Gymnastics is a competitive sport that most people appreciate but few can perform. Gymnasts must work very hard and train for many years in order to attain the skills necessary to become real competitors even at the lowest levels of the sport. Becoming a great gymnast requires patience, discipline and dedication in order to develop the strength, balance and grace necessary to make an impression on anyone watching a routine. Gymnasts who achieve fame can often do amazing things that seem to defy the laws of physics or gravity. Gymnastics is especially difficult when it is done as part of a synchronized team instead of an individual performance.
Rhythmic gymnastics is a version of the sport that has a large focus on choreographed movements usually timed with music. It is most often seen in the world when the Olympics occur. Some rhythmic gymnastics events involve using a ribbon or hoop to help highlight the movements of the athlete. Another form of rhythmic gymnastics involves bringing an entire team out into the performance area. That team must then work as a unit to display superior gymnastic skill, exceptional rhythm to the music and coordination that goes beyond what normal people can do. This is what amazed people recently at a university.
Aomori University is located in northern Japan in the Tohoku region. It is a private university that was established in 1968. Part of the curriculum of the university involves sports. It was not too long ago that Aomori University decided to create a men’s rhythmic gymnastics team. The sport of men’s rhythmic gymnastics actually came to Japan in the 1970s. Some of the athletes who take part in the sport use sticks as part of the routines. There is a well-establish men’s rhythmic gymnastics culture in Japan especially at universities. Students can train for years just to finally get onto an official team and compete.
The Aomori University men’s rhythmic gymnastics team consisted of six talented people in 2009. A competition between every Japanese university that wants to participate is held each year. The Aomori team managed to make it into the contest and started climbing in the ranks. The team was finally able to reach the All Japan Championships. The six-member team took the floor as soft almost classical music started to play in the background. The routine began slow but then amazed the judges and the audience in the hall.
The team of gymnasts started to move in perfect coordination. Every member of the team was synchronized so well that it was impossible to see any differences in their movements. The audience sat in quiet disbelief at first. The men were doing a number of complex moves such as handstands and spins. They then moved on to some incredibly impressive moves such as jumping simultaneously. The choreography became more complex as the team broke up into groups that were each coordinated with themselves and the people in the other group. The team never missed a beat throughout the entire routine. The choreography flowed and matched the music exactly in both rhythm and tone.
The team from Aomori University was met with resounding applause when the routine finally ended. The entire performance had lasted for just three minutes although it seemed much longer as the men contorted, jumped and flipped in harmony. Many other teams of men performed in the auditorium that day. In the end, however, the Aomori University men’s rhythmic gymnastics team took home the top spot winning the gold prize. Subsequent videos of future teams from Aomori University show that the school is producing some of the best male rhythmic gymnasts in the country today.