Gymnastics: From War to Sport
by Tiffany Webber, age 9
Gymnastics is a sport that is popular all over the world. Men and women have practiced it for centuries.
In early Greek civilization, gymnastics was created to keep people in shape. The exercises included running, jumping, swimming, throwing, wrestling, and weight lifting. Ancient Greeks believed that staying in shape was very important. When the Romans took over Greece, they made gymnastics a more formal sport, using it to train their soldiers for wars.
During the late 1700’s, gymnastics started to become more modernized. Friedrich Ludwig Jahn of Germany, known as “the father of gymnastics”, developed the horizontal bar, the parallel bars, the balance beam, and even jumping events.
After 1811, gymnastics clubs became popular in Europe and in England. It quickly became a well-liked activity. About the time of the Civil War, Dr. Dudley Allen Sargeant introduced gymnastics to the United States, teaching it at many universities across the county.
Gymnastics is a good way to stay fit. By doing gymnastics, you can improve your flexibility while staying in shape. It is also really fun. Gymnastics has a long, rich history throughout the world.
[Source: Scholastic]
|