How young is too young?

[DemonArchangel]

From another thread:

My 3 year old is in gymnastics, my 5 year old was in gymnastics, so we watch some of it. I usually don't watch but like Lemur, i have a wife, she has a vagina, so she controls the remote. I think its been pretty good so far but I will open my veins the next time I hear Phelps's name!!! That dude pisses me of. He's up there with his team receiving his last medal and chatting and laughing while the National Anthem was playing. POS. For the love of God, the other teams showed more reverence (or it could have been a temporary steroid induced coma). We watched the ladies gymnastics last night and watched one gal with a horse neck (someone check that leotard) total kill the team's chance to win. The again, those little Chinese gals (16 years old? shoot, one gal looked like Dora the explorer in the sun shining in her eyes) kicked ass. I guess they figured they better do good or else.

The saddest part in this whole thing are the folks that don't make it. I was listening to NPR (god help me) the other day and they interviewed some Chinese chick that was in her late 20's. She had been training all her life to be a long distance runner by the Chinese Government. She was also in the Chinese Army and was given the choice of training or continuing a more militarily structured life. Well, now she is completely bed-ridden and unable to walk. She lives with her mother. She basically trained so much that she ruined her legs. It was sad because the mother, in front of her daughter, basically called her a waste and a shame to the family. The reporter said there are thousands of stories like this. So it says a lot that so many lives are ruined just for a few days of "glory" on the world stage. Needless to say, my daughter only goes once a week and when we were approached to have her go twice a week in a more intensive program (she's real little for her age and strong) we declined.

*snip*

How young is too young for an athletic activity? Competing on a high level requires starting young, there is no doubt about that. Every athlete that competes on a high level was someone that started on their path to elite physical fitness at a young age. I strongly disagree with many nations using young girls in gymnastics, as I have personally seen just how damaging gymnastics can be to the joints. I have seen gymnasts break their bones repeatedly, as well as countless sprains, pulled muscles and other painful injuries related to it. Same with Parkour (which I practice). Many traceurs are introducing their children to Parkour as young as the age of *3*, without stopping to protect their children's joints and make sure that their children are ready to develop proper muscle mass without stunting their growth. And no doubt you have encountered parents starting fights at Little League or Junior Football over their children's performance, because they want their child to be an elite athlete. Sure exercise is important, but does it have to be that extreme? At what point does it become physically and psychologically harmful? I think Dave made the correct choice in making sure that his daughter didn't attend gymnastics twice a week, as it can seriously hurt.