Parents "Gymnastics not a sport?"

[Really]

DD (who is level 3 and trains 10.5 hrs a week) had her first SKI lesson of the season today. Unexpectedly, 3 boys from her school were in the same intermediate ski class as her. One of the boys appeared surprised that she could keep up with the majority-boys' ski class and said to her, "I didn't know you did sports!" Since this boy is in her 3rd grade class at school and they've known each other since kindergarten, she said to him, "You know I do gymnastics." To which he replied, "Well, that's not really a sport." DD says she didn't respond, because they were hitting the next slope, but I was pretty annoyed about it when she told me.

My question to all you gym parents is, how have you directed your daughters (who I would venture to guess are pound-for-pound stronger than the majority of the boys in their classes, just as mine is!) to respond to this sort of chauvanism?

 

[cadybearsmommy]

Tell her to challenge them to a push up contest.....

 

[GymDad9.9]

Is it chauvinism, ignorance or both?

Most boys are not familiar with gymnastics. They are simply not exposed to it. I wasn't growing up and I wish I would have been. Perhaps your daughter should invite the boys to her gym so she can show them what a "real" sport is.

 

[Committed]

DD (who is level 3 and trains 10.5 hrs a week) had her first SKI lesson of the season today. Unexpectedly, 3 boys from her school were in the same intermediate ski class as her. One of the boys appeared surprised that she could keep up with the majority-boys' ski class and said to her, "I didn't know you did sports!" Since this boy is in her 3rd grade class at school and they've known each other since kindergarten, she said to him, "You know I do gymnastics." To which he replied, "Well, that's not really a sport." DD says she didn't respond, because they were hitting the next slope, but I was pretty annoyed about it when she told me.

My question to all you gym parents is, how have you directed your daughters (who I would venture to guess are pound-for-pound stronger than the majority of the boys in their classes, just as mine is!) to respond to this sort of chauvanism?

I don't think DD has ever really run into this as she's encouraged to bring a meet video to show her class each year.
Plus, she kicks everyone's butt at PE. She only gets mad if they target her.

 

[Really]

Is it chauvinism, ignorance or both?

Most boys are not familiar with gymnastics. They are simply not exposed to it. I wasn't growing up and I wish I would have been. Perhaps your daughter should invite the boys to her gym so she can show them what a "real" sport is.

There's definitely some ignorance there! DD says she said to him, "I do 10 1/2 hours of gymnastics a week." And he pshawed it and said, "That's not even possible!"

 

[3rd_time_around]

There's definitely some ignorance there! DD says she said to him, "I do 10 1/2 hours of gymnastics a week." And he pshawed it and said, "That's not even possible!"

Wow. Then I guess my dd's 20 hours a week for 7 years was just a dream.

 

[LindyHopper]

Tell her to challenge them to a push up contest.....

This x1000

 

[MuggleMom]

In 9th grade my PE teacher was the football coach. I wore a shirt to PE every day that said if Gymnastics were easy they'd call it football---I was not his favorite student Her abilities will speak for themselves and soon the boys wont have anything left to say.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

mine does arm wrestling against the boys in her class.

He favourite phrase is "I'll even use my left hand" (being a gymnast she is equally strong in both), whoops them every time

 

[profmom]

Bad as it is for the girls, male gymnasts also have to deal with gay baiting. My son just shrugs it off, but some of his teammates get pretty mad about it.

The good thing is that after they've been in for a while and other kids have had enough experience with them in PE classes, most kids respect the girls and leave them alone. There's an urban legend floating around the high school that my daughter can do 100 one-armed pushups. No one crosses her. Ever.

 

[suebee]

When dd was in kindergarten and 5 years old, she was the only kid in her grade who could do the rope climb, and she did it multiple times, until the PE teacher stopped her and told her she would hurt her hands. 5 year old dd was puzzled by this, and showed the PE teacher her hands, and said something to the effect of, "My hands are tough from bars. They don't hurt. I climb the rope more than this at gym."

She said all the kids, but the boys especially, were in awe.

 

[GymDad9.9]

When dd was in kindergarten and 5 years old, she was the only kid in her grade who could do the rope climb, and she did it multiple times, until the PE teacher stopped her and told her she would hurt her hands. 5 year old dd was puzzled by this, and showed the PE teacher her hands, and said something to the effect of, "My hands are tough from bars. They don't hurt. I climb the rope more than this at gym."

She said all the kids, but the boys especially, were in awe.

Yep, when daughter was four before she ever took a gymnastics class and was Queen of the Neighborhood Park Monkey Bars I knew there was something special going on.

 

[CTMOM]

They have running and push-ups contests in gym class. Both my DDSs win and beat the boys......LOL!

 

[lhmom]

My daughter had several boys try to downplay gymnastics as a sport until they all had to do fitness tests in PE (this was elementary school). She outdid all the boys in push ups and pull ups (even made one boy cry when he couldn't beat her). They kept their mouths shut after that.

 

[Sasha]

Ignorance is likely the culprit. Unless you are in the sport, you just don't see it. It's not like soccer or baseball where kids are out on the fields obviously getting exercise - our workouts are in largely window-less warehouses, and competitions are hidden indoors in secret admission-only venues. People are only exposed to gymnastics once every 4 years, and most school-age boys probably have never even given gymnastics a thought and liken it to a dance class, if anything. "Doing a sport" to a little boy usually means competing in games head to head - I don't think most have a means of imagining gymnastics as something competitive akin to a soccer game unless they have been exposed to it.

So next time a schoolmate questions gymnastics 'being a sport', your DD can enthusiastically enlighten them with "Yep! It sure is! We have to get really strong to do all those cool flips on the floor, bars, and balance beam, so we do lots of workouts with pushups, rope climbs, running, and of course flipping! And boys do amazing swings and tricks on the rings and fly super high on the high bar. You know those snowboarders who do all the flips? Lots of them take gymnastics. So do the Ninja Warrior athletes. You should try it as it is super fun and makes your muscles really big! See? Look at mine!"

 

[Pea'sMom]

Definitely ignorance. Pea's little brother knows better than to challenge her to anything physical! Pea and her gym BFF were in elementary school together and neither of them seemed to notice they were exceptionally stronger, until they hit middle school. Last week during the PE chin-up contest Pea beat the whole school, and her teacher and the week before during the chin-up hang, the boys were yelling at her 'let go, you won, we get it!'

 

[Gymmommy71]

The female gymnasts in my DDs school get a lot of respect from the boys when it comes to athleticism. They do regular fitness tests for things like pull ups, rope climbs, push ups and sit-ups in PE, and my DD (and other team gymnasts in her school) dominate the results every year - beating most, if not all, of the top male athletes her same age. They are even competitive w/ the boys when it comes to the running and jumping contests.

I can't imagine anyone in my DD's school having the nerve to say such a thing about gymnastics not being a sport.

 

[Really]

The female gymnasts in my DDs school get a lot of respect from the boys when it comes to athleticism. They do regular fitness tests for things like pull ups, rope climbs, push ups and sit-ups in PE, and my DD (and other team gymnasts in her school) dominate the results every year - beating most, if not all, of the top male athletes her same age. They are even competitive w/ the boys when it comes to the running and jumping contests.

I can't imagine anyone in my DD's school having the nerve to say such a thing about gymnastics not being a sport.

Up until this conversation with the classmate happened, I would have thought the same thing! In years past, DD brought home a couple of awards for excellence in P.E. but this year they have a new gym teacher who doesn't do competitions in gym class. Or chin-ups, as DD reports he had the chin-up bars removed from the gym?

 

[e'smum]

the kid in the OP is in 3rd grade. so he's what, 7 or 8? in his mind sports are baseball, basketball and football. soccer. anything with a ball. it's the age for him. i've never had anyone tell dd that it wasn't a sport but she doesn't advertise it. she does come home on a fairly regular basis and say she's done more X, Y or Z during PE and their timed tests. PE in school is a joke for any gymnast

 

[triplethreat+1]

My DD had pushup and chin up contests with some boys in her class, she complained they didn't do 'proper' pushups- nose touching the floor. . She of course won...