Summer is in full swing, but while you may be on a break from school, everyone knows a gymnast’s work never stops! The Gymternet brings you the good, the bad, and the downright ugly realities of life as a gymnast during the summer.

1. Handstands. Handstands everywhere.

Hiked a mountain? Do a handstand. Went to Disney? Do a handstand. Because everyone knows that all vacations are documented by gymnasts through handstands. If you didn’t take a handstand picture, then you didn’t actually go.

2. Beach gymnastics.

No trip to the beach is complete without handstands (yes, more handstands), back handsprings, aerials, or back tucks, impressing passing onlookers while you take approximately 500 pictures in search of the perfect shot to post on Instagram.

3. No air conditioning in the gym.

If your gym had air conditioning, consider yourself extremely fortunate. While you trained in comfort, the rest of us were dealing with sticking to the mats and sweating in places one should never sweat. There’s nothing like pulling your knees on a double back and having your hands slide right off.

4. Early morning practices.

While your friends get to take advantage of the summer to sleep in, you get no reprieve. You still have to get up early for practice.

5. The lethal combination of leotards and sunburns.

While you’re flipping around at the beach, don’t forget to wear lots of sunscreen, or you will regret it the next day when you have to put your leotard on.

6. Leotards. Period.

When you dread having to go to the bathroom at practice because you know peeling your sweaty leotard off and having to put it back on is going to be almost as grueling as the bar conditioning you just did.

7. Damp equipment.

We all know what happens on humid days, and no amount of chalk can make the bars or beams feel any less slimy and disgusting.

8. Gymnastics camp.

Whether it’s a camp with Olympians for coaches or a camp with college gymnasts as coaches, gymnastics camps are places where incredible memories, lasting friendships, and even new skills are made.

9. Summer conditioning.

Those two words are enough to make anyone wince. While you might be able to think of a million different things more pleasant than summer conditioning (like putting forks in your eyes, for example), you know deep down that it’s good for you and that it keeps you strong and fit.

10. “I can’t, I have practice.”

Need I say more?

11. Sticking to the leather seats in the car.

Is there any better feeling?

12. Rips.

Longer practices means longer bar workouts, and longer bar workouts mean more rips. Can’t wait to take a shower after practice? Have fun washing your hair with that rip. Going to the beach with the team after practice? Better not stick that hand in the ocean with a fresh rip on it.

13. Weekends off.

Coaches: this one is for you. After months and months of working on the weekends during those seemingly endless competition seasons, you can finally enjoy your Saturdays. After spotting sweaty kids all day long, you deserve to kick back and relax.

14. Everything hurts.

When you get back into the gym for practice after that week of vacation and can’t move the next day, but still have to get up to go train.

15. New skills.

It might be hot and you might be sweaty, but we all know that summer is new skill season, and nothing beats the feeling of going home after a productive (albeit hot) practice where you nailed that skill you’ve been working hard on.

16. Missing summer practices when school starts again.

As miserable as we can get during the summer, everyone misses it just a little bit when school starts back up again and we start looking forward to doing it all over again next summer.

Did we forget something? Leave it in the comments!

Article by Sarah Chrane