Category: safety

Defying Gravity – part 5

This is the criminal doctor episode.

Kathy Johnson is always good. But it’s Dominique who’s most eloquent of many gymnasts interviewed.

Jordyn Wieber too. She recalls that the Ranch was closed the day after Simone said she didn’t want to go back to the place of all that sexual abuse.

Olga Korbut calls her former coach a monster.

In part five of our documentary series, survivors of abuse describe the culture that allowed a USA Gymnastics physician and many dozens of other coaches and officials to take advantage of athletes, and explain how they’re using their voices and the life skills that gymnastics taught them to reclaim their sport.

You MIGHT be able to watch Defying Gravity free weekly with ads — or watch all episodes uninterrupted with YouTube Premium.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

great SPOT on Weiler attempt

#respect for this coach

GIF via Spencer on BBS – CHINESE NATIONALS – ALL-AROUND FINAL

Who saw the LOW Vault Horse at Sydney 2000?

In my mind, the Vault judges were most responsible for not checking their apparatus was set correctly.

Still, it was surprising that no coach or gymnasts figured it out sooner.

Australian champion Allana Slater hadn’t seen the falls when she began the rotation but immediately sensed something was wrong.

“Does the vault look low to you?” she said to those around her. …

‘Does the vault look low to you?’: The Aussie teen who spotted Sydney’s stunning gymnastics fail

Allana Slater 2000

Defying Gravity – part 4/6

You need YouTube Premium to watch the episodes 3-6.

My favourite episode of the first four.

I love seeing Grace and Jade in the Gym. Best interviews I’ve seen, so far.

Vault is the featured apparatus. They did not hold back on the terrible truth that competition landings on this event are very, very dangerous. Ellie Black and others were interviewed on injuries.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I don’t understand why FIG has never tried to improve vault landing mats.

Men’s Gymnastics online competitions

If your guys want to compete but are limited by COVID-19 restrictions, geography or travel costs — here’s a new option:

Compete from the comfort of your own gym, with gymnasts from around the world.

Fantasy Gymnastics, LLC provides a 12-week competition season. (January 4th – April 2nd, 2021)

Note that this program is totally different than other “Fantasy Gymnastics” sites. 

All Men’s U.S.  Junior Program levels and divisions, Junior F.I.G., Seniors and College gymnasts can compete.

Athletes can upload six or more routines per week

Each week-long competition allows athletes to obtain stars, medals, shields and trophies in the Virtual Trophy room. Share your videos for your friends to see.

The U.S. Junior Men’s National Apparatus Leaders will be head judges on each apparatus.

Details.

photo via DayLife.com

Alecia Ingram #GymnastAlliance

Alecia Ingram was a 4 year National Team member. (1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99)

At various times she trained at Cypress under Deana Parish and Debbie Kaitschuck, at Dynamo, at Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy, with Don Peters at SCATS, and at Parkettes.

In College she competed for Nebraska and University of Florida, finishing in the autumn of 2003.

Alecia recounts a LOT of bad experiences in this sad, sad post.

 

Gymnast Alliance #gymnastalliance

Dvora posted an article for Vice:

The Gymnast Alliance is forcing a reckoning with abusive practices that have long been at the center of the sport.

… hundreds of gymnasts from all over would post their personal stories of pain and abuse to social media using the hashtag.

They spoke of being forced to train and compete on serious injuries; of being publicly shamed for their weight; of being screamed at and belittled for making mistakes in practice.

Press attention would soon follow, with reports on ITV and other outlets. And the #gymnastalliance would soon spread to other countries, with gymnasts in Belgium, New Zealand, Australia, and the Netherlands speaking up about abuse at the highest level of sports there.

Hotlines have been set up; independent inquiries have been promised; coaches have been suspended. …

“We Won’t Stop”: Gymnasts Around the World Are Organizing To End Abuse

Downie sisters have spoken up about abuse.

Defying Gravity – part 2

Bars is the main theme of the second episode.

Beam will be featured in episode 3, but you need a YouTube Premium account to watch episodes 3-6.

In part 2 there’s a serious discussion of the psychological pressure on girls during puberty, as well.  Kyla Ross talks about the growth spurt she had after her first Olympics.

The great Vanessa Atler talks about the distress she felt when her coaches started weighing her daily.

Steve Rybacki certainly comes off a jerk.

I went back to listen again to Vanessa’s 2017 interview on GymCastic.  Vanessa has many good memories of her main coach, however.  She’s forgiven a lot of people from her past.

Cathy Rigby talks about eating disorders, as well.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

 

Sandeep Kumar Pal is paralyzed

“C4-5 fracture-dislocation with quadriplegia,” is how the doctors first described his injury.  …

… A month after he had won his medal at the Khelo India games, he had joined the national camp in New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Stadium. …

“I must have done it over a thousand times in my life. Even on the day I got injured, I performed it (Double Back on FX)  three times cleanly,” he recalls. The fourth time though, he lost control. “My mind went blank at the top of the jump. …

How one fall turned gymnast Sandeep Kumar Pal’s life upside down

After months of rehab, he’s still regaining movement.

(via Rocker Gymnastics)

Blythe Lawrence on Aussie #AthleteAlliance

Rianna Mizzen talks about how being overworked in training contributed to her ACL tear.

“I have had some terrible experiences at major international competitions and national training camps between 2006-2012 that I wouldn’t wish on anyone,” two-time Olympian Georgia Bonora wrote on Instagram.

“There’s training hard and helping your athlete get the most out of themselves, but then there’s also a very fine line that can be crossed into abusive territory,” said Mary-Anne Monckton, a five-time Australian champion who won two silver medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

“A lot of girls, some 20 years later, still didn’t realise that that was abuse. None of us recognised it because it wasn’t just happening to us. It was happening to everybody.”

On July 30 the Australian Human Rights Commission announced it would conduct an independent review, led by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins, on gymnastics in Australia to better understand why alleged abuse went unreported.

Click through to read the well researched and detailed article in the Brisbane Times:

‘You can’t step out of line’: Medals come at a price for gymnasts