Category: ethics

USAG: Black Lives Matter

On June 1, we unequivocally affirmed that Black lives do matter, and that we stand in solidarity with the Black community and with all of those who fight for racial and social justice. …

  • We will require implicit bias training for USA Gymnastics staff and leadership positions, and will endeavor to make similar training available to all members.

  • We will work with a credible researcher to analyze the role of implicit bias in judging.

  • We will use our platforms to amplify the voices of our community members from traditionally underrepresented groups, in order to share their experiences more broadly and facilitate continued conversation across the gymnastics community.

  • We will strengthen our internal hiring practices for both employees and contractors, to ensure that we are more intentional and proactive in seeking out staff, contractors, and business leaders from underrepresented groups.

  • Juneteenth (June 19th) will be a day of reflection for USA Gymnastics staff going forward. We are encouraging our staff to spend this day listening and learning, and finding ways to commit to concrete action steps to become better allies and advocates. We invite member gyms and clubs to recognize this important day in the history of our nation in their own way. …

A Letter to the Gymnastics Community on Racial and Social Justice

 

Celebrating Juneteenth

Juneteenth (a portmanteau of June and nineteenth; also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day) celebrates the liberation of those who had been held as slaves in the United States.

SAVE Seattle Pacific Gymnastics

Terrible news. 

SPU announced publicly on Monday afternoon what Marshall learned on Monday morning: that its women’s gymnastics program had been discontinued, effective immediately. The Falcons Gymnastics Center will also cease operations and will no longer host youth camps, and the accompanying club team will no longer be sponsored by SPU.

A university release stated that “the decision to discontinue gymnastics came following an extensive review of the state of that sport in the NCAA Division II structure. Although the assessment and decision began prior to the COVID-19 outbreak and rests on its own merit, the adverse effects (of) the pandemic on the program’s funding model expedited this decision.” …

The university release stated that scholarships for Marshall’s student-athletes — including grants awarded to incoming students beginning in fall 2020 — will be honored. SPU gymnasts seeking to continue their careers at another institution will be released without penalty and are free to transfer immediately. …

‘Shocked and devastated’: Seattle Pacific gymnastics coach Sarah Jean Marshall says her program was cut without warning

Sign a petition on Change.org:

Reinstate Seattle Pacific Women’s Gymnastics

diversity in College Gymnastics

The Routine Podcast, from the beginning, has celebrated NCAA diversity.

Episode #87 is a highlights reel of many past interviews.

Inspiring.

Michigan’s Gabby Wilson on #BlackLivesMatter

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Good news.  Gabby has felt respected at Michigan.

In this very personal post Gabby asks us to take ACTION, not just offer hopes and prayers.

Which NCAA teams support #BlackLivesMatter?

It’s not easy to keep up with the responses from NCAA Gymnastics teams.

How much is empty talk?  How many will improve over coming seasons?

Catch up by listening to episode #428: Black Lives Matter This Week Too

GymCastic was disappointed with “empty platitudes from coaches like Dana Duckworth and Courtney Kupets-Carter“.

One concept new to me was optical allyship: when we focus on ourselves rather than the victims. It’s a dodge.  For example …

https://twitter.com/CoachJeffGraba/status/1268979062992756736

One ‘tell‘ for me is whether or not statements include Black Lives Matter #BlackLivesMatter.

If not, they are usually avoiding the biggest controversy to not offend somebody or other.  Weak support.

Check too if there’s an actual apology for past injustice at the University.  A promise of action in future.  If not, it’s likely just weasel words.  Nothing will change.

GymCastic was impressed that K.J. Kindler and Mark Williams marched for George Floyd.

Cal Women’s Gymnastics supported the Black Lives Matter run June 8th. A good sign.

Other sports have done more. Especially football. A racist coach was put on leave at Iowa. His base pay $800,000 / year.

Margzetta Frazier on racial injustice

UCLA gymnast Margzetta Frazier talks to BBC Sport about the death of American George Floyd and discrimination in gymnastics.

Confident to speak her mind, Marz also talks about racial stereotyping in Gymnastics.
(You’d think we would have learned our lesson from Olympic Champion Gabby Douglas who’s best apparatus was Bars.) 

Kiana Winston on her Alabama career

All lives will matter when Black Lives Matter.

Today Kiana Winston is a social worker, encouraging us to “advocate and work towards ending the deeply rooted racism, social injustices, and police brutality in this country.”

Originally from Texas Dreams, Kiana graduated College team in 2018.

Click over to Facebook to read her very positive memories at Alabama. Roll Tide.

 

I’M ALL IN …

Many College Gymnastics coaches are sharing a message on Twitter.

And asking 5 others to join them.

A few examples:

 

Reebok cuts ties with CrossFit

  1. CrossFit “workout of the day” is bad coaching.  Every person training should have an individual prescription designed to meet their fitness goals.
  2. CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman has long been controversial.

This time Glassman’s recklessness is going to cost a lot of people a lot of money.

It’s time to reevaluate the company.

Fitness brands including Reebok have cut ties with CrossFit after the company’s CEO posted a tweet making light of George Floyd’s death. …

Mr Glassman has now apologised, saying CrossFit “will not stand for racism”. …

Since Mr Glassman’s tweet about George Floyd, hundreds of affiliate gyms have removed CrossFit from their branding. A spreadsheet tracking all of the gyms that are rebranding currently lists 227 fitness centres distancing themselves from CrossFit. …

BBC

Former gymnast, World CrossFit Champion 2015 and 2016, Katrín Davíðsdóttir, is pissed.  Reevaluating whether she wants to continue with the company.