Category: ethics

former coach Graham Partington admits rape

Australia.

Alison Wright was 14 and an aspiring gymnast, good enough to win a national junior gold medal. Graham Partington was 40 and her coach. One night, he raped her. Another day, he made her perform oral sex on him in his car.

He eventually paid the price with a prison sentence. But it took 36 years. …

When her case came to the attention of Victoria’s SANO Taskforce on child abuse in 2016, she struck up a natural rapport with a detective who had been an elite dive coach. To make a watertight case, he said an apology from Partington would not be enough; they would need a detailed confession.

He put her on the phone to him and told her to keep him talking. She did, for two hours. …

Decades on, Alison extracted a confession from her gymnastics coach

The coach, now age-76, got six years’s jail, with a minimum of 3½.

Anonymous comment:

l wish to remain anonymous but felt sick to the stomach upon hearing what this monster did to a 14 year old aspiring gymnast. I refuse to say his name but will refer to him as the Monster & Cretin he is.

At the school l attended he was the gymnastics coach of the elite team of which l was a part of. If my memory serves me well he was the gymnastics coach at my school for about 4 to 6 years. It sickens me to think what this piece of scum may have been capable of in what he may have done to other aspiring young gymnasts. This was during the 1980s.

This Swamp Rat should stay rotting behind bars forever. The fact that he admitted to not just the rape of a young girl but forced her to have oral sex is beyond evil & reprehensible.

I fervently hope he Rots In Hell taking away the trust & innocence of young gymnasts. 

I am so thankful l wasn’t one of his victims but am beyond sorry to all those who suffered at the hands of this evil monster.

Don’t let him ruin the rest of your lives Ladies. Don’t give him the satisfaction he’s won. I truly hope there is an eternal hell for paedophiles. They can NEVER be allowed to walk free & as far as “rehabilitation programs” go? Forget it.

HAPPY to be back at Gymnastics

Compared with many team sports, it’s easier to maintain physical distancing in an individual sport like Gymnastics.

Darcie Fellows posted an excellent video showing the benefits of kids getting back to Gymnastics after the COVID-19 lockdown.

Click PLAY or watch Santa Rosa Gymnastics on YouTube.

Thanks Mary.

Can NCAA train safely?

Natalie Wojcik believes it can be done.

Her University has already postponed Football this Fall, hoping to play in the Spring of 2020 instead.

Gymnastics – optimal number of training hours

All coaches agree there’s never enough time to include everything they want in any training plan.

We need to set priorities.

And not waste time.

GAGE is one club I’d highlight as having very efficient training.

I’m hopeful that COVID-19 reset results in many Gyms reducing training hours.  Setting more modest, achievable goals.  Goals less performance / ranking based, more personal development.

Injuries reduce the number of effective training hours.  Fewer injuries over the career = more effective hours.

… but to answer the question, I’ve always admired Shawn Johnson’s plan.  She trained maximum 24 hours / week during High School with one training / day.  And became the best gymnast in the world.

If your goal is not to become one of the best gymnasts in the world, training hours should be fewer than 24 / week.

Aimee posted Simone’s hours on Twitter.

Keith Russell often talks about finding the best coach / hour. 

With less training time, less equipment, who’s the best coach?

Click over to Facebook to see Dave Tilley’s opinion.

National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children

Yes.  That’s a thing.

And they will be providing a free dedicated helpline that will support with concerns of abuse in British Gymnastics and other sports.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has joined forces with the British Athletes Commission to provide free, confidential support and guidance to anyone involved with gymnastics who has safeguarding concerns …

British Athletes Commission members can continue raise concerns directly with the BAC Athlete Support team via support@britishathletes.org.

Details.

 

Gymnastics Club COVID-19 survey

Lynn Ledford conducted an informal survey of U.S. clubs.

Over 91% are currently open.

85% have not yet had staff test positive.

Click over to see results.

Dave Tilley on Athlete A

#GymnastAlliance

Dave is pissed at bad coaches. 

Quit coaching if you can’t do it safely. 

He points out there are many excellent, ethical, safe coaches too.  We don’t hear about them.

He calls for mandatory sport science coach education in the USA.  The States is the only major western nation where coach education is not required.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

new book – Women’s Artistic Gymnastics

 Socio-cultural Perspectives

Published April 22, 2020

Edited by Roslyn Kerr, Natalie Barker-Ruchti, Carly Stewart, and Gretchen Kerr.

This book lifts the lid on the high pressured, complex world of women’s artistic gymnastics. By adopting a socio-cultural lens incorporating historical, sociological and psychological perspectives, it takes the reader through the story and workings of women’s artistic gymnastics.

Beginning with its early history as a ‘feminine appropriate’ sport, the book follows the sport through its transition to a modern sports form. Including global cases and innovative narrative methods, it explores the way gymnasts have experienced its intense challenges, the complexities of the coach-athlete relationship, and how others involved in the sport, such as parents and medical personnel, have contributed to the reproduction of a highly demanding and potentially abusive sporting culture.

With the focus on a unique women’s sport, the book is an important read for researchers and students studying sport sociology, sport coaching, and physical education, but it is also a valuable resource for anyone interested in the development of sporting talent.

Routledge

9780367440015

It’s available through Amazon.com.

Professor Barker-Ruchti contends that coaches should plan for Gymnastics peak performance as adults, rather than trying to teach as much difficulty as possible when girls are small:

Gym is not child’s play: study

44% of campers test positive for COVID-19

Of 597 campers and staff at a YMCA sleep away camp in Georgia, 44% — 263 people — tested positive.

Of course games, singing and cheering together were encouraged, mostly without masks.

The camp followed disinfecting rules and required staff to wear masks, but campers did not have to wear face coverings.

Campers ranged in age from 6 to 19, and many of the staffers were teenagers. Cabins had between 16 to 26 people.

51% of positive cases were in 6-to-10-year-olds.

Staff at the camp had all tested negative in the previous 12 days.

related – YMCA says they regret opening summer camp where COVID-19 infections occurred