What Gymnastics Can Mean to a Gymnast's Grades and Academics

Gymnastics is a rapidly growing sport at the club level. It is estimated that there are over 3 million children participating in gymnastics in this country. USA Gymnastics, the Olympic governing body for the sport of gymnastics, has seen a 37.5 percent increase in the number of private clubs over 5 years. There are as many as 4000 gymnastics programs in the country.

Better Students and Better People

There are many reasons for the increase in the numbers participating in the sport. One of the reasons is the role that gymnastics plays in the noticeable improvement of gymnasts as athletes, students and as a person in general. Gym owners and coaches have found this personal growth of their gymnasts is one of their primary motivations in their continuing participation in the sport.

The More the Merrier

Even though it may seem counter-intuitive, most gymnasts maintain their current good grades or improve their grades when they join a gymnastics team. In spite of the numerous hours (10 – 40 hours in the gym) they spend in the gym training, their grades improve. This effect is also noticeable with younger gymnasts in team training programs who spend from 5 – 10 hours per week in a gym. More hours in the gym equals better grades and happier parents.

A Confidence Builder

The confidence gymnastics builds in young gymnasts alone is reason enough to participate in the sport or enroll your child in the sport. The confidence and lessons learned from the sport transfer to every other area of a gymnast’s life. Coaches see examples of this over and over in their careers at every level of the sport.

A Confidence Built

One of our favorite examples is the formerly very shy niece of a gym owner who went from hiding behind her mother’s skirts to competing at the State, Regional and National level competitions in both cheerleading and gymnastics. The key factor in this changeover was her participation in gymnastics, first in a team training program and then on the gymnastics team itself. Her grades in school also improved as a result of her increased confidence which allowed her to also be more confident when taking test, which had been a serious problem for her before.

Self-Discipline in Both the Gym and in School

In spite of the number of hours gymnasts spend training in the gym, they seem to do better in school. Apparently the lessons learned in the sport regarding discipline, dedication and commitment that gymnasts learned from their sport, translate into success in the classroom. It is not uncommon to see students with average grades before they make the team, improve to honor roll status while working out in gymnastics 20 – 25 hours per week or more.

Higher Than Average Academics

On the whole, gymnasts get good grades throughout elementary, jr. high, high school and college. One study showed that more than 35 percent of NCAA gymnasts have achieved a 3.5 or better in school over the previous two years. Graduation rates for gymnasts exceed 90 percent in college, a much higher rate than average. More NCAA Women of the Year Finalist academic awards were awarded to gymnasts than any other sport and at a rate of two to three times of other sports. Gymnasts also received more NCAA post-graduate Scholarships than any other female sport over the last 5 years.

More Training than Other Athletes

Gymnasts arrive at college with an average total of 12 years of gymnastics training and experience. Competitive team gymnasts who compete in gymnastics in college likely averaged 25 hours per week of year-round gymnastics practice for up to 50 weeks per year. Most other sports are seasonal and no other sport can claim that their athletes come to college with 5000 hours of training under their belts during their high school years.

Gymnasts Graduate

Graduation rates for female gymnasts exceed 90 percent in college. We expect that the rate for high school gymnasts is near 100%, but there is no way to track that statistic since gymnasts usually compete for private clubs instead of high school programs.

The Force is with Them

Competitive team members and gymnasts tend to improve their academics while participating in the sport. Their confidence levels improve and this transfers to other areas of their life. Participation in the sport is a positive force in the life of gymnasts and their academic life and career. Gymnasts think gymnastics is fun. Shhhh! - don't tell them gymnastics is good for them.

What Gymnastics Means to Gymnasts' Academics by John Howard