WAG Does hard work pay off for you?

[Gymnastbecki]

I have always been a very hard worker in the gym. I never cheat on conditioning like everyone else in my group and I always try my hardest and never slack off. I always try really hard to make my routines as perfect as possible.

But it feels like my hard work never really pays off. I go to competitions and I always mess up on something and I never normally place very well. I always come away from them not feeling happy with my performance because I know I could of done a better routine. It may just be the nerves that I don't do great because I do get quite nervous and shaky.

I just always feel like my teammates never work as hard but they always beat me on new skills or succeed on their 2nd attempt while I have been working on it for months.

Does anyone else have this problem and they feel like gymnastics is just never on their side?

But I still love the sport more than anything but i just want so badly for my dad to see my hard work pay off because he only ever gets to watch me at competitions and I just want him to see that all the training it worth it.

 

[MILgymFAM]

I'm sure he knows the training is worth it. I'm sure he's quite proud of you.

My DD is the same: she works hard, gives this sport everything she has to give, and never cheats. She's usually near the bottom of the pack, and almost always the bottom half at meets, but she's managed to find little things to hang onto when everything seems to go wrong. You should hold onto to your joy and keep working.

I won't lie and promise that the hard work will pay off in medals- we both know that may not be the case. I will promise you, though, that it's already paying off in intangible ways that will only continue to rack up, and that you'll carry with you much longer than a score or a placement.

Girls like you and my daughter are the heart and soul of this sport.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

its not how you do compared to a very small circle of girls who are incredibly gifted, and although it may not seem like it, work really hard too, its about how you do compared to yourself.

My dd had a comp today and messed up a skill she can do in her sleep, went from around 3rd to 11th cause she missed a CR. She was naturally upset but I told her, look at how far you have come. You may be 11th in this comp but you have still beaten the other 60 odd thousand children who didn't even step into the gym and work hard.

Are you better than you were last year ? If the answer is yes then your hard work is working- be proud

 

[xxStumpyxx]

My youngest is the same, never cheats, always behaves, works her but off but it didn't pay off as quick as the ones who behave in an immature way, cheat etc, she is normally the last to get a new skill, but when she does it tends to stick.

I am going through a frustrating time with her at the moment, no matter how hard she works girls who cheat and slack get pushed further.

I know this is petty but my daughter has been stuck in a certain part of a skill for 7 months and not progressing further despite doing the drills correctly, some of the ones who don't do things correctly get moved along by the coach, but that is just one half of the story, who knows what is really going on in the gym and my daughter might not be telling me the whole story lol.

I am trying to get in a mindset that the cheaters will suffer in the end, one of the fair ways to stamp out cheating on skills is to prove you can do the skill before moving on to the next skill, but it is not a perfect world and that does not happen.

My daughter is a quiet, slow and steady achiever, competition placements don't matter to her, skill improvement does, she has only competed once last year and fell on the beam doing a forwards roll, in her next competition she wants to have a forwards roll in her beam routine instead of a cartwheel as she wants to prove to herself she can stick it and thinks it's more risky going for the cartwheel and she might lose more points if she doesn't stick it.

 

[Muddlethru]

It does seem unfair. But perhaps you can just compete against yourself. Set little goals i.e., stay on beam, hit my handstands, so when you meet them you'll feel succesful regardless the results. I will say my daughter also works among the hardest at her gym. If her coaches tell her do five tumbling passes, she'll do 8. She always tries to do something instead of standing around waiting for her turn. For her, escaping constant injuries is the frustration. She's a 14 year old second year Level 10 and has yet to compete uninjured. So, it will always be something.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

It depends on your definition of pay off.

If it is about placing/medals that can be rough.

If it is about sticking a routine, or doing say a squat on or BHS on beam you have never done. It can be an awesome day.

It is all about perspective.

That my daughter can do a layout flyaway and tucks and all that stuff on a 4 inch beam high off the floor, as a parent I couldn't be prouder. 1st, 2nd, or not so much.

For her as the gymmie, she has had medal days and not. And she is very proud of when she lands something she has been working very hard for. For her that is the pay off.

 

[coachmolly]

I was that way as a gymnast, and it stinks not seeing your hard work pay off with awards and recognition, but it will pay off somehow. You are learning to work hard for something you love, to put your whole heart into something, and keep going even when things aren't easy. That will pay off in school, jobs, and other activities down the road. And the mere fact that you are competing already means you can do more gymnastics than the average person!
I have a little one right now who is probably my hardest worker and the girl on the team who loves gymnastics the most, yet she is the one who struggles the most to learn skills and doesn't score or place as well as her teammates at meets. But she is so much better than she was a few months ago- both in terms of skills and in her overall self confidence. And really that's what matters.
I imagine your dad sees how much heart you put into the sport, how much you love it, and how much you have improved over time in the sport. I know it was hard for my parents to watch me compete because I never did as well as I did in practice and they hated that, but they also just loved watching me because they knew how much I loved the sport and loved seeing me grow as a gymnast and as a person.
It sounds like your dad has a lot to be proud of regardless of your placement at competitions!

 

[Redford]

The truth is: Life isn't fair. The chances are unequally distributed, people achieve more with cheating than you do with hard work and unfortunatly a lot of them never suffer any consequences. This goes for academics, money and ... well gymnastics.

But as Idw4mlo said:

It is all about perspective.

What are you really doing this for? I bet it's for the fun of flying, being active, achieving new things, feeling fit.... You can't compare yourself to other people, you never really can. The prequesites are not the same. But here's another way to think about it: What worth is something you get without putting any effort into it? It's like being proud of having long legs, you might like them but it's not your merit. Isn't life about finding out what you really want, then putting all your effort into it and see how far you can go? It's not about comparing yourself, it's about improving yourself. In that regard you have already achieved something the other girls apperently haven't: finding your passion.
Believe me, the above is what makes you happy in the long run.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Umm that someone say is more flexible so might not have to work as hard as someone less flexible for perhaps a leap or split, does not make them a cheater.

That some skills come more easily then others doesn't make them cheaters

The OP didn't say anything about cheating .

Really, let's not be accusing kids of cheating, just saying.

 

[Faith]

i just want so badly for my dad to see my hard work pay off because he only ever gets to watch me at competitions and I just want him to see that all the training it worth it.

As a parent, it is honestly not about competition results.

It's about you making the choice to be in the gym and not hanging around with boys and beer- doing something constructive. Showing strength when things don't go right.

If your child is going to live a successful adult life they need to be able to recognise mistakes, or where they need to improve, deal with it, and move on.

I am very proud of my kids when the hard work pays off and they win medals. In many ways I am prouder when it goes wrong, and they get up on the next piece or back in the gym the next day, or they sign up for the next competition. There's a lot of kids, and adults, in that situation who would just give up, or stop trying.

That training is always worth it, whatever the competition results say.

 

[Redford]

The OP didn't say anything about cheating

I never cheat on conditioning like everyone else in my group

Agreed with your point on natural talent, however I was refering to the above.

 

[GikiGirl]

I am willing to bet your dad is proud of you.

I understand the feeling, though. As a kid I was in the exact same situation as you. I wanted nothing more than to win so my parents could see how hard I worked.

As an adult (still gymnast), I realize that all that really mattered was that *I* knew how hard I worked. It is completely natural to crave your parent's praise (my parents WERE proud of me, but didn't always SAY it at the time). In the end, as an adult, you are more or less on your own with that.

You will also find that working hard will pay dividends for you in your adult life.

I bet that, if you stopped worrying so much about the results, your nerves would lessen a little at meets. Try to think of the meets as a reward for all your hard work--not judgement day.

 

[Mrs. Puma]

It really is all about the way you frame it. Puma Jr has not medaled all season, and chances are will not medal at States this weekend. But her hard work this season absolutely HAS paid off and I have an iPad full of video to prove it If Olympic gold is the only way one judges if their hard work has paid off in this sport, 99.99999999% of gymnasts are going to be awfully disappointed. It's about celebrating small victories and working hard toward your personal goals. I am quite sure your dad is super proud of your accomplishments and you should be too. Thank you for sharing your feelings. I'm sure all our kids have felt this way at some point and it's great to hear from a gymnast's perspective. Keep up the hard work!! It WILL pay off. Be excited and proud for every tiny victory, and let the disappointments fuel you to work even harder. These lessons are going to make you strong and confident for all your future endeavors. GOOD LUCK and keep us posted

 

[Faolmor]

The thing is, hard work doesn't always get rewarded in the form of medals. Yes, they're shiny and pretty and everyone can see one around your neck, but they represent a moment in time, only. You never know when all that hard work might pay off for you. It might be at a competition. It might be a coach watching you and thinking, gee, I wish they all worked as hard as her. It might even be one day, 10 years from now, when you're feeling down on yourself...and suddenly, you think back to when you were in the gym, busting your butt and never giving up, ever...and if that memory puts a smile on your face that day, and helps you hold your head higher, then that's a gold medal right there.

If you can look at yourself and know you are always giving it 100%...be proud! Do you know how many people on this planet will NEVER be able to say that? Lots. Millions.

In the end, all you can do is your best and be very secure that your dad thinks you're amazing - with or without a medal.

 

[rosiekat]

I began tae kwon do as an overweight 40-year-old mom. I knew from the beginning I would never be as good as some of the other people who were younger, or thinner, or both - or who had the time I didn't have and could come 4 and 5 times a week. I knew it was very unlikely I'd ever reach black belt stage, or even if I reached it, to actually earn it. And I didn't. But I had fun, I got exercise, I spent time with people I enjoyed and it was all good. I learned early on that I needed to set one simple goal - do better this time than I did last time. As long as I did that, I was proud and happy. And it was all worth it.

 

[ButterflyGymnast]

I know how you feel. My body is not destined for gymnastics (too long and skinny not tight, muscley and compact) I work the hardest out of everyone in our group but they still beat me in new skills. It took me a year longer to reach provincial. However, my handwork has paid off. I placed really well at provincials this year and went to a comp in Arizona. Nerves are something separate that you need to work on. If you master those I'm sure you will soar. As for new skills and levels, depending on your body type you may have to accept that you will learn slower. For me, that's what I've had to do, but I am still happy with myself.