Gymnastic Classes

If an athlete is good enough to qualify for the Olympics — then they should be allowed to compete — regardless of age. And it seems silly to me that there is minimum age requirements for some events in the Olympics and not others. One of the female US swimmers, for instance, is only 15 years-old and and there is a 14 year-old British diver — both of whom are both legally competing. In addition, it also seems silly to allow a gymnast to practice over 50 hours a week and compete in all other competitions, but not in the Olympics. It also seems silly that the International Gymnastic Federation (IGF) should dictate the rules for the Olympics instead of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Plus, a significant reason the US women gymnastics team did not take home the team gold is because they made numerous mistakes. However, that all being said, a rule is a rule and the lack of follow-up by the IOC and the IGF over the Chinese gymnasts’ ages is, well, silly. The rule, implemented b …

The majority of those competing come from schools but some cheerleading teams are not affiliated with any school or sport. They form based on their abilities such as gymnastics and only learn routines for the purpose of competing. This particular area has lead to controversy over labeling cheerleading as a sport or as an activity. The big cheerleading competitions are held annually at various locations with only those cheerleading squads who have done well in local events being able to compete. Many of these larger competitions are televised on ESPN. They also show interviews with those who compete and discuss the risk of injury involved in the competitions. With the introduction of cheerleading competitions, it has become a huge industry worth millions of dollars instead of just learning some chants and moves to provide interest at pep rallies and sporting events. There are complicated gymnastic and dance moves involved as well as pyramids and other exciting designs. The amount of ti …