12 Things I'll Never Forget From My Young Gymnastics Days
12 Things I'll Never Forget From My Young Gymnastics Days
As gymnasts--current or former--our lives have been undeniably marked by a sport we will forever hold near and dear to our hearts. We've spent years and yea
Feb 18, 2016 by Rebecca Johnson
As gymnasts--current or former--our lives have been undeniably marked by a sport we will forever hold near and dear to our hearts. We've spent years and years training, traveling, learning, growing, failing, winning, and everything in between.
I started my gymnastics journey in the mid-90s and continued through 2015. Those 20 years were full of ups and downs and so many fond memories. Certain memories of those early years stick out and are making me, personally, very nostalgic. I don't know about you, but these are a few of the things I will never forget from my young gymnastics days...
1. I think it's important to start with the crushed velvet leotard because honestly I might've had one in every color. They were just as comfortable as they are hideous.
2. To piggyback off that incredible crushed velvet style...scrunchies are basically the most legendary hair accessory ever made.
3. These strange tied-fabric flip flops were a staple in me and my teammates' meet-day attire. Why? Because we were 8. And awesome.
4. Our moms recorded us with these cameras which now look totally archaic.
5. Pigtails and unitards. My childhood.
6. And then when we got too cool for the unitards, we moved on to the velvet shorts.
7. I spent hours on end playing Barbie Team Gymnastics on the computer. Best. game. ever.
8. And possibly even better, the actual Barbie gymnast for you to flip around yourself. The bars one even came with a little plastic pair of grips!
9. Who else did classic, weird stuff like this with their teammates at parties or sleepovers? Don't lie- we all did it.
10. Three cheers for those of us who had to use the old horse. We actually vaulted on this thing?!
11. Yes, yes we did... in the good ol' days when the 10.0 system was the only way to score a routine.
12. And finally, Blaine Wilson. THE ultimate heartthrob. He was every little gymnast's crush and I almost died standing next to him.
Let's hear some things that you remember most from your young gymnastics days!
