If you are a lawyer trying to defend USAG and USOPC … your argument just got significantly weaker. It’s indefensible.
Category: parents
Simone blames ‘the system’
Simone talks to Mom about Tokyo
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
protecting Cheer athletes
HBO Real Sports did a segment. It’s hard to watch.
U.S. All Star Federation — owned by the private company / monopoly Varsity Spirit — has been doing a lousy job protecting their athletes.
Sports attorney Sarah Klein is interviewed.
It includes the 2020 arrest of Jerry Harris.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
in praise of Gym Moms
Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.
pressure of social media harming self-esteem
gymnasts commiserate with Simone
Mental blocks are common in Gymnastics.
Simone’s could not have popped up at a worse time.
The one upside of all this publicity is preventing future injuries.
Every gymnast will remember the time the G.O.A.T. withdrew from the Olympics rather than risk getting lost in the air.
Gaar Adams , for example, trained at the Gym that produced the Hamm brothers:
… I tried to push myself past a “twisties” block at the end of one practice in September 2001.
Lost in the air, I fell on my neck and required spinal surgery, a halo brace and four months in a hospital bed.
A shade away from quadriplegia at the age of 13, my dreams of pursuing collegiate and elite gymnastics were over. …
The twisties: My gymnastics career may not have ended in hospital if I’d had a role model like Simone Biles
I’ve seen over a dozen similar stories recounted over recent days.
Victoria Moors, for example.
If it can happen to Simone, it can happen to anyone.
Simone did the right thing
How many gymnasts in future will remember the time Simone withdrew from an Olympic final because she didn’t feel right?
This is a win for safer Gymnastics in future.
An example for coaches — in future — when uncertain about whether or not to include that difficult skill in the routine. Err on the side of caution.
Recall that tennis star Naomi Osaka recently took time off from competition. Smart.
A psychological problem can be just as debilitating as a physical injury.
“Golden” – USA Elite documentary
The final episode in the 6-part series arrives July 21st.
It airs on PeacockTV.com. Free for those who appear to be in the USA and who have a U.S. zip code.
EXCELLENT.
The best recent documentary I can recall.
A real time look at changing Elite culture. For the better, I’d say.
Simply having Camp open to the video crew is a credit to Tom Forster and USAG. This is the kind of transparency we’ve always wanted.
I LOVE seeing regular training rather than only Instagram highlights. It’s mostly a grind. Golden shows that accurately.
I love seeing family life. Konnor’s problems, for example, and her family’s support.
I love seeing OTHER issues in their lives. Morgan’s social activism, for example.
Golden is not perfect.
Episode 3 should have explained to viewers the logic of selecting Gabby Douglas for Rio. It’s what I would have recommended. Instead, editors made it look like McKayla was personally unselected.
I was pleased they showed how misses are COMMON in training. But did we need to see DOZENS of Bar release misses? Also, I felt too many REALLY bad falls were included. Some of those could have been edited better or left out entirely.
“Golden: The Journey of USA’s Elite Gymnasts” follows Rio gold medalist Laurie Hernandez, 2017 World all-around champion Morgan Hurd, 2019 World Championships team members Sunisa Lee and MyKayla Skinner and first-year senior gymnast Konnor McClain.
The series, with hour-long episodes, follows the gymnasts over a five-month period as they train to vie for four Olympic spots …
NBC
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Konnor McClain on Golden
In the most recent episode of Golden (Peacock subscription), Konnor talks about why she made the sudden move from the club where she’d trained since age-3 to WOGA.
Click PLAY or watch a clip on Twitter.
