To Quit or not to quit

[Lizzy LaSelva]

I think every gymnast has wanted to quit once in their experiences. I can't tell if I do or I don't. It seems like every time I'm close to quitting, I have a really good practice that makes me not want to. I'm 15, and a second year level nine. Last year I was injured all season, and didn't get to compete. I don't know what to do, I kinda like it but then I don't. It's stressful, yet I've invested 13 years of my life into it. I've sprained my ankle 8 times in a time span of 2 years, and the injuries keep coming (although I'm not injured now) Does anyone have any suggestions on how to help me decide?

 

[amblan01]

I would die to be you. Never quit. You have no idea how jealous I am of you. Stick with it no matter what.

 

[Lizzy LaSelva]

I would die to be you. Never quit. You have no idea how jealous I am of you. Stick with it no matter what.

it's so hard sometimes

 

[amblan01]

I know 5 girls who quit after this season and already regret it all level 7-8s. You WILL regret it at some point or another. I'm so grateful to be a level 1 on team. You have it all. Be proud. You are a champion. Champions don't quit. No matter how hard it may get.

 

[almostoptional]

Don't quit you'll regret it! I'm barely a first year level 5 (old level 6) and I've only been in the sport since 2011/2012 I was in gymnastics in 2009, but I quit for a long time because I was scared of beam but then I had to come back, I regretted quitting. Now I'm gonna be 12 soon. Please don't quit!!!

 

[bogwoppit]

Don't quit you'll regret it! I'm barely a first year level 5 (old level 6) and I've only been in the sport since 2011/2012 I was in gymnastics in 2009, but I quit for a long time because I was scared of beam but then I had to come back, I regretted quitting. Now I'm gonna be 12 soon. Please don't quit!!!

Going to be 12 soon?? Well that is odd as you said you were 14 when you joined.

I am going to ban you, please come back when you are actually old enough to join. There are legal reasons we cannot have the 13 and under crowd on the forum, please do not make things more complicated by lying again and rejoining.

 

[stxrdusty]

This is my second season in a row out with an injury, and my last one to compete in JO (18, high school senior). I'd be a third year level 9 this year. While I was injured I felt like I was never going to get better and get to compete again, but I never wanted to give up and finally its paying off. I may have a long way to go and I may still feel some pain (yay for ankle surgery...), but I might finally get to compete again in 2 weeks!
I can't make you want to stay in gymnastics, but I can tell you of my slight success story in sticking with it despite injury and being told to quit, and hopefully that'll show you a good outcome of you sticking with this sport.
We all have bad days and feel like we're going no where. That's the way gymnastics is. But, if you stick with it long enough its eventually going to pay off.
"Pain is temporary. It may last for a minute, or an hour, or a day, or even a year! But eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit however it will last forever."

 

[iwannacoach]

Talk to your coach about easing up a bit on the difficulty of your skillwork, or reducing the intensity of your training for the net six months. Eight ankle sprains in a two year period tells me you need to completely heal and re-strengthen your ankle, and that's a process that takes anywhere from 6 weeks to 2 months after the initial injury..... and that's being optimistic.

 

[aileenmaryf]

I can't say whether you should or shouldn't quit but I can say this... When I was going into my senior year of high school I almost quit. I felt like I had a love-hate relationship with the sport, the gym, and the people in it but I had then felt more hate than love at the time. For me, gymnastics was a sort of "happy" place where the outside world didn't exist for a couple hours out of my day. Of course things weren't always happy but it just gave me something other than life to focus on. About 2 months before season was supposed to start, my coach made a wonderful suggestion-- one of his former gymnasts had gotten a job coaching the high school team and he suggested that I along with a few other girls join the hs team. At first I wasn't so sure, but I came to love it. Honestly if I wasn't a Senior, I would have done it again. When it came to college, I made a little deal with myself-- if the school I chose had gymnastics, I would go out for the team, but I wasn't going to go to a school JUST for gymnastics. I could have been on a D3 team but ended up choosing a school which didn't have any gymnastics at it. But I did end up getting a job coaching at the local club in town which eventually lead me to getting a job as an assistant high school coach at a school nearby. I LOVE my job, but there are definitely plenty of days where I think I really miss being the gymnast. At least for me, I don't think I will EVER give up gymnastics completely... I will always find a way to be involved... and that is what I would suggest to you also... There will probably always be a part of you that loves gymnastics and if that's true you will feel the need to continue it in some way. If you don't continue as a gymnast you could always try coaching OR you could try diving. I did diving for a year and while it wasn't for me, I know several gymnasts who are still using their gymnastics for diving. It is fairly easy for gymnasts to pick up and if you are good enough you could get a scholarship. Just a thought.

Hope this makes your decision slightly easier! And good luck in whatever you choose to do!

 

[Gymnast9272]

Don't quit. Just keep trying and if you keep getting hurt just try to be more careful.