and extended the age at which they reached full height, menarche, etc.
PS: I think it was published around the early 90s?

[cher062]

I think its genitcs in play. Lets face it the shorter gymnasts tend to do better and move to the higher levels. sort of like those who play basketball are tall, those who play football are large, etc. Gymnastics is a sport that tends to attract shorter folks.

[CoachGoofy]

I'm pretty sure it's genetics. Kids who will be shorter are often steered to gymnastics, & the taller girls often hit their ceiling in abilities (or skills they can learn with the available equipment & spotters) at a lower level than kids who stay tiny longer.

Gymnastics didn't make me short (5'3") any more than basketball made my sister tall (6'1"). I just had way more success in one, and she had way more success in the other.

[dunno]

that's right ^^^ CoachGoofy.

it's anthropological. if your 5 year old child is 5 feet tall...you don't think to put them in gymnastics. and if your 5 year old is 3 feet tall you put them in gymnastics. yet ALL children regardless of anthropometric measurements should participate in gymnastics for an athletic foundation. gymnastics is the ONLY activity that trains and stresses the ENTIRE body. gymnastics is to the body what 'activia' or good bacteria is to the stomach/digestion.

gymnastics DOES NOT stunt your growth. and in fact, all orthopaedic/research studies have shown that we/gymnasts have the best bones out there.

gymnastics DOES NOT cause eating disorders. and in fact, we/gymnasts have the lowest percentage of ALL sports.

[MaryA]

So, I get that gymnastics selects for shorter people and doesn't cause the shortness. But what is the tallest gymnast you've had at an upper level? There's a girl on my DD's team who is very tall for her age. She's only 9 now and is the same height as many of the middle school girls on the team, a full head above my 10-year-old DD. She is currently the "best" girl on the level 5 team... very lovely and graceful, consistantly getting skills first and scoring the highest at meets. But I have to think that she will probably end up being close to 6 feet tall. I wonder if there is a point where her height will catch up with her in terms of making gymnastics difficult for her?

[Tumblequeensmom]

I remember the topic about the height of college gymnasts came up a few years ago. Several gym moms and I, along with our girls, attended a few college meets and we were really surprised by how tall some of the girls actually were. I just did a quick search of the universities around my state to check out the heights of the NCAA gymnasts and they really are all over the place!!! Among the three universities I checked, the tallest is actually 5'10" There are quite a few gymnasts in the 5'8", 5'7 and 5'6" range as well!! Most are about 5'5" and 5'4". And of course there are shorter ones at betwen 5 feet and 5'3". So the bottom line is, if the gymnast is really willing to work hard (and what level 10 girl does NOT work hard?), then height need not be a factor holding her back from being a successful NCAA gymnast!

[cher062]

Well i think the tallest I've seen in person is about 5'5" and next to the 5' to 5'2" girls they look really tall but they really aren't tall.

[coachmolly]

Like others have said, it all comes down to a smaller body type being more likely to be put into gymnastics in the first place, but also more likely to succeed in the long run. But I don't think height is the biggest indicator of gymnastics success. There have been plenty of successful college gymnasts in the 5'8 range, I think a girl at Minnesota a few years ago was 5'10-5'11 and very pretty to watch. In terms of current gymnasts, Sarie Morrison at LSU has been getting some pretty awesome scores and winning all-around titles against tough teams and she's 5'9. Smaller girls with a muscular build are often those picked for future success, but there is always an exception. Taller girls often bring a totally different look and quality to their gymnastics, but there probably will be some limitations or challenges to work through if a girl reaches an exceptionally tall height.
My brother was a competitive swimmer, a sport where athletes are known for their tall, slender builds and while he worked hard and was talented, the fact that he was only 5'10-5'11ish put him at a great disadvantage before he even jumped into the pool. He had plenty of great teammates who were on the shorter side as well, but it was often the combination of talent, proper training, and ideal build that led to great success at the top levels. Swimming doesn't make those kids tall, my brother certainly didn't gain any height from it, it just favors a certain body type and gymnastics is much the same.