“You got this” is a phrase I hear almost every day.

It is something that my teammates say to one another as a fellow gymnast is standing in the corner waiting to perform a new skill, frozen over with fear.

I’ve told myself “I got this” a countless number of times. Gymnastics is a sport that is more mentally draining than it is physically. Someone can be physically capable of doing a skill, but their brain tells them otherwise.

The phrase is somewhat comforting; it tells you your team believes in you and knows that you can do it, even if you do not believe in yourself. Being someone who deals with anxiety before meets, this phrase helps me a lot throughout my gymnastics career.

At one meet last year, I was up to compete on balance beam. I remember being more nervous than normal, as I had inserted a couple of difficult jumps in my routine. During practice, I landed these jumps without a problem, but the thought of performing them in front of an audience made me sick.

Whenever I am up on the beam, I tune out all other distractions and focus merely on the 4-inch beam I am standing on.

I started my routine with fluidity. I landed my turns and my tumbling easily, but once it got time to do this new jump, I froze.

My mind kept racing and my toes tapped on the beam, waiting to go. The gym fell silent, but it was quickly filled up with my team shouting that comforting phrase.

As I landed that jump without a wobble, the roar of my teammates cheering for me was a satisfying feeling. I finished performing my routine and stuck the dismount.

These moments in gymnastics come few and far between, and when they do come, it is a great feeling. I am part of a sport where cheering on others and encouraging them to do their best is a huge component. There is never a moment where we don’t cheer on our teammates.

While gymnastics is a scary sport, having the support of your teammates and coaches is a rewarding feeling. Gymnastics has taught me that the support of others can in fact have a distinguishing effect on my performance.