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.
It’s hard to find the right words to preface my story. Sometimes you just have to let it speak for itself. I am sharing this bc of the brave athletes who have shared theirs before me. It is long. But I believe it’s necessary. #gymnastalliancehttps://t.co/LNmgR1I9ajpic.twitter.com/Q3C5IM1I5C
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. …
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.
“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. …
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.”
Nick is eloquent in his summing up of the #AthleteAlliance revelations — gymnasts emboldened to come forward with some of their worst experiences in the sport.
How revealing past abuse can make things better for future generations.
Of course he looks at it from the coach perspective.
In episode 41 of the 'Gymnastics Growth Show' podcast it's just 'Me, myself and I' sharing my honest, open thoughts on #AthleteAlliance.
… an interactive forum where gymnasts, coaches, technical experts from the sport and top administrators express their views based on their daily first-hand experience. …
Two sessions at different times are planned with the intention that all the national Gymnastics federations can take part. The national federations will soon be invited to send the FIG ideas and proposals in line with the main topics on the e-conference agenda.
The (LSU) Tigers recently installed a Continuous Air and Surface Pathogen Reduction system (CASPR) unit. This high-end unit goes into the HVAC system, retailing around $85,000, and essentially attacks and kills every airborne passage in the air and on surfaces in their gym, operating 24/7. …
CASPR
In 2017, Utah installed UV, hospital-quality lights in high-touch areas. Farden explains that UV lights scrub everything, killing COVID-19. These lights are in their locker rooms, bathrooms, foyer, storage areas and any room with high-touch and high-frequency traffic.
OSU recently added an AIR-THX filtration system, in addition to a spray system. …
Unsurprisingly, LGBTQ youth who participate in sports are better in school. Do better in life.
Coaches should be encouraging kids who might feel like outsiders.
Sports participation has been linked to higher self-esteem, better grades and lower depressive symptoms among LGBTQ youth, according to The Trevor Project’s inaugural mental health survey — the largest of its kind ever conducted. …
Gymnastics Coaching.com 