It’s now been over 2yrs since the death of adult recreational gymnast Michelle Maitland who hit her head on concrete at Townsville Gymnastics. Nothing can bring her back. But this report — released the day before what would have been Michelle’s birthday — might help prevent future catastrophic injury.
My friend Mike Outramsurvived after hitting his head on concrete.
Surely the very first thing coaches must do in any facility is make sure it’s impossible to hit concrete or steel. Long term, we need modify all foam pits to suspended systems, the best being the Jim Walker design.
Here are the 9 recommendations:
1. Gymnastics Australia should review the level of training, assistance and monitoring provided to clubs to implement the Club 10 program. This review should include the methods of monitoring compliance with, and implementation of, the program.
2. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, Sport and Recreation Services and Gymnastics Queensland should research how to link improved safety outcomes in the sport of gymnastics with the funding and non-financial support provided by SRS.
3. Gymnastics Australia should review their GA lesson plan template, in consultation with its members, with the view to developing a lesson plan template that includes coach positioning and key safety controls. Consideration should be given to sample lesson plans for each apparatus and level.
4. Gymnastics Australia should conduct a training needs analysis and ensure that access to coach accreditation and professional development courses is available.
5. Gymnastics Australia should research and develop methods to assist gymnastics clubs to conduct risk assessments, specifically in the use of gymnastics apparatus.
6. Gymnastics Australia should review the Club 10 equipment maintenance policies and procedures with a view to achieving greater compliance with Club 10 documenting processes.
7. Gymnastics Australia should research and develop methods to assist gymnastics clubs in managing the risk of manual task injuries in gymnastics coaches.
8. Gymnastics Australia should review coach knowledge on spotting and provide additional guidance and training where required.
9. Gymnastics Australia should research the viability of a simple method to document skill progression of gymnasts, including any injuries suffered. This may vary for high level, competitive gymnasts and low level or recreational gymnasts.
This report needs be circulated to sports governing bodies worldwide. Leave a comment if you have ideas on how to make that happen. I’ll send it to some FIG committee members and Gymnastics Canada.
Update: As commenters have pointed out, an improvement to this report would be to better specify exactly what parts of the gym need be “padded”. In the past I’ve narrowed it down to pits and trampoline devices. But it should be broader than that.
They were originally marketed for Team Gymnastics, a sport that often sets-up and takes-down every day. But the very best use I’d say is for Vault training. They lift up as high as 2m 20cm.
We thought Mike Outram was paralyzed for life. But Mike’s made amazing progress partly due to his stubbornness, partly due to training in a glorified “jolly jumper“. This video is from March.
Michael Outram, is a Windsor gymnastics coach who had a spinal cord injury due to a trampoline (multiple forward somersault into pit) accident. This is Mike after his 5th session at Aim2Walk using the Lokomat taking his first steps on the treadmill without the assistance of the robotic legs. The repetitive, task specific motion of the Lokomat helps the brain and body recall a normalized walking pattern. To learn to walk, you have to walk!
The Lokomat is the most advanced piece of robotic equipment available for gait training and neurological re-patterning. …
Friend Michael Outram on Facebook if you want to send congratulations.
“Good morning, Keefer family!” Pennington crowed, according to Brian. The Keefers had been selected by the show to have their home remodeled, with another fully accessible home — with a separate entrance — built for Brian. …
Jed Mildon became the first BMX rider to successfully complete a triple back flip. The 24-year-old New Zealander completed the stunt in front of an estimated 2,000 onlookers in his home town of Taupo, New Zealand, making it into the Guinness Book of World Records.
… There are plenty of fresh and also enjoyment toys in a gym. Nevertheless possibly the almost all fun doll in the health and fitness center is actually a stuff security gap.
There’s 2 varieties * a shed memory foam hole and also a resi-pit. A loose polyurethane foam hole is a lot like a major, enormous pool area filled up with quite gentle space-age foam hinders alternatively of water. Resi-pits resemble major big soft cushions, generally one yard thick developed down into the floorboards. …
How to Have Fun With Gymnastics by ElenovskajaMedlents
It seems to have been written by a computer programed to include key words at any cost: nudists, Huge Playthings for ladies, etc.
Recall that an earthquake struck Christchurch, September 2010.
Holly Moon, from Christchurch School of Gymnastics, was forced to to train in Auckland for Commonwealth Games and World’s last Fall after the first serious earthquake:
pit now resembled a swimming pool due to cracks and subsequent leaking …
That foam atop the super durable Jim Walker suspension would be the ultimate. And probably costs less over the long term.
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Jim Walker uses a unique design, suspending a grid of special cables one foot above the floor, supporting foam and matting above.
You cannot yet order one of Jim’s pits yourself, as he only custom builds them for friends. (Friends like WOGA, Beigers, Hills, Parkettes, Karolyi Ranch. Those kind of friends.)
