Spring Break
Exhibit One: Gymnasts
Olivia Vivian
Issue date: 2/6/09 Section: Sports
Crowds and audiences can have two effects. They will either pump you up and excite you for your performance, or they will psych you out and make you feel scared and under pressure.
When I was younger, I used to get distracted by spectators. We had a viewing area with a café above our gym that was closed off by soundproof glass. I would always look up there at the all the people eating their food and watching us like they were at the zoo.
My coaches would always tell me to stop looking up there and to focus on my gymnastics. I would never listen. But as life goes, there's a moment when you learn why they say what they do.
For me, that moment was a few years ago in my gym back in Australia. There was a huge crowd of boys in the viewing area, and I was on beam. All I wanted to do was impress this large group of boys, so I came up with a plan for them to watch me and only me. I waited until no one else was going so I could have their full attention.
Whilst I was thinking about all this, technique was the last thing on my mind. Because of that, I ended up doing a simple split jump to straddle the beam then rolled off sideways onto my back on the ground. How impressive! I laughed it off and didn't look at the spectator area for the rest of the week. Lesson learned.
All these lessons are essential to prepare one for moments that really count. Moments like the Olympics. I still remember walking out into the arena and seeing nothing but red. The crowed was filled with Chinese people waving their little Chinese flags like there was no tomorrow.
The goal was to stay focused and not get distracted by the crowd. I was doing an excellent job until I heard "Olivia, go Olivia, yeeeeaaaaahhhhh!" I then saw out of the corner of my eye, my father and brother in bright yellow and green wigs, screaming and waving their arms around like they'd escaped from a mental institution. Distracting enough?
That was a moment that I'll cherish always. The crowd just blew me away, and I never thought I would compete in front of such a lively crowd again. And then I came to OSU.
Although I haven't competed in Gill Coliseum due to injury, the crowds the gymnastics meets attract are incredible. The stands are always filled with really supportive fans, and I long for the day when I get to compete in front of them.
It's always nice to have a crowd that supports you. Tonight, we won't be the only thing the crowd supports. Tonight is our "Pink Out" meet, and all spectators will be helping support the awareness of breast cancer. If you haven't been to a gymnastics meet, I encourage you to come tonight. But I warn you, they are addictive. It should be great to see the crowd dressed in pink and to see how much we can raise for this cause.
Olivia Vivian, OSU gymnastics
sports@dailybarometer.com
When I was younger, I used to get distracted by spectators. We had a viewing area with a café above our gym that was closed off by soundproof glass. I would always look up there at the all the people eating their food and watching us like they were at the zoo.
My coaches would always tell me to stop looking up there and to focus on my gymnastics. I would never listen. But as life goes, there's a moment when you learn why they say what they do.
For me, that moment was a few years ago in my gym back in Australia. There was a huge crowd of boys in the viewing area, and I was on beam. All I wanted to do was impress this large group of boys, so I came up with a plan for them to watch me and only me. I waited until no one else was going so I could have their full attention.
Whilst I was thinking about all this, technique was the last thing on my mind. Because of that, I ended up doing a simple split jump to straddle the beam then rolled off sideways onto my back on the ground. How impressive! I laughed it off and didn't look at the spectator area for the rest of the week. Lesson learned.
All these lessons are essential to prepare one for moments that really count. Moments like the Olympics. I still remember walking out into the arena and seeing nothing but red. The crowed was filled with Chinese people waving their little Chinese flags like there was no tomorrow.
The goal was to stay focused and not get distracted by the crowd. I was doing an excellent job until I heard "Olivia, go Olivia, yeeeeaaaaahhhhh!" I then saw out of the corner of my eye, my father and brother in bright yellow and green wigs, screaming and waving their arms around like they'd escaped from a mental institution. Distracting enough?
That was a moment that I'll cherish always. The crowd just blew me away, and I never thought I would compete in front of such a lively crowd again. And then I came to OSU.
Although I haven't competed in Gill Coliseum due to injury, the crowds the gymnastics meets attract are incredible. The stands are always filled with really supportive fans, and I long for the day when I get to compete in front of them.
It's always nice to have a crowd that supports you. Tonight, we won't be the only thing the crowd supports. Tonight is our "Pink Out" meet, and all spectators will be helping support the awareness of breast cancer. If you haven't been to a gymnastics meet, I encourage you to come tonight. But I warn you, they are addictive. It should be great to see the crowd dressed in pink and to see how much we can raise for this cause.
Olivia Vivian, OSU gymnastics
sports@dailybarometer.com
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Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
NICOLA
posted 2/13/09 @ 6:56 PM PST
I wonder if olivia has heard of the disasters at home ?
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