Gymnastics Myths

[gymluvr33]

Oh, and we can't forget that we are all going to the olympics!

 

[NotAMom]

Oh, and we can't forget that we are all going to the olympics!

You mean we're not?

 

[T.Gymnastics]

everyone seems to like sarcasm :eyebrow: hahaha but yes "oh you are a gymnast, is that why you are so short?" "il look for you in the olympics" psh. =] and chalk is totally a food group for me =] and im pretty sure morgan hamm just got married...to a girl...the opposite of gay =]

 

[GymGymDad]

It does not help with myth when there are several former male gymnasts that have moved on to the adult entertainment industry. Also there are gay male gymnasts - like gay male football players, rugby players etc... I think the gymnastics community and the guys involved are a little more tolerant and open and thus, the rash of gay outings on male collegiate gymnastic teams. When and if you try to combat or debate this myth, that should be aware of some high profile current and former elite male gymnasts along with very open collegiate male gymnasts. If you have a son in the sport and you are not comfortable or confident or tolerant in this atmosphere - maybe your son should pick a more closeted sport.

 

[gymgurl]

I think the most common one that i hear is that every gymnast has an eating disorder, every male gymnast is gay, gymnastics makes you short (just like basketball makes you tall ),

 

[Flipsta]

From experience

Haha I have heard that one about being gay alot... I hate it because everyone tells me to go play a "real" sport like Footy...
But they couldn't last a single strength/flex session. Ah well, we can only hope they come to realise how amazing it is

 

[Flipsta]

THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!
Imagine the tricks we could do

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

For any gym guys who face the "gay myth"...just know that figure skaters have it a lot worse. There's not a whole lot of upper body strength involved in individual skating, so some of them don't even get to go, "oh, and let's so who wins this push-up contest". And then there's show choir...

I don't think some people realize that mens' and womens' gymnastics are very different sports, or the difference between gymnastics classes and competitive gymnastics. If you're a teenage guy and you say "I do gymnastics" and they think of their six-year-old sister in rec classes doing split leaps and walking on the beam, not superstrong behemoths doing crazy stuff on P-bars. I think with a little explanation/Youtube, most people will realize how cool mens' gymnastics really is. What with how popular parkour is nowadays, I think people are getting the right idea. ;-]

 

[CoachGoofy]

The "gay myth" irritates me so much, mostly because it's a whole bunch of bigotry all thrown together. Some gymnasts are straight...so what? Some gymnasts are gay...so what?

(And people have some real interesting ideas about what tumbling & trampoline is like. Yeah no, not that round abomination in your back yard. And not somersaults. But nice try, thank you for playing).

 

[Deanna]

Kadee is still really young..so I havent heard any thing different than what others have already mentioned. Its interesting to see the way some people's minds work regaurding things.

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

Just yesterday I was telling a customer (I work at a bank) about my DD's gymnastics and they asked me if she was going to be in the Olympics. I just said maybe!! hehe!!

 

[GymGymDad]

Yep, I said it earlier that the gay thing still hangs around other sports - mens rugby as a couple of players have come out as gay and womens softball etc.. Male gymnasts still have it pretty good as opposed to ice skaters but a couple of college mens teams have profiled their gay gymnasts. People will take it and run with that. Also as I noted, there are two gay porn stars promoting themselves based on their past gymnastic creditionals. yes, one was on the national team. Funny, only one of them is really gay, the other just does it for the money. It is better to be knowledgeable instead of naive.

 

[emorymom]

I think gymnastics should have some kind of morals clause ... not whether it is gay or straight porn but that it is ... porn. That is to say, they should not be able to go back to compete after doing porn, and possibly should not be advertising their gymnastics past with reference to their porny present. Maybe some title stripping.

I haven't thought this through very well. In the main I am happy enough to live and let live.

 

[GymGymDad]

Wow, good thinking - a morals clause somehow. I think the NCAA does have something about profiting from one's image that would actually cover porn etc... But elite gymnastics is all about the money and while it seems impossible to think a gymnast could be an adult entertainer and national champ at the same time, it is possible. think of all the dumb things beauty contestants do without thinking. How do you feel about a college that promotes their male gay gymnasts in the media and such? Does that bring a stigma to their team and the sport? It is all according to how you view the subject and tolerable you are about it. I have mixed feelings, but if I had a kid going to be a small athletic team at a college, I actually think we would prefer to know if 1/3 or more of the team is openly gay; we might decide that is still the best place for him to be, but at least we would know in advance.

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

I think gymnastics should have some kind of morals clause ... not whether it is gay or straight porn but that it is ... porn. That is to say, they should not be able to go back to compete after doing porn, and possibly should not be advertising their gymnastics past with reference to their porny present. Maybe some title stripping.

I haven't thought this through very well. In the main I am happy enough to live and let live.

^^^bolded^^^too funny^^^^^ never heard that before

 

[KieQ]

I refer to my son as an Athlete (first and foremost) and a Gymnast. He doesn't "Do gymnastics" because anyone who signs up for a rec class "does gymnastics". For those who once made comments on the lack of *Manliness* of the sport, seeing my son play against theirs in ANY other sport changed their way of thinking. Most negative comments come from ignorance or jealousy and should be ignored anyway.

One myth I've found false is that you need to be tiny to be good. We have two fantastic gymnasts with such amazing extension and such beautiful lines who are 6 feet tall. While we might never see them in the Olympic games, they are simply stunning to watch.