Is it worth it to quit gymnastics?

[cpdgymnast]

I am a senior in high school and I have been doing gymnastics since i was 3. As a little girl I absolutely loved it, but now I don t feel that same passion. I am tired, my body hurts, and i am beyond stressed. Gymnastics has gotten scary for me. Gone are the days when i could do skills without thinking. Now, i overthink everything and can t even get up on a beam without shaking. School has also gotten hard, as I am taking 4 AP classes and also trying to apply to college. I had a stress fracture in my back a few years ago and the pain is still there.
I guess i just don t know if quitting will be worth it. It is my senior year and I am not planning on doing gymnastics in college, so I am not really working towards anything. I go back and forth all the time about quitting. Half of the reason i don t want to quit is my ego and insecurity; what am i if i m not a gymnast?? Its all that I have ever been. I also will miss my friends at the gym because I have grown up with them and leaving would be so hard. And it is my senior year and I have put in so much time and effort would it be a waste to quit now? I feel like i need to finish it out. On the other hand, gymnastics is expensive and i just don t love it anymore. what should i do?

 

[flipandfly]

Follow your heart and conscience... that's the best advice I can give you. Write a list of the benefits of staying in gym and the benefits of leaving. It helps. And ultimately, there is going to be that voice inside of you that has you leaning a teeny bit more to one side than the other. Good luck! As a high schooler as well, though younger, I understand the struggle with school. But I think for me if gym goes, my grades will shoot down too. However, if you are in pain, then the other option might be better for you. Sorry this was long, but in the end you just have to follow your heart.

 

[ayyyrial]

I went through a very similar thing to you in the December of my senior year of high school (I am a senior in college now). Here are my thoughts:

-You are going to be someone who is not a gymnast eventually - sounds like from your plans that will be soon. It is a whole learning process about how to become that person and be confident with yourself - learning how to deal with free time, how to occupy yourself and explore new hobbies...this is going to happen sooner or later, so I don't know if it influences your decision, but it's something to think about.

-There is no shame in stopping gymnastics. Stopping gymnastics does not mean you will be wasting the time you spent in the gym...it means you will be investing your time in other things, like school, getting a job, new friendships, new hobbies. Those things are really valuable, too, and exploring them will mean you learn new things about yourself and the world outside of gym.

-Gymnastics is an incredibly physically AND mentally demanding sport to do if you are not sure whether you want to be there. You should not force yourself to continue if it is just pain and stress. What is the point of that!

I definitely feel for you since I was at the same stage a couple years ago! Feel free to PM me if you want to talk more.

 

[Aussie_coach]

You will still e. A gymnast if you quit, when you do it for that long you are always a gymnast. The years you spent in the gym have helped to form the person you are today. They will always be a part of you.

 

[Vivianflips]

I second writing a pros and cons of leaving gymnastics list. I made the difficult decision to leave competitive gymnastics in August, it was very tough to decide but I felt at peace after I finally did. I was facing many of the same issues you are, stress from school, my body constantly hurting, and especially finding skills scary! A really important question I asked myself while making my decision was "is gymnastics still fun for me and why do I do gymnastics?". With that I realized that gymnastics was not fun anymore, at least competitively, and that I was purely doing it just for exercise. I now swim competitively and do not regret my decision. I sometimes go and tumble at a drop in tumbling class my gym offers just for fun, I'm sure you could do something similar. This helps me still be connected to gymnastics but in a no stress way. Maybe you could become a coach? You could still see your friends and be connected to the gymnastics world then. I encourage you to maybe try a new less stress sport or activity too, you could possibly find something you are just as passionate about that will be a better fit for your life. Good luck with making your decision!

 

[flipon_]

I can totally relate to this. I quit my passion, gymnastics, early in high school. I knew it was the best choice for me and knew I wasn't going to the Olympics or anything. So sadly I quit I do miss it a lot and wish I could go back. However, I knew it was a good decision and ended up still staying in touch with all my friends and going out to open gym with them. I like the idea of possibly becoming a coach if you really do enjoy it. Hope this helped a little, best of luck in your decision, rest of your high school career, and college!

 

[Gymnastbecki]

for me, i will probably be pushed towards leaving when i turn 18. This breaks my heart, as i still have so much passion for the sport. I have always thought for myself, that i will just know when i'm ready to leave. And if you feel like you have accomplished everything you have wanted to, then i say your ready to leave. Personally i have no dreams of being the best gymnast in the world, i just want to improve and gain new skills. But for you, you have been doing it a long long time. I was a very late starter at 13!

However overall no one can make the decision for you. Go with what your heart tells you

 

[pi-xx]

Hi !
From what i read, it sounds like gymnastic has become too stressfull for you but at the same time you are not sure about leaving because you kind of feel like it's part of you. May be you should try to do an other sport, as dance ( acrobatic dance is great,beautiful and you would be successfull in it since you are a gymnast) ,that stress you less than gymnastics without totally losing all this year of hard work and without losing your tumbling skill !
I hope you will consider it , sorry for the poor help that's all i have to offer :/