Life After Gymnastics - Is There One?
What else is there but amateur competition and games like
the Olympics?
Believe it or not, there are many other uses of gymnastics
for your child besides amateur competition and the Olympic
games. Unlike some other sports, such as football or
hockey, which may only get him or her into a college on a
scholarship on an off chance, gymnastics has much more of a
future to offer those who are capable. Professional
gymnastics, gymnastics coaching, performances, and theater
are only a few of the options beyond the aforementioned –
quite literally, the sky is the limit.
Professional gymnastics
In terms of professional gymnastics there are quite
literally dozens of substyles to choose from, all of which
stem either from rhythmic gymnastics or artistic
gymnastics. Dancing, juggling, tumbling, rolling,
vaulting, horse and beams can be involved in a professional
competition. Even the rings, which are limited only to
men, are offered. Lucrative and fun for your gymnast, the
professional sport is typically reserved for those who are
extremely well-qualified. Lots of gymnasts who participate,
though, are fresh out of school. No rule states that one
must be an Olympic champion in order to enter a contest for
money. Obviously, the gymnast must be prepared both
physically and mentally. Of course, if your gymnast is the
best in his or her local or state division, then he or she
may want to go for a prize purse. Typically, those who do
have already won a few amateur titles. If you want to see
your son or daughter have the option of professional
gymnastics, keep this in mind… Every country that
participates in the Olympics, practically, has its own
professional tournaments and divisions. The possibilities
are wide.
Gymnastics coaching
Coaching for gymnastics may also be a viable suggestion for
your gymnast. After they have tired of competing with
other gymnasts, they can put their skills and their mettle
to the test by coaching young, up-and-coming gymnasts in
their quests for gold. This, usually, is a step left for
the far future, but it is always an option for the
accomplished gymnastics student, with some common sense and
some intuition, to teach the next generation. Olympic and
professional athletes could not get to where they are
today, after all, if they did not have the proper coaching.
Performances
This is perhaps the most diverse category yet of ‘other’
gymnastics. While many types of performing art may seem
unrelated to gymnastics, keep in mind that gymnastics can
be modified creatively.
The most obvious addition to this category would be dance.
Dance performances, no matter what type they may be
(ballet, ballroom, what have you), are inherently gymnastic
in their motion. This is why gymnastics students always
have a leg up (no pun intended) on some of the more
outrageous maneuvers like splits or high kicks or leaps
than those who have never had any experience with gymnastic
art.
Before you laugh at the idea…Circuses are a relatively
respectable use of gymnastics as well–and we don’t just
mean Barnum and Bailey’s, either. Artistic circuses such
as the Cirque du Soleil are famous for their contortionists
and for their high-flying acrobatic and gymnastic shows of
skill; in fact, the Cirque itself has international renown.
It is indeed a thought!
Theatrical performances routinely involve gymnastics,
sometimes in the form of displays of flexibility, other
times in the form of creative dance. Performances of this
sort are not only limited to the Broadway, off-Broadway, or
off-off-Broadway shows you might be thinking of. In fact,
if your gymnast also has an inclination toward ice skating,
there is an entirely new world of opportunity right at
their fingertips, so to speak. Shows that are on ice -
musicals, dramas, or what have you - are always filled with
outrageous and wonderful moves that your skilled gymnast
can surely identify with.
And finally, there is the idea of gymnastics on the big
screen–or the small screen. Hollywood is always looking
for people with gymnastic skill to perform as stunt doubles
or stars. In fact, so too are some television shows,
believe it or not.
Indeed, with your young gymnast’s abilities, they can go
anywhere their minds take them — and indeed, the way you
encourage them will play a large part in their continuing
gymnastic career. There is always something out there.
One needs only look!
By Murray Hughes
Gymnastics Secrets Revealed
“The book EVERY gymnastics parent should read”
http://www.gymnasticssecretsrevealed.com/gymnastics-articles/professional-gymnastics.htm
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