What is gymnastics?
A: Gymnastics is a sport that includes physical
exercises requiring balance,
strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance.
The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the
development of what muscle groups?
A: The arms, legs, shoulders, back, chest, and abdominal.
Gymnastics evolved from exercises used by whom?
A: The ancient Greeks that included skills for mounting and dismounting a
horse, and from circus performance skills.
The most common form of competitive gymnastics is
artistic gymnastics (AG), which consists of what for women?
A: For women (WAG), the events floor, vault, uneven bars, and beam.
For men (MAG), the events are what?
A: Floor, vault, rings, pommel horse, parallel bars, and horizontal bar.
Participants in gymnastics-related sports include what
groups?
A: Young children, recreational-level athletes, and competitive athletes at
all levels of skill.
Gymnastics can be traced to exercise in what cities of
ancient Greece?
A: Sparta and Athens.
Exercise in the gymnasium in later periods prepared men
for what?
A: War.
In ancient Greece, physical fitness was a highly valued
attribute in whom?
A: Both men and women.
It wasn't until after the Romans conquered Greece in
146BC that gymnastics became what?
A: More formalized and used to train men in warfare.
What did Germans Charles Beck and Charles Follen and
American John Neal do in the 1820s?
A: They brought the first wave of gymnastics to the United States.
Where did Beck open the first gymnasium in the US in
1825?
A: At the Round Hill School in Northampton,
Massachusetts.
Follen opened the first college gymnasium and the first
public gymnasium in the US in 1826 at what?
A: At Harvard College and in Boston, Massachusetts, respectively.
Neal was the first American to open a public gymnasium
in the US at what location?
A: Pn Portland, Maine in 1827.
By the end of the nineteenth century, men's gymnastics
competition was popular enough to be what?
A: Included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.
Gymnastics is one of the most dangerous sports, with a
very high injury rate seen in whom?
A: Girls age 11 to 18.
Compared to athletes who play other sports, gymnasts
are at higher-than-average risk of what?
A: Overuse injuries and injuries caused by early sports specialization among
children and young adults.
Gymnasts are at particular risk of what type of
injuries?
A: Foot and wrist injuries.
Strength training can help what?
A: Prevent injuries.
In addition to physical injuries, engaging in
competitive gymnastics has been linked to what?
A: Eating disorders, and in some cases emotional and sexual abuse.
Gymnasts tend to have short stature, but it is unlikely
that the sport affects what?
A: Their growth.
Parents of gymnasts tend also to be what?
A: Shorter than average.
Some gymnastic skills are banned for what reason?
A: Safety reasons.
