When I started crying after being sent out of gymnastics practice for getting upset, my coach followed me to the bathroom. “Why the heck are you crying so hard?” she said to me. “If you going to cry so hard over getting yelled at a little bit, I don’t know what you would do if you really got in trouble! Get out there and train, and stop being a baby.” There was something in the way she said it. It was so confident and firm, yet in the tone of her voice I could tell she was only trying to help me. A few months later I was just getting over a horrible argument with my mother the day before our big competition. And once I fell on bars, I knew I wouldn’t stand a chance against the other competitors. My meet was sure to end badly. As we warmed up for beam the tears started to flow. All I could think about was the angry mom I had to go home to, and the fact I still had to finish out this meet knowing I wouldn’t place. “Why are you crying Mac?” said a familiar voice. I respond “Because my mom and I are fighting, and I fell and now I’m definitely not going to win, my ankles hurt and I just don’t ever want to go home!” I say hysterically crying. “So what! You are here competing now. Stop thinking about that and get yourself together. Get out there and at least make us look good!” she says it to me in that same tone. The tone that says too me “because I care, I’m going to make you be tuff.”
In and out of the gym Tami Harrison is like a mother to me. And there is something about her that always pushes me to be better, maybe it’s her boldness, or her ability to intimidate you while remaining your friend. But whatever it is, her words of advice always seem to strike me. I can’t help but to realize the fact that I am being a baby, and it is time for me to go out and compete. She has taught me discipline, improved my work ethic, and has instilled in me a positive attitude. While training with her I have become so much more confident and happy over the past year and a half. I have become such a different person and have changed drastically for the better.
Everyday at practice she constantly reminds me I can do anything I want to, as long as I want it bad enough. By forcing me to go for that new skill I was afraid of, and then making me do it five more time afterwards, she has taught me that you will never know until you try. She continues to teach me that quitting is only running away from the problems you are too scared to face. And that no problem is too big to face when you have you mind and (especially) your heart set to it. She has taught me forgiveness, she has taught me to lead by example, and she has taught me the true meaning of a leader.
I can remember a year ago not wanting to speak up in conversations because I didn’t want to be embarrassed by being wrong. But one year later I enjoy debating and proving my point in any situation. What my gymnastics coach has done for me is create a confidence in me that was never there before. I think she deserves some sort of award. Because it isn’t just me who she coaches, she coaches about thirty or more girls and gives each and every one the same amount of attention. Not to mention she owns and runs the gym, and somehow finds time to mother three wonderful kids. I’m not exactly sure where I would be if it wasn’t for her in my life. I don’t just think she has just coached me in gymnastics, because the lessons that she has taught me go far beyond cartwheels or round-offs.
Revision:I have been a gymnast as long as I can remember. Memories of me climbing up on the beam, or swinging on the bars, are something I have had running through my mind since I was about six. I have been through countless coaches, some of which have been mean and rude, some have been slack and lazy, and others just don’t know what they are talking about. When you’re a gymnast at the high level that I am, you spend countless hours in the gym. Your teammates become your sisters, the sport somehow becomes your school, and your coaches become your parents. After all, I see my coaches more than I see my father or mother, and my teammates know more about me than my family ever will. Because I spend so much time in the gym, it is normal for me to look to my coaches as examples and father or mother figures, after all I have probably spent more time with my coaches than I have my parents. As I have grown and been through different gymnastics coaches, a few stick out to me. A few were good examples, a few were always there to lead me in the right direction, and a few were the type of people I looked up to in life.
Although I feel like each coach has taught me a different life lesson, there is one coach who has taught me the most. There is one coach who I feel has been the most inspirational, the most discipline, the most caring, and the best example as a person. She has influenced me in many ways, and is the type of person everyone should try to be more like.
When I started crying after being sent out of gymnastics practice, my coach followed me too the bathroom. “Why the heck are you crying so hard?” she said to me. “If you going to cry so hard over getting yelled at a little bit, I don’t know what you would do if you really got in trouble! Get out there and train, and stop being a baby.” At first I was angry “Why is she yelling at me, I am not a baby!” But then something clicked, “Wait a minute I though to myself, she is right! Why am I crying, it’s not that big of a deal, I need to go train.” There was something in the way she told me to get out there and train, she was so firm, yet so caring. It’s like she was saying “because I care, I’m going to push you.”
A few months later I had just been through a horrible argument with my mother the day before our big competition. Once I fell on bars, I knew I wouldn’t stand a chance against the other competitors. My meet was sure to end badly. My attitude and moral was down, and as we warmed up for beam the tears started to flow. All I could think about was the angry mom I had to go home to, and the fact I still had to finish out this meet knowing I wouldn’t place. “Why are you crying Mac?” said a familiar voice. I respond “Because my mom and I are fighting, and I fell and now I’m definitely not going to win, my ankles hurt and I just don’t ever want to go home!” I say hysterically crying. “And? You are here competing now. Stop thinking about that and get yourself together. Get out there and do what you have trained so many months to do!” she says to me in that same tone. The tone that says too me “because I care, I’m going to make you be tuff.”
Gymnastics is not an easy sport, despite the grace and precision we accomplish, it is never that easy. Every gymnast you speak to will remind you of just how difficult it is to accomplish this perfection. We train around thirty hours a week, we somehow have to manage a school life, a social life, and a family life, along with a sport that might as well be a full time job. We go through periods where we want to quit, where it all seems like too much, when we don’t even know if it’s worth it. Gymnasts, no matter how much we love flipping, sometimes just want to give up. It’s understandable when you look at the amount of dedication we need in our sport. Especially at the higher levels, gymnastics turns into a job. A job were we condition our bodies for hours, flip on top of four inch wide pieces of wood, swing our bodies around a bar then flip and catch the bar again, or run full speed toward a stationary object. For us to succeed as gymnasts we need someone there to drive us and motivate us, we need someone who will remind us of what we love, remind us we can do it. That is what we look for in a good coach.
It’s hard for non-gymnasts to understand the strength it takes to be successful in gymnastics that is why the best coaches have been gymnast’s themselves. They understand the hours we put in, the stress involved, the body aches and pains, and the desire in our hearts. That is what I love about my coach now, Tami Harrison. She was not only an elite athlete, but she made it to the Olympic trials… twice! She has been involved in gymnastics all her life, and understands what it takes to be a gymnast.
In and out of the gym Tami Harrison is like a mother to me. There is something about her that always pushes me to be better, maybe it’s her boldness, or her ability to intimidate you while remaining your friend. But whatever it is, her words of advice always seem to have such strong impact on me. She has taught me discipline, improved my work ethic, and has instilled in me a positive attitude. While training with her I have become so much more confident and happy over the past year and a half. I have become such a different person and have changed drastically for the better. She is a person of integrity, with a big heart, and endless drive and spirit. Her purpose as a coach is not just to create strong gymnasts, but to create strong young girls. When you walk into the gym you will hear her cheering the girls on, you’ll see her running to spot different girls on new skills they are learning, you’ll see her filling in for coaches that are out sick, or you’ll see her helping out other coaches to be better at what they do.
Everyday at practice she constantly reminds me I can do anything I want to, as long as I want it bad enough. By forcing me to go for that new skill I was afraid of, and then making me do it five more times afterwards, she has taught me that you will never know until you try. She continues to teach me that quitting is only running away from the problems you are too scared to face, and that no problem is too big to face when you have you mind and (especially) your heart set to it. She keeps me in the gym working hard everyday, and is very adamant about not letting us quit unless there is an adequate reason. She wants us to simply be our best, and to never give up. She has taught me forgiveness, she has taught me to lead by example, and she has taught me the true meaning of a leader.
I can remember a year ago not wanting to speak up in conversations because I didn’t want to be embarrassed by being wrong. But one year later I enjoy debating and proving my point in any situation. What my gymnastics coach has done for me is create a confidence in me that was never there before.
I have had some coaches belittle me. Their way of coaching was to yell, and treat the gymnasts as if they were robots, or members of the military. When I was eleven I can remember sitting in the corner of a gym for four hours working on one skill, and never being spoken to the entire time. Our assignments were presented with little compassion, and a lot of stress. As a young gymnast I was put under a lot of pressure and was easily stressed. I couldn’t quite handle the yelling and screaming. The training was like that of the Chinese or the Romanian gymnasts, it was not the type of training that produced happy or healthy gymnasts and I was no exception. I eventually lost my interest in gymnastics and wanted to quit. Lucky for me my parents decided to move me away from these coaches that were so belittling, and mean. Just in the nick of time. If they hadn’t then I would have ended up an unhappy person. I don’t think enough attention is paid to the way that gymnasts are treated in this country, much less other countries in the world. What the coaches do not understand is how young the gymnasts really are. At ten we don’t understand why we have to do pull-ups till we cry. Children don’t understand why they are not allowed to go to the bathroom until they finish their assignment. It’s ridiculous the way that some young gymnasts are treated, heartless and wrong. If you ask me, a few of the programs need to honestly reconsider their teaching methods.
Lucky for me I found a different program. One led by such an honorable person, with such compassion and strength, who disciplines in love, not hate. Gymnastics is not an easy ride for anyone, but the best coaches make it a great learning experience. That is Tami, ask anyone and they will tell you the same.
I think she deserves some sort of award. Because it isn’t just me who she coaches, she coaches about thirty or more girls and gives each and every one the same amount of attention. Not to mention she owns and runs the gym, then somehow finds time to mother three wonderful kids. I’m not exactly sure where I would be if it wasn’t for her in my life. Because she has had such an influence on me and the person I am today. She never gives up on me and is always willing to hand out a second chance. Her faith and spirit is captured in the spirit of her gymnast’s and in the success of her gym. Without her influence I know I could not have accomplished some of the things I have. She hasn’t just coached me in gymnastics. The lessons that she has taught me go far beyond cartwheels or round-offs.
