Category: safety

Finals at Europeans*

Some felt the judges were generous.

BUT the BIG STORY is that Turkey pulled off hosting this meet during a pandemic. It turned out to be much better than I expect.

Congratulations.

Vault
GOLD Zsofia Kovacs (HUN) 14.050
SILVER Larisa Iordache (ROU) 13.875
BRONZE Anastasia Motak (UKR) 13.850

Bars
GOLD Zsofia Kovacs (HUN) 13.850
SILVER Zoja Szekely (HUN) 13.550
BRONZE Barbora Mokosova (SVK) 13.300

Beam
GOLD Larisa Iordache (ROU) 14.000
SILVER Silviana Sfiringu (ROU) 13.800
BRONZE Anastasia Motak (UKR) 13.100

Floor
GOLD Larisa Iordache (ROU) 13.450
SILVER Goksu Uctas Sanli (TUR) 13.100
BRONZE Lihie Raz (ISR) 12.750

Full results

German coaches accused of abuse

Two former national team gymnasts, twins Naomi and Ruby van Dijk, were interviewed on their experiences of bullying and mistreatment in the sport.

They say the problems in Germany are wider than previously reported.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Russia loses in Court of Arbitration

Russia will not be able to use its name, flag and anthem at the next two Olympics or at any world championships for the next two years after a ruling Thursday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The Lausanne-based court halved the four-year ban proposed last year by the World Anti-Doping Agency in a landmark case that accused Russia of state-ordered tampering of a testing laboratory database in Moscow. The ruling also blocked Russia from bidding to host major sporting events for two years.

Russian athletes and teams will still be allowed to compete at next year’s Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, as well as world championships …

AP

Maggie Haney’s suspension reduced

When we first heard in April 2020 Haney‘s suspension was 8 years, I was surprised. Obviously USAG had strong evidence.

She failed “to provide a safe, positive and healthy environment with a culture of trust and empowerment.”

I’d not heard her respond until a recent NY Times interview.

The gymternet reaction was critical. Some called the article a fluff piece, not an interview. Some felt it was just part of a coordinated PR campaign to reinvent her reputation.

NY Times reporter Juliet Macur is well credentialed, by the way. And an athlete. Captain of the Columbia University rowing team.

NEXT we learned an arbitrator reduced the USA Gymnastics suspension for physical, verbal and emotional abuse from eight to five years.

Haney has also been named in a series of civil lawsuits filed in New Jersey by the families of former MG Elite gymnasts who allege they were physically, verbally and emotionally abused, body shamed and pressured to compete and train while injured by the coach. …

OCR

The Skating Lesson interviewed more than a dozen gymnasts, parents and family members who have trained under Maggie Haney and Vicky Levine at MG Elite.

Listen to those interviews here.

Louter & Kiens out from Federation

The Dutch Federation removed coaches Frank Louter and Patrick Kiens from their National Team responsibilities. Both can coach at their clubs.

Kiens can continue to coach Eythora Thorsdottir and Kirsten Polderman. Louter can continue to coach Sara van Disseldorp and Laura de Witt.

This was unrelated to the ongoing disciplinary investigation.

Vincent Wevers and Nico Zijp stay on with National Team.

Details on Nos Sport. (Dutch)

USAG Athlete Bill of Rights

As we celebrate Human Rights Day and reflect upon the significance of empowerment and advocacy, we are proud to introduce the USA Gymnastics Athlete Bill of Rights.

All athletes have the right to: 

* Participate in gymnastics

* Train and compete safely

* Have their personal health and wellness prioritized

* Be treated with dignity and respect

* Receive proper instruction

* Provide input on matters that directly affect them

* Voice opinions on issues that affect the gymnastics community

* Expect integrity and transparency

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

473 former College gymnasts surveyed

Dave Tilley one of the authors of this study.

Gymnastics is a popular sport with high injury rates, especially at the collegiate level. …

The median age of gymnastics specialization was 8 years [interquartile range = 6-11 years]. The proportion of injuries sustained during college did not significantly differ by specialization age.

A significantly greater proportion of early specializers required surgery for college sports-related injuries (60% vs. 44%; p = 0.02).

Forty-two percent of the respondents reported concussion history, and a greater proportion of those with concussion history reported seeking mental health treatment during college (32% vs. 23%; p = 0.03), and anxiety disorder diagnosis (16% vs. 9%; p = 0.01).

Disordered eating history was reported by 34% of the respondents …

Conclusion: Athletes and clinicians should be aware of the long-term effects of early specialization, concussions, and disordered eating in gymnastics as these issues are common in female collegiate gymnasts.

Health outcomes among former female collegiate gymnasts: the influence of sport specialization, concussion, and disordered eating

Minnesota Gymnastics 60 Minutes

While some schools are moving mountains to get in football and basketball seasons, non-revenue generating sports are on the chopping block. …

Some colleges are testing every player and coach for the virus every day and even that hasn’t stopped outbreaks; many games have had to be canceled or rescheduled. But still, they press on.  

They do it, of course, to keep the TV money coming in from football and basketball. But at the same time, dozens of universities have been eliminating smaller “secondary” sports like gymnastics and tennis and swimming. …

Mike Burns: I think every athletic director who’s dropping programs is using the COVID pandemic as an excuse …

Shane Wiskus: NCAA Gymnastics I believe is a crucial component in preparing gymnasts for, you know, not only success for their team, but success for the United States on the world and Olympic podiums. …

Some colleges axing “secondary sports” like gymnastics and tennis as pandemic continues

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

Men’s European Championships

Dec 9-13, Turkey

Of course the 2020 edition will always have an asterix* as the field is much smaller than usual. Many of the top nations, including Russia, are not attending due to COVID.

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

Tumbl Trak Air Barrels

I love Air Barrels.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

But I wouldn’t buy them without the Tumbl Trak Cradle accessory.

When there’s a danger of the barrel unexpectedly rolling the wrong way, place one of the cradles to stop movement in that direction.