Did the Florida High School Athletics Association (FHSAA) vote to recommend that student athletes be required to turn in their menstrual histories to schools?
The FHSAA’s Board of Directors is set to render a decision on the proposal in February.
Did the Florida High School Athletics Association (FHSAA) vote to recommend that student athletes be required to turn in their menstrual histories to schools?
The FHSAA’s Board of Directors is set to render a decision on the proposal in February.
By site editor Rick McCharles
I did the survey and was one of the coaches interviewed. I immediately called out my interviewers asking if they considered themselves independent, as the Report was being funded by Gymnastics Canada.
Of course they were ready for that question. I came away convinced that Gymnastics Canada had no influence in their findings. For example, Mclaren did a similar report for Canada Soccer, paid for by Canada Soccer, and the report was damning.
IF GymCan had not contracted McLaren, right now we’d have NO report at all on how Gymnastics can be made safer for all athletes.
In fact, McLaren is more a ‘road map‘ laying out the issues as reported by stakeholders, and making recommendations as to ACTION steps. But not setting out targets as did the Daniels Report for USA Gymnastics.
It’s very lengthy (277 pages). Dense reading without any final summing up. I searched for the word “recommendation” in my PDF and there are many hits.
A total of 46 recommendations are made in 13 categories. It’s up to Sports Canada, GymCan and the Provincial organizations to follow-up with ACTION.
Here’s my own summary of key points with notes:
I should note that GymCan has historically had terrible communication procedures. Over the years I’ve complained that Canada is worst of all major Gymnastics nations in communicating their stories.
Firstly — when do I phone the police? And, if not, what’s the procedure for making a complaint?
I hope not. For me as a coach it’s the Michael Jordan effect. When Jordan became a huge star, tens of thousands of basketball hoops were installed worldwide. More kids got more active. Healthier societies.
I’m hoping one Ellie Black, one Kyle Shewfelt, one Rosie MacLennan, does the same for Canadian kids.
That’s it for now. I feel I’ve just scratched the surface of the McLaren recommendations. It’s well done. And I’m optimistic that changes will be made to make Gymnastics safer into the future — even if not every recommendation can be implemented.
Leave a comment on this post if you have questions or suggestions.
Note. Gymnasts for Change Canada, a victim advocacy group, is calling for an Independent Review of GymCan Leadership + Sport Culture
Some in that group feel the McLaren Report should not be trusted as it was paid for by GymCan.
Personally, I’d most like to see a federal government multi-sport inquiry into how all athletes in Canada can more safely participate and compete.
Prime Minister Trudeau and Minister of Sport Pascale St-Onge have made statements sounding supportive, but have yet to do anything concrete other than refer the issue to 2 Standing Committees in the Canadian House of Commons; the Standing Committee on the Status of Women and the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.
Best would be if changes could be put into federal law, compelling all National Sports Governing Bodies to comply.
The international Global Athlete organization supports Gymnasts for Change Canada.
Check out the McLaren Report for yourself.
The compromise (??) by the IOC makes no sense. It’s impossible to decide which athletes in Russia support Putin’s war and which do not.
The French Gymnastics Federation (FFG) has suspended men’s gymnastics team coach Vitaly Marinitch, who is to leave his position due to having alcohol problems, 18 months before the Paris 2024 Olympics. …
It is not the first time Marinitch has been forced to quit in disgrace, having been asked to resign in 2016 from USA Gymnastics for groping the wife of national team member Steven Legendre on two occasions at a hotel bar in 2014. …
Inside the Games
I’m disgusted with Thomas Bach and his weak leadership.
As some feared, the International Olympic Committee made Putin a happy dictator.
They want to allow individual athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports to participate in Paris Olympic qualification.
They add that only those who have not acted against the peace mission of the IOC by actively supporting the war in Ukraine could compete.
How about Nikita Nagornyy, for example? Head of the Young Army Cadets National Movement. Nagornyy has been publicly supporting his country’s full scale invasion of Ukraine via social media.
TG Saar, a German gymnastics club, cut him from their Bundesliga team because of his support of Putin’s invasion.
Angelina Melnikova took part in a military march, posing with a Russian army veteran, holding a cardboard box marked with the letter Z, the militaristic symbol associated with supporters of the invasion of Ukraine.
What’s the plan IOC? Are you going to allow Melnikova and not Nagorny?
WHO is going to decide?
Clearly this compromise is going to blow up the face of the Olympic movement. Russians are going to compete, return home, then brag about their support of Putin’s war.
Look what happened in Australia when Tennis decided to allow Russian and Belarusian players. Pro-Russia supporters arrive with Putin and ‘Z’ banners
The press release mentions that Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was banned — while participation of “independent athletes” was allowed at the Olympic Games Barcelona 1992.
It carefully avoids including the fact that South Africa did not compete at Olympic Games from 1964 to 1988, as part of the boycott of apartheid. The South African National Olympic Committee (NOC) was expelled from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1970.
Banning South Africa helped speed the end of apartheid.
Banning Russia might help speed the end of innocent civilians being killed by Putin.
The IOC should ban Russia from Paris. Or allow all athletes to compete Paris as independents. One or the other.
As promised, McLaren Global Sport Solutions delivered in January.
I’m just starting to read the full report, but here’s a press release summary:
I was one of those interviewed by McLaren, recommending GymCan start with WAG and Rhythmic as those disciplines have had the most complaints — but implement new policies for all disciplines.
It’s great to see NCAA teams celebrating the message of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
These are the best and brightest Americans. The best and brightest hopes for a future where all Americans actually have equal opportunity.
😀
We’re thrilled that a gymnast has the #1 estimated NIL valuation of more than $2.5 million.
But that does attract the fan(atics).
Some at the LSU v Utah meet must have been disappointed Livvy wasn’t in the lineup. And some were a distraction.
Certainly LSU is going to have to improve security at the events she attends.