Quotes

Quotes About Rhythmic Gymnastics

"From personal experience, when people see it they're like, 'Oh my, that's so awesome.' But when you tell someone you're a rhythmic gymnast they're like, 'Do you like the beam or the bars?'...I don't know what's going to have to have to happen for people to look at it as a 'real' sport. I mean, it is a real sport. It's completely real. I'd like to see someone take their leg and put it over their head without any practice. I'd be pretty impressed! I think that rhythmic is a beautiful, wonderful sport. It's like ballet with extreme flexibility. It's gymnastics, dance, expression-it's everything!" ~Jessica Howard (USA), from International Gymnast Magazine June/July 2000

"Rhythmic gymnastics is truly the hardest sport. To be a rhythmic gymnast you must throw, catch, and leap with precise accuracy like Michael Jordan. You must be as strong as Popeye and as flexible as Gumby. Rhythmic gymnasts have the heart of a dancer and the strength and courage of a marathon runner. To be a rhythmic gymnast, you must be a true all around athlete." ~from Betsy's Rhythmic Page

"Rhythmic gymnastics makes football look easy." ~from Betsy's Rhythmic Page

"Ever try to toss a hoop up in the air and catch it on your foot? What about pitching two clubs in the air while executing a split leap and then regrasping the clubs without knocking yourself out? Okay, here's a simple one --- try rolling a ball across your chest from one end of your fingertips to the other. It looks and sounds easy but it's not. This is rhythmic gymnastics." ~from Betsy's Rhythmic Page

"I Am A Strong Woman. I am a rhythmic gymnast. And, no, I wasn't born this way! It takes a LOT of work! And no, it's not easier than "regular gymnastics", ballet, track, etc. -- combine all those and add the apparatus!! All that and beauty and grace, too. On a regular basis, I overcome fear, pain, and my own limitations. Oh, and that new toss I've been working on? - caught it 150 times - I don't count the ones I don't catch." ~from Betsy's Rhythmic Page

"I am a rhythmic gymnast. I am not an artistic gymnast or a figure skater, I do not train in an arena, or eat junk food, or own wrist guards. I don't know Miller, Tusek, or Moceanu, Though I am certain they are really, really nice. I have ribbons, not beams, And I pronounce it "rhythmic" not "rhythm". I can proudly sew the club's logo on my tracksuit. I believe in art and sport, not politics. Hard work, not chance, and that the apparatus is an extension of your body. A rope is not a skipping rope, a hoop is not a hula hoop. And it is OVER-splits, not split. Rhythmics is the all-time best sport." ~from Betsy's Rhythmic Page

"In a perfect world, an athlete may want to be the perfect mix of say a ballerina, a weight lifter and Stretch Armstrong. Or they could simply be a... GYMNAST"

Motivational and Inspirational Quotes

"You've got to make a decision: Are you going to go down with the situation, or are you going to focus and succeed? My dream...kept me going." ~Christina Aguilera (singer), from Teen People Magazine December 1999/January 2000

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars." ~ Les Brown

"Lord knows/Dreams are hard to follow/But don't let anyone/Tear them away...So when you feel like hope is gone/Look inside you and be strong/And you'll finally see the truth/That a hero lies in you" ~"Hero", song by Mariah Carey

"Never, never, never, never give up." ~Winston Churchill

"She's going to fly tonight, over the sunset, over the sky, She'll rise above. don't think it won't happen, because she's magical, wonderful. She's got those stars, put them in her pocket, and flew away to heaven. Love will always rule her soul. Her mind gentle, sensitive, she looks for understanding, no where to look, no where to hid. Lost in hopes and fears, she will prevail, she will win, she will conquer." ~Abby, poem by Phan Ho, taken from seventeen Magazine March 2000

"When I look at my fellow competitors, I say to myself, 'I many be nervous, but you are definetly nervous as well.'" ~Zhang Jinjing (mens artistic gymnast, CHN), from International Gymnast Magazine March 1999

"Winning is not about how many medals you get-it's about accomplishing goals and just being the best you can be!" ~Michelle Kwan, figure skater (USA)

"It's always a struggle. It's an uphill battle the whole time. But you know what? The rewards are so graet, I wouldn't trade it for the world." ~Jennifer Lopez (actress/singer), from Teen People Magazine May 2000

"It's not a matter of how old you are, it's how you feel." ~Mila Marinova, (BUL-formerly/USA-currently) from International Gymnast Magazine March 1999

"Believe in yourself/reach down inside/the love you found will set you free/Believe in youself/You would come alive/Have faith in what you do/You'll make it through" ~"Stay the Same", song by Joey McIntyre

"The harder we work now, the easier it will be later." ~Elise Ray, (womens artistic gymnast-USA) from International Gymnast Magazine May 2000

"You need one hundred percent commitment; you have to be willing to wake up every morning knowing you're going to [practice] eight hours straight." ~Zoe Saldana, ballerina and actress (Center Stage), from seventeen Magazine May 2000

"You focus on what you can control and make the most of it!" ~ Erika-Leigh Stirton (CAN), from RG Details and Discussion

"You should know how to work hard but also enjoy the work." ~Elena Vitrichenko (UKR), from International Gymnast Magazine 1999

"Talent goes to waste if it's not used properly. No matter how fast one develops, one has to train to keep it up." ~Bai Yuanshao (coach of Chinese mens artistic national team), from International Gymnast Magazine March 1999

"With the right attitude, limitations vanish, for a person's state of mind is always self-given."

"'No' can be one of the most positive words in the world. No, I will not be defeated. No, I will not give up."

"An error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it."

"If you worry about winning, you won't. If you focus on doing your very best, you will."

"Losers quit when they are tired... Champions quit when they hold the gold!"

"If you can dream, you can do anything."

"It is extremely important to stay focused on your objective, for it is possible to achieve only what you actively pursue."

"The driving force required to propel you towards your goal lies exclusively within you."

"When you believe, anything is possible...pursue your aspirations with determined optimism"

"Exploiting an opponent's weakness begins with exploring your own."

"Success is an attitude...allow your mind to believe and you will succeed."

"When a goal becomes deeply rooted in your soul it provides the nourishment to go the distance."

Other Miscellaneous Quotes from Gymnasts

"Please keep watching rhythmic gymnastics in spite of its situation. If you quit watching it, rhythmic gymnastics will not exist any longer. Your eyes are much more important than judge's are." ~Teodora Alexandrova (BUL), from Teodora Alexandrova Fanpage

(When asked if the Russian team was doping) "We and doping? We take only vitamins. But there was one very funny case. At the World Youth games they told to the small girls that they will make a doping control for chocolate, baked things and coca cola. They believed and got frightened. They came crying to me and asked, "Alina, will they disqualify us. We ate something…?" ~Alina Kabayeva, from "The Sports Life in Russia" Magazine 1999

"But one thing's for sure, I won't give up gymnastics. It's cool." ~Maria Petrova (BUL) from Bulgarian Rhythmic Gymnastics

(After the 1994 World Championships where she became World Champion for second year in a row, when asked what she had eaten that day) "Two apples. I think." ~Maria Petrova (BUL) from Bulgarian Rhythmic Gymnastics

"Too many judges are fooled into thinking a smile equals style." ~Neshka Robeva, Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics coach

(When asked if she felt like she wanted to give up in trainings) "Yes, very often! But at the same time I realize that I can't live without rhythmic gymnastics. It's the most important thing in my life" ~Ekaterina Serebrianskaya (UKR) from International Gymnast Magazine 1993

"Thank you and goodbye. For the past eleven years rhythmic gymnastics has been my life and my world...Gymnastics has made me who I am. It has shaped my character, developed me mentally and emotionally and helped prepare me to be successful in the future...I have had so many wonderful times and met so many fabulous people and I know the memories I have will last forever… long after the medals are tarnished and the scores forgotten...This year was one of my greatest achievements because I learned to compete for me, and for the joy and love I have for rhythmic gymnastics and not for the outcome. I truly realized why I was in this sport and why I continued in it for so long. Success is achieved along the way, and I truly believe that it is the journey that is important - not the destination...I am frightened at the direction that rhythmics is headed in. From my perception it is becoming too political, too unethical and too corrupt at an alarming rate. I do not know how we can improve the situation but I am happy that I will no longer be in a position where my performance will not be judged by what I do on the floor...I am going to miss the sport tremendously but I am looking forward to pursuing new aspects of life...The greatest quote I have heard is this: "A real Champion is a champion in life, not just in sport." ~Erika-Leigh Stirton, from her retirement speech, view in full here.

"At the Olympics, there was a little bit of unfair judging, but I tried not to be disappointed and to do my best. I think the audience respected and loved what I did at the Olympics, and that helped me become the world champion in 1997." ~Elena Vitrichenko (UKR) from International Gymnast Magazine 1999

"Now, the judges are God; I'm not. I can fly like a bird or dance like a flower, but the judges say who is the winner and who is not." ~Amina Zaripova (RUS), from International Gymnast Magazine, March 1999

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