Being an athlete is so much more than just training and competing, and University of Michigan gymnasts know this phenomenon all too well. With the growth of social media, it’s important for athletes to keep up with the times and build a brand for themselves that is recognizable and relatable to all of their fans and potential sponsors. Now more than ever, we get an inside look at the lives of our favorite athletes.
But we don’t see everything. There’s a lot of demands in college sports, including grueling training schedules, tough classes, nutritional guidelines, managing social life, and frequent travel for competitions. We talked to UM gymnasts Ava Jordan and Paige Thaxton to better understand the role that social media plays in their gymnastics careers, and how they balance competition and training with the demands of school and social media.
Preparing For Big Competitions
The NCAA women’s gymnastics season kicked off in early January, and Michigan is off to a great start with a 5-2-0 record – their most recent win over No. 16 Ohio State on January 31st. With all that goes on in a college athlete's life, finding some peace before a competition is key to performing at your best.
When preparing for these big competitions while balancing social media, school, and sport, Jordan and Thaxton have their unique approaches. “When mentally preparing for a big competition and balancing school and other obligations, I look to what I can control - I control the controllables,” Thaxton says. Jordan adds that “You can’t control the judges, your coaches, your parents, or the opinions of others, etc. So focus on prioritizing yourself because that's the only thing you can control.”
Social Media Pros & Cons
One of the main advantages of social media for women athletes has been greater exposure and viewership. “It can be beneficial for athletes to create a personal brand for themselves on social media, and use it to bring awareness to themselves and their sport as a whole,” Jordan says. For Thaxton, social media “is now the new way to gain exposure and attention, using different platforms to inform the public about gymnastics” and her own personality.
“Your personal brand is just an extension of you - it may evolve, change, and shift but remaining authentic is the golden rule.”
Unfortunately, there are also cons to social media, which can impact the mental health of athletes. Thaxton says that some cons of social media are “keeping up that ‘perfect’ image, taking criticism and negativity, and losing focus on what is important. There is always an expectation to act, look, and talk a certain way. It is hard to maintain something so unachievable that it may become mentally exhausting to keep up this persona.” Using social media to build your brand is important, but there’s always some things to look out for.
Leading the Way for Those to Come
So much of what we do today will guide the future for women athletes of tomorrow. By having athletes like Jordan and Thaxton who can shed light on the struggles and triumphs of balancing social media with sport will only help empower younger girls to follow in their footsteps. If you’re looking to build a brand for yourself on social media, here’s some advice from Jordan and Thaxton.
Jordan: “People appreciate authenticity and relatableness, so try to post what truly reflects who you are because I guarantee people will admire that and want to see more of it!”
Thaxton: “Finding what you're passionate about and sticking with it goes a long way. This can come from showing your personality in a behind-the-scenes practice or everyday moments. Your personal brand is just an extension of you - it may evolve, change, and shift but remaining authentic is the golden rule.”
As women athletes continue to push boundaries, on and off the competition floor, social media remains a double-edged sword - an arena for empowerment and visibility, but also a space where negative comments thrive. In this digital age, women athletes need to remain true to themselves and continue to use their platforms to promote things that align with their brand and highlight the positive aspects of their journeys.
