Useful And Essential Facts About Gymnastics In Delaware

By Kathleen Turner


Gymnastics is a sport that involves the use of a lot of flexibility, control, balance, power, strength, coordination, and agility to perform different exercise. It stands among the oldest sports in the world today. It was invented in ancient Greece and has evolved over thousands of years to the modern sport that it is today. Today, the sport is exercised in many countries and at the international level. Here are facts regarding Gymnastics in Delaware.

In ancient Greece, gymnastic involved running, swimming, and stretching. History indicate that modern gymnastic started somewhere in the late years if 1700. A German named Friedrich Jahn is generally viewed as the father of modern gymnastic. Jahn is responsible for the invention of many pieces of equipment that find use in the modern sport. The balance bean and parallel bar are some the apparatus Jahn is credited with inventing.

Later on, Jahn established a school for gymnastics with the intention of having the sport spread all over the globe. Somewhere else in Sweden, rhythmic gymnastics was being introduced by Guts Muth. The establishment of the sport in the US happened about the same time as the civil war. This was carried out by Dr. Dudley Allen. Thereafter, the sport became widespread to numerous if not all parts of the globe.

It was in the 1896 that the first modern Olympic games were held, and it involved a number of male events like rope climbing. Use of apparatus was introduced in Olympics in 1924 in Paris. In 1928, in Amsterdam, female routines were introduced in Olympic Games. It was not until in 1960 that finalization of routines performed in modern Olympic Games was done in Rome.

In Olympic Games, men have 6 events to compete in. The events are high bar, till rings, parallel bars, pommel horse, floor exercise and vault. All members of the team are required to perform separately in all male routines during the team competitions. When all the exercises are performed perfectly, a team normally is awarded a medal.

In the international and Summer Olympics Games competition of artist gymnastics, women normally engage in four individual categories. The female competitors compete in balance, floor exercise, balance beam and uneven bars. Each of this event represents an Olympic event. Every member in the team is required to perform in all events. In case an artists excels in all events, the team has higher chances of winning a medal.

The introduction of rhythmic gymnastics to the Olympic Roster happened in 1984 and was first performed in Los Angeles Summer Olympics. This category of gymnastics is currently performed at the Olympic level only by women. The rhythmic category involves five main events, that is, rope, clubs, ribbon, hoop, and ball. Points are awarded based on difficulty, execution, and artistry involved in the performance of an artist.

In 2000, individual trampolining was added to the Olympic Roster. Trampolining is performed on a trampoline. It entails a series of 10 jumps and aerial skills that the artist must perform with no break in between the events. Judges give points based on the length of performance and its level of difficulty. At the moment, the US has never won any medal in this event at the Summer Olympic Games.




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