After leaving the sport due to injury as a 14-year-old elite, Tina Wise (nee Rand) found her way back at age 28 and has been doing gymnastics ever since. She is now 42 and competes for Rebounders in Maryland.
There are several things that I love about this woman. She didn’t quit after two serious injuries, the kids in her gym look up to her and she never let fear stop her. In fact she says, “They couldn’t even get me on the high (balance) beam and I wasn’t doing any bars. I did some floor exercise and vault; that was it.” Instead she slowly but surely kept at it. I’ve seen many adult gymnasts start gymnastics only to have an injury and then quit, citing the injury as absolute proof that “adults should not do this sport” or that they “just can’t do it” because they are “too old.” This infuriates me because it’s a) not true b) has nothing to do with age c) infers that these injuries only happen in gymnastics, when in fact any activity or sport could cause an injury.
If you love something, you can always find a way to do it, even if it means only doing conditioning and trampoline for the first year. Hats off to you Ms. Wise. Your courage and no-excuses attitude is an inspiration and lesson for us all.
More about Tina Wise.
Oldest Gymnast Competing in Maryland Celebrates Birthday
38-Year-Old Gymnast Defies Odds
Thank you to original source GymnasticsCoaching.com
