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Chelmsford Gymnastics Club - Future Development

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Chelmsford Gymnastics Club - Future Development

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On reflection, I would have liked to have broadened my focus group participants to encourage a wider range of opinions to really understand what its like to be training in gymnastics not only to be coaching it. I did find that more people nowadays are more open to suggestions in relation to male and female categories in competitions, and can see that they are slowly being altered. Finally in further research id like to  attend a competition and speak to judges and discus the gender issues within gymnastics and whether they think it will change, as well as how strongly they believe gymnastics to be a sophisticated Art Form.

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Conducting a survey I found that 88% of people agreed that gender and sex are completely different things - a good point to note as it shows society is not all closed off to new 'norms'.

I did also find out that 77% thought that men won more medals at the Olympics. This is the opposite to what I thought would be the reaction as I felt the majority of individuals still saw gymnastics as a female topic - a positive finding.

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Create and publish online surveys in minutes, and view results graphically and in real time. SurveyMonkey provides free online questionnaire and survey software.

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I held a focus group of three gymnasts. One was a female coach, one young male training coach, and also a Head of Male gymnastics.

Wincott E mentioned that "it used to be very stereotypically female yet since 2012 Olympics it has become more popular for boys thanks to Lewis Smith and Max Whitlock."

He did say however that "there is still quite a big gender divide due to aesthetics and detail in movement, which is why activities such as free running can be found nowadays as a more male orientated topic."

This focus group was very beneficial yet I would have liked to have found a few gymnasts in training perhaps a young girl and boy and heard their points of view on their actual training they are receiving.

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Speaking to Mikki Partidge from Chelmsford Gymnastics: "Women are also required to perform floor routines to music, with the inclusion of dance moves in their performances, another major contribution to the stereotypes that women should exhibit femininity." The women’s side of gymnastics is seen to discourage displays of strength as included in men’s gymnastics, while at the same time men are restricted from performing any “feminine” aspects of gymnastics, such as performing to music or including dance moves in their routines.

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"Historically, Men’s and Women’s gymnastics have been drastically different. Anyone who has watched the summer Olympics knows the beauty, grace, and flair incorporated into women’s routine, in sharp contrast to the display of strength, power, and speed in men’s." Nick.R 2017

I found  reading online articles from current gymnasts, that not only do men compete professionally in two additional events (still rings, and the parallel bars) they also compete "on horizontal bar in comparison to women, who compete on the uneven bars" - showing the clear difference in which each gender is 'allowed' to execute, dependent on capability or not.

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It was my first day in gymnastics. I remember the smooth, worn feeling of the leather pommel horse, the smell of chalk and sweat, and the feel of the springed floor beneath me. It was my first day that I was taught that boys land from jumps differently from girls, and I didn't think to ask why. Watching professional gymnastics, I had always noticed that the men performed skills showcasing extreme strength and power, while the women's routines were more closely tied to dance and movement.

Historically, Men's and Women's gymnastics have been drastically different, arguably one of the most significant differences in a sport within sex. Anyone who has watched the summer Olympics knows the beauty, grace, and flair incorporated into women's routine, in sharp contrast to the display of strength, power, and speed in men's. Men compete on two extra events as well, the still rings, and the parallel bars. They also compete on the horizontal bar in comparison to women, who compete on the uneven bars. I believe the sport of gymnastics needs to be largely reevaluated, specifically the portions of it that perpetuate stereotypes regarding the femininity of women and the masculinity of men. Anyone who considers him/herself a fan of the sport, or an athlete who competes in it owes it to himself/herself to consider this reevaluation.

The reasoning behind these stark differences seem reasonable on paper; For example, the Still Rings is an event that requires extreme upper body strength that women just don't have, an understandable reason. However, why do women not compete on the high bar? Competing on the uneven bars makes it near impossible to perform the high flying release moves that men can perform on high bar. Women are also not rewarded as well for release moves, skills that are largely seen as the most exciting in the sport.

Many male gymnasts are bullied or looked down upon by their peers, as gymnastics is largely seen as a sport traditionally "for girls".

Women are also required to perform their floor routines to music, and include dance moves in their performances, another major contribution to the stereotypes that women should exhibit femininity, even in athletics. The women's side of gymnastics discourages the displays of strength and power as are in men's gymnastics, while at the same time men are restricted from performing any of the more "feminine" aspects of gymnastics, such as performing to music or including dance moves in their routines.

In conclusion, I believe the sport of gymnastics needs to be largely reevaluated, specifically the portions of it that perpetuate stereotypes regarding the femininity of women and the masculinity of men, something we struggle with not only in athletics but in everyday life as well. This is an issue not only for gymnasts, but for coaches, parents, friends, or fans of athletics as well.

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It was my first day in gymnastics. I remember the smooth, worn feeling of the leather pommel horse, the smell of chalk and sweat, and the feel of the springed floor beneath me. It was my first day that I was taught that boys land from jumps differently from girls, and I didn't think to ask why.

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This finding about men being discriminated in gymnastics because of their sex, I believe is very ironic. Looking back at records of medals from previous Olympics; more medals are won by male gymnasts than female - does this say that men are more capable of the skill required to execute the form, showing strength and power?

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Gymnastics at the 2012 Summer Olympics - Wikipedia

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Three gymnastics disciplines were contested at the 2012 Olympic Games in London: artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and trampolining. The trampoline events were held at the North Greenwich Arena (normally called The O2 Arena) from 3 to 4 August; the artistic events were also held at the North Greenwich Arena, from 28 July to 7 August.

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"Popular Art is that which is not authorized by the art world." Parkers Tentative Definition III

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Whilst researching the topic of gender differences in gymnastics I complied various types of research to create a wide depth of findings. Completing this applied research I used a survey to gain a quantitative analysis. A qualitative interview with the coach I completed the class with to provide me with an inside perspective of the art form.

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Personal Experience: 44.44%
Stress Relief: 11.11%
Entertainment: 44.44%
Social Media: 0%
Other: 0

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1. the structure of an artistic work.

2. a medium for artistic expression.

3. any medium regarded as having systematized rules, procedures, or formulations.

does this mean that gymnastics is more related to typical dance styles than first originally thought?

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If gymnastics were easy, they would call it football.

According to Utah gymnast Kari Lee, each sport is difficult in its own way. While Lee couldn't do what a football player does, what with all the running full-force and pounding each other, the same goes for football players - they couldn't do what a gymnast does.

"It's just hard in different ways," Lee said. "I wouldn't necessarily say one is harder than the other, because it just takes different physical attributions to do the sport that we do."

The key word here is sport. Some might argue that gymnastics is not a sport, but rather a fine art. Those who are involved in it, however, see gymnastics in a different light. They call it artistic gymnastics for a reason, according to Lee, so the art aspect comes in because it is supposed to be artistic, but at the same time she still considers gymnastics a sport.

Just like any other sport, gymnastics takes a lot of mentality and physicality, and gymnasts have to be in peak shape. It has everything every other sport does, if not more.

While Lee would just ignore those who said her sport was just a fine art and nothing else, because she has been doing this for over 16 years and it's her way of living, she admits that it would probably bother her a little bit. Luckily, she hasn't met someone who has ever said those specific words to her.

Junior Maddy Stover would say what gymnasts do is special, but there is a lot of skill behind it.

"There is a balance to gymnastics," Stover said. "There is a lot of strength and power involved in gymnastics that I think some people forget about. It is definitely a unique art form, what we do, but more along the lines of sport."

But head coach Megan Marsden doesn't see gymnastics being called an art form as negative. Marsden thinks the sport encompasses so much style, grace and dancing that people at times confuse it with the arts. The part that Marsden doesn't love about that is the way people look at it.

Sometimes the crowds in the stands feel like it needs to be quiet in the arena, and they wait for the soft applause after. Marsden likes the sport aspect in terms of the fan involvement, because she thinks the athletes love to have the fans applaud after they do a skill right in the middle of the routine and they enjoy people cheering out or yelling their name. None of that would happen at a ballet, so for that part of it, Marsden enjoys the sport side.

Marsden added that a dancer has to be extremely tough, so she looks at art movement and sport movement as something similar. It's just a matter of how it beats you up.

"A football player gets beat up by hitting into other football players," Marsden said. "My gymnasts get beat up from the landings - their bodies having to land hard on equipment and do it over and over again through an entire childhood, so I think you have to be very tough to be a gymnast."

In order to be tough enough in the sport, gymnasts have to endure difficult routines, practices and tricks. Lee feels that the the training they do is normal. Whenever she is asked what is the hardest thing she has to do, she's thrown off, because she has never thought of it like that. She has always done everything that has been asked of her without hesitation.

Marsden said she has her girls finish every practice with holding a handstand for at least a minute. Marsden wants her girls to continue to hone in on a base move that is involved in several skills on each event.

While art requires skill, gymnastics always requires strength and agility, just like it would in football, basketball or any other sport for that matter. Stover thinks there are some artistic qualities that make gymnastics a unique sport, but she definitely calls it more of a sport than an art.

Even though gymnasts spend their whole lives doing this sport, it doesn't stop them from going to watch other meets, and they enjoy everything they watch - both as an art and a sport.

"My parents own gymnastic businesses, so whenever we host a competition and I'm able to go, I just go and watch," Lee said. "I love watching the younger girls, because I was there once and I remember everything. I just love watching it. I do think it is an art and a beautiful sport. Hard on the body, but a beautiful sport."
e.white@dailyutahchronicle.com
@emileewhitee

Emilee White has been at The Daily Utah Chronicle for over a year, and she is currently the the assistant sports editor. She started her sports writing career with SwimSwam, and she has done an internship with the Deseret News.

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Gymnastics: A Powerful Art Form - Daily Utah Chronicle

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If gymnastics were easy, they would call it football. According to Utah gymnast Kari Lee, each sport is difficult in its own way. While Lee couldn't do what a football player does, what with all the running full-force and pounding each other, the same goes for football players - they couldn't do what a gymnast ...

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My Personal Experience: 'Open Gymnastics'

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My Personal Experience: 'Open Gymnastics'

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Taking a class at my local Gym, having coaches to assist with movement. A three hour session for £9.00 working on skills of my choice - choosing which I would like to try and consequently work on. I chose a front tuck, having previously be able to complete this move on the floor, I wanted to get this skill back for performance purposes. Being able to participate in a class of my chosen topic meant I could get a first hand quality experience into the gender inequalities and stereotypes within the form - studying the differences in the ways each gender performs it.

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"The Art of Dance and the Sport of Gymnastics are very similar, but still have their differences." Sinziana Preda states connections between the two art forms. Historically I found female gender practice gymnastics in the modernism period. Male gymnasts were non-rational becoming a 'disorder' - this had to be eliminated. This is the main reason behind a lot of discrimination in the early periods of gymnastics.

"Whether a topic is labelled as 'order' or 'disorder' relates directly to the effort to achieve stability." In my quantitative survey I found 88% agreed that gymnastics is an Art Form and actually is 89% more relevant to a male dancer nowadays - a complete contrast to previous history.

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The Art Forms of Dance and Gymnastics - Essay

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English Essays: The Art Forms of Dance and Gymnastics

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Sex is the biological trait given to us at birth - only now is it beginning to be altered, or is it?
Gender is the social construction of difference based on genetic sex - always will be forever changing.

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Hello! You have landed on this page because you were heading for one of the old websites made by me, David Gauntlett, in the distant past.

Most of the stuff on sites like 'theory.org.uk' and 'newmediastudies.com' was 12-20 years old, and I kept it all on the internet for a long long time in case anybody really needed it, but I think that time has now gone.

However you might find what you were looking for - or something newer and better - by taking a look at:

→ This whole site! Full of many things. Take a look around!
→ Latest book is the Second Expanded Edition of Making is Connecting!
→ The complete list of my publications, some of which are available online
→ This ' open access' page, highlighting recent items that you can read free
→ The complete list of blog posts

I hope this helps! If you are especially upset that something in particular has vanished, contact me and if other people feel the same way about the same thing, I might create a new place for it on this site. Thank you!

[12 hours later:] So I almost immediately heard from someone who was sad that they couldn't get the Theory Trading Cards any more. Don't worry, here's the PDFs, from 18 years ago:

→ Theory Trading Cards sheet 1 (cards #1-#9)
→ Theory Trading Cards sheet 2 (cards #10-#12)

[A further 6 hours later:] OK, and people are also looking for this old article:

→ ' Ten Things Wrong With Media Effects Studies ' (2006 version)

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Hello! You have landed on this page because you were heading for one of the old websites made by me, David Gauntlett, in the distant past. Most of the stuff on sites like 'theory.org.uk' and 'newmediastudies.com' was 12-20 years old, and I kept it all on the internet for a long long time in case anybody really needed it, but I think that time has now gone.