The Brecksville-Broadview Heights Bees Gymnastics team is living the embodiment of excellence.
On March 2, the Bees will be competing for their 21st consecutive state championship title at the Ohio High School Athletic Association gymnastics tournament. It’s the longest state winning streak on record.
How does a team achieve greatness that lasts for two decades? Coach Maria Schneider joined the “Sound of Ideas” on Wednesday to talk about how the team has achieved success.
Host Jenny Hamel began by asking Coach Schneider how she is feeling with the state championships just days away. “I'm feeling, as I typically do, … nerve wracking, but excitement also that these girls are getting another opportunity,” said Schneider.
Schneider says the coaches work with the gymnasts on the mental preparation part of the sport and that includes work on imagery, meditation and breathing exercises. Schneider says they help the young athletes not only prepare for the rigorous demands of gymnastics but also the disappointment if an event does not go their way. “ How do we let that go and move on and not allow it to carry over into our next events and things like that.”
Schneider say the Bees team has a deep bench of strength. Six girls compete and while the events are individual, scoring is based on the combined team’s performance.
Her parents, Ron and Joan Ganim, opened Gym World after meeting at Kent State University where her mother was on the gymnastics team. Schneider’s father, Ron, learned coaching from Rudy and Janet Bachna, who coached at Kent State.
Schneider says her dad was way ahead of his time when it came to helping athletes deal with their fears and the mental stress of the sport.
“We know that finally, the gymnastics world is really paying attention to mental health and a person being grounded both mentally and physically and safe in their surroundings.”
Coach Schneider says her parents always focused on the student first and then the athlete.
“It means teach the kid first. Help them. Gymnastics is not the only thing that's part of their life. So, there's so much more beyond just the sport. And so, if you only focus on the sport that they're doing, you're not going to get the best version of who they are as an athlete. You've got you have to know that so many other things are going on.”
Schneider added that she wonders what her dad would think about the pressures the student-athletes of today face. “They are overworked, overwhelmed with the things that they have to do in life.”
As for the state final meet this weekend, Schneider says she wants her gymnasts to do their best and move forward whatever happens. “I'm feeling confident in them and I'm really proud of them regardless of the results. But I, of course, hope to see us back on that award stand and first. And if not, that's okay. It's not going to be the end of the world. Life moves on and we still have some great memories together.”
Guests:
-Maria Schneider, Coach