Category: parents

What happens if USAG is decertified?

What if they go broke due to lawsuits?

Tony Retrosi:

On social media there have been many people and groups calling for the decertification by the USOC of USA Gymnastics. If The USOC decides to decertify USAG all that means is that USAG will NOT be determining the Olympic Team.

USAG can still run the JO and Excel Program. They can still run educational workshops, congresses and conferences. BUT- if USAG does get decertified by the USOC, they may have lost the confidence of the American public and they will probably cease to exist.

What would our gyms do  then?

We would continue doing what we do. Teaching gymnastics. We would associate ourselves with a different association.

I met this with with the President of the USAIGC to learn about their program and for my gymThe USAIGC seems to be our best alternative. …

Gymnastics Clubs in the USA- Where Do We Go From Here?

Personally, I much prefer J.O. to the U.S. Independent Gymnastics Clubs WAG program.

Better would be launching a replacement for USAG.

USA Gymnastics, for example.

Open and transparent. Ethical. Safe.

One that might attract back sponsors to the sport.

related – some Clubs have not changed any policies in the wake of the Nassar crimes. That’s a big mistake.

After more than 150 impact statements from survivors over a period of seven days in a Lansing, Michigan, courthouse, Judge Rosemarie Aquilina sentenced Nassar to 40 to 175 years in prison; Nassar had already been handed a 60-year sentence after pleading guilty to charges relating to child pornography.  …

If those 150 brave women had not come forward, not been the lead on U.S. media, I’m not sure whether USAG, NCAA, MSU and the USOC would have taken the actions they did.

The impact statements were essential in moving forwards.

Read a timeline of events on FloGymnastics.

As many of you know, I was elected to the USAG Board of Directors on January 1st, just under 1 month ago. I was asked to resign just a few days ago, at the request of the USOC with the option to be re-elected to my same position on the new board should my fellow Athlete Representatives feel I am deserving of that role.

I have submitted my letter of resignation to USAG already, but I would like you all to know that this in no way means that I am resigning from my duties to help our sport and be a strong voice that creates the change we so desperately need. …

… a hot topic.

The debate as to whether we can salvage the infrastructure of USAG and create positive change through comprehensive leadership changes, or that the organization is so far gone, so far rotted from the inside, that this is not possible. This is a tough one and I certainly see both opinions on this …

read the entire post on Facebook

related – What’s next for USA Gymnastics? A long, tough road at best

USA Gymnastics faces lawsuits in Georgia, California and Michigan alleging its leaders failed to stop coaches and other officials from sexually abusing young athletes. And the first of those suits is headed for trial in April unless a settlement is reached. Either way, it is likely to be costly.

On Saturday evening, the pair gave a $200K donation to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund and if that wasn’t a generous enough feat, check this out—the duo wrote that they gave the money, “on behalf of the heroic gymnasts of the USA Gymnastics Team.” …

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen Give $200,000 to Time’s Up on Behalf of Team USA Gymnasts

In April 2016, a few instances of nearby schools failing to report child abuse caught the attention of the investigations team at The Indianapolis Star. The journalists wondered how often it happened, and why.

As one of the reporters, Marisa Kwiatkowski, looked into it, a source tipped her off to a lawsuit accusing U.S.A. Gymnastics, which is based in Indianapolis, of the same behavior. Later that day, The Star put her on an airplane to Effingham County, Ga., fearful that the records would soon be sealed.

She returned with almost 1,000 pages of documents. She and two other reporters, Mark Alesia and Tim Evans, dug in. …

NYT – Belatedly, The Indianapolis Star Gets Its Due for Gymnastics Investigation