via Airborne Trampoline & Tumbling Club Okotoks
Category: parents
can we trust Police Background Checks?
I don’t think so. They are not always correct. Not always up-to-date.
For example …
When (Jonathan) West began teaching private lessons at New Orleans Outlaws, last year, (owner) Bonewitz said she conducted a background check and had him take a drug screening. Both came back clean despite the fact that New Orleans police arrested (coach “Johnny”) West in 2011 on suspicion of the alleged rape of a woman.
West also faced a 2012 complaint of sexual abuse involving a 3-year-old in Kenner. But both charges were refused by prosecutors for insufficient evidence, according to authorities. …
‘He was like a part of their family’: Gymnastics community reels after coach’s sex abuse arrests
Both those previous charges were refused by prosecutors for insufficient evidence, so did not show on his background check.
related – Uber is rolling out ongoing background checks for its drivers
In Canada 10 Steps of Screening are recommended:
- Assessment
- Position – Assignment
- Recruitment
- Application
- Interview
- References
- Police Checks
- Orientation and Training
- Support and Supervision
- Follow-up and Feedback
Alberta trampoline park insurance increases
News from Alberta, Canada.
Insurance costs may drive the pay for play warehouses out of business.
Red Deer’s indoor trampoline park has closed its doors.
… owners of Jump 360 say insurance rates “quadruple what we were paying” and higher employee wages have made it too costly for them to continue operating. …
Jump 360 had been open since May 2016 …
Indoor trampoline park closes citing higher insurance costs, wages
related – Insurers jumping out of the trampoline business
I’d love to see those dangerous parks close.
The downside for Alberta clubs with qualified, certified Trampoline coaches is a new limitation which states that only competitive gymnasts and trampolinists are insured to use tramps, tumbling trampolines, mini-trampolines, etc.
Recreational kids, birthday party kids, Parkour and drop-in participants are not covered for negligence. … I feel this goes too far. Alberta clubs should look for a new insurance agency.
Father of three dies at Richmond’s Extreme Air Park trampoline facility

new USA Olympic CEO Sarah Hirshland
“supporting, protecting and empowering”
The United States Olympic Committee on Thursday named a new chief executive to succeed Scott Blackmun, who stepped down under pressure in February as the organization faced escalating pressure in the aftermath of the Nassar gymnastics sex abuse case.
The group’s new leader is Sarah Hirshland, an executive with the United States Golf Association. …
Mersin World Cup Women’s FINALS
Vault
1 Dipa Karmakar India 14.200
2 Rifda Irfanaluthfi Indonesia 13.700
3 Göksu Üctas Sanli Turkey 12.650
Bars
1 Demet Mutlu Turkey 4.6 7.950 12.550
2 Tutya Yilmaz Turkey 4.6 7.700 12.300
3 Maria Del Sol Perez Chile 4.8 7.000 11.800
Beam
1 Göksu Üctas Sanli Turkey 4.8 7.750 12.550
2 Tutya Yilmaz Turkey 5.5 6.700 12.200
3 Yuliya Inshina Azerbaijan 4.9 7.200 12.100
Floor
1 Göksu Üctas Sanli Turkey 4.8 8.250 13.050
2 Tutya Yilmaz Turkey 4.7 7.800 12.500
3 Rifda Irfanaluthfi Indonesia 4.5 7.650 12.150
Full results.
Göksu has a baby. Yep. She’s a super MOM.
Kamerin Moore speaks out
Dvora Meyers linked to a video from Kamerin Moore, former elite gymnast and Larry Nassar survivor.
It’s very emotional.
Former Elite Gymnast Kamerin Moore Learns To Take Back Her Accomplishments From An Abusive Coach

building self-esteem
Young girls need to know that they are more than just their looks. …
Share this on Facebook.
related – Little Girls Start Believing Harmful Gender Stereotypes by Age 6
Thanks Kristina.
cost of J.O. Gymnastics training
Parents from North America are sharing their stories on the Chalk Bucket forum:
Level 3 over $5000 / year for tuition/comp fees/leo/etc. (not including travel expenses, spectator entry fees, practice leos, medical fees if she happens to get injured, and thousands of hair ties).
Level 3 $3000 / year. Same girl by level 7 $7000 / year.
Level 4. $7,000 / year. That does not include travel expenses, leotards, grips, etc….
$7-10,000 / year everything included.
Level 7-8. $7500-8000/year. This excludes any entrance fees or meet travel fees, etc. …
At level 9/10 it is very easy to spend above $20k a year
Level 10 around $25k / year
A mom at our gym put it succinctly – if you just put the money you spend on gymnastics from pre-team to Level 10/Elite, your son or daughter would have more than enough money to go to any college or university in the country by the time they turned 18. It is definitely a labor of love, there is very little ROI, even for those who get recruited to compete in college.
Read more – Give it to me straight!
One coach showed me a budget for the career of an Olympian. Cost was over a million dollars thought the parents only paid a small percentage of that.

‘Rule of Two’ in Canada
The goal of the Rule of Two is for organizations to always have two screened and National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) trained or certified coaches with an athlete, especially a minor athlete, when in a potentially vulnerable situation. Vulnerable situations can include closed doors meetings, travel, and remote training environments.
Implementing the Rule of Two means that any one-on-one interaction between a coach and an athlete, both on and off of the field of play, must take place within earshot and view of the second coach, with the exception of medical emergencies.
One of the coaches must also be of the same gender as the athlete. …
Nassar chill
Tony Retrosi is on the road. A long series of Congress events, Camps and competitions.
Talking to many coaches here’s one of his observations:
Because of the current climate of fear within the gymnastics community many new coaches with energy and ideas are NOT getting involved and many experienced coaches are getting out of the sport early.
Read more on GymMomentum.

I’m sensing some of that same doom and gloom in western Canada regarding the future of our sport, but it’s not nearly as severe.

