Gymnastics History ? A Brief Overview

Gymnastics, as an activity, has been around for more than two thousand years in one form or another, from the ancient Greek Olympics, to Roman ceremony, to today's modern meets.

As an organized and truly competitive sport, gymnastics has existed for a little more than a century. It was introduced in the mid 1800s to the United States, where it inexorably gained in popularity within school systems.

Amateur associations gathered together by the late nineteenth century, offering classes and opportunities for young people to join in on the fun. Eventually, these associations began to have their own championships.

In 1896, at the first international Olympic games in Athens, Greece, the sport we all know and love enjoyed its first large-scale debut. Included in the Olympic tournament were vaulting, parallel bars, pommel horse, and rings events for men. The first women's Olympic gymnastics events were held in 1928. After the Olympics began to officially host gymnastics, the World Championship gymnastics meet emerged in the early 1900s, and it is still held to this very day.

Thus began a noble tradition that continues even in modern Olympic games and in local, regional, national, and world meets all over.

If you're the parent of a young gymnast, odds are, people are going to ask you, "Why did you choose gymnastics over swimming, ballet, football, baseball, or soccer?" It is an easy question to offer, but not a simple one to answer.

Their curiosity is entirely understandable--to the uninitiated, may have a lower profile than others. However, if you are indeed very serious about your child participating in the sport, you can tell those people, with great authority, that gymnastics is an excellent way to spend time. Not only does it have a long and illustrious history, but it also requires attention and discipline on the part of a child--more so, perhaps, than one involved in any other sport.

In order to become successful at the sport of gymnastics, your child will have to get into a routine of practice.

This type of routine is different from, say, soccer practice or hockey practice, in that it does not involve the concept of physical rivalry with other individuals. A gymnast is not typically seen chasing after another gymnastics youth with a set of rings as one might see a hockey player attacking another person on an opposing team.

Gymnastics does not encourage violence in the same way contact sports do -- indeed, when one is part of a gymnastics team, one has to work in synchronicity with and have a certain trust for the other members, a valuable lesson in this individualism-driven social environment. This can certainly help in any future employment, especially if your child is interested in professions that involve lots of interpersonal communication.

Beyond practice, gymnastics also requires physical discipline. For instance, if you do not move in the way that you are taught to move when on parallel bars, you will have falls and disappointment--and then, of course, you learn from the mistake, pick up, and try it again. Playing at gymnastics braces a person for the future in that way: it prepares them for the inevitable necessity of determination and endurance in any of life's endeavors, whether in business or in education. In conjunction with school study habits, practice for gymnastics can indeed lead a young person into a level and graceful confidence. In fact, for as physically driven as gymnastics happens to be, it is also an extremely intellectual sport: every motion requires forethought, for in the game, if you do not think of what you are going to do before you do it, you'll end up on the mat.

Finally, and perhaps most obviously of all, there is the fact that gymnastics will keep your child busy, as any other sport might. This means that he or she won't be as likely to slip into a pattern of slacking or of hanging out with the wrong crowd. Quite literally, when your child is at practice, you will know where they are -- you will not have to worry if they have wandered off somewhere or are unintentionally getting into trouble. This can lead to peace of mind for you and yours, most assuredly, which, like the skills they will learn, are absolutely invaluable.

By Murray Hughes
Gymnastics Secrets Revealed "The book EVERY gymnastics parent should read"

http://ww w.gymnasticssecretsrevealed.com/gymnastics-articles/gymnastics-history.htm

If your child is a gymnast and you enjoyed this article, you will definitely enjoy reading the zero cost, 5-day course Gymnastics Tips Course written especially for gymnastics parents by a gymnastics parent. Gymnastics History For AOL Users - History of Gymnastics

---

Google News Updated : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:51:32 GMT Television Review | 'My Own Worst Enemy' - New York Times New York Times Television Review | 'My Own Worst Enemy' New York Times - 56 minutes ago By ALESSANDRA STANLEY Most people sometimes wake up on the wrong side of bed. The hero of “My Own Worst Enemyâ€� on NBC wakes up on the wrong side of his brain. 'Worst Enemy' Just Isn't Bourne-Again Bond Washington Post Spy-vs.-normal-guy premise of 'Worst Enemy' doesn't work USA Today San Francisco Chronicle - Los Angeles Times - Boston Herald - Fort Worth Star Telegram all 101 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:54:37 GMT Doubling of Vitamin D for Children Is Urged - New York Times The Plain Dealer - cleveland.com Doubling of Vitamin D for Children Is Urged New York Times - 3 hours ago By AP CHICAGO (AP) - The country’s leading group of pediatricians is recommending that children receive double the usually suggested amount of vitamin D because of evidence that it might help prevent serious diseases. Pediatricians double vitamin D recommendations The Associated Press Pediatricians double vitamin D recommendations WLOS The Plain Dealer - cleveland.com - Examiner.com all 90 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 02:45:16 GMT Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony renew vows along with Carlos Beltran ... - New York Daily News New York Daily News Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony renew vows along with Carlos Beltran ... New York Daily News - 1 hour ago BY DAVE GOLDINER Just four years after saying "I do," Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony reportedly secretly renewed their vows in Las Vegas Sunday - and they had company at the altar. Inside Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony's Renewal Ceremony People Magazine J.Lo’s vows not staying in Vegas Boston Herald Singersroom News - AceShowbiz - United Press International - Actress Archives all 37 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:39:55 GMT Manatee dies before reaching Florida - South Coast Today WHDH-TV Manatee dies before reaching Florida South Coast Today - 36 minutes ago By AARON GOUVEIA and KC MYERS EAST DENNIS - After a dramatic rescue Saturday morning, a wayward manatee known affectionately as Dennis died Sunday with just one hour before he reached SeaWorld in Florida. Manatee almost gave them the slip Boston Globe Cape Cod Manatee Dies on Way Back to Florida WLNE-TV (ABC6) My Fox Boston - The Associated Press - Cape Cod Times - SouthCoastToday.com all 542 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:14:57 GMT Worth the trouble - Boston Herald Worth the trouble Boston Herald - 39 minutes ago By Dan Duggan As Red Sox [team stats] fans shook out the cobwebs yesterday morning after yet another marathon postseason game, it would have been easy to forget some of the positive developments from the Sox’ 9-8, 11-inning loss to Tampa Bay in Game 2 ... Video: Tampa Bay Wins Slugfest on Sacrifice Fly AssociatedPress Rays win respect, too Washington Times USA Today - Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Wilkes Barre Times-Leader - SouthCoastToday.com all 3,671 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:12:18 GMT Alaska ethics probe says Palin abused her power - Reuters BBC News Alaska ethics probe says Palin abused her power Reuters - 40 minutes ago By Caren Bohan CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (Reuters) - An Alaska ethics inquiry found on Friday that Gov. Sarah Palin, the US Republican vice presidential candidate, abused her authority by pressuring subordinates to fire a state trooper involved in a feud with ... Palin: Bad Guys vs. Good Guys FOXNews Palin talks economic worries in Appalachian Ohio The Associated Press International Herald Tribune - CNN Political Ticker - Columbus Dispatch all 1,431 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:10:53 GMT UPDATE 1-Tropical Storm Nana forms in Atlantic - Reuters Javno.hr UPDATE 1-Tropical Storm Nana forms in Atlantic Reuters - 8 hours ago MIAMI, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Nana, the 14th of the Atlantic hurricane season, formed on Sunday in the Atlantic Ocean east of the Caribbean islands, the US National Hurricane Center said. Tropical Storm Nana forms in Atlantic eTaiwan News Tropical Storm Nana Forms Over Eastern Atlantic RTT News CNN - The Associated Press - eFluxMedia - Central Florida News 13| all 199 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:29:57 GMT Add RSS Feeds To My Web Pages Increase Search Engine Traffic

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Celtic Jewelry: Ancient Symbolism in Popular Fashion

The mysterious and the mystical have always had the power... Read More

Her Last Day in Court

"Ron, I can't take much more of his sleazy behavior!... Read More

Tribal Masks

Original Tribal masks are often seen by unknowing eyes as... Read More

Painting Philosophy of Peruvian Artist

LifeI paint with an emphasis on expressing LIFE (the spirit... Read More

A Look at the Heart of American Beauty

Sam Mendes' darkly comic portrayal of suburbia in his first... Read More

Building Catapults Required Engineering Know How

When building catapults, armies had to include in their ranks... Read More

Mythology and Parables in Modern Communication - Part 4

At the end of Part 3 in this series I... Read More

Moissanite Earrings, The Modern Brazilian Beetle

The history of earrings is a varied history indeed. And... Read More

Precious Stones The Big Five - Part 4 The Diamond

The diamond is generally regarded as the premier gem in... Read More

Masking European Animism

The ancient peoples of Europe were more fond of masks... Read More

Rasputin

GRIGORY EFIMOVICH NOVYKH (RASPUTIN):'Hail, Hail, Ras-putin'. This man's story has... Read More

Zorro

ZORRO:Timon of Athens. But most often they wrote in code... Read More

Precious Stones -The Big Five: Part 1, The Emerald

The emerald is probably the most rare of all precious... Read More

Nessie, the Beast of the Loch

They were fierce hill tribes in what is now Scotland,... Read More

The Dazzling Beauty of the Shwedagon Paya

The Shwedagon Paya is much more than just another temple.... Read More

Personal Protection Specialists and Celebrity Stalking

Celebrity stalking has become the way for the socially inept... Read More

A Short Biography on Some of Europes Most Loved and Hated Monarchs - Pt 1 Vlad Tepes (Dracula)

Vlad Tepes or Dracula was born in 1431, in the... Read More

Export/Import of Inuit Eskimo Art Sculpture Containing Whalebone or Ivory

The export of certain Inuit sculpture from Canada to other... Read More

OM to Ogham

Plato observed that the advent of an alphabet making writing... Read More

Garnet is Januarys Birthstone

If you're still young enough to remember your birthday, you... Read More

ML - CHI - Zadok and the Making of Gold

ATOMIC HIGH-SPIN TECHNOLOGY: - In 1950 B.C. there was a... Read More

Synchronized Swimming, Dolphin Cognition and Visualization

As humans become more technologically advanced and are able to... Read More

Inuit Eskimo Art As Investments

Many people collect Inuit art as investments. Inuit art is... Read More

The Beothuk

Canada is an emancipated country in the relative scheme of... Read More

How I lost A million Dollars In A Bank Robbery

The Million dollars was my life-savings earmarked for prime the... Read More