The springboard dips beneath a gymnast’s feet as they increase their speed. Their momentum maximizes and they go for their flip sequence without second thoughts. They land cleanly and continue with their routine. For most gymnasts, this is how their routines appear when performed for others. However, what many spectators do not notice is that their bodies may be in excruciating pain mere hours after they perform a routine or train for extensive hours. Many gymnasts face difficulties they feel uncomfortable discussing with their coaches.
To combat this, Miami Palmetto Senior High junior and gymnast Mila Jaramillo created her podcast flipsNtips.
“I think that a lot of young gymnasts struggle with finding answers to issues that aren’t really talked about or are stigmatized, and I think that is completely wrong. I think that alleviating the stigma for young gymnasts to talk about maybe some awkward conversations or awkward situations – I wanted to kind of create a space for them to feel not only open to talking about it but to listen to other people talk about it,” Jaramillo said.
As a gymnast herself, Jaramillo has witnessed firsthand the lack of mental health resources available to gymnasts. Thus, she has dedicated herself to bringing awareness to these issues through her podcast episodes.
“I think that for certain things, like maybe things that are easy to talk about with your coaches, there’s more accessibility. If [you] just need coaching strategies and stuff like that, you can talk to your coaches about that. But let’s say you want to talk to your coach, ‘Hey, I’m tumbling, and I’m repeatedly peeing myself.’ That’s something that is really sensitive and very personal to a lot of gymnasts,” Jaramillo said. “[But,] it happens to everyone, it is literally one of the most common things that happens to gymnasts, and I think that it’s important for young gymnasts to know it’s okay to talk to their coaches, their friends, anybody about it, because it happens to everyone.”
Through her podcast episodes, Jaramillo has covered various topics. These include discussing practice recovery with a sleep specialist, getting insight from former gymnasts on how gymnastics impacted their lives, as well as how switching to different gyms can affect a gymnast. Currently, she is working on an episode where a professional tennis player explains how athletes, including gymnasts, use imagery or hypnosis as a mental strategy when competing.
“[Gymnasts] go through a lot of stressful coaching, stressful practice, who don’t really have an outlet or someone to talk to or are almost too nervous to talk about sensitive topics, [they can] go to my podcast and feel comfortable listening and listening to my podcast and seeing that multiple people are going through their same situation, I think it’s just almost like a general public kind of thing,” Jaramillo said. “It’s not only gymnasts, either. I think multiple people, multiple different athletes, or just people in general, can listen and start understanding a different sport and the dynamic of a different sport. I think that’s really cool too.”
Through flipNtips, Jaramillo has gotten the opportunity to not only explore her passion for podcasts but also have a positive impact on the athletic community.
“I have had a lot of the gymnasts from my gym come up to me and tell me that [flipsNtips] helped them a lot and is a great resource for them,” Jaramillo said.
