Category: psychology

why Suni wants Paris 2024

Lee wants to try to replicate her performances on the mat, too. She’s described experiencing imposter syndrome after taking home the individual all-around crown, a feeling almost certainly tied to teammate Simone Biles’ withdrawal from the event at the last minute.

… still wants to show herself and the rest of the world that her success in 2021 wasn’t a fluke. …

Insider

Nile Wilson’s TED Talk

Nile informative and entertaining, as always.

He’s going to be on ITV’s Dancing on Ice next season. That should be entertaining, as well. 😀

Olympic gymnast and medalist Nile Wilson draws on his own personal challenges with mental health as a trailblazer in sports to shed some light on the challenges many professional athletes face on their journey to becoming champions.

.. Yet, Nile is so much more than just a gymnast – a YouTuber with over 1.5 million subscribers and 350 million total views; a social media influencer; a highly successful entrepreneur; an advocate for mental health awareness; and a powerful voice within his sport over the historic treatment of gymnasts. …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Broken: Inside the Toxic Culture of Canadian Gymnastics

Returning to Canada from Europe, I was finally able to watch the full documentary on Crave TV, a Canadian subscription service.

And it was even more damning that I expected from seeing the trailer.

The documentary is well produced. Shared the experience of a number of gymnast victims from a number of different clubs. We should consider this a small sample, not any kind of comprehensive review of all Canadian clubs.

My first takeaway is to admire the courage of the gymnasts, their parents and one coach willing to tell their stories to try to improve things for kids in the future.

Next, was to get more insight into just how difficult it was for families to lodge a complaint about a coach with Club, Provincial Federation and Gymnastics Canada.

Certainly document anything you see right from the beginning. Email or letter. Months or years later you may need to present specific incidents, times and dates.

If a coach or anyone else breaks the law, call the police. Simple.

The dilemma for a family is when misbehaviour at Gymnastics falls short of a crime: bullying, psychological abuse, emotional abuse, etc.

None of the coaches called out in this documentary were willing to be interviewed. Included were:

  • Vladimir and Svetlana Lashin, Omega Gymnastics, B.C. — neither are currently on the GymCan Suspended/Expelled Members list. But neither are coaching in Canada, I believe. And Omega shut down during the pandemic.
  • Dave Brubaker, Bluewater Gymnastics, Ontario. Former WAG National Coach. Expelled from GymCan membership. His wife, coach Liz Brubaker, is currently suspended.
  • Jamie Atkin, Airdrie Edge Gymnastics, Alberta. Jamie was under some sanctions from the Provincial Federation at one point, but is currently coaching and managing the club.
  • Rima Nikishin, Calgary Gymnastics Centre, Alberta. Indefinite suspension.

Have things changed for the better in Canada? Or is the system still protecting abusers?

The McLaren Global Sport Solutions Report should arrive January 2023 — a review of Ethics, Safety & Culture. 

Critics are suspicious that McLaren might not be critical nor strong enough as it was commissioned by Gymnastics Canada. Having been interviewed myself, I’m optimistic that it will deliver a good list of recommendations.

We were hoping that Sports Canada would additionally launch a multi-sport investigation into Ethics and Safety. It seemed the Prime Minister and Minister of Sport were onboard for that — but it hasn’t happened yet.

I do recommend you watch the 90 minute documentary for yourself. If you can find a way to do so.

WHY gymnasts stayed in the sport

PLAN to retire from sport

Super smart and eloquent former CAN elite and Utah star Sydney Soloski was interviewed on HOW her retirement is going.

Good and bad.

Sports Canada actually has a program called MyGamePlan.ca which offers transition resources for athletes.

I’m not sure Sydney is eligible as she’s been off the CAN National Team for years now.

6-time Olympic medalist, Max Whitlock, has decided to resume training. He felt unsettled outside the Gym. It ain’t easy to retire.

Bill Sands on Gymnastics “Injury”

It’s complicated.

There are few high level competitive gymnasts who wake up in the morning entirely pain free.

A helpful defini:on of a gymnastics injury is “any damaged body part that would interfere with training” …

Read Bill’s new article:

an-open-letter-on-injury-for-coachesDownload