If You Have Said Any of the Following, You Are the Problem
"They're not giving me the respect I deserve."
"My way or the highway."
"This is serious business and we'll tolerate no fun and games when it's time to work."
"You don't take this sport seriously enough."
"No talking."
"Don't get smart."
"No smiling during practice."
"You have to yell at them.  They won't do anything if you don't keep on them every minute."
"You're a waste of my time."
"You're landing short on your double backs every time.  Keep doing them until you get it right.  And quit limping."
"She'll never make it.  She…"
"You're not trying."
"I can already tell which ones are not going to make it.  The rest might as well give up now."

Who Do You Think You Are?
But more importantly, who are you really?  Are you someone who has already personally been responsible for the complete development of an internationally ranked Elite?

Sometimes They are Great in Spite of You, Not Because of You
No, you're not.  (If you are, feel free to stop reading now.  I wasn't talking to you.  Check that, I am talking to you.  It was the gymnast who got to be the Elite.  If it were only you, all the gymnasts on your team would be Elite.  Give the gymnast the credit and listen up.) 

Maybe You Only Think You Can Create an Olympian
 And wait a minute.  I was talking to you.  You, there, the one who thinks that even if you haven't done it, yet, you know just how it's done.  Your way.  That gymnast, if she would just do everything you tell her, she would be there.  But she doesn't listen, she doesn't try hard enough, she whines and whimpers too much, she's lazy, she doesn't do it the way you keep telling her to.

If They Come to Practice Everyday, They are Not Lazy
She comes five or six days a week, for four to six hours per day, after spending a full day in school and doing her homework.  But she's lazy.

They are Human
What she is, my friend, is a 12 year old girl, a child or a young teenager.  A living, breathing human young child with hopes and dreams and tears and fears, and weaknesses and strengths.  Not some mystical, idealized, robotic, mechanical, gymnastics working machine that can do your bidding at any and every time.  That so-called system you have there of 10 of this and 25 of that and conditioning and repetition after repetition after repetition after repetition after repetition after repetition - Every day.

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