Gymnastics is an extreme sport that leads to serious health consequences when not done right. We’ve had people breaking bones and getting internally injured from attempting toe-curling stunts, but that doesn’t make it any less fun for its passionate practitioners.
As scary as gymnastics is, there are thousands of new players daily eyeing the ultimate stage – the Olympics – and training desperately to make the cut. Certain criteria guarantee you a foot in the door, like height and weight requirements but other than that, you need to be exceptional for a chance on the grand floor.
A parent explained that she stopped sponsoring her 12-year-old daughter’s “career” because she feared the young girl might not make the cut.
Read the full Reddit story below.
It’s A Futile Dream To Keep Funding

It’s A Lot Of Money For A Futile Effort
Gymnastics is very expensive as trainees practice for about 20 hours daily which requires heavy fees at elite gymnasiums. This mother said she’s no longer interested in feeding that potential as his 12-year-old is now 5’7″ tall, making her “too tall” for her league.
The average female gymnast’s height is between 4’9″ and 5’3″. The tallest female gymnast ever is Marie-Sophie Hindermann, a German woman who competed at the Senior International Elite level at 5’9″ tall between 2005 – 2012.
Already, this tall 12-year-old is the most injured teammate at her gym, and her mother can see the problem. After “ripping the bandaid” and telling her she couldn’t compete anymore, her daughter became reclusive and refused to eat anything.
She’s considering allowing her to return to her gymnastics but is scared of the repercussions.
Redditors Have Two Different Opinions

It Gets Intense As The Gymnasts Get Older

The Mother Is Accused Of Being Transactional

She’s Being Realistic And There’s Nothing Wrong With That

It’s A Sticky Situation

Redditors were split down the middle, with some calling the mother a j**k for taking away her daughter’s passion and others understanding the pain of being a parent. It’s a tricky spot, but she did the right thing.
Many people chose that she should let her daughter follow her passion wouldn’t be there years down the line when she doesn’t make the cut, and they’ve wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars on the futile dream.
However, she could also discuss with her child and allow her to participate for fun (not taking the sport away arbitrarily) rather than professionally. That way, everyone gets what they want. Unfortunately, once in the zone, you can’t trust the daughter not to attempt dangerous stunts.
It’s really a sticky situation.
Last Updated on December 22, 2022 by Chisom Ndianefo