For as long as I can remember, there has been one constant in my life: gymnastics. I officially started taking gymnastics classes at the age of three, however, almost as soon as I could walk, my two older sisters liked to play “lets-teach-Megan-gymnastics-in-the-basement.”

I started competing gymnastics at the age of 5.I learned that gymnastics was more than sparkly leotards and hanging out with “big girls.” In 4th grade I learned that gymnastics required dedication and sacrifice. . Dance classes were an activity which I enjoyed, and with my gymnastics training, I easily became one of the stars of the class. When I was offered a coveted spot on the Competition Team, my parents told me I had to make a choice. I was already at gymnastics practice 5 days a week. Up until now dance classes had been on Saturdays, but this new schedule conflicted with my gymnastics agenda. I simply couldn’t do both, so even though I loved dancing, I had to give it up. So at nine years old, I made a choice, all by myself, which changed my life forever.

As I grew older, I learned firsthand about the importance of time management. I had real homework and tests that I had to study for. I could not spend my free time however I wanted. My parents were clear that school work came first. When I arrived home from school, I would get a snack and start on my homework. Many times I started my homework on the bus ride home. I became skilled at finding pockets of unused time in my day to get my work done so that I could spend time with my friends. I learned to budget my time efficiently. I could not afford to procrastinate on anything, because if I did, it meant that some other aspect of my life would suffer. I had to be very disciplined, , but it was a burden that I shouldered willingly, even cheerfully, for those glorious hours I got to spend flipping upside down and backwards at gymnastics.

Gymnastics was a hard master. When I was competing, I had to keep my emotions tightly under control. If I had one bad event, I could not allow it to affect the rest of my meet. No matter how many times I fell off the beam, I had to pick myself off and prepare for my floor routine, because if I couldn’t keep it together, I just suffered more. As I got older, I found out firsthand about the hardest aspect of gymnastics. Fear. My own brain was fighting against me. I can clearly recall the very first time I encountered this primitive reaction. I was trying to learn a new release move on bars called a “straddle back” where the gymnast starts on the high bar, swings backwards, lets go of the high bar, and falls, catching the low bar on the way down. I could not understand why I was unable to do the skill. My hands simply refused to let go of the high bar and so I remained hanging there confused and frustrated. I remember with poignant clarity the days I spent working on the skill, doing drill after drill, trying again and again, butting my head against what seemed like a brick wall. There were days when I left the gym in tears when my coaches also succumbed to frustration and yelled at me, or gave me extra conditioning for not doing the skill. I came to hate such cliché sayings as “no guts no glory” and “want it more than you fear it” because they were quoted to me so many times. Eventually, I overcame my fear, and in the time since then I’ve mastered even more difficult skills without nearly as much trouble, but I’ll never forget those days of constant conflict.

There have been days of practices that were so terrible that I left the gym crying and swearing that I’d never go back, but I never uttered the words “I Quit.” Gymnastics has made me stubborn and strong willed, even if the person I’m fighting against is myself. I have come to accept only the best from myself, and I’m constantly looking for ways to improve my routines. My mother videotapes my routines at every meet, and I watch them on the way home, looking for mistakes, or even things that I did well, but still need improvement. This has transferred into my schoolwork as well. I can not bring myself to turn in a shoddy project or an unpolished essay. Everything I put my name on, whether a routine or a paper must be done to the best of my ability.

Gymnastics also taught me to take responsibility for my actions. Gymnastics is a unique sport because its almost completely individual based. Yes, there are team awards, but the judging is all based on the gymnasts’ own merit. If I forget my floor routine, or crash on beam, it’s no one’s fault but my own. I could blame it on the music being too loud, or the lights too bright, but in the end, it all comes down to me.

Furthermore, I learned to look to the future for long range planning. As I got better at gymnastics and advanced through the levels, I reached the point where my routines were no longer set forth by USAG but were my own to create. I had to look at what skills I had, what I thought I could learn in time, and what skills I still needed to fulfill the requirements. I learned that I had to work hard in practice if I wanted to succeed in the meets. It was my choice if I decided to goof around in practice, but it meant that I was less prepared for competition season, and when December rolled around, I would be kicking myself for not working harder.

As a tribute to those “big girls,” I always try to talk to the younger gymnasts on my team, whether that means smiling and helping them set up a drill, listening to their stories about their new puppy while we stretch, helping them work through a skill they’re scared to do, or consoling them when everything is going wrong. Doing this means a lot to me, because I feel like I’m making a difference in their lives. It’s also an incredible feeling to hear a chorus of greetings and see smiles brighten their faces when I walk in the door. My past and current teammates have given so much to me, that I feel it’s my duty, and privilege to continue their legacy.

This essay was submitted Megann Kaiser for the December 2010 – HowToSaveMoney.com Scholarship. See and vote on your favorite essays here. From Megan: I am a 17 year old National Honor Society student, oboe player, gymnast and pole vaulter. Planning to study International Relations in college. I would like to be a diplomat to help countries to understand each other.