Why I Love College Gymnastics
If you’ve been reading my blog and/or following me on social media for any length of time (especially Twitter, haha), you have probably picked up on the fact that I am a huge fan of college gymnastics. (See past posts: how I survive January and our spontaneous trip to Oregon.) It’s basically all I talk about from mid-December to mid-April—and Korri and my family can attest to that. It all started about six or so years ago when I was in grad school. I started going to gymnastics meets because they were *the* sport to watch at my school other than football; the home meets were always sold out (15,000+ fans), and since they’re consistently a top 5 team, there was no other environment as electric as that.
I started out by only going to the home meets and then slowly started following the team throughout the full season. When I moved back to Boise almost three years ago, I had to support my local team, and now, I record and watch every single meet I can find, and I am able to tell you what team a specific gymnast is on just by hearing her name (okay, this may be a slight exaggeration; I know some teams more than others because they have more media exposure, but truly…I follow almost every team at this point!). I also have started playing fantasy gymnastics, and my team is killing it this year so far! I love it because it’s introduced me to gymnasts and teams I may not have known as well otherwise.
For me, I admire how athletic gymnasts are. They are so strong and powerful and yet make everything they do look so beautiful and easy. It’s like athletic art! There’s also nothing like seeing a meet in person; something about hearing them hit the equipment makes you really realize how much power they have. These are HUMANS flipping around and landing seemingly effortlessly, and it’s just such a joy to watch—especially when they nail a routine! The team aspect is so fun, too. Plus, since there’s no offense or defense, everyone is out there trying to do the best they can. Even though they perform the same individual routines week after week, every meet is different. When a team puts it all together in one meet, the energy builds and it’s the coolest thing. Of course, hitting a perfect 10 doesn’t hurt!
I’ve always loved watching gymnastics during the Olympics and didn’t even consider following the sport outside of that, but now I’m so happy I do follow it now and consider it to be “my sport”. It’s my football! I’m a huge advocate for watching college gymnastics if it’s on TV (SEC Network shows meets every Friday night as part of their “Friday Night Heights” lineup, and ESPN and its affiliate networks show a big meet almost every week) AND catching local meets if you are able. Plus, so many meets are available with free streams (if not on TV) that it’s easy to watch most teams! I literally plan my weekends around meets…haha. Such is the life of a crazy gym fan. 😉
As an aside, I’ve learned so much about skills and correct form and execution from watching countless routines, listening to knowledgeable commentators, and reading blogs. I’m still learning new things almost every day (routine composition is fairly complicated!) and love that gymnastics has basically become continuing education for me!
The regular season is ending in just a few short weeks…sigh. It always goes so fast! Hopefully we’ll be able to take another spontaneous trip to catch them in action in the post-season!
OUTFIT DETAILS
Everlane sweater / exact style
Everlane jeans / exact (review here)
Vince Camuto flats / old; similar or similar from Macy’s
Nike hat / exact or similar
Le Specs sunglasses / exact
Dior Lip Glow in pink / exact