What Makes A Champion? Carly Patterson
Hi,
We all love champions. I especially admire champions when I have an insiders view of what they had to accomplish to make it to the top.
If you have been following gymnastics for any length of time, odds are you have heard of a particular gymnast by the name of Carly Patterson, you've probably seen pictures of her gymnastics many times.
You probably also know that she is one of the youngest successful female Olympic gymnasts ever - and that she has stunned the world of late with her
astounding abilities. In 2004, she became the first
all-around Olympic champion for the United States in more
than two decades, and was also the first to win for the US
in the past two games, an amazing feat indeed, considering
these past Olympic games were fully attended! The last
female all-around gymnastics champion for the United States
won in 1984, when the Soviet Union had boycotted the
Olympics entirely.
Carly was born on February the fourth, 1988, in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, to a pair of loving parents - her mother,
Natalie, and her father, Ricky. She is the first of a pair
of girls (her younger sister is Jordan). Currently, she
lives with her mother, her sister, and her pets in Allen,
Texas.
A straight-A student, she is almost a normal
teenager when it comes to taste in music, boys, and
shopping.
However, one thing sets her apart from the rest
of the crowd, even beyond her academics: she spends more
than thirty hours a week training in her Texas academy. Of
course, she could not have gotten to where she is currently
without help. This logically leads to the question -- what
makes a champion?
Carly started early on with her girls gymnastics career. In 1994, aged 6,
she began taking classes after attending a friend’s
birthday gymnastics party at Gymnastics Elite, a gym facility in Baton
Rouge, and meeting the head coach there. After five years
of training, what began as simple drills in gymnastics splits became a sport and then true career:
she won her first state title in 1999 for Louisiana, aged 11.
Then, she and her family moved to Texas, which gave her the
chance to train at some of the best gymnastics gyms in the
United States. She worked with Evgeny Marchenko and his
team at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy in Plano,
Texas, and within a year completed the Top Gym Tournament
in Belgium in second place, taking the bronze medal in the
beam gymnastics equipment event, and won the all-around gold at the American
Team Cup.
Thus began her rise to super-stardom in the
world of womens gymnastics. She took dozens of titles, national
and international, competing across the globe. Then, of
course, she competed in the 2004 Olympics…and the rest, as
they say, is gymnastics history.
Certainly, her coaches had a lot to do with her success.
They gave her the practical experience acquired via excellent
training and for the creativity she displays in her favored
events.
Good gymnastics schools, dedication to her work,
and certainly the allure of championships kept her
motivated, and as she won title after title, she continued
to improve and fulfil her uncommon potential.
And, too, love of the sport itself inspired by
her coaches and her mentors aided her to the point where
she is today…but to attribute all of her success to the
work of these individuals would be erroneous without, of
course, mentioning her parents.
This goes doubly for Miss Patterson, for she also
showed unwavering confidence and interest in her gymnastics
endeavors--in fact, by enrolling her in Gymnastics Elite,
they gave her a good running start for motivation. It was
with their help, too, that she got through some of the most
difficult times of her career thus far. An injury to her
elbow kept her out of several national and international
championships; it was with her parents’ support that she
was rehabilitated, and has now risen to become an Olympic
star.
Although I don't know Carly or her parents, I have no doubt
they are incredibly supportive, understanding and caring.
Because it has been my observation that nearly every elite
athlete in the world comes from a strong supportive family.
They must, because the world is full of talent, but only those
with the talent AND the commitment of the loved ones
around them will ever rise above the rest.
You, as a parent of a gymnast, can certainly take this to
heart. You don’t have to be particularly well off to give
your gymnast the confidence they need to become the best.
In fact, all you have to do is encourage your child; if
they show interest in the sport, let them participate. If
they do well, encourage them further.
Your goal should never be only to drive them to excellence in
gymnastics but to prepare them physically and emotionally
for a fulfilling happy life, blessed with self-belief, self-love
and self-confidence.
They’re already champions.
My book Gymnastics Secrets Revealed has been written
especially so you can learn how to properly support your
gymnast the way she deserves.
Help her be her best, in gymnastics and in life.
Until next time, remember, be the best gymnastics parent you can be, your child deserves nothing less.
Thanks,
Murray
