I have to question the competence of a communication department that doesn’t even know Simone’s correct Twitter handle.
They tagged a fan site by mistake.
related –
Simone Biles publicly shames USA Gymnastics after birthday tweet
Category: parents
weighing gymnasts – British Gymnastics position statement
Created as a guidance document for clubs, coaches, parents and gymnasts the statement gives advice and reasoning on the complexities surrounding weighing gymnasts with the gymnasts optimal long-term development at its core.
The advice highlights the need for clear reasoning, appropriate methods, correct consent and the use of qualified practitioners in order to safeguard the physical and mental health of the gymnasts. …
Break the Fall – a book review
Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli was released Feb 18th.
I finished it in less than 24 hours.
That’s surprising since I’m decidedly NOT the target audience for Young Adult / Teen romance.
This novel is heavy on Gymnastics, light on the typical YA cliché teen crushes and rivalries.
Jennifer: For me, when writing sports fiction, the sport itself is what the plot will stem from, so it’s almost impossible for me to write a book about sports that doesn’t heavily include the competition, practices and training that would be a major part of any athlete’s life.
Often we’ll see books about an athlete that’s injured or an athlete that had to give up their sport as an exploration of their identity away from the thing they love, but that’s been done so much, I’m more interested in what it takes to strive to compete at the highest levels, to try to win and what happens when you do (or don’t). …
And the Gymnastics is well informed.
I assumed Jennifer was an ex-gymnast or coach, but she’s actually a kick-butt librarian. Her sports were tennis and softball.
Jennifer: “… what I worked on the most was making sure the gymnasts were portrayed as realistically as possible, in and out of the gym. …”
The American National Team Director is lead away in handcuffs, accused of tampering with drug test results. Later charged with sexual assault.
When the rest of the Federation supports him, the equivalent of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee suspends the equivalent of USAG and delivers the U.S. Olympic team to a new coach only weeks before the Tokyo Olympics.
That’s a good plot device.
Jennifer loosely based the new Olympic coach on Kim Zmeskal.
She was inspired to write a Gymnastics novel after following the Nassar / USAG scandal: “… people in a position of power abusing athletes or failing to protect athletes from abuse …”
The story starts at Olympic trials 2020. Ends on the last day of Apparatus Finals in Tokyo.
If you are wondering whether your gymnasts should read this book it does have a lot of profanity. And there is discussion of sexual abuse though none of that is graphic.
The audio version is available on Scribd and Audible.
Stop sexualizing women’s sport
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Dominique Dawes Gymnastics Academy
Now 43-years-old, the triple Olympian superstar is opening her own Gym.
Barcelona 1992 (bronze), Atlanta 1996 (gold), and Sydney 2000 (bronze).
You could never forget ‘Awesome Dawesome‘ once you’d seen her perform live.
She’s also the first African-American woman to win an individual Olympic medal in Artistic Gymnastics.
Now with 4 children under age-6, Dominique was looking for a program that would care for her own kids much better than she was treated in the bad old days.
Instead, she decided to open her own Gym.
Past Pain Inspires Olympic Champion Dominique Dawes to Open New Gymnastics Academy
“It’s really to create a healthy culture, a culture that’s needed in the sport.”
Rosie MacLennan talks mental health
The double Olympic Trampoline champion sometimes suffers from depression.
Watch it on TSN – As Long As I Breathe
This released in conjunction with the #BellLetsTalk program.
Rosie wants anyone else suffering any kind of mental health problems to feel comfortable talking about it.
Details:
“Over the last decade, the Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund has helped more than 650 organizations on the front line of mental health care drive real change in their communities,” said Bell Let’s Talk Chair Mary Deacon.
“We welcome this year’s fund applicants and look forward to offering our support to even more exciting projects in 2020.”
former coach sentenced to 50 years
A former gymnastics coach was sentenced Friday to 50 years in prison for sexually assaulting young female gymnasts in North Texas and Oklahoma.
Skipper Crawley, 53, of Kemp, Texas, pleaded guilty …
Still pending against Crawley are 10 counts of lewd child molestation filed in Tulsa County, Oklahoma. …
Michigan’s Sierra Brooks
There’s much for Michigan to be proud of from its 2019 season. The team came back from missing nationals entirely in 2018 to finish 2019 in 5th place, which quietly ranks as Michigan’s best result of the decade. In fact, Michigan hasn’t done better than 5th since Elise Ray was a freshman. …
Michigan has brought in two of the nation’s top L10 recruits in Sierra Brooks and Gabby Wilson …
“I felt like I had accomplished everything I wanted to do in my J.O. (Junior Olympics) career and was looking forward to coming to Michigan.
Leaving home and my club gym family were heavy factors that weighed on my decision, but the pros and cons led me here. I am glad it did.” …
How a Junior Olympic Standout Wound Up at Michigan a Year Early
The Routine Podcast interviewed Sierra.
Youth Sport too Expen$ive
In the USA, training at a top children’s sports club is very expensive.
That we know.
Even worse, inexpensive opportunities for children’s sport and fitness through schools and community programs are disappearing. 😕
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (13min)
talking to your gymnast on the car ride home
… it is in the best interest of youth athletes if their parents support their athletic experiences no matter the level of competition they play in. …
Frost believes parents who put too much pressure on their kids, especially during that ‘car ride home,’ will chase them away from sports. If a kid is afraid to get into the car ride home after a bad game, it is unlikely he will want to continue to play.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
