Category: safety

Which NCAA teams support #BlackLivesMatter?

It’s not easy to keep up with the responses from NCAA Gymnastics teams.

How much is empty talk?  How many will improve over coming seasons?

Catch up by listening to episode #428: Black Lives Matter This Week Too

GymCastic was disappointed with “empty platitudes from coaches like Dana Duckworth and Courtney Kupets-Carter“.

One concept new to me was optical allyship: when we focus on ourselves rather than the victims. It’s a dodge.  For example …

https://twitter.com/CoachJeffGraba/status/1268979062992756736

One ‘tell‘ for me is whether or not statements include Black Lives Matter #BlackLivesMatter.

If not, they are usually avoiding the biggest controversy to not offend somebody or other.  Weak support.

Check too if there’s an actual apology for past injustice at the University.  A promise of action in future.  If not, it’s likely just weasel words.  Nothing will change.

GymCastic was impressed that K.J. Kindler and Mark Williams marched for George Floyd.

Cal Women’s Gymnastics supported the Black Lives Matter run June 8th. A good sign.

Other sports have done more. Especially football. A racist coach was put on leave at Iowa. His base pay $800,000 / year.

Margzetta Frazier on racial injustice

UCLA gymnast Margzetta Frazier talks to BBC Sport about the death of American George Floyd and discrimination in gymnastics.

Confident to speak her mind, Marz also talks about racial stereotyping in Gymnastics.
(You’d think we would have learned our lesson from Olympic Champion Gabby Douglas who’s best apparatus was Bars.) 

Kiana Winston on her Alabama career

All lives will matter when Black Lives Matter.

Today Kiana Winston is a social worker, encouraging us to “advocate and work towards ending the deeply rooted racism, social injustices, and police brutality in this country.”

Originally from Texas Dreams, Kiana graduated College team in 2018.

Click over to Facebook to read her very positive memories at Alabama. Roll Tide.

 

I’M ALL IN …

Many College Gymnastics coaches are sharing a message on Twitter.

And asking 5 others to join them.

A few examples:

 

Reebok cuts ties with CrossFit

  1. CrossFit “workout of the day” is bad coaching.  Every person training should have an individual prescription designed to meet their fitness goals.
  2. CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman has long been controversial.

This time Glassman’s recklessness is going to cost a lot of people a lot of money.

It’s time to reevaluate the company.

Fitness brands including Reebok have cut ties with CrossFit after the company’s CEO posted a tweet making light of George Floyd’s death. …

Mr Glassman has now apologised, saying CrossFit “will not stand for racism”. …

Since Mr Glassman’s tweet about George Floyd, hundreds of affiliate gyms have removed CrossFit from their branding. A spreadsheet tracking all of the gyms that are rebranding currently lists 227 fitness centres distancing themselves from CrossFit. …

BBC

Former gymnast, World CrossFit Champion 2015 and 2016, Katrín Davíðsdóttir, is pissed.  Reevaluating whether she wants to continue with the company.

diversity on U.S. National Teams

I don’t recall seeing any study on this topic, but seems to me U.S. National Teams, at least in recent years, are at least as ethnically diverse as the general population.

The biggest factor, I reckon, is which American families can afford the very high costs of elite Gymnastics training.

Things are getting better.

#BlackLivesMatter

Protests at the moment were inspired by the murder of George Floyd by a white cop.

#BlackLivesMatter is the most important hashtag of these protests.

Everyone knows that all lives matter. But don’t make that specious argument.

Blacks die in police custody at a far higher rate than any other race.  That’s what we are trying to address.

 

racist incidents at Florida

Reporter D’Arcy Maine put together a summary article on the fallout from complaints by Kytra Hunter and Kennedy Baker.

Former star gymnast Kytra Hunter says racism complaints ‘fell on deaf ears’ at Florida

Jenny Rowland organized a video conference call with the team to discuss the issues.

And the team posted a statement.

 

celebrating diversity at UCLA

One thing I’ve always admired about the Bruins is the racial diversity of their teams.

It’s difficult to get data on racial bias in judging, but it should be easy to compare NCAA teams for diversity.

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.