National Gymnastics Day is one of my favorite holidays to celebrate with my friends. Officially, National Gymnastics Day is celebrated on September 19th, but we usually celebrate it on November 20th because of competition season. All USA gymnasts commemorate this holiday all over the world. During this holiday, coaches and aspiring gymnasts will take the day off from practicing and take the time to study and appreciate the beginnings of this sport. They do this by playing games that trace back to the legendary origins of gymnastics, and by learning more about how the sport came to be.
National Gymnastics Day originated in Greece. It was first celebrated in the 1990s’ as a way to get more kids to join the sport, to exercise, and to pay tribute to all the people who performed in the Olympics in the past. At first women weren’t completely convinced that they should celebrate this holiday because they were only given permission to compete in the Olympics during the late 1920s. Women were confused as to why they should commemorate a sport that was not even made for them. Gymnastics Day was actually established to commemorate all the male USAG Olympians. The reason both genders celebrate today is because they were each given unique events to practice, showing that the holiday was not just created to commemorate one specific gender.
On this special day, kids and coaches will play games, such as competing on certain events, obstacle courses, or dance routines. We also take the time to learn about former Olympians and all the things they accomplished. Not only do today’s gymnasts get to learn about famous Olympians of the past by visiting websites that honor and talk about them; they can also hear in-person anecdotes from some of the coaches and competitors that have actually participated in the Olympics. For example,when I was at gymnastic camp, Gabby Douglas and Ali Raisman told us their Olympic experiences during actual competitions. Naturally, this was really fun and interesting because we got to hear their first-person anecdotes about the recent Rio Olympics.
National Gymnastics Day is not only a day just to be celebrated by gymnasts. It can also be celebrated by kids or adults that are simply interested in watching the modern sport, or in learning about the history of gymnastics in the past.
