Rhythmic Gymnastics

People often forget rhythmic gymnastics exists among the hype of artistic gymnastics, particularly at the Olympic Games. This is not a surprise as the sport often comes across as a bunch of pretty, young girls waving around ribbons or bouncing balls. Sometimes, it is hard to consider rhythmic gymnastic as a sport.

Its origins date back to those of artistic gymnastics. Emile Jaque-Delacroze, in 1911, formed a system combining rhythmic exercises and music, calling it eurhythmics. In the 1920s, clubs began to experiment with modern gymnastics adding various apparatus, including balls, clubs, ropes and tambourines. As the sport progressed, the modern rhythmic gymnastics image began to emerge. Competitions arose and the level of skills began to improve.

In 1962, the International Federation of Gymnastics (FIG) recognized rhythmic gymnastics as a sport. World Championships began to take place in 1964. There is also the World Gymnaestrada occurring every four years. It is also a part of the Olympic Games since 1984. Olympic rhythmic gymnastics is now both an individual and team sport. At the 2000 Summer Olympic Games, rhythmic gymnasts, Yulia Barakova of Russia and the Russian team, won gold. The Belarus team won a silver medal, as did Yulia Raskina of Belarus. Alin Kabaaeva of Russia won a bronze, while the bronze team medal went to the Greeks. No Chinese rhythmic gymnasts won a medal at this or many other Olympics.

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While artistic gymnastics performs on an apparatus, rhythmic gymnastics uses one. While artistic gymnasts comprise both genders, rhythmic gymnastics allows only female competitors. This is in keeping with the ideal of grace and beauty being a female characteristic. Essentially, it is a hold over from the early days of the Olympics when males tried to prevent women from competing at all.

Rhythmic gymnastics music forms the basis to a routine utilizing a ball, a club, a hoop, a ribbon or a rope. The equipment for each event can be any color except those of award medals: gold, silver and bronze. Gymnasts can purchase or even make these rhythmic gymnastic supplies. Several sport and dance stores have rhythmic gymnastics supplies for sale. The same is true for rhythmic gymnastic dresses and rhythmic gymnastic shoes. In practices and a rhythmic gymnastics class, gymnasts do not wear shoes or dresses but sport bare feet and leotards. Dresses would interfere with basic rhythmic gymnastics stretching exercises.

There are team and individual events. A typical routine may have a gymnast toss a rope high into the air. She will then perform a leap while waiting for the rope to descend. She next catches the rope by one end in one hand without missing a beat. She may toss a ball, do a roll and then catch the ball before tossing it once again. Ribbons may weave in and around her in complex and intricate patterns of arcs and spirals or a hoop will spin, bounce and roll as she jumps through it. A rhythmic gymnast, however, cannot do aerial, handsprings or acrobatics. You can watch, and playback, all the moves in a rhythmic gymnastics video.