Competing on a NCAA gymnastics team can definitely be more stressful than a late-night game of Operation. During an NCAA gymnastics season, the teams are allowed to practice for up to twenty hours a week, with a different meet held every weekend. Teams are also encouraged to practice on their own during the offseason to maintain performance standards and grow as athletes (source).

Despite spending January through April in the gym, completely devoted to flips, twists, and bruises, NCAA gymnasts still spend a sick amount of hours on their studies (source). In 2012, there were over 450 gymnasts that earned a 3.5 GPA and sixty that maintained a 4.0 (source). We think those are impressive statistics, regardless of the sport.

Does maintaining the good grades, keeping up with practice, and having roughly thirteen straight weeks of competitions sound fun? If so, there's still the stress of actually chalking up, going out, and performing routines, too. In the NCAA, the main focus becomes achieving perfection and getting as close to a perfect score as possible (source). Small mistakes can cost the team a title and no gymnast wants to ruin it for their team. Couple that with something like the NCAA Championships, or the high score needed to win, and even those terrifying Operation jolts start to sound nice.