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Many assume that success is achieved due to talent, however, few realize that there is a setback in one's success story that leads to one reaching their goals. An athlete’s career can be taken away with just one injury, though, that may not always be the case. As a competitive gymnast, I am well aware that injuries are always at stake, but it is how one makes go of it. They can take the injury and use it as motivation for a stronger comeback or can use it as an excuse and, so to say, give up.
“No athlete is truly tested until they’ve started an injury in the face, and came out on the other side stronger than ever.” -Anonymous. Many injuries have occurred in my career as a gymnast, but there is always one injury that molds who you are as a human. That one injury, can either make or break you, and let me tell you, I was made, even better than I was before the injury occurred.
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I was more self-driven, I was more passionate, and I was willing to do anything and everything to reach one goal.
As a young child, many dreams of going to the Olympics, but for me, I always knew that college was in my mind. I knew that I wanted to have a career that involved schooling and possibly owning my own business. With the Olympics, I call it 5 minutes of fame. Many rants for about two weeks then forgets what even happened.
College was my goal and I was told many times that it may not be realistic, but negative thoughts only fuel my motivation. Growing up a competitive gymnast, I have had many people tell me that I was never good enough, I will never have a career as a professional athlete, and that I don’t have enough talent in this sport. Now, those words just add fuel to my desire. I have worked through great days and bad days, and several injuries too. My philosophy is that if you have an ache and pain, you’re fine, nothing is wrong, but those aches and pains can lead to a serious injury...and, this is where my story starts. It all started in March 2017, well this is when I first started to realize that something wasn’t quite right. I had sharp pains in my left elbow. Now, these pains occurred doing daily tasks, such as picking up my binder, grabbing my water bottle, or even just putting my hair up in a ponytail. I thought at the time, “oh it’s just an ache, it will go away.” Those aches didn’t go away. I was training about 30 hours a week at the time so there was never a time where these pains affected my training process. Months and months passed, my elbow pains started becoming worse and worse. My elbow was at the point to where I could not straighten it completely, my fingers would start to go numb out of nowhere, I would lose grip strength (which for gymnastics, is the key to almost everything), and my elbow would lock, pop, and grind causing an immense amount of pain. It was then that something had to be done. It was now October and my elbow had had enough with me pushing it past the limits, and not telling anyone about how much pain I was in. With competition season starting in January, I didn’t have time for a serious injury, but everything happens for a reason. I don’t understand why, but it does. I remember so vividly, how I told my coach about my elbow. Almost like a nightmare that someone fears. At that time, I had only been at this new gym for about a year, so the coaches were just getting used to me and I was just getting to them, so trying to tell them that something was wrong.. I was terrified. So I had to tell my coach that something was terribly wrong and that I couldn’t handle this pain. He looked me in my teary eyes and said to me, “Everything is going to be fine as long as you have hope. Hope that everything is going to be okay, and hope that whatever is wrong with your elbow teaches you a lesson. Never underestimate a little ache. Always say something when something doesn’t feel right.” After he examined my elbow and knew that something was wrong, he had called my parents and told them that I need to go to the emergency room as soon as possible. Nothing else was said, just those few words, no description of why just take her to ER.
My parents took me to the ER that night after I had ate, showered, and changed into comfy clothes because I knew we were going to be there a long time. The next day, I had my MRI and later that night I had received the most devastating news. “Jazlyn Wood is required to have surgery on her left elbow.” These simple words have drastically changed my life. Having surgery is not something that many people find courage and motivation from, but I did. My first surgery was not only a learning lesson but a turning point in my athletic career that lead me to become a better gymnast, mentally and physically. I was told by my surgeon that I would not be able to compete and should consider quitting. My mom didn’t raise a quitter. I used those negative words as fuel to my motivation and was competition-ready in 2 short months. My motivation was at its all-time high knowing that I had proved my biggest hater wrong. I ended up becoming the level 9 state, regional, and national all-around champion as I broke many personal records. I came back stronger than ever imagined. My motivation and courage helped me through it. My haters had a part in my success too.
No Pain, No Gain: My Path To Success. (2021, Apr 16). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/no-pain-no-gain-my-path-to-success-essay
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