What is gymnastics? Have you ever watched the Olympics and been in awe of the men and women doing flips on the floor or watching people fall onto a piece of wood. This awesome sport is called gymnastics. First let's go back to when gymnastics actually began. Gymnastics is the oldest sport in the world. It was developed in Australia. The first national competition took place in the 1950s, during the Olympic Games. It has been a competitive sport for over 100 years. Gymnastics is an active sport in which people move their bodies smoothly and gracefully. It tests a person's strength, balance, flexibility and coordination. A gymnast must be strong, know how to stretch their body and have good balance. There are slight differences between male and female gymnasts. The first difference between the two sexes is the events they participate in and the second difference is their body shape and strengths. A woman's body is small, thin and strong compared to that of men. Men who have strong arms can bend and stretch easily. Besides the differences in form between male and female gymnasts, they also use different equipment. Men's equipment consists of immobile rings, horizontal bars, parallel bars and a pommel horse. Many people know “always sounds” as just sounds. These are two parallel and separate rings, spaced 50 centimeters apart, suspended from a cable and straps. The male gymnast holds a ring in each hand and does exercises without pausing or stopping. A high bar is 2.75 meters high and is also sometimes called a horizontal bar. Here, men perform many hard release movements while trying not to touch the bar with their hips. Parallel bars are used in men's artistic gymnastics. These two bars are wooden rails on uprights. They are adjustable...... middle of paper ......ng gym sport. Gymnastics is a strict sport because of the way the gymnast and the routine are performed for the judge. Girls should wear their hair up and spray it with hairspray to avoid flyways. The way gymnasts present themselves is very important; no one wants to see a gymnast who looks unkempt and unclean. When someone starts this sport, it is hard and painful. The more a person practices, the more stability they can develop to perform basic exercises and warm-ups. The gym in which the gymnasts work is very spacious and usually organized for specific events. Gymnastics events all fit together in one way or another. This sport is fun to learn and experience for any young child or anyone wanting to propel themselves through the air. Works Cited http://shrike.depaul.edu/~vbard/histpg.htmlhttp://www.athletesedge.info/gymnastics. php