Sixteen years and counting as a gymnast might sound like a life sentence but for Tylah Lotter it is far from that.She is still as passionate about what she does as the first day she started.
“I would advise anyone and everyone to do gymnastics, either competitively or recreationally. Gymnastics is an extremely well-rounded sport. It teaches you honesty, discipline, strength of character, perseverance. All of it will stand you in good stead in life.
“I would never have been as focused as I was at school if it wasn't for my gymnastics. I also wouldn't be as perseverant as I am without gymnastics,” said the 20-year-old Tuks Gymnast and ex-TuksSport High School learner, who will be representing South Africa from Monday at the World Student Games in Taipei.”
According to Lotter her goal along with her two teammates, Claudia Cummins and Bianca Mann, will be to get a good result in the team competition.
“The better our results, the more South Africa’s ranking will improve which is important in light of next year’s Commonwealth Games in Australia.”
The first time Lotter took note of gymnastics was when she was three years old. Her mom was busy watching the gymnastics during the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
“After my mom explained to me what it is about I told her that is what I am going to do when I grow up. But I was never going to wait that long to do gymnastics. My mind was made up. After six months of constantly nagging my mom gave in, and I was allowed to start training at Tuks with my coach, Louis Fourie, and I never looked back.
“I love my sport because there is no bigger reward than mastering a new skill. Some times it takes hours of practice, if not years, but it's all worth it in the end.”
Lotter admits that being a gymnast is often a case of mind over matter. It is not always easy.
“I think fear is part of anything that one does. It plays a big part in gymnastics. From experience, the fear doesn't ever really go away, but it helps to keep your wits about you. The more you practice a certain skill, the more you can trust your body. So when the time comes, and you have a sudden mental block, your physical and mental training is strong enough to override your fear. It is not always a quick process but rather a process of perseverance.
“The most serious injury I have had is a stress fracture in my ischial bone. It took more than a year of a combination of rest, physios and rehab to recover.”
Lotter said she has no favourite routine in gymnastics however she does enjoy doing vault training and loves performing the floor routine.
A definite highlight was representing South Africa at the 2014 World Championships in China.
“It was the first time I competed at the World Championships. I came 93rd out of roughly 200 competitors, so I was happy as I went clean. It means I had no falls.
“Another highlight was 2015’s All African Games in Brazzaville. We won the team competition. I made two finals placing fourth on the vault and third on the Bar.”
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