Japan’s gymnastics governing body on Monday handed two senior officials a temporary suspension over their alleged harassment of an Olympic gymnast.
… suspended from their duties until an independent committee finishes investigating the allegation by 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympian Sae Miyakawa. …
An independent committee, consisting of five lawyers, has been formed to look into the allegation after Miyakawa said she was subjected to power harassment by the Tsukaharas. …
Category: ethics
Debbie Van Horn arrested
Van Horn, a 30-year veteran of USA Gymnastics, was involved in numerous gymnastics youth development programs and a medical supervisory task force, according to AP.
In January, one of Nassar’s victims said Van Horn was in the room “many of the times” while Nassar abused her, AP reports.
Van Horn was the first person other than Nassar to be charged in the abuse scandal. She is no longer a USA Gymnastics employee …
It’s inconceivable that Van Horn could have been unaware of Nassar’s unnecessary and illegal treatment. Yet she’s pleading innocent.
Kerry Perry resigned. Now what?
USA Gymnastics President and CEO Kerry Perry last evening informed the Board of Directors that she will resign effectively immediately. The board has immediately begun to identify an interim CEO and is in the process of establishing a search committee to find a permanent replacement. …
Dvora Meyers thinks we need someone able to steer this ship away from the iceberg.
Tony Retrosi, who called for her resignation, has some ideas:
A letter to the new CEO of USA Gymnastics
Miss Val on elite Gymnastics
Miss Val has been the best and most helpful of all NCAA coaches on the USAG scandals. Mark Williams is another.
Needless to say, Miss Val has got some criticism for being so outspoken.
She responds.
I have also been accused of “hating elite gymnastics and all elite coaches.” And to those people… please know, I have never said that, it is simply not true.
I “hate” the system we all (elite, club and college coaches alike) either embraced, turned a blind eye to or didn’t try hard enough to change. …
… After I wrote my initial “Time’s Up” piece, someone commented that I was as guilty as the people I was calling out because I never did anything about it.
Whomever you were… I hear you, I didn’t do enough. While striving to develop our own athletes from the inside out, I should have done more to address concerns at the elite level. So yes, I am a part of allowing this culture that I vehemently disagreed with to thrive for decades. …
Together We’ll Rise
For the record, I’ve always found UCLA to be one of the College teams most supportive of Elite and former Elite gymnasts.
calls for Kerry Perry to resign
New CEO of the U.S. Olympic Committee Sarah Hirshland blasted USA Gymnastics in an email to USA TODAY Sports on Friday night, saying “it is time to consider making adjustments in the leadership.”
Tony Retrosi on behalf of the U.S. Elite Coaches Association / Women posted a “Vote of No Confidence”.
Owner / Coach Sandy Spokoiny-Flores has always been a positive supporter of USAG. But she too asks for Kerry Perry’s removal.
There’s a petition on Change.org.
And of course every Tom, Dick and Spencer on the gymternet agrees.
It was a gamble bringing in a non-Gymnastics person to try to Steve Jobs the failing organization. It didn’t work.
NOW … Let’s remember how everything was fixed when Steve Penney was handed a million dollars and led to the door.
The biggest problems remained then. And they’ll still be there when Perry leaves.
in praise of Aly Raisman
Must listen. The new (Nationals 2018) Aly Raisman interview on GymCastic episode 319.
I’m astonished that it’s a 24-year-old gymnast that is the most important voice in critiquing USA Gymnastics. They really should invite her to sit on the Board.
#respect
Yes Mary Lee Tracy did resign only hours after accepting a position with USAG. Mainly, it sounds, as a result of Aly’s negative feedback.
WHAT? … It sounds like she’s unresigned and getting legal advice. 🙁
What a mess.
If you can’t keep track of who USAG is hiring and firing, Spencer has a rundown of what’s happened.
Mary Lee Tracy may decline new job
Mary Lee Tracy replies to Aly Raisman, says she might resign US Gymnastics post
Tracy says “cyber bullying” is hurting her family
Reaction from almost everyone online has been negative. MLT is considered more of a Nassar / Ranch / system defender than was Tom Forster, though he was even more an insider.
Kathie Klages ‘Permanently Ineligible’
Klages was added to USAG’s ‘Permanently Ineligible Members’ list on Tuesday, less than one week after she was charged with two counts of lying to investigators about when she was told of Larry Nassar’s abuse. …
Klages retired as MSU Gymnastics Coach in 2017, after she was suspended for defending Nassar in a meeting.
Mary Lee Tracy new elite development coordinator
USA Gymnastics Women’s Program leadership has named Mary Lee Tracy of Cincinnati, Ohio, as the new elite development coordinator. …
Tracy will oversee the developmental pipeline for women’s gymnastics, which includes Hopes, the Developmental Program and the Talent Opportunity Program (TOPs). …
MLT is definitely qualified. I’m a big fan of the coaching tutorials posted by Mary Lee, too.
On the other hand, the pick is controversial as she’s definitely — like Tom — a part of the Karolyi system. And she’s been more vocal online defending the Ranch.
Still, I get the feeling they are rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
How can USAG survive the coming onslaught of litigation?
Whistler Bounce Tramp facility closing
Pay for Play trampoline parks are far too dangerous, in my opinion.
People should do trampoline under supervision of qualified coaches.
Changes in insurance policies in Canada are driving some out of business.
Unfortunately, Whistler Bounce is one of them. This is the best and safest of any I’ve visited. It was custom built so snow sport athletes could learn flipping and twisting more safely than out on the slopes.
Popular trampoline facility Whistler Bounce was forced to close last month because of a dramatic rise in insurance rates, explains owner John Dunbar.
Whistler Bounce is closing down after almost seven years in business. …
Dunbar said that up until this year, insurance costs stayed relatively stable through the years of operation, at around $16,000 a year. But this year, that figure grew astronomically—to around $100,000 a year.
The decision to close was a “no brainer,” he said. “The decision was made for me. There was no way I could survive.”
According to a recent article in Canadian Underwriter, insurance companies are “jumping out of the trampoline business.” …
Despite their popularity, trampoline parks are not regulated in any jurisdiction in Canada …
Over at the Whistler Gymnastics Centre, however, they are not seeing the same dramatic uptick in insurance, though there have been gradual increases over the last 25 years.
“What’s different is that we have policies and procedures that we must follow, which our insurance covers,” said club director Tami Mitchell. …
Thanks James.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 