I just turned 17, and now i'm very interested in joining gymnastics. Is it too late or am i too old?

Question

I don't know if this will help at all, but I'm athletic. Ive played soccer, football, basketball and baseball until i was 13. And now i continue only to play baseball. And i can pick up on athletic activities pretty good and quick. Also, im a very dedicate person when it comes to doing something that i really like doing involved with athletics, especially practicing it.

And would i ever have the opportunity and skill set to compete at an olympic level?

Answer 1

why not try if you want to?

Answer 2

As a former Senior Elite Acrobatic Gymnast, and a member of my National Selection Team, I can say BY EXPERIENCE and by having seen many others "fail", that it's a super late age to be an Olympic Level gymnast for ARTISTIC gymnastics, either men's or women's.

If you didn't know it, there are 6 sub-divisions or "branches" regarding the sport of gymnastics, and some of them don’t require you to begging at an early age at all……as long as you have natural abilities and skills.

The 6 sub-divisions are:

***Men's Artistic Gymnastics***

(pommel, vault, parallels, rings, high bar, floor)

***Women's Artistic Gymnastics***

(beam, vault, floor , uneven bars)

***Acrobatic Gymnastics***

(men's pair, women's pair, mixed pair, women's trio, men's group or "men's 4") Acro. consists of 3 floor routines (balance, tempo, combined) each lasting no more than 2min 30secs (a whole 1 minute longer than in artistic gymnastics). Acro. combines the skills of a tumbler & the grace of a dancer with some contortion & circus skills along with the traditional gymnastics floor routines. REALLY FUN STUFF!

***Aerobic Gymnastics***

(high-octane cardio routines on a hardwood floor. Single, paired or in a group)

***Trampoline Gymnastics***

( A succession of 10 jumps or "skills" in a row...on a rectangular standard regulation competition trampoline).

***Rithmic Gymnastics***

A girl's only branch of gymnastics. EXTREME flexibility required! It consists of a series of floor routines, showing extreme flexibility, along with the skills to manipulate (on separate routines) a hoop, ball, clubs, silk ribbon and a rope while performing the routine.

Well, directly to the point, I think you're "old" for a career in ARTISTIC gymnastics. That branch of gymnastics is like training for 4 different events for girls..and 6 for boys. It takes a looooong time to master each and every one of those apparatuses and even the pro's only get to master 1 or 2. Those gymnasts are called "specialists" in the apparatuses they excel at. You need to star at an early age to be able to first learn all the basic gymnastics stuff…like basic floor tumbling, summersaults, HOW TO FALL PROPPERLY, body-awareness while flipping on the air, etc

What I would recommend is that you find a gym that has an "acrobatic gymnastics program" or team that you can join.

I began my former gymnastics training at age 19…and I’m 23 right now. I joined a basic tumbling and gymnastics club at college…..that got me into Olympic diving…and there I met a guy that introduced me to acrobatic gymnastics. I joined that gym the next day and 2 months after that, I was invited to join the National Selection Team (in Puerto Rico)….and 3 months after making the team, I was competing in my first international event ever, In Maryland, USA!..GOT 3 GOLDS in men’s 4 !!! The men’s 4 broke a few months later and I ended doing mixed pair. Everything’s going good so far with that. I was the National Senior Elite Champion in “mixed pair mode” until Dec. 2007, when my girl left the team. :o[

Whit that said; NO...YOU’RE NOT THAT OLD TO START IN GYMNASTICS…..at least for Acro, and maybe trampoline. You just need to try and see if you get the hang of it. My success story isn’t typical at all; I guess I’m an exception to the rule and that I’m blessed in some way.

It’s true that I had my advantages: dance training (I did jazz for about 2 years) and I’m naturally flexible + a quick learner. The thing is that, if you really really really want it, “the sky is the limit”…and your mind! (gymnastics is scary sometimes…you need BIIIG guts!)

Soo..I would recommend you to start in Acrobatic Gymnastics. There you will get training in tumbling, dance, trampoline, etc. and you will be going AT YOUR OWN PACE!...there’s a looooot of “skills” to choose from, some are more flexibility- oriented, other focuses on strength, others in agility, balance, etc…..it all depends on your abilities.

As you master the main skills, the difficulty level increases….and there’s always something new that you can do. Every skill has a difficulty value (given in points); your coach will choose your skills from a book of official skills (“the code of points book”) and for your routines, he will emphasize the things and skills that you’re good at. EVERY routine is different…and as long as your chosen skills are summing up at least to the minimum points required (for whichever level you begin at), you will do really good.

JUST GO OUT AND TRY IT!!!...you don’t know if your story can be as good as mine if you don’t try it for yourself. GO TRY IT!

Good luck! :o]

Answer 3

You seem to have a very positive attitude about it. So I'd say, just do it. Good luck

Answer 4

sorry...but you are way to old to start now.

Answer 5

Sorry, but i'd say no. Unless you can learn to do a 190 degree split both ways.

Answer 6

It's not too late, if you work hard and have some skill.

There's certainly no reason not to give it a shot.

Answer 7

Frankly, no.

It's too late for you.

Answer 8

It would be ideal for you if you would be happy with being a good gymnast and consider the possibility of the olympics an added bonus.  

Learning basic gymnastics would be your first step.  From there you could decide if you want to put in long, brutal hours in the gym.  To train for the olympics, you will need to put in at least three hours every day.  You will be sore,  often injured, and exhausted most of the time.  You will want to puke each time you think about the amount of stretching you are going to have to do today.  

You will have to travel to many meets and find a good coach.  It will be expensive and time consuming.  Your family must also support you.  

You are not too old, although by the next olympics you will be considered older for a gymnast.  But you have not been practicing for so long and will not have the accumulated injuries that they have.

The short amount of time you have trained will make it harder, but other girls have gotten good in four years before.  

Be honest with yourself.  Do you have a gymnasts body?  Are you as short, flexible and powerful enough to become like shawn johnson? She is very rare.  I trained for track and football for years and the truth is i will never be as fast as usain bolt.  (well maybe if i was on steriods too...)  realizing that killed my fantasy and hurt a little.  But i would be happy being a very good sprinter because i really do like to run so much.  

Can you see yourself walking into a gym and signing up for gymnastic lessons tomorrow?

I wish the very best for you.  Good luck!

Answer 9

im 14 years old, and im joining gymnastics again, for the second timee. i also want to go to olympics tooo and its goin to take a lot of work. i would say no its not to late, even tho gymnastss usually start around 3-5. i did but my mom made me quit and im goin back now. u still have a shot, and only do it if u love it. if ur only doin it to go to the olympics, stop now! its goin to take a lot of effort and dedication... but i thnk u have a shot at gymnastics! u and i are goin to have to work a lot harder tho! mabye one dayy u and i will be at the olympics togethr!!! good luck! :)

Answer 10

Sorry. But It Is Too Late For You. You Have To Learn Gymnastics And Practice It  Would Be Probably 2 Years. And You Have To Practice Alot. Then You Have To Join Competitive Gymnastics Team, And You Will Have To Get Higher Level. Then You Can Try The Olympic Trials And Its Alot Of Work To Do.. Thats Why Many Gymnast Like Shawn, Nastia, And Alicia Start Gymnastics BEFORE 10...  But Gymnastics Is Still Fun, You Should Try It For Fun Or Competitive... You Wont Be Able To Do The Olympics, But You Can Do Competitive And Travel Everywhere Or Be A Really Great Gymnastics, Do It For Fun And Because You Love It?? Hope This Helps.