Category: safety

Let Kids Choose Who They Hug 

A Mighty Girl has an important message for coaches.

By letting kids decide whether to greet someone with a hug or a kiss, parents can teach the basics of consent and bodily autonomy as early as the toddler years. …

… “The notion of consent may seem very grown-up and like something that doesn’t pertain to children, but the lessons girls learn when they’re young about setting physical boundaries and expecting them to be respected last a lifetime.” …

This Holiday Season, Let Kids Choose Who They Hug

Related:

Let’s Talk About Body Boundaries, Consent, and Respect

My Body! What I Say Goes!

Photo by olia danilevich on Pexels.com

USAG red flag – Katy, TX

You’d think USA Gymnastics would be too cautious before awarding events to an employee’s Gym.

Bad optics.

Gymnasts were afraid to complain about Karolyi Ranch for fear of displeasure from the owners.

research on wrist guards

Not much scientific research has been done.

BUT every coach has opinions and a lot of anecdotal experience.

Most agree on a few points:

  • don’t use wrist guards if you don’t need them
  • don’t use wrist guards as a fashion accessory
  • limit the amount of wrist guard use, especially with growing children
  • don’t use wrist guards for conditioning

There are Olympic champions that never once used wrist guards, even on Pommels. That should be the starting goal for every gymnast.

Here’s the conclusion from one study out of the University of Missouri:

Evidence supports the use of wrist guards as protective equipment in the prevention of gymnasts’ wrist pain and injury.

However, potentially negative effects of wrist guards on proprioception and performance were also reported, and critical gaps in knowledge regarding guard design, most effective indications, and application to female gymnasts remain.

Further biomechanical and clinical studies are needed to fill these gaps in knowledge toward making evidence-based recommendations regarding use of wrist guards in gymnastics. …

Use of Wrist Guards for Gymnasts – A Systematic Review

unitards will become increasingly popular

We can thank Germany for popularizing the trend.

They may choose to wear leotards in future. Point is — women should wear what they want.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

introducing Flyaway on P Bars

Starting backwards Flyaway from Parallel Bars is fast, fun and easy.

Kids don’t need as much spot as there is less risk of hitting feet on the Bar. It works for both boys and girls.

This is Taiso, Saskatoon.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Li Li Leung apologizes

Now that many of the lawyers are no longer getting paid, the USAG President and CEO can make a more sincere apology to victims of the criminal doctor.

“The Plan of Reorganization that we jointly filed reflects our own accountability to the past and our commitment to the future. …

USAG will formally exit bankruptcy in the coming weeks, after necessary administrative work and the entry of an order by the Court closing the case. In connection with the confirmation of the plan, the USOPC has resolved its Section 8 complaint against USA Gymnastics, which will continue USOPC’s recognition of USA Gymnastics as the national governing body of the sport. …

Inside Gymnastics

WHO should USA hire?

I’m often consulted when clubs hire a new Head Coach. About 50% of the time the new hire is not better than the old. It’s the math.

Many coaches of the top teams in the world would be reluctant to consider the position.

Spencer has some advice for the USAG hiring committee. (If smart, they’d ask Simone to join that group.)

… USAG may be best served at this point by hiring an elite national team head coach—one whose purview is routine feedback, coach development, and a non-abusive culture but who is explicitly not involved in team selection—then hiring a literal Excel document to select teams, and establishing a separate injury-petition committee made up of definitely-not-the-coaches to intervene on judgement calls that a spreadsheet and extensive documentation can’t manage. …

BBS

My vote would go to K.J. Kindler. But she’d be crazy to apply.

TIME magazine Athlete of the Year

Simone may have done more for the world by withdrawing from the Olympics than by winning a fistful more medals.

Winter Olympics – pressure on China

As a volunteer for IOC and keen booster of the Olympic movement, I support this decision.

Let the athletes compete — but pressure China in every other way. That de facto dictatorship (like Russia) only responds to strength.

UK., Australia, USA and Canada have announced. I expect more to join.