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Gymnastic Dreams
Training for Gold Leads to Healthier Kids

Is your child is the next Carly Patterson or Paul Hamm? What are some key factors in determining Olympic skill? Is there anything that can be worked on at home to help enhance the natural ability? There are so many factors involved in the making of a gymnastic Olympian.

Gymnastics is a sport that virtually anyone can try at least once. Girls and boys can not only participate but excel. Jeb Tolley, Director of Gymstrada Gymnastics School in Virginia Beach, Virginia advises, "There is not any particular age to begin gymnastic training. The key factor is the child's desire." If after the first fifteen minutes of class the child is ready to go home, maybe it is not the right time to begin.

As a parent, it may be difficult to back away and let your child express not wanting to continue with the Olympic dream. But the desire to be an Olympic athlete must be the child's, not the parent's.

Gymnastics offers kids of any age various benefits. Many kids move on to other sports after trying gymnastics or while involved in gymnastics. Sometimes the ability to do well in another sport is supported by the original foundation the gymnastics training provided. Some of those things are flexibility, stamina, persistence, and quite possibly the most important - self esteem.

In gymnastics not only is the individual part of helping the team succeed, the individual can succeed apart from the team. It is a boost for any athlete to know that he is not just part of the team, but also a great athlete of his own merit as well.

So what can you do at home? If your child is bouncing off of anything in sight or cart wheeling down the street whenever you go somewhere, chances are he would enjoy gymnastics. If enrolling in classes is not an option, try lining some tape on the floor, eight inches wide and ten feet long. Let your child do cartwheels on that line. When that skill is mastered, shorten the width to six inches. Another idea is to use two chairs shoulder width apart to raise himself up. This helps to build arm strength. Try standing within arm's length of your child while he practices handstands.

If your child is dreaming of the Olympics, nurture that dream. The odds may be long, but every one of the gymnasts in the Olympics is someone's child. None of the parents knew whether the young child's ambition would become reality. Training your child's body and mind is healthy, whether athletics stays a serious passion or just a hobby.

If somewhere along the way the Olympics stop being the dream, gymnastics can still be just fun.

About the Author
Katrina Cramer-Diaz is a working mom with a background in education and plenty of experience in Christian parenting. She lives in Virginia with her husband, their four children and Bear... the dog.

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