Laughter and cheering rang through the industrial gymnasium, tucked away in Woodstock, Ga. The Kennesaw State University Club Gymnastics meet was like a circus. Girls with colored ribbons in their glittered hair twirled on four-inch-thick pieces of wood. Quasi- bodybuilders dangled nine feet above the ground from metal rings clasped in their hands, while others defied gravity in massive tumbling on a blue felt, spring floor.
"It's nice to have the thrill of competition," said Nicole Linderman, a junior at Emory University, who competed in all four events for the women's team. Emory was among eight college teams to compete. "But these gymnasts aren't cutthroat like the younger ones," she added.
College club gymnastics is a drastic departure from youth competitive gymnastics. Instead of pouting six-year-olds who lost points for not pointing their toes, big smiles light the room when the college gymnasts make it to their feet. It's rare to see the perfect "sticks" that are common in elite-level gymnastics.
Gymnastics is traditionally a sport for the young. Most gyms don't offer classes past the age of 18. Women physically peak in the sport between the ages of 14 and 16, while men thrive through their early 20s. These disparities between the sexes are clearly present in college gymnastics. While most of the young women train simple, clean routines consistently, some men fall almost as often as they land on their feet. They attempt riskier, high-level skills.
"Guys can throw tricks for the first time in competition," said Khy Chesnut, a sophomore competing for Kennesaw State University. He added, "We always say, 'Just throw it.'"
The first routine I saw was a young man on floor. Clearly peaking in his gymnastics talents, he stepped on the floor and pulled his neon-orange Clemson shorts so they sat midway down his tanned, thick thigh muscles. He greeted the judges with a salute and exhaled as the notes to a fast-paced electronic song began. Tearing across the blue floor with incredible power, he executed a shaky double twisting back layout. Immediately, he followed up with another power move, a front handspring double twisting front layout, but his body didn't have the necessary height, and he stumbled to the side. He doubled over in pain in a potentially season-ending injury.
Gymnastics is a high-impact sport, and injuries happen. Many of the young athletes competing in the club meet were wearing tiger-paws, the common gymnastics wrist protectors, knee supports and ankle braces. Gymnastics is the second most dangerous sport for girls, second only to cheerleading, according to Fox News. However, the five million people in the U.S. attending gymnastics gyms suggest that there's more to the sport.
"I think the benefits you gain far outweigh the risks," Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics, said in an interview with US News.
One benefit of gymnastics is the exercise. The bulging biceps and six-pack abs may be a clue. Gymnasts have to train intensely to be able to lift their weight six feet off their ground or bounce off their arms at what seems 20 miles an hour. Not all gymnastics is this intense, however.
The Emory Gymnastics Club team is a place where students can easily accumulate fitness, gain new skills at their leisure and have fun bonding with their peers.
"No, we're not the greatest gymnasts, and we may not have as many difficult skills," said Ali Serpe, a co-captain of the team and a senior at Emory. She continued, "But we work hard at every practice, and we make progress at every meet."
The Emory Gymnastics team didn't place at the KSU meet, or any of the meets this year. The team meets twice a week at the local Atlanta Gymnastics Center, just a few miles away from Emory's campus.
"It's a great social thing," said Jason Perlman, a junior at Emory, in his second year on the team. He added, "That's why I stick with gymnastics."
The National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs is hosting the annual national competition on April 3 in Chattanooga, Tenn. Over 160 college teams from all over the country are signed up to compete, including Emory.
"We set our goals at the beginning of the year for Nationals," Linderman said. She's working on her back handspring back tuck for the competition.
- By Caroline Eggers
