A gym where everyone is more comfortable barefoot, with hair in a tight ponytail, and the smell of chalk thick in the air is the proud home of every gymnast. Growing up, one of the popular shirts sold at gymnastics meets read, "If gymnastics were easy it would be called football." I don't include this quote to incite a riot. I include this quote to bring attention to a sport that is only thought about during the Olympics or when Katelyn Ohashi broke the internet with her 10.0 floor routine.

Gymnastics is a sport with no off-season, involving flexibility, stamina, and grace. There are no protective helmets or pads. It's just you, your leotard, and the event you are competing. Gymnastics is the epitome of the phrase, "look like a beauty, train like a beast."

As a gymnast of about 11 years, I've had my fair share of injuries, fears, accomplishments that made me love the sport with all my heart, and failures where I wanted to quit on the spot. But the gym is where I grew up and made many good friends that I still have today. It taught me a love of dance that led me to pursuing musical theatre and color guard in high school, using my dance abilities, flexibility, tumbling skills, and no fear of falling during partner dance lifts. On the other hand, it allowed me to retire from the sport for two years, prompted by a previous injury.

Gymnasts push their bodies to limits that test flexibility, strength, and mental capabilities. But for the love of the sport and friendships made, gymnasts keep up the good fight. There are people that may disagree with me, but gymnastics is without a doubt the hardest sport in the world. Here are 9 reasons why.

Gymnastics requires tough physical training from a young age

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Gymnastics is best practiced beginning at a young age. It takes years of flexibility training and muscle forming to create the gymnasts that we see in the Olympics. Many gymnasts start training as young as three years old. They may train anywhere from 15 hours to 40 hours per week, with at least an hour of strength conditioning per practice. It is an odd sight to walk into a gym and watch 50 girls use only their toes to walk across the floor in order to specifically train toe muscles to stay on the beam. As the human body gets older, it becomes more difficult to form muscles and increase flexibility the way that gymnasts need them. You also become more prone to injury as the body gets older. The younger a person can start training, the sooner the gymnast's body will get used to the tough flips and leaps that must be completed.

Gymnastics is mind over matter

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While the first thing that most people think of when they hear "gymnastics" is Simone Biles effortlessly landing her signature move on the floor, gymnastics takes more than muscles. There comes a point in every gymnast's career where a skill or flip paralyzes their mind, convincing them that they just cannot complete the skill. Most often this mental block is fear. A gymnast will spend more effort trying to stay out of their own head than it takes to complete a conditioning circuit. Let me say from personal experience, the feeling of finally doing the skill you were once terrified of is the most exciting and rewarding feeling.

Self discipline is possibly the most important quality needed

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Gymnastics requires more as an individual than baseball or basketball team would. The team works together as separate individuals. The individual gymnasts have to want to be in the gym, putting in the effort, and pushing themselves. Coaches and teammates can only provide so much encouragement and advice. Gymnasts must be willing to push themselves, do what it takes to make themselves better. This may be setting a schedule for homework that works around practices, stretching on family vacations, or seeking help when needed.