The Importance of Friendship In Our Gym

For the month of May, we here at Gymnastics Elite are focusing on the characteristic of friendship and what that means to us and what it means in our gym. We will be taking every opportunity to teach our students the importance and value of friendship during our time with them! It has been said that sports is the fuel to friendship and that is something that we can attest to and have seen here in our gym. In all of our programs, from our little ones in Rollie Pollies and Jumping Jellybeans to our Ninja Zone and Ballet programs to levels 1-10 of girls gymnastics, we can see that the children have not only benefited physically but also socially. A child gets this social benefit no matter what skill level they are at. You don't have to be at the highest or most advanced level of your sport or program to develop friendships! Sports can help build a child's confidence in themselves and this then makes them more likely to put themselves out there when it comes to meeting people and initiating friendships. Sports also give the kids a chance to meet people and other children they otherwise wouldn't have and gets them out of their shell and out of their comfort zone. Plus they are put in the position of meeting other kids that have a shared interest as them which helps break the ice and gives them a healthy and productive thing to bond over. This can give the child an instant sense of belonging! When a child is apart of a team or in a class or program in our gym we encourage and reward when the kids support each other and teach them the importance of that support and rooting for their friends and peers to succeed. They learn that when they support others they get that same support back! We also think that friendship and good sportsmanship go hand in hand. When they learn what being a good friend is to their teammates/classmates they are more likely to be able to carry over that respect over to their competitors. Being able to be competitive and not arrogant is a valuable characteristic to have for every area of their lives. This system of support is something that we also aim instill into our staff and is an important aspect in the foundation of the culture of our gym.We always try to lead by example for our students and this is something that is constantly in the back of our minds but this month it will be at the forefront! "FRIENDSHIPS BORN ON THE FIELD OF ATHLETIC STRIFE ARE THE REAL GOLD F COMPETITION. AWARDS BECOME CORRODED, FRIENDS GATHER NO DUST."- Jesse Owens