Respect Your Journey Podcast

What It Really Takes to Build an Elite Gymnast

Produced at Klip Studio

Episode guest

Ivanka Victory →

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The conversation

Show notes

Former Costa Rican National Team gymnast Ivanka Victory joins Respect Your Journey to talk about what it really takes to develop a high-level athlete.

Ivanka started in mommy-and-me classes at 9 months old, was competing by 4, and spent years competing internationally before co-founding Victory Elite Gymnastics in Miami, where she now coaches the next generation.

In this episode:

• Her journey from the gym floor to the national team

• Why discipline beats motivation

• Falling, learning and getting back up

• Why athletes are more than their medals

• Why landings make or break your score

• The role parents play in development

• Why men's gymnastics programs are disappearing

• What most people don't understand about the sport

Athletes, parents and coaches: what's the biggest lesson your sport has taught you? Let us know in the comments 👇

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🤸‍♀️ Victory Elite Gymnastics: @victoryelitegymnastics

Produced at Klip Studio

#Gymnastics #IvankaVictory #RespectYourJourney #RYJ #YouthSports #AthleteDevelopment #Podcast

Introduction to the series

Meet Ivanka Victory

The discipline of gymnastics

Starting out and fundamentals

Managing individual progress

Level systems and choreography

Parental roles and progression

Pathways to elite gymnastics

Men's and women's gymnastics

Physicality and injury history

Training systems and safety

Homeschooling and elite training

Artistry and specialization

Mental preparation and focus

Learning from failure

Closing thoughts and contact

Overview

In this episode

Former Costa Rican National Team gymnast Ivanka Victory, co-founder and coach at Victory Elite Gymnastics in Miami, breaks down what it really takes to develop a high-level gymnast, from mommy-and-me classes at 9 months old and competing by age 4 to years on the international stage and now coaching the next generation.

Lessons

Key takeaways

  • Discipline beats motivation: you do the work whether you feel like it or not, because the goal is bigger than one day.
  • Not every day is your 100 percent: on low days, still give more than you think you have.
  • Falling is part of the process: learning to fall, fail and get back up is the sport.
  • Landings make or break your score: in a judged sport, small details decide results.
  • Parents shape development: how parents handle pressure matters.
  • Athletes are more than their medals.

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