WAG When the body quits before you feel finished.

[hawaii_gymnast]

I know that lots of you have gone through this before so maybe you have a little advice for me. Long story short I have gone through many injuries this year, some gym related some not and my body just can't handle the stress of the sport any longer. I would have been more open to it if I had a good year, but due to injuries I didn't get much done. I have been in the gym for almost 15 years, 9 of which being competitive and I want to keep going, but my body is giving up on me. I plan on doing recreational next year but I know it won't satisfy me. Any way you or you child has gotten through with it?

 

[Jabba]

Coach.

Sent from my SCH-I405 using ChalkBucket mobile app

 

[coachmolly]

That was my situation when I had to quit at 15, though I was still in love with gymnastics. I was still an avid fan of the sport, though not able to coach at the time as the closest gym was one that done some serious mental damage when I was there and the last one I trained at was too far to commute to without a license of my own. I followed the sport online and through magazines for those few years, attending meets as much as possible and trying to learn as much as I could. Several years down the road when I moved to a town with several clubs for college I was able to pick up coaching and it's been great! I'm also still an obsessive gym fan who travels to meets, reads anything and everything, and try to learn as much as I can- but being involved more physically has been a great experience! So if that's a possibility, give it a shot. Best wishes!

 

[hawaii_gymnast]

I already coach, more next year actually. And I am looking into judging too. However, I feel like it still won't be enough for me though, I still want to be able to train and compete.

 

[fuzi]

I already coach, more next year actually. And I am looking into judging too. However, I feel like it still won't be enough for me though, I still want to be able to train and compete.

Coaching and judging certainly help, and you can make some money too.

I don't know how old you are, but it might be time to look into another sport. I've really enjoyed circus arts in my post-gymnatics career. Doing silks and trapeze (and hand balancing very similar to acro gymnastics) has allowed me to use my strength, grace, and flexibility from gymnastics, but with a lot less pounding and stress on my body. Perhaps you should look for a class or two.

 

[gymgymgymnast08]

I am going through the same thing right now!!! My doctor told me I could never do gymnastics again. I took up another sport that would not worsen the injury that forced me to stop gymnastics. But other than that, it's been really hard. I actually started working at a gym and it actually made things even worse for me because I was around it all. The only thing I can say is that it will pass and once a gymnast, always a gymnast. Just because your body quit doesn't mean you can't still enjoy the amazing sport! Idk what your injuries are but maybe you can still go and and play around on the trampolines and stuff. Strap bar is good too! Best of luck, I know exactly how you feel. PM me if you want to commiserate together.

 

[iwannacoach]

The first thing I want to say is I'm sorry you had a tough time this year. I've been there and done that, in...... and out, of the sport more than I'd like ..... so I kinda get how you're feeling. I don't know how old you are, and what your dreams were for "after gymnastics," so I can't do more than offer up a possible scenario.

My first inclination, were I in your shoes, would be to try getting more time in a more significant role as an instructor/coach. It's a great way of taking your mind off your situation, especially if you're destined to, or have a gift for, coaching........and a great way to find out if that's a likely direction for you. I was "on the bubble" about continuing, for the same reasons as you...... a bunch of physical and emotional investment with nothing, beyond others' sympathy, in return. It took an opportunity to coach to get me off that bubble.

It distracted me from any sense of loss to the extent that I only missed "being in the mix" when I'd make the mistake of going to one of my team's meets.... so maybe you'll feel the same way and need, after watching one meet, to tell your old team mates that ya just can't be there, that way, for them. I was able to hang out with my team mates, and chat up about gym stuff, so that helped a lot because I still had my old pals.

One of the surprising things I discovered was coaching taught me more about how to do gymnastics than training ever could. So much so, that I was able to learn skills that I'd never considered, well not on my best event because........ If you get what I mean, but on the others where I hadn't trained as much and had things to learn. I've wondered, since then, if I'd known as a gymnast all that I learned from coaching, would I have figured out how to be more effective with less wear and tear on my body? Possibly?

So..... If your time frame allows, you could keep "in shape" with some light work on perfecting shapes, alignment, flexibility, and as much strength work as you have time for. By going that direction, you'll have more to work with if you decided, a year down the road, on giving the team route one last try..... just for fun of course. You'll have an advantage because you'll have the combined gifts of your past skill work, a year of deeper learning as a coach, and a freshly rested, healed and prepared body...... and maybe a measure of spirit to help bring it all together.

So that's my offer. If you provide yourself with the option of giving it another try by attending to the basic requirements of the sport as you move more deeply into coaching, you'll have lost nothing more than a bunch of sweat. It may turn out that you decide against the team thing, but at least then it will be more by choice, and possibly the choice will be made because you have something more satisfying to do...... If you get what I mean.

 

[gymnastgets10]

I had my share of injuries in high school, and then I blew out my knee last summer and was done . It's definitely been tough, but I also stepped up my coaching hours and spent a lot of time hanging out with my team. And now that I'm almost done with rehab, I've been able to start playing around in the gym and having a lot of fun. It actually has been kinda nice not always thinking about my skills and feeling tired and sore, though I really would have liked to finish out my senior year. I don't really know if this helps at all, but thought I'd share as someone else who's come out on the losing end of the fight between body and gymnastics .

 

[All Chalked Up]

I'm in the same boat with my back injury & my knee injury... I cry everytime I think about possibly having to quit, because in no way am I even close to being done.

I didn't have a great season either. I placed well all year but you can definitely tell just by looking at my scores & performances when my back/knee didn't hurt that bad... and when they REALLY started hurting. I have to a lot of limited training, and I hate training with limits.

I coach (which I love) but that won't cut it for me. I'm thinking about doing T&T if I need to quit artistic, but it won't be the same.

I've only been in gym 4 years, but progressed very quickly. I competed P3 a few times this year & qualified for Provincials, but dropped back to P2 for Provincials & Atlantics because of the injuries. I'm not at all done mentally, however physically I don't think my body will be able to take much more pounding.

 

[shootingStar_Jimmy]

This year I have had so many injuries that I can't even count!!! I have a friend who had constant injuries so she decided to take a break from gym, because her body couldn't handle it. I really don't want to do that because I know my body couldn't handle not doing gymnastics, even if it was out in the years tumbling, I'm trying to find solutions... HELP!!