tumbling, tramp, diving, acrobatics, circus, cheer, dance, martial arts, X sports … and more
Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.
The Guardian posted an article stating British Gymnastics was in crisis.
BBC – Dan Keatings: ‘The climate of fear is real in British Gymnastics’
CEO of British Gymnastics Jane Allen:
NGBs are under increased public scrutiny and we welcome this. We are held accountable by our membership, the public and the government, and our actions must always demonstrate we are worthy of their support and investment. We must operate in a transparent way …
Athlete agreements
We are currently in consultation with elite athletes regarding their athlete agreements …
To date, over fifty-percent of the athletes have already signed the agreement. No athlete has refused to sign and the consultation process is still on-going. We do not believe that there is any serious conflict with our athletes, who are valued members of British Gymnastics.
Safeguarding
Our safeguarding processes are robust and I can assure people that complaints and appeals, regardless of their nature, are dealt with fairly and effectively where we have the authority to act. …
Let’s see if media attention helps the gymnasts and coaches. I do appreciate the personal and forthright response, especially compared with the tepid statements of USA Gymnastics.
That statement is on the homepage of british-gymnastics.org right now not buried as was the USAG response to the Aly Raisman 60 Minutes interview.
In the fall-out of the Dr. Larry Nassar scandal, I’m not sure they are.
Robert Andrews posted some recommendations:
• We must educate our athletes …
• We must educate the (silent) parents …
• We must educate coaches …
• We must demand a leadership body that is accountable to creating safe, positive, and empowering environments for our gymnasts. …
At great expense USAG replaced Steve Penny with Kerry J. Perry.
Are gymnasts safer with a new CEO? If so, how?
Is leadership any more accountable than in the past? If so, how?
Are competitive athletes, parents and coaches actually getting more education? Or are they simply offered more education?
The high priced Daniel’s report recommended ‘cultural change‘ top-to-bottom. Has that actually happened?
What does the new director of SafeSport do day-to-day?
It seems to me USAG is still doing the minimum. Their press releases written by liability lawyers. The goal to protect themselves legally.
Here’s the official response to Aly’s accusations of last week:
That statement wasn’t on the usagym.org home page Nov 11th. You needed to click over to NEWS first to find it. Not exactly up front and transparent.
Many will be checking the USAG home page to see the official response to Aly Raisman’s accusations against Nassar … and not immediately finding any response. 🙁
I didn’t see it on the USA Gymnastics Facebook feed either.
related – Robert Andrews is a sport psychologist who worked with the U.S. men as well as Laurie Hernandez and Simone Biles.
related – Tony Retrosi – New USA Gymnastics president needs to clean house
British Gymnastics is facing a crisis with its biggest stars, including the double Olympic champion Max Whitlock, refusing to sign World Class Performance Programme contracts and being threatened with having their funding withdrawn.
An internal power struggle between the performance, commercial and management teams about the content of the contract has led to a rebellion among the athletes. The Guardian understands almost all of the team which won a record seven medals at the Rio Olympics last summer have refused to sign the contract. …
There are many more concerns listed in that article. Click through for sure.
via Gymternet Clan
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Common sense.
Avoid situations where gymnasts may feel ‘exposed’.
Avoid spotting stretches that look bad to parents, even if they are effective.
Flexibility Training for Gymnasts – British Gymnastics
(via Elizabeth Booth)
A FORMER Commonwealth Games gymnast who represented Scotland has been spared jail for sex charges against schoolgirls.
Ryan McKee, 25, knew the girls were 14 when he became involved with them through the gymnastics club where he coached. …
McKee was given a community payback order with 250 hours unpaid to be carried out within nine months.
He has not to be in contact with girls under 16 and for the next eight months has to remain within his home between 8pm and 8am.
He will also be on the sex offenders register for three years. …
USA Gymnastics terminated the membership for American Institute of Gymnastics in Aurora effective Oct. 11 because the gym owners violated policy and membership requirements, said Toby Stark, director of safe sport for the national organization.
The gym is specifically accused of violating a requirement that member gyms don’t associate in any way with a person who is permanently ineligible for membership in USA Gymnastics, Stark said. …
Update – It sounds like the banned member is Michael Cardamone who was convicted in 2005 of sex abuse.
Gymnovosti posted on how rape is viewed in former Soviet Union nations. Things are even worse there for girls and women than in the west.
The protection afforded rapists there, however, reminded me of the protection afforded American Football stars. 🙁
_____ originally posted June 2016
I’m worried when gymnasts – male and female – go off to University.
College athletes have, at least, a support system on arrival. A team. Coaches and staff looking out for them.
You would never have seen Brock Turner’s face if he had been sentenced 3-5 years. Or more. He could’ve gotten 14 years.
When he was sentenced only 6 months people asked:
• Is it because he’s a Stanford student?
• Is it because he’s a scholarship athlete?
• Is it because he’s white?
This case led me to read Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer.
The acclaimed author researched 230 rapes in town, most of which either weren’t prosecuted or the prosecutions were bungled. Most rapists walked away without punishment.
This guy did go to trial. If I were on the jury I would have found star quarterback Jordan Johnson guilty of rape.
Instead the state of Montana paid Johnson $245,000 under a settlement where he agreed to drop claims that the school and its officials mishandled the investigation against him.
This guy – Brandon Vandenberg – former Vanderbilt football player, was found guilty for his role in the gang rape of an unconscious female student in 2013.
Only one of his rapes. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
The Department of Education has an investigation ongoing into 192 universities alleged to be mishandling sexual-assault complaints.
A good gift for a student going away to University for the first time would be this book – Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town
Most young people don’t know the law. Are clueless when it comes to date rape. Acquaintance rape. 😦
related – my full review of the Krakauer’s book
By any standards, response by USA Gymnastics to the Nassar scandal has been slow at best. I assume their lawyers are advising foot dragging in hopes of reducing the number of liability suits.
Three of Nassar’s victims ask you to sign a petition:
Jamie Dantzscher – 2000 Olympic Bronze Medalist, Artistic Gymnastic
Jessica Howard – 3 Time National Champion, Rhythmic Gymnastics
Jeanette Antolin – Former USA National Team Member, Artistic Gymnastics
People hoped that the forced resignation of President Steve Penny in March 2017 would make a difference.
Has it?
Penny got a $1 million severance package from an organization with annual revenue of about $23.7 million (2015).
If USA Gymnastics Chairman Paul Parilla resigns tomorrow, will USAG athletes be safer?
I’m not so sure.
But lacking any other way to pressure a monopoly like USA Gymnastics, I signed.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 