How and when did Gymnastics start?
22:54 Share

And now, it's time for Who Smarted? Psst, hey, smarty pants, don't flip out. But I'm about to see my niece, Gia, a.k.a. the Whoa Girl, compete in the girls' regional finals. What sport is she competing in, you ask? Great.

Great question, Smarty Pants. See if you can guess. It's one of the most popular sports in the world. It's an Olympic event for both men and women. Competitors perform on special equipment known as apparatus. And it requires balance, strength, and flexibility. Why, of course, it's gymnastics. Yeah!

Hey, Uncle Trusty. Thanks for coming to cheer me on. Of course. I'm so excited you made it to the regional finals. And I bet the Smarty Pants are, too. Go ahead. Let Gia know you're rooting her on. Wow. That was great, Smarty Pants. Actually, that was the crowd here, Uncle Trusty. Some girl from a rival school just totally stuck her dismount. Oh. Well, you'll just have to stick your dismount, too. I sure hope so.

My uneven parallel bars have been a little uneven the past few days in practice. But that's okay. I'm a game time performer. Great. You know, Gia, I get the sense a lot of smarty pants love gymnastics and some are even gymnasts too. And they, and I, want to learn more about the sport. Oh yeah? Like what?

Like, how and when did gymnastics start? How were all the events created? Why are there certain events for men and others for women? And how have gymnastics events changed over the years? Wow, those are really great questions. I'm pretty sure I can help you answer them. Really?

But aren't you competing? Yeah, but my event doesn't start for another two hours. How long is the show again? Fifteen minutes, give or take. I got plenty of time. Plus, it'll take my mind off the meat so I don't get too nervous. Great! Then let's get ready to tumble with a big whiff of science and history on... Who Smarted? Who Smarted?

Who's Smarted? Who's Smart? Is it you? Is it me? Is it science? Or history? Listen up, everyone! Smarting! Lots of fun on Who's Smarted?

Hey, parents! Let's talk about screen time for a second. I know, I know, but hear me out. We all know we should cut back, but here's the problem. What's a good alternative? Wait! Emergency! A kid just wrote a story about a shy robot who uses a time-traveling skateboard to save a bunch of talking penguins from a super volcano! Uh, Peter, you're right. This sounds like a job for story pirates.

I was just telling these nice people that Story Pirates is the number one kids and family podcast where we take stories written by real kids and turn them into absolutely epic musical comedy adventures. Like this. Cats sit on you and sometimes they take over the school. So instead of handing your kids an iPad, Story Pirates lets you hand them a brand new adventure every week wherever you get your podcasts.

*Screaming*

Wow, the energy in here is truly electric. I've seen gymnastics on TV, but there's nothing like being here live to see how fast gymnasts can run, how high they can jump, and how flippy, bendy, and twisty they can get. It's pretty incredible. Whoa. Sorry, I was practicing my woes. So, what do you want to know first, Uncle Trusty? Well, let's start at the very beginning. Where does gymnastics come from? The word?

Or the sport? Why not both? Well, the word comes from a Greek word, gymnasine. Ooh, smarty pants. Can you guess what that word gymnasine means? Is it A, to twist in the air? B, to tumble on the ground? Or C, to exercise naked? Wow, what a weird choice to put in there. Of course the answer couldn't possibly be C.

Could it? Actually, it is. See. Wait, wait, wait, what? The gymnastics comes from a Greek word meaning to exercise naked? I know, I know. It seems crazy. But that's what ancient Greek athletes did when they trained and competed in the ancient Olympics. Thankfully, things have changed. You're telling me. I think I would have stuck to soccer.

But why? Why would they compete without any clothes? How would they even know which team they were on? Good question. From what I've read, competing in their birthday suits allowed athletes to move easily, and it was a way to celebrate the human body. Okay, well, that's enough celebrating for now. What else can you tell me about early gymnastics that won't have me blushing? Well, gymnastics was one of the first sports in the ancient Olympic Games. ♪

But it was not the same as modern gymnastics. Hmm, smarty pants. How do you think early gymnastics were different than today? Well, instead of a balance beam, parallel bars, or the vault, ancient gymnastics included physical exercises like running, jumping, wrestling, and discus throwing. Ooh!

Ah, yes. In fact, the whole point of the early gymnastics was to make people's bodies and minds stronger, not just for daily life, but as part of military training.

Gymnastics was also practiced in ancient China and India, too. But it was the ancient Romans who really knew how to put on a show. They turned gymnastics into entertainment where athletes showed off their skills in crowded arenas. With clothes, I hope. Uh...

Never mind. So if ancient gymnastics were more like running, jumping, and wrestling, when did the somersaults, handstands, backflips, triple twists, and mind-blowing gymnastics skills that we see today start?

Well, modern gymnastics began around the 1800s as part of physical education in countries like Germany and Sweden. Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, a German teacher who was often called the father of modern gymnastics, created the first gymnastics clubs and promoted the use of apparatus, which is the special equipment gymnasts use like the parallel bars, the rings, the high bar, and the balance beam.

Yes. Everyone wore clothes. Great. Sounds like, in the 1800s, gymnastics started to really take off. Kind of like a Simone Biles triple-twisting double backflip. For sure, Uncle Trusty. Smarty Pants, true or false? Gymnastics became a part of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens, Greece. The answer is true. True.

Of course, at the time, only male gymnasts competed in events, which included the rings, parallel bars, horizontal or high bar, pommel horse, vault, and rope climbing. Rope climbing? That's odd. And wait, only male gymnasts competed? But female gymnasts are amazing and even more well-known than the men today. Hey, you don't have to convince me. Back in the 1800s, the powers that be somehow believed women weren't strong enough to compete.

and would probably get hurt if they did. Wow, and I thought competing naked was the silliest thing I was going to hear today. Eventually, women were allowed to compete at the 1900 Olympics in Paris. Yes, women's gymnastics is born! Not yet. Women were only allowed to compete in tennis and golf. Oh, boo. But then, in 1928, women's gymnastics made its Olympic debut as a team event at the Olympics in Amsterdam. Yeah!

Finally, something to cheer about. So, Gia, once gymnastics became an official sport, how did they decide on the gymnastics events? Smartypants, any ideas? Yeah, me neither. An organization called FIG, or the Fédération Internationale des Gymnastiques, which is French for the International Gymnastics Federation, sets the rules for international competitions, types of events, and scoring systems.

FIG, which was formed in 1881 and is one of the oldest sporting federations, works with the International Olympic Committee, or IOC, to decide which gymnastics events are in the Olympics. Smarty Pants, do you know which of the following is an official gymnastics event? A. The Pomodoro Horse B. The Uneven Bars Or C. The Flying Donut

Well, as fun as a flying donut sounds, the answer is actually B, the uneven bars. Yes, the uneven bars are a women's gymnastics event. Ooh, it looks like there's a break in the action. Here, I can show you how it's done. And we can even get the somehow always available Chet Nickerson to announce it.

Hello, gymnastics fans! Chet Nickerson here, happy to join you as young Gia steps up to the uneven bars, which, if you don't know, are two uneven horizontal bars with one bar set higher than the other. The bars are completely adjustable, with the distance between them anywhere from 4.3 to 6.2 feet, or 130 to 180 centimeters.

Right now, Gia is swinging around the high bar, which can be up to 8 feet or 2.4 meters off the ground. And now she's swung over to the low bar, which is 5.5 feet or 1.7 meters off the ground. And now she's swinging between both the high and low bar. It is a sight to behold and something men don't do. Why? Because men compete on a

on a single high bar that is 9 feet 2 inches or 2.8 meters off the ground. Speaking of high bar, Gia is back to swinging around the high bar, getting ready for her dismount, which is the final move off the apparatus. And she's...

the landing! Yes! Meaning both feet have landed solidly with no wobble or extra steps. If only this was the competition and not just her showing off for us. Wow, that was great, Gia. If you do that during the competition, you will definitely get a medal. Thanks, Uncle Trusty. Of course I also have to do well on the other events.

Would you like me to demo those too? Sure, as long as it won't tire you out. Are you kidding? I practice for three hours a day, three days a week. Alrighty then, what's next? The balance beam. Okay, Gia is now balancing on a beam that is four inches or 10.16 centimeters wide and four feet or 1.2 meters off the ground.

How someone can walk on that, let alone do spins, cartwheels, and flips is beyond me.

Which, luckily, as a man, I wouldn't have to do, as only women compete on the balance beam. Smarty Pants, instead of the balance beam, what do men gymnasts compete on? Is it the crazy horse, the pommel horse, or the Trojan horse? The answer is the pommel horse. Just don't ask me what a pommel is. Meanwhile, Gia has just landed a back handspring off the beam for another perfect landing.

Wow! Save it for the competition. Nope. Gia has moved on to demonstrate the next event, the vault. As you'll hear, she will run down a long runway to a springboard, which will launch her towards a huge padded block called a vaulting table. And she's airborne, flipping and twisting. And once again, she's stuck the landing. Yes! Okay, one more event to go.

For her final practice event, Gia is approaching the mat for... For what, Smarty Pants? What is the final event that we haven't mentioned? Go ahead, call it out. Uh-huh, uh-huh, some of you got it. Well, we'll reveal the answer right after this quick break and a word from our sponsors.

Hey parents, Trusty here with something really smart for your smarty pants. I've got nieces, nephews, and close family friends, some homeschooled, some traditional school, and lately there's one tool they all seem to be using, iXL.

One of my nephews was really struggling with reading comprehension. His parents tried IXL, and within a couple of weeks, he was not only keeping up, he was excited to read. Then my niece, who's super into math, started exploring topics way beyond her grade level. That's the beauty of IXL. It's flexible. Kids can move at their own pace in any subject across any grade.

A friend's daughter loves the instant feedback and little rewards. It's fun, not stressful. And the parents, they love how easy it is to find the exact topic they're covering that week.

iXcel is organized, saves them time, and actually helps the kids feel more confident. If you're homeschooling or just want to supplement what your child is learning in traditional school, iXcel is a game changer. Get 20% off at iXcel.com slash smarted with the code smarted. That's iXcel.com slash smarted, code smarted.

Learning that's flexible, fun, and perfect for your smarty pants. That's IXL. This episode is brought to you by Squarespace. So I'll be honest, I put off building our new website for way too long. I think part of me was waiting for the perfect moment or thought I needed to hire someone or take a design course or something. Total nonsense, because then I tried Squarespace. And yeah, I was hooked in an hour.

Squarespace is this all-in-one platform that makes it ridiculously easy to bring an idea to life online, whether you're starting a business, launching a project, or just want to finally claim your little corner of the internet. I used it to build a clean professional site in a weekend. No coding, no overwhelm, just drag, drop, done. I

I used their Blueprint AI tool to start, and it generated a smart, customized layout just from a few questions about what we do. So if you've been waiting to launch your site, this is your sign. Head to squarespace.com slash smarted for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, use code SMARTED to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Now back to Who Smarted? Okay, when we left off, Gia was about to practice her fourth and final event. She's already done uneven bars, balance beam, and the vault, which leaves what? Here's a hint. It takes place on a large square mat, and music is often played during it. Why, of course, it's the floor exercise. As we speak,

Gia is performing a floor routine, which is a series of heavily choreographed moves and required skills that combine tumbling passes, which include front and back handsprings, flips, twists, and rolls, calisthenics skills, such as handstands and cartwheels, and even some artistic dance moves. Oh, look at Gia go. She just did three handsprings in a row before doing a double twisting flip.

And she nailed it! Yes! Amazing, Gia. I had no idea you were that good. Neither did I. I think knowing the smarty pants are listening has upped my game. I gotta say, I wish I had what it takes to be a gymnast. Well, if you did, Uncle Trusty, you would have to compete in six events. Six? You only did four. What are the extra events? Well, just like the women, men compete in the vault and floor exercise.

And we said they did the high bar instead of the uneven bars, and the pommel horse, whatever that is, instead of the balance beam. Oh, Uncle Trusty. It's called a pommel horse because it's shaped like a horse's back and has two handles, or pommels, on it. Male gymnasts use those handles to swing themselves around in circular or figure-eight movements. Oh, that makes sense. Wait, that still leaves two events. Oh.

I can help you out, trustee. In addition, men also compete on the still rings, which hang from the ceiling, and the parallel bars, which are two wooden bars running alongside one another, about 6.5 feet or 2 meters high, and spaced 16.5 to 20.5 inches or 42 to 52 centimeters apart.

Male gymnasts can swing, balance, and dismount from these bars! Wow, I'm exhausted just hearing about it. I think I'll stick to narrating, but I am curious, why are there different events for men and women? Well, when modern gymnastics began, men's gymnastics focused on strength, power, and endurance. While women's gymnastics focused more on flexibility, balance, and artistic movement.

This led to creating different styles of events. For example, women's floor exercise has music and combines tumbling and acrobatics with dance, while men's floor exercise has no music and focuses on tumbling and acrobatics.

But gymnastics has evolved over the years, and the skill difficulty for all gymnasts has gotten way harder. It's pretty obvious gymnasts need lots of skills and combination of physical and mental strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, endurance, focus, and concentration. You could almost say gymnasts are like living, breathing science lessons. ♪

Smirnypants, which branch of science is best connected to gymnastics? Is it A, astronomy, B, geology, or C, physics? If you said C, physics, give yourself a gold medal. ♪

Physics is a branch of science that deals with how things move and work. Oh, I see. Like when gymnasts flip, twist, or vault. They're using force, momentum, gravity, and angular velocity, which is how fast something spins around a point. Exactly. Gymnasts also control how fast they spin by changing their body position and tucking their arms and legs in, which uses a scientific concept called angular momentum.

Wow, this really feels like our worlds of gymnastics and science are colliding, Uncle Trusty. Come to think of it, one of the most difficult moves in women's gymnastics, the Biles 2, is a great example of science in gymnastics. What's the Biles 2? It's a double backflip with three full twists during the floor exercise. Simone Biles, aka The Goat, is the only female gymnast to perform this move, which is obviously named after her.

To do it, Simone pulls her arms and legs in super tightly so that she spins fast enough to perform the gravity-defying move. Which is a great example of angular momentum. But why is she called the GOAT? Did she grow up on a farm? No, Uncle Trusty. The GOAT. G-O-A-T. As in, the greatest of all time. Simone has won the most medals in gymnastics history, including seven Olympic medals and 25 World Championship medals.

And she did it in both individual and team competitions. Right, because you compete as individuals, but also as a team. But wait, how does the scoring work? True or false, the best score you can get is a perfect 10. False. False.

False? Really? But didn't the legendary Romanian gymnast Nadia Comanenche score a perfect 10 when she was only 14? And that was the best you could get? Yes. A perfect 10 used to be the best score a gymnast could achieve. But since 2006, the code of points system has been used, where gymnasts can score higher than 10. Today's scoring combines a difficulty score, which is how hard the moves are, and an execution score, which is how well the gymnast performs. It provides a perfect score for a gymnast who can score higher than 10.

It provides a fair and more accurate scoring. Nice. I gotta say, the sport of gymnastics sure has changed a lot over the years. It sure has, including adding different types of gymnastics to the Olympics. In 1984, women's rhythmic gymnastics, which combines gymnastics and dance and uses hoops, balls, clubs, and ribbons, became an Olympic sport. Hoop, there it is! In 2000, men and women's trampoline made it to the Olympics, too.

You know how I love my backyard trampoline. And in 2028, there will be a mixed team gymnastics event where both male and female gymnasts will compete together. And then one day, that'll be you at the Olympics doing the Biles too. Whoa, easy Uncle Trusty. First I have to win regionals. Ah, you got this.

A big shout out to all the smarty pants on Spotify who asked for a gymnastics episode. And a big shout out to Super Smarty fans Eliana and Carly in Phoenix, Arizona, who wrote to say, we love your show. You make the show so funny, but so educational at the same time. I don't know how you do it.

Oh, thanks. We do it all for smarty pants like you. This episode, Gymnastics, was written by Leanne Leotard-French and voiced by gymnast Chia Davis, Adam Dismount Davis, and Jerry Colbert. Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hansprings-Hahn. Our associate producer is Max Cartwheels-Kamasky. The theme song is by Brian Balance-Beam Suarez, with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex-Davis.

Who Smarted? was created and produced by Adam Tex-Davis and Jerry Kolber. This has been an Atomic Audio production. Who Smarted?