Preparing to compete: the first experience of Pâmela Pires - Práticas Ginásticas Academy

The sportive experience for children and young people is essential for a good physical-motor development, and should be inserted in a positive way, respecting the characteristics of the practitioner. This is the case of Artistic Gymnastics (AG), which stimulates different physical abilities, posture and body awareness, and its training is composed of different stimuli, general and specific, with the objective of working on the basic fundamentals of the modality. Something inherent to the sport is competition, often inserted in initiation, as in GA, and which has several benefits, if put correctly. However, adaptations are essential, both in the devices and in the rules, so that the gymnast lives this experience, with less demands for victory, and aimed at self-overcoming. Thus, the objective of this work was to report the first competitive experience of the gymnasts of the Pâmela Pires - Práticas Ginásticas Academy, under the eyes of the teachers present in the preparation and competition phases. The event in question was the Festival Helvétia de GA, which featured adapted competitive features. In it, all participating gymnasts would receive podium medals, according to the grades obtained. The devices were: Solo, with mandatory and complementary elements; and Leap over the drawers. The academy took 11 beginner and 10 advanced gymnasts, according to the levels described in the regulation. There were five weeks of preparation: two to define the order of mandatory and complementary elements; two to perfect the floor sets and jumps; and the last one, for final adjustments and definition of poses to enhance the artistic aspect. During this period, it was possible to perceive differences in the level of dedication among the students, with the gymnasts making an effort to perfect their series and leave the elements with the best technique; those less focused on making good presentations; and those who wanted to show movements they hadn't mastered yet. Despite this, everyone's effort to present their best was noticeable. Regarding the emotional aspects, we noticed great anxiety in the gymnasts from the warm-up to the presentations, causing small mistakes and requests for help to perform some elements. Although these factors interfered with performance, the majority knew how to deal with frustrations and enjoyed the experience. We also observed the team spirit, with incentives and demonstrations of empathy among them. Finally, all gymnasts were awarded, as specified in the rules, with a total of seven bronze, 11 silver and three gold medals. Some fruits could be harvested after the festival, such as greater motivation to learn new skills and a clear maturation in the face of mistakes and frustrations. Based on these perceptions, we concluded that this event was positive for the development of the athletes, both physically and emotionally. Expose yourself in front of people, be evaluated, deal with mistakes, nervousness and results are characteristics present in the sport. Being able to provide experiences like this for the students is important, with affection, care and seeking the right approach so that the experience bears fruit and not trauma. This festival, with its adapted competitive characteristics, brought the confrontation, the challenge, the evaluation, and also an inclusive award, in which all win and go to the podium, being a good option for the students to have their first competitive experiences in a healthy way.