Do Elite Gymnasts have the "Thrill-Seeker" Personality?

[MdGymMom01]

The thread on Fear issues and whether they were contageous got me thinking. We all know that fear is a commonality of gymnastics and many many gymnasts deal with this daily. Some would say that fear is the body's natural defense mechanism against danger and that it is your body's way of stopping you from doing something dangerous. With that said, what about the gymnasts that are "fearless"? I would say that most of the Elite gymnasts got to be elite because they have no fear. I have also heard about the "thrill-seeking" personalities that love roller-coasters, sky diving, and extreme sports just because of the thrill and the danger that it puts them in. I am wondering--is there a correlation between elite gymnasts and thrill-seeking personalities? Just something to ponder and discuss...

 

[coachmolly]

I actually saw an interview during the Winter Olympics where they were talking about how Olympic level athletes, especially in the more dangerous sports, were not like normal humans. I forget all the details but they did say there is something different about those types of athletes.
I imagine most elite gymnasts have gone through fear problems at one point or another, but are probably also exceptional at overcoming those struggles. I really don't know the answer to your question, but it is interesting to think about.

 

[ZJsMom]

I think fear level is a range or spectrum. On one end is completely fearless to the point of lacking common sense and on the other is extremely fearful. I think, to be an elite you would need to fall on the middle to fearless range of the spectrum, but that you'd find a variety. I think some coaches really look for fearlessness in elite tracked kids because it makes their jobs easier, but others are more willing to work through fears. I remember watching an interview with Dominique Moceaneau where she was asked how she dealt with fear and she kind of paused and thought and said something like "I've never been afraid of a skill." I know Shawn Johnson has also said that she's a sort of daredevil personality. On the other hand, I remember Amanda Stroud saying she was always petrified of Yurchenkos. I think as long as the gymnast is willing to work through fears, she could be a successful elite and be more prone to fearfullness.

 

[gymjourneymom]

Great thread MGM! Totally agree with ZJ's mom...I think it's a spectum. But I also think that people can vary along that spectrum at different points in their lives. There is no way I would some of the things now that I used to do when I was a teenager! On the opposite side, my teenager(gymnast) is doing things that she never would do as a child/preteen!!! And I'm not just talking about in the gym. She is learning to deal better with fear in all situations. Maturing I guess some might call it. She never set foot on a roller coaster until last summer...now she loves them!!! The scarier the better for her now,lol!!! Go figure??? But that is why I think gymmies with fear issues need encouragement. They CAN overcome fear issues, even if they can't become totally fearless. Besides being totally fearless might not be the smartest move anyway. I could see problems with that too.

 

[gymdog]

Many high level gymnasts have some fear issues, although the fear and mental issues some girls have are paralyzing enough to prevent progression. I think to some extent you have to bring in natural ability in terms of physical attributes. If you have the physical attributes that make gymnastics easier, then you're probably going to get through a lot of skills with less of a reason to be afraid. When you bring in vestibular issues it could get even more complicated because I've seen some girls that had issues with some things vs other things, and then at some level you might be able to work around that depending on the thing.

This is not always true though. Of course many gymnasts are afraid of skills they can physically do...but many fear issues can stem from falls, difficulty, a feeling of "not knowing where you are," etc. Often I've seen girls struggle to learn something and continue to struggle with it for a long time past when they can physically do it. I think sometimes initial difficulty can kind of "imprint." Or they are afraid of going to the next progression and hold back on their skills.

 

[CoachGoofy]

As a gymnast I was in the category of "stupidly fearless". The things I would/to an extent still will do because it seemed like a good idea at the time, oh my poor coaches. I'm retired by injury, from doing one too many things I couldn't yet do safely. Some common sense would have extended, I think, my career and let me go further (I was extreme. I'm talking one of those kids who'll get lost in the air and keep trying anyway. Completely nuts. My poor coaches).

I've got one level 4 who's just like I was. We worry about her safety sometimes. And I've got a fearless-but-grounded level 5, in that there are things she won't try, not because she's afraid, but because she just 'knows' she can't do them. As soon as she knows she can do it, she's all "I'm going to do it now", and does. To have that certainty! We don't worry about her ready-fire-aiming at all, & she has uptrained some pretty big skills consistently.

Fear is the brain's way of saying "what you are about to attempt is completely nuts". It's usually right. A little bit of that is healthy, even for (especially for?) high level athletes.

 

[Shelovesthebars]

Ok I am going to preface this by saying don't freak out! We have a monster size swingset in our back yard. It has an opening to a climbing pole and on that side of it we have a large trampoline. My daughter kept asking us last year to hold her hand so that she could jump down off of the swingset onto the trampoline but we told her no. Well she began asking this week if we would hold her hand again and I told her no. She then proceded to ask her dad and he told her if she wasn't big enough to do it on her own than she had no business attempting it at all. Well we thought that was the end of that. The 30 pound girl took in what her dad had to say and thought about it for about 10 seconds. Well guess what everybody? Without saying another word to us the little booger went out, climbed the pole and not only jumped off but landed and did a gorgous front layout and landed it. Not just once but repeatedly. She is woking on her front layouts and flysprings already at the gym and rocks them. She is only 4 and yes I do have video because I could not believe it myself.
This is definately a case of desire overcoming fear. She really had a desire stronger than any fear. I am not telling you this because I think what she did was cool or safe in any way. I just wanted to give you an example of what her personality is like at 4.
Her brother is the same so we waited until he was 9 and started to show some common sence before we put him into diving. We were afraid a coach might take advantage of his daredevil ways. The first year of diving was good. He was number 4 in the nation.
So I think elite gymnast do have fear but their desire is greater.

 

[gymnut1]

I think you are right. My head coach has told me before that 'they have to want it more than they are afraid of it' I know just what he means.