Diving through the Fear

From the end of a springboard the surface of the water can look very far away. A beginner may take one look and then freeze up. Will it hurt to hit the water? What if I smack instead of going in headfirst? What if I get confused and land wrong? Even an experienced diver may remember those times when a dive didn’t go well. However, that experienced diver will also think about how much he has grown since his first attempts. And he will be pleased with the result.

Overcoming Fear

Everyone experiences fear from time to time. One response is to turn away and try to put the episode behind. However, this is not necessarily the best response. Walking away from a challenge can leave you feeling inadequate and allow the fear to continue to grow and fester, like an infection that just won’t clear up. The better reaction is to face that fear and tackle the challenge. This is harder to do in the moment, but in the long term it is much more beneficial. Conquering fear builds self-confidence and self-esteem.

In many situations, the big fear doesn’t need to be faced all at once, but can be broken down into smaller increments to conquer one at a time. This is true of overcoming the fears involved in diving. Nobody climbs up to the highest platform and executes a perfect reverse dive involving multiple somersaults and twists the first time they ever dive. Even Olympic-level divers begin by learning a simple forward dive and then adding more difficulty as they gain the required skills.

Benefits of Competitive Diving    

                        

While the physical benefits of participation in a diving program, such as improved coordination and growing strength, are relatively easy to see, kids also learn life skills that will benefit them both in school and adult life. They come to understand what a commitment is through the necessity of practicing skills over and over. They also learn how to concentrate in a noisy and distracting environment, as well as how to handle the ups and downs of competition.

So let your new diver worry. Then share in his triumph as he conquers his fear.

Thank You For Choosing Tumblebees!

On the fourth Thursday in November, Americans will celebrate another Thanksgiving holiday. Although most of us would associate the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims in 1621, our nation has celebrated this as a holiday since George Washington created the first national Thanksgiving in 1789.  Prior to it becoming a holiday though, our Continental-Federation Congress had issued "national days of prayer, humiliation, and thanksgiving." 

Today at Tumblebees, we would like to just refer to it as a Season of Thanks.  We are humbled and thankful that you and/or your children give us an opportunity to serve you as we jointly work to increase and grow physical aptitude, fitness, sport and life skills!  Our staff is grateful and we thank you for trusting us to teach and train you in gymnastics, tumbling, dance, diving, parkour and rockwall, whether it is in one of our gyms or on the Tumblebus.  We also appreciate when you choose to celebrate special times like birthdays with us. 

For 30 years now, Tumblebees has had the privilege of teaching and watching kids develop physically, emotionally and socially as they participate in these recreational and team sports.  Equally it has been exciting to see these same kids grow in their confidence and achieve success in these physically demanding sports. 

Just a few months ago, we also had the privilege of watching our USA Gymnasts and USA Divers excel at the Rio Olympics.  Didn’t it give you a sense of pride watching them perform for their country.  You could probably even empathize when they had a bad routine.  One day, those same athletes decided they would start learning and competing at their local gym.  Just like these athletes, we hope you’ll agree that it was worth the effort and you’ll continue to support and urge others to become involved in these sports in their local gyms.

Yes, our Season of Thanks will no doubt include more than we need to eat, a football game and time with our family and friends, but we’ll also be reminded of your willingness to partner with us over many years and we say “Thanks!”  We look forward to seeing you back in the gym very soon!  Keep up the good work!

Frederick Keonig

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have."