Triumph, failure, betrayal, competition, sleepless nights, constant travel, unstable environment…welcome to the life of an elite gymnast. In the gymnastics community, things aren’t the way they seem. Sure, what the audience sees is happy faces, perfect 10 scores, and happy fans. What they do not see is what the gymnasts endure: hell. Much like Survivor is played off as described in the text, the world of gymnastics has a “behind the scenes” that they don’t always like you do see. The happy faces and perfect tens are the masks of the treacherous practices, the hostile coaches, the long plane rides, the lack of a social life, the pain and uncertainty and the unfamiliar. Gymnasts go through a lot.The gymnastics community complicated, but it’s just as anything else: the higher up on the totem pole you are, the higher the stakes. Just as Alissa said, the level system applies to communities. When you have such a diverse group of people within a community, the division is inevitable. This division of level in a community applies to gymnastics as well. It doesn’t always end up happy, and sometimes you end up alone.
As elite, things get rough. Within the community there is usually some sort of leader, cliques, an outsider, a “goody goody” and a not so “goody goody”. The characteristics that make up a gymnastics community vary from gym to gym, but the basis is always the same. From what Levy said, about knowledge, the gymnastics world relates perfectly: “Only certain things are known by all- the things the community needs to sustain its existence and fulfill its goals. Everything else is known by individuals who are on call to share what they know when the occasion arises” (28) the thing about gymnastics is that while it can be so rewarding, there are in fact certain things that everyone can know. Your mom won’t ever know exactly what the coaches have done or said, but you’ll know. Your coach won’t know the gossip spoken about at the chalk bowl amongst each clique, but you’ll know. The little girls levels below you will never know how much hell you go through, but you’ll know. You know all these things and you plaster on a happy face to keep the status quo of the community, just as Levy explains.
Even beyond this, the “brain trusts” are involved in gymnastics. In gymnastics it takes a lot to get by, so finding someone you can trust is helpful. However, you’ve got to watch who you tell. At the end of the day, everyone in your gym is your competition, so if you say something that seems risky or out of line, they could tell a coach or someone who could really affect your chances of going far.
The other connection that can be made to gymnastics is the “spoiling”, more closely the order of spoiling. When a gymnast gets to a high enough level, you team gets smaller and the prize gets bigger. The order of competition is relatable to the spoiling order, as well as what the process consists of. A gymnast will have 5 or so qualifying meets. Once the gymnast has qualified, the next step is state, followed by regionals, and nationals. If at any given point along the line a score doesn’t meet the standards, your cut. By the time national’s roles around, the spoiling system has begun. For the parents, gymnasts, coaches and spectators, waiting for the location of nationals can be utterly painful. The location is determined somewhere between the state meet and regional’s, usually causing a great deal of tension. By the time the location has been decided, and the suspense has been lifted, more suspense has fallen. “Identifying the contestants” is the second phase to the spoiling process. This is when things get messy. Gymnasts get on the level of high profile beauty pageants: i.e. they will cut leotards, find blackmail, or do anything it takes to eliminate the competition. Of course you wont see that from the outside, but not only does it take great gymnastics ability to withstand the pressure and demand it takes to make it to nationals, you’ve got to have the determination to get past the immaturity and cattiness of the others.
The other connection that can be made to gymnastics is the “spoiling”, more closely the order of spoiling. When a gymnast gets to a high enough level, you team gets smaller and the prize gets bigger. The order of competition is relatable to the spoiling order, as well as what the process consists of. A gymnast will have 5 or so qualifying meets. Once the gymnast has qualified, the next step is state, followed by regionals, and nationals. If at any given point along the line a score doesn’t meet the standards, your cut. By the time national’s roles around, the spoiling system has begun. For the parents, gymnasts, coaches and spectators, waiting for the location of nationals can be utterly painful. The location is determined somewhere between the state meet and regional’s, usually causing a great deal of tension. By the time the location has been decided, and the suspense has been lifted, more suspense has fallen. “Identifying the contestants” is the second phase to the spoiling process. This is when things get messy. Gymnasts get on the level of high profile beauty pageants: i.e. they will cut leotards, find blackmail, or do anything it takes to eliminate the competition. Of course you wont see that from the outside, but not only does it take great gymnastics ability to withstand the pressure and demand it takes to make it to nationals, you’ve got to have the determination to get past the immaturity and cattiness of the others. 
The community of elite gymnastics is a lot like any other, just as Levy and Jekins explained, they are complex, and has intricate inner workings just as any other community. The inner workings of a community as seen in Survivor, as well as the gymnastics community and the communities described in the other blog postings.
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