Gymnastics demands strength

By Leah Starleper Towson University journalism student April 22, 2009

Gymnastics is a sport that offers more than physical activity and a child in intense training can learn how to do back flips and also positive lessons they can apply throughout life, a gymnastics coach said.

“I was 7 when I began competitive gymnastics,” said Paula Eichel, 42, owner and coach at Baltimore County Gymnastics. “It is a sport that I cannot seem to get away from and has allowed me to pass down knowledge, I gained over the years, through coaching.”

Boys and girls of all ages endure strength, flexibility, and mental training in order to compete. Starting at a young age can allow a gymnast to progress well and develop skills for college or the elite level, which is seen on television, gymnastics coaches said.

“This sport is much more than just physical training and many elite gymnasts are home schooled,” Eichel said.

Vault, bars, beam and floor are the women’s events and dance also has a huge role as it relates to two of the four events . According to a gymnastics coach, the last event is mental strength.

“Flying through the air and trying to stick a blind landing takes a lot of guts and a lot of strength”, Eichel said. “Body awareness is key in this sport and is something you cannot teach.”

Coaches have said that discipline is learned in this sport and youngsters learn how to keep their body fit. Military style pushups, pull-ups and chin-ups are used as strength training.

Gymnastics requires training all year round.

Slug: Wall

Wall

A 36- year old injured Baltimore woman and an infant were sent to the hospital Jan. 3 after a one alarm fire broke out at 12:13 a.m. in two apartments on the 200 block of North Aisquith Street, police said.

The injured woman, Arnetta Sands from apartment 10B, was treated and released for first- degree burns from Church Home and Hospital. The infant, Andre Henderson from apartment 10C, was treated and released for smoke inhalation from Hopkins Hospital and is doing okay.

The stove had been on in Sands apartment when she sprayed insecticide from an aerosol can which caused an explosion. The wall between the two apartments collapsed after the explosion and landed on the baby’s crib, where he was sleeping.

Firefighters removed a portion of the wall off of the crib before investigators declared the incident accidental. The mother of the infant, Renee Henderson,23, was uninjured. There was fire damage to the kitchen and furnishings in apartment 10B.