Am i to old to start competitive?

[annalisegrace]

HEY
Ok so i did gymnastics all last year but this year
i've been doing Acro dance. If you dont no what
that is its gymnastics and simple dance put together.
It teached me alot more than gymnastics did. But
this year im thinking of going into competitive. I can do
a cartwheel/dive cartweel/one hand, handstands , a front hand spring, a front walkover, almost a back walkover and almost an airel. So am i to old or not good enough to start competitive?
P.S im super tall i am almost 5'5

 

[nicci1999]

You forgot to mention how old you are But if it is any consolation to you, there are adults in their late 20s plus on here that compete, or are working towards team. Your floor skills sound great, I am sure acro helped them a lot!

5'5 is not THAT tall, you just tend to rotate a little slower, but it can be done. I would ask what your gym's policy is on people's ages on team, and what you need to work on to work TOWARDS joining team, be it compulsory level, or prep op. But you are never too old for gymnastics! Good luck!!!

 

[cher062]

So how old are you? I don't think its ever too old to start but many of the gyms do. I guess alot will depend on how old you are and if a gym would take you. 5'5" isn't too tall to be a gymnast at all. You might consider a Prep-Op team - in our gym alot of older girls starting out go that route.

 

[GymVamp]

You forgot to tell your age. There is no such thing as on old gymnast i think you will be fine.

 

[Aussie_coach]

You are not too old to start competitive. I know of many people who took up gymnastics in their 20's, 30's, 40's and even 50's and have become competitive gymnasts. We have a competition known as the masters games where gymnasts as old as their 60's and 70's compete. Any age is the right age for gymnastics.

However, as some have mentioned not all gyms will accept older competitiors. And there may not be one in your area that does.

You are not yet good enough to start competing, as there are more skills you need such as a round off back handspring, and you have only mentioned your floor skills. You will aslo need skills on bars, beam and vault. But the only way to get there is to get back into the gym and start training. With your backgroud in dance and gymnastics, and with the skills you already have I would say that you will pick up skills quite quickly and it wouldn't be too long until you are ready to compete.

When you contact the gym let them know that you have a goal of competing and find out if it is a realistic option. Some gyms will only take 6 and 7 year olds into their competitive teams and if thats the case look for another gym. many gyms will take teens and even adults if they have the committment and the ability. You will need to shop around.

Be aware too that competing in gymnastics is a big committment. Even at the lowest level you will be expected to train at least 3 times a week for 3 hours. This will quickly grow to 4 times a week and by the higher levels there is the expectation to train more than 20 hours a week.

If you don't find a pl;ace to train for competitive gymnastics there are many other types of gymnastics that you might enjoy competing in such as tumbling, trampoline, cheerleading or sports acrobatics. These types of gymnastics generally require less hours than WAG and are mopre likely to accept older competitors.

 

[gymluvr33]

I agree with everyone that you are not too old, but that you should check with your gym. However, I would have to respectfully disagree with Aussie_Coach on the time issue. As a Level 7 gymnast, I only go 3x a week for 3 1/2 hours a practice. Even at Level 5 (the first year I competed) I only came 2x a week for 2 hours a practice. So I believe that it is not necessarily how many hours you practice, it is the quality of your practices and how focused you are during practice. Anyway, good luck.