Interlacing Theory and Practice: The Different Faces in Rhythmic Gymnastics

Think the Rhythmic Gymnast (RG) is to consider that exist different roles and figures in its different manifestations. That is, the athlete and family members, coaches and other professionals, futures Physical Education teachers and researches of the area are responsible for facets with different contributions. Based on this, as a personal experience, I was a high-performance RG athlete for seven years and, after five years away from practice, I entered the Physical Education graduation course at the UFPR. At graduation, I started participating in extension projects in Gymnastics and studying, in addition to the disciplines, gymnastics in its manifestations. At the same time, I started working as a technical assistant for a high-performance RG team, monitoring and directing activities in the children and youth categories. Under this bias, this experience report aims to analyze elements of dialogue between the graduation in Physical Education and the performance as a trainee in the high performance of RG of a former athlete of the modality. For that, we are based on the analysis, discussion and reflection of three interlocutions of the aforementioned experiences: (1) as an athlete for the study/acting; (2) from graduation to training; and (3) from training to graduation. With regard to the first stage (from athlete to study/acting) the experience gave me a certain predisposition to return to the modality for the comfort/initial knowledge of this practice, in addition to the already existing contacts. However, having been an athlete has provided me with both negative and positive experiences that make me more sensitive to the experiences of new gymnasts and the ways in which the sport is organized, opposing demands that are naturalized in practice. This relationship provides the opportunity for the second element of reflection (from graduation to training) where graduation subsidized me in different areas that can be used in RG, disciplines from didactics and sociology to physiology which, interconnected and weighted with training, do not limit my work to the technical/performance, but include the social, relational, and humanistic. In addition, being an undergraduate relates me to different gymnastics and the recognition of “errors” in traditional training that make me reflective about action. Furthermore, it gave me tools that are not so present in high-performance training, such as games and play. In this way, my presence in study and extension groups that bring repertoire to acting and reflection in the area has increased. Finally, the reverse path (from training to graduation) is manifested in how I organize my daily and half-yearly routine, which is consistent with ways of organizing training (daily objectives, times and spaces) and with the modality's calendar. This relationship demands more responsibility in both perspectives and evidences personality characteristics that start from the demand and perfectionism that RG aims for. Thus, being in training generates interest in seeking knowledge in this area within graduation and brings knowledge to my academic routine, such as variations and more up-to-date knowledge in regulation and technical organization. Based on what has been exposed, it is concluded that experiencing different faces of RG gave me the opportunity to have a broader and more global view of the modality, with paths that dialogue between University and labor market and can enhance both in a reflective way.