Olympic appearances are important ways for a gymnast to achieve stardom. USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for American gymnastics. Earnings for professional gymnasts can be as much as $5,000 for a single meet and as much as $1 million or more to perform on a tour. Current public speaking engagement fees for past Olympic gold medal gymnasts are between $15,000 and $25,000 for gymnast Carly Patterson and between $7,500 and $15,000 for gold medalist Nadia Comaneci, both of whom are clients of one of the largest athlete management companies, IMG Sports Management. For those seeking to enter this sport, read on to learn become a gymnast.
Instructions
1. Locate a local gymnastics club, if there is one in your locale. There is no substitute for practice and there are no shortcuts to becoming a great gymnast. It takes a lot of hard work, skill and determination to make it to the top of your sport.
2. Participate in your school’s gymnastics program. Most public schools offer gymnastics. By competing in school competition, you be able to see other competitors in action and take notice of your opponent’s techniques that you may also want to incorporate into your routines.
3. Find a good professional gymnastics instructor. This can assist in developing your gymnastics skills more quickly. An instructor can assess your skills and offer suggestions about your areas of weakness as well as provide emotional support. A directory of certified gymnastics instructors can be found on the USA Gymnastics website.
4. Compete in national gymnastics competitions and events sanctioned by USA Gymnastics. Be forewarned. When you apply for membership in USA Gymnastics, a background check is required. This will involve a search for any criminal record or drug use issues you may have. Membership in USA Gymnastics is not automatically approved.
5. Compete in Olympic trials and (hopefully) in the Olympic Games.
6. After your gymnastics career peaks, you should consider applying for certification by USA Gymnastics to work as a gymnastics instructor.
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