Role Model Roles

I've mentioned this a little before, but I was the highest level artistic gymnast at my gym. What does that mean? There were hundreds of little girls (and boys) looking up to me and watching my every move. Usually, I wasn't even aware of it. But they were definitely analyzing everything I did.

I didn't realize I was some sort of celebrity in the gym until I was 14. I noticed that sometimes when I finished a skill, I would see a child who had obviously been watching me stopped in his or her tracks and just staring. It was simultaneously a warm and strange feeling knowing that someone thought what I was doing was cool enough to stop whatever he or she was doing. It was also something of necessary positive reaction I needed on lethargic and dreary days (and there were manyyyyyyyyy of those days). 

As the years passed by and I rose in the levels, these occurrences happened more and more often. Daily. A couple of times per day. Most gymnasts at my level wouldn't really care at that point, but I did. Because it reminded me that at least one child looked up to me. And I took my role seriously.

When I first arrived at my gym, the "role models" I had were anything but. Sure, they were a few levels above me, but they only wanted to work on the skills they liked. They also weren't particularly receiving to younger gymnastics like me. 

I knew that I didn't ever want to be like that to any of the younger gymnasts. For that reason, I was kind to everyone. I made sure to always try my hardest on everything I did. On the most exhausting days which made me question why I didn't choose an easier sport, I pushed myself to appear mentally present. I tried my best to not complain about doing skills I didn't want to. When it came to conditioning, usually the area that everyone hates, I kept silent and did everything I was told to do without complaining. I consistently kept a positive attitude, and encouraged others often. When it came to topics outside of gymnastics, I further encouraged kids in their school life and future dreams. I ensured that they knew I studied and worked hard in school, and that they should too.

I can tell you that it took a tremendous amount of effort to do all of that. Every. Single. Day. It was immensely important to me though, because I knew that no matter what, I was looked up to by quite a few young children. And the influence of a role model at a young age is often beyond comprehension, so it needs to be a pretty darn good influence.

So I did this for years and years. It didn't really hit me how much I had impacted these kids until I had quit gymnastics. They had made me a card and wrote messages in it that absolutely melted my heart. 

"You have made such an impact on my life."

"You have been such a great friend to me."

"You've been really nice to me since 2009."

Quitting gymnastics didn't directly make me cry, but those words did. Then came the final blow.

I was at my team's annual banquet a few weeks ago. A girl who I had been particularly close to was leaving, and her dad lingered behind and tapped me on the shoulder. "I just wanted to tell you that she really looks up to you," he said earnestly. "Thank you for being such a great leader."

I could have died happy right then and there. That was exactly who I wanted to be, and I had achieved it. Those few words were confirmation that I had done something right, at least for one girl. All of those difficult actions I had instigated on myself felt so incredibly worth it.

I would encourage anyone to always act as positively and wisely as possible in everything you do. Even if you don't necessarily think anyone is caring about what you're doing, you never know who is quietly looking up to you. You never know what kind of dream you're inspiring in others, and sometimes, unwittingly, you are a key part of the equation of keeping that dream alive.