Category: parents

Safe Sport Symposium – Liverpool

British Gymnastics, the national governing body for gymnastics in the UK, and the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) have announced they are to jointly host a safe sport symposium in Liverpool in November. …

Taking place on 1-2 November at the same time as the 2022 World Gymnastics Championships, it has been developed to take a positive and proactive approach to safeguarding and athlete welfare within gymnastics. …

British Gymnastics

Broken – Canadian Gymnastics documentary

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on Twitter.

Gymnastics: It’s Hard, It’s Supposed To Be Hard!

Of all sports and physical activities, Gymnastics is one of the most challenging. That’s why our athletes are amongst the fittest.

In addition, our athletes are younger than most other sports.

Read the newest post by coach Andrew Vetter:

… Gymnastics isn’t all sunshine and rainbows; the higher you climb, the more dangerous the skills become.

With risk, comes rules.

With safety, comes standards.

These things can be taken in the wrong context and come across as strict, demanding, or unfair to athletes and their parents.

We need to keep in mind that this isn’t golf, if you miss a shot you can lose a lot more than your favourite ball. …

Medium

USAG Xcel Program

The USA Gymnastics Xcel program was developed as an alternative competitive program offering a bit more freedom for gymnasts and coaches.

GymnasticsHQ compares Xcel with the traditional USAG Development Program (formerly Junior Olympic rules):

Canada also offers Xcel. And it’s used in some other nations, including Bermuda.

Sapphire is newest. It’s being piloted in USA Regions 3, 6, 7, and 8.

If interested, check the documentation on USAGym.org.

If you know Xcel, click over to GymnasticsHQ which has a succinct summary of changes for 2022-2026.

new USAG branding 2022

Tiny Dancer Jaime Guttenberg

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. Elton John celebrated the memory of Jamie.

Gymnastics: A Change Is Gonna Come

Coach Andrew Vetter reflects on his personal evolution and the state of Gymnastics in 2022 making these recommendations:

  • Focus on the process  …
  • Utilize proven training methods for general athletics and fitness …
  • More education or certification required to teach high level gymnastics. …
  • Increase the age for national and international representation. … There is no rush.
  • Stay in your lane. Work with a team of professionals …

Read the entire thoughtful post on Medium:

Gymnastics: A Change Is Gonna Come

Andrew is the coach who posted the viral Uptown Abs video a few years ago.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I Know Victoria’s Secret đŸ˜€

The old man mentioned in this video is Leslie “Les” Wexner, founder and chairman emeritus of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (formerly Limited Brands). Close friend of Jeffrey Epstein.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

related – Hulu’s New Victoria’s Secret Documentary Is Full of Bombshells

Gymnastics Canada CEO Ian Moss responds

First priority is to continue programming as planned despite the government funding freeze.

He seems to be willing to have a more independent and transparent process.

BUT I’m not clear on how and why Sports Canada would unfreeze funding any time soon.

Gymnastics Canada response to funding freeze

… We agree with “Gymnasts For Change” that a safe and welcoming environment for all participants in sport is of paramount importance, and that we must continue to be vigilant in eradicating any opportunity for negative, inappropriate or abusive behaviour to occur. 

The engagement of the McLaren Group speaks to our shared commitment of creating a holistic environment by collectively building a “roadmap” towards effective and sustainable behavioural and cultural change. …

We believe in the integrity of the process being led by the McLaren Group to help us create a holistic path forward and look forward to learning from this process and sharing the results with our community.

Many of those who have petitioned through “Gymnasts For Change” believe the McLaren Group is not independent enough to get the job done properly.

The Prime Minister of Canada has weighed in on the issue.