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Gymnastics have been a great tradition in modern and ancient Olympic Games. "Gymnastics" comes from the Greek word "gymnos," which means "naked," according to the Team GB website, the official home of the British Olympic Association. The word "gymnasium" also derives from the Greek word. A gymnasium was an area where athletes would go to compete and exercise, as well as to learn literature, music, and philosophy.
In the ancient Olympic games, gymnastics was considered, "the perfect symmetry between mind and body," according to London2012.com, the official London 2012 website.
A gymnast must have great balance, control, and strength. When participating in the vault competition, she must be swift. Precision is a must. Every movement must be perfect in placement, timing, and poise.So
Women's artistic gymnastics is often called simply women's gymnastics. It's very popular at the Olympics. The equipment used in women artistic gymnastics are the vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and the floor mat during floor exercise.
The vault is the target as the gymnast takes off running and jumps on a springboard. From the springboard, she shoots over the four-foot tall vault. On the uneven bars, the gymnast performs specific movements. She must swing, release, and perform pirouettes. Then she must dismount from two horizontal bars that are of different heights, one at five feet, and the other at eight feet.
At the balance beam, the gymnast runs through a carefully choreographed set of no more than 90 seconds. She must mount, leap, and jump. She will flip, turn, and then dismount onto a padded four foot high beam.
The floor exercise is a routine that is choreographed and performed to music, in no longer than 90 seconds, on a 40 foot by 40 foot floor mat. Each routine is unique but must contain certain movements. Dance moves, jumps, leaps, and tumbling passes are required.
Women compete in artistic gymnastics, as do men. While men have performed artistic gymnastics since the 1896 Olympic Games, the women's gymnastics team event was first held in 1928.The first women's gymnastics team from the United States participated in 1936, during the Olympics held in Munich, Germany. In 1952, women's individual apparatus events were first held.
Certain female gymnasts have stood out over the years. Among them are Vera Caslavska, Olga Korbut, and Nadia Comaneci. Caslavska was well received in the artistic gymnastics in the 1968 Games in Mexico. Korbut shone in the 1972 Munich games. In 1976, Comaneci of Romania was a highlight at the Montreal Games when she scored 10.00 points, the highest maximum possible score, which had never been attained before.
Jody Smith is a freelance writer for Empowher.com
Sources:
Gymnastics Artistic: Team GB
http://www.teamgb.com/summer-sports/gymnastics-artistic
History of the Sport of Gymnastics
http://shrike.depaul.edu/~vbard/histpg.html
Gymnastics - Artistic - About: Olympic Games 27 July - 12 August: Official London 2012 website
http://www.london2012.com/gymnastics-artistic/about
Olympic Gymnastics: The Basics of Women's Artistic Gymnastics
http://gymnastics.about.com/od/majorcompetitions/a/BasicsWomensGym.htm
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