Biles, Douglas, Raisman, Hernandez and Kocian made up the #FinalFive at this year's Olympics in Rio. These girls added to this month's Olympic excitement bringing home the gold for Team USA and contributing to the 84 medals won thus far.

Every four years when the Olympics comes around, gymnastics becomes more popular and appreciated by all for the strength, commitment and dedication gymnasts must have in order to succeed in this difficult sport.

I was a gymnast for 17 years and instantly fell in love with the sport. Gymnastics is a sport that requires time, commitment and skill. It is also the type of sport that teaches hundreds of life lessons and provides athletes with long-lasting relationships with teammates, coaches and friends.

Gymnastics teaches athletes so much about sports, academics and life in general. I can personally say, and I’m sure many other gymnasts agree that they wouldn’t be the person they are today without the lessons gymnastics has afforded me.

It provides people with Strength that can last them a lifetime. Every skill in gymnastics requires the use of different muscles; and because of this, gymnasts tend to be in good, even great, shape.

Gymnastics teaches the importance of Dedication. In order to excel in this sport, one must practice multiple times a week for many, many hours. A lot of times, one must miss hanging out with friends or school events, but those moments build your dedication to the sport.

With every new skill comes fear. Gymnastics has given me the Courage to go after things I am afraid of and take them on with willpower and confidence.

Gymnastics has taught me the power of being Confident. Whenever tumbling during a floor routine or performing on the balance beam, it was imperative to act confident. Holding your chin up high and showing off your routine, even if you fell or felt very nervous was always the way to benefit your score from the judges. When one exudes confidence, everyone around them will begin to believe in them. This confidence can be a transferable trait in years to come that can help in everyday life, jobs and in sports

Gymnasts usually spend more time at the gym than at home due to the number of hours they spend practicing. Juggling life’s crazy schedules, meet schedules, academics and school responsibilities can be strenuous so, therefore, time management is of the utmost importance. Time management helps kids of all ages.

Because of this, one's gym family starts to become a second family in their life. Your coaches begin to act as parents and your teammates as siblings, always there to vent to after a long day at school and stress surrounding responsibilities. I have gained many Relationships from this sport, and I know these special friends, mentors and coaches will continue to support me and be there for me for many, many years to come.

Gymnastics is a sport that takes a lot of time and challenges kids, but most importantly, teaches athletes so many life lessons that can add value to their life ahead. It’s a crazy sport, but the skills I have gained from gymnastics has made me grow into a better person and for that, I am forever grateful.