On Gymnastics – Logan Melander (at age 13)
Founder – Iron Cross Foundation
Why
I started the Iron Cross Foundation:
I started this foundation when I got injured when I was 12 years old. At one point
in my recovery the doctors weren’t sure if I would ever be able to
do gymnastics again. That was scary! I always imagined that I would
always be able to do gymnastics and maybe someday I would even go to
the Olympics and then I could give back to my sport. When they said
I might not be able to do gymnastics anymore, I still wanted to give
back. My parents said I didn’t have to wait to give back and that I
could do it now, so I started thinking about this foundation.
Honestly, I didn’t think that as a kid I could really make a big
difference, but I could. If you stick with gymnastics it will help
you in many ways in every day life. Maybe it will even help you
start your own foundation someday!
Gymnastics is an inspirational sport. When I get a new move it
motivates me to learn more and keep going with the sport. It makes
me want to do more and new things to the best of my ability.
Gymnastics doesn’t just inspire me in the gym, but helps me outside
of the gym, like at school. It boosts my confidence for other things
– so I am ready for anything that comes my way.
Gymnastics helps me develop good habits instead of bad habits. I eat
right, exercise a lot (of course) and get good sleep. Smoking and
doing drugs could shut down and kill my gymnastics career so I don’t
listen to people who tell me it’s cool. It helps me resist people in
school who can lead me into bad habits.
Gymnastics has taught me the values of listening, patience and to be
respectful to adults. These skills are ones that I can take out of
the gym and use in the rest of my life. In the gym these skills are
important because if I don’t listen to my coach and I do my own
thing, I can get hurt. If you are working and your boss tells you
something and you don’t do it or you aren’t respectful you can get
fired. At school if you don’t listen to your teachers you can get in
big trouble with both your teachers and your parents.
My realistic goal right now in gymnastic is to make Regional Team
for Nationals this year. And my hopeful short-term goal is to make
the National Team at Nationals. My long term goal, like most every
kid in gymnastics – is to make it to the Olympics someday. Or I’d
like to go to Worlds, either one. If I am going to reach these goals
I need to believe and keep telling myself that I am capable of doing
it and not put myself down or be discouraged, but believe in my
abilities and what I can do.
Gymnastics is a stick with it sport. You have to have patience and
discipline all the time to see your progress. You don’t just go in
and throw a new skill every day. You have to put in your time and
keep working and then the hard work pays off. In the end if you keep
working, practice makes permanent. If you keep working at something
you can get it eventually.
-Logan Melander
