Most people think that being an elite gymnast is something that is amazing and may start to calculate how much it might cost to get to that point, however fewer people calculate how much being an elite gymnast can cost.
Being an elite gymnast is something that is very costly to be. On average it is something that can cost $20,000 for everything for a year. Sometimes it may cost more than that, or it may cost less if the gymnast does everything that they can to cut costs down.
The reason for this high price is because of the fact that there are a lot of things that an elite gymnast will need, especially if they intend on being successful. This being the case, there are such things as sponsors and funding to help with these costs.
You should keep in mind that, with 16 years old being the minimum age for being on the Olympic team, most young teens try to make it to the elite level as early on as they can so that they stand the best chances of making it to that team. Knowing what some of these costs are can be a great way of knowing if you can afford this for your teen and if there might be any ways that you could cut back on the price.
Competition Costs
While sometimes gymnasts can get prizes if they win the competition, there are a lot of costs to compete that can just as often equal what the gymnast might get from them – and that is assuming that they win.
One of the costs to competing is the travel, and sometimes this can be quite a distance. While sometimes you can drive, this will take a lot of gas, and then there is the fact that there are some international competitions which will require you to travel by air to get there.
However, even though plane tickets can be expensive, road trips can be almost equally so at times since you have to have food along the way and you have to pay for hotels if it is a trip that takes more than one day including the gas.
Also, if you are planning on road trips, you should never forget that the added mileage will mean other costs such as oil changes, new tires, and that more tear and wear will eventually also lead to more parts needing replaced sooner than they otherwise would have.
You don’t want to forget the insurance costs either. If you are taking the plane, then you will still need this insurance since you will want it in order to cover the rental car that you will need to use. Your other option would be to use a taxi or something else instead, but while you might not need car insurance for this, it will still cost you.
Once you get to where the competition is being held, you will still need food and quite possibly a place to spend the night at. On top of that, you will also need to pay for the entrance fee, not only for the gymnast to enter the competition, but there is also a fee for parents and other family members to come watch.
All of this can cost a couple of thousand dollars easily for a young gymnast, and this is if they are old enough to be traveling alone. You can come close to doubling those costs if the elite gymnast is a teen and needs a parent to go with them.
Supplies
There are also a lot of supplies that a gymnast is going to need, each of which are going to cost something. They will need leotards to train in and leotards to compete in, most gymnasts have at least 20 or so, with the competition leotards sometimes costing a few hundred dollars each easily.
Due to how much training that an elite gymnast has to go through, they will also need plenty of chalk, so add some money there. They will also need really good bar grips, maybe even more than one set a year if they are putting in a lot of hours.
Then there are other supplies if the gymnast uses gymnastics shoes. And all of that is not even counting if the gymnast needs to buy their own equipment so that they can practice any at home without having to go to the gyms.
While this equipment is not something that a gymnast will need to buy every year, at least a little bit of money should be counted for this. There is the beam, a bar, and at least one mat if not more for practicing those tumbling passes among other pieces of equipment.
Between all of these, there is almost bound to be something that will break or need replaced throughout the course of a year. Sometimes there will also be a newer, updated version of something that an elite gymnast should have too.
Trainers
Even when a gymnast reaches the elite level, they will still need to keep being trained so that they are constantly improving. This means that they will often need a few hundred dollars every month so that they can train at a gym that will have everything that they need and for a coach to keep them moving forward in their training.
On top of that, there are other trainers that an elite gymnast might need, but which a few rare ones might be able to do without. One of these is a sports nutritionist which can charge $100 easily per session. You can add a little bit more here as well so that you can buy any specific foods that they recommend that you eat.
Then there are other people too, like an athletic trainer, a sports psychologist, and a massage therapist to help with the gymnast’s muscles. Each of these often charge a couple hundred dollars per session, though sometimes you could find one that charges less.
Then, elite gymnast are also prone to getting injuries such as sprains, brakes, and other things that require doctor visits. If it is a serious injury then you can add other costs such as surgery if they need it plus other things like some physical therapy afterwards.
Other Odds And Ends That Cost
One of the things that you probably haven’t though if is the price of tuition. As mentioned, most elite gymnasts are somewhere in their teens, but being an elite gymnast often means that you simply do not have the time to go to public schools.
Some elite gymnasts can manage to do this, but most choose to go with homeschooling so that they have all the time that they need to train and can work in their school around their competitions and other things.
The other option that some gymnasts go with is to attend a special private school that is willing to work with their students and their training and competition schedules. Either way, if you are not going to be going to a public school then you can add tuition costs to what you are paying to be an elite gymnast.
Sometimes homeschooling can be the cheaper option to go with, depending on the curriculum and brand. However, either one is going to add a few thousand dollars at the very least to your yearly costs. If the elite gymnast is a little bit older then they can often get a college scholarship, and this can help some.
Then there are also other, random costs. Gymnasts often have to use hairspray to keep their hair in place during competitions, and hairbands also brake over time as well and will need to be replaced. In order to help keep their bones strong and their bodies healthy, young gymnasts should also make sure that they take plenty of vitamins and supplements.
While there are certainly a number of other random costs that you can figure in, these are likely to be the main ones that an elite gymnast will have to cover.