Gymnastics Extinguished My Love of Sport: Aerial Hoop Reignited it
After experiencing burnout from competitive gymnastics growing up, ALT Member Jenny reflects on how she never thought she would find a love of sport again, until she joined ALT.
”I joined ALT Fitness a bit more than a year ago. Looking back at that year makes me giggle, seeing how much of a sportsperson I have become. For a very long time, sport wasn't anything I enjoyed. It felt like a chore, something I SHOULD do, not something I WANTED to do.
After a year of Aerial Hoop, Jenny’s first photoshoot!
📸 by Aerial Arts Photography
Now and then I would get that guilty feeling that told me to be more active and I tried one thing or another. Aaand I hated it. Every. Single. Time. That wasn't always the case though: As a kid I was really active, always playing outside, climbing trees and even joining a major local gymnastics club in Primary School. I was very passionate about gymnastics and really proud of the things I learned there. About a year in I participated in my first competition and was absolutely thrilled to come home with a medal.
About 6 or 7 years later though, it wasn't fun any more. I'd spent most of my free time training for the next competition and so many weekends away from home. I did my homework on the bus, rarely had time to meet my friends and saw my grades drop in school. The competitions lost their fun and became exhausting! Not performing well or letting my group down, became a constant source of anxiety.
When I’d finally had enough and decided that I wanted to stop competing and train only for fun I spoke to my trainer to inform her of my decision and her reaction was anything but understanding. I was yelled at for wasting her time and given the choice to either continue with the competitions or stop entirely... So I did. That experience made me feel like a sport was only worth practising, if you were doing it with the purpose to compete against others. Just doing it for fun wasn't good enough. And how wrong is that, right?! I pretty much became a couch potato afterwards.
The early stages of Jenny’s Aerial Hoop journey: Look at that big smile!
Moving to Scotland from Germany I hoped to go hiking a lot, which I always loved, but the Pandemic hit pretty much right after I moved. With lockdown and no means to get out of the city, I really needed an outlet. So I started Yoga at home, setting an alarm to force myself to stick with it. Ultimately I did it long enough that it became a routine and I liked how it improved my energy, stamina and strength. But I didn't enjoy it enough to motivate me. I wanted something more, though I couldn't quite put my finger on what that “more” was.
In early 2022 I stumbled upon ALT Fitness and I really liked the general feel I got from the website and reviews. So I booked myself into the 4 weeks beginner course in April '22 and was super excited for it to start. On the first day of the course I was greeted by Amy and Caitlin, who welcomed everyone with such kindness, I instantly felt relaxed and just ready to learn something new!
The hour flew by: And. I. Loved. It! It was fun! It was challenging! I used muscle groups I forgot I had! I instantly had that blissful feeling of accomplishment! Everyone was cheering each other on. And it was amazing to see Caitlin teach with such joy, making sure everyone would leave class happy and proud of themselves. I walked home absolutely buzzing and couldn't wait for the next class. It reminded me of all the things I used to love about gymnastics: the strength, flexibility, figuring out how to move which body part, the flow and elegance, but it was also so new and thrilling to be spinning in the air and hanging upside down.
📸 by Aerial Arts Photgraphy
Even before the end of the beginner course I knew that this was the thing for me. Aerial Hoop quickly became the highlight of my week, and I was amazed at how soon I felt stronger, more flexible and even more energetic. And it didn't feel like hard work! The thing itself motivated me to do the thing. And it also gave me the motivation to try even more.
When ALT Fitness introduced the membership system I immediately jumped on the opportunity. Taking various classes and working with different instructors who all have their individual style is fantastic! I love the flexibility it gives me. My main thing is still Aerial Hoop, but now also Pole, the Body Awakening Bootcamp, Hula Hoop and Ballet. I also really wanna do Silks again and Trapeze and try classes I have not even done yet. (Ah, to do it all, would be the dream!)
I look forward to and enjoy every single session. Now I train for myself, for fun! Not because I feel I have to, but because I genuinely want to. There is no pressure from outside to get it right all the time. If I ‘fail’, I try again, and now I know it's okay to make mistakes and still have fun, because practice makes progress. I train not to make my instructor happy, but to make myself happy!
Thanks to these classes, I feel that I have become so much more confident and appreciative of myself. Coming to class is my vent, when I run out of spoons. I show up, do the thing, laugh with some amazing people, and go home feeling good. I actually love sport again, it just took me a while to find something that is right for me. And I found it in a place full of passionate, talented, strong, kind and amazing people!”