"Chalked Up" by Jennifer Sey

[gymdog]

After reading the comments to Nichols's review I kind of want to hear that NPR interview where she called in. Will post if I find it.

Edit: two links

http://www.npr.org/blogs/talk/2008/0...nifer_sey.html - click "listen to this talk of the nation" under the headline to listen to her interview that Nichols apparently called into. Some interesting comments posted to that blog including a former Parkette's.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...oryId=90105904 - long excerpt here.

Edited again: OMG this interview...about 6 minutes in the question is essentially "so you think that male coaches are in this sport to be around scantily clad little girls?" and she kind of dances around it and says "well not overall...but you have to wonder...but that wasn't my experience". I can't exactly put my finger on it but I find her answer very bizarre and it's honestly coming off very poorly for the gymnastics community.

[Ingymmom]

Quote:
Originally Posted by gymdog Edited again: OMG this interview...about 6 minutes in the question is essentially "so you think that male coaches are in this sport to be around scantily clad little girls?" and she kind of dances around it and says "well not overall...but you have to wonder...but that wasn't my experience". I can't exactly put my finger on it but I find her answer very bizarre and it's honestly coming off very poorly for the gymnastics community.

Gymdog, this has been my biggest issue. She dances in her interviews, and clearly contradicts and misleads what she says and then writes in her blogs, etc, etc, etc. & what she has already written in her book. She leaves too much open to interpretation - too much left to the imagination... I think the idea that this book has become an expose is because of J. Sey, not in spite of her initial claimed intentions of a memoir.

Regardless of this, I have said this all along and stand by it (& this is the one critical message that I can get from this book - without even reading it), Parents need to know who is coaching their children. How many coaches are there? What are their philosophies? Is the coach Knowledgable about the sport? What is their experience? They need to take the time to learn and read about the route their child is taking in their sport of choice - monotonous or not. Which method is right? and then which method is right for my child? Bad things can and do happen in athletics. Goals change over the years, keep in touch with your child to know if this has happened. It is the parents responsibility - not the coaches - to make sure that a healthy, happy, well rounded child turns into happy, healthy well-rounded adult.

[Panda-girl's Mom]

I have read only read halfway through the book, and I am just getting to the part about when she goes to Parkettes. Having a daughter in gymnastics I can see many things that are probally true in the book such as favoritism, and the subjectivity of the judges. I would never let my daughter move away from home to train and I find it hard to believe that a competitive sport encourages this for them to become elite and possibly get to the olympics. What other sport besides gymnastics does this? I feel sorry for her and it is almost like her parents were so caught up in the dream that they turned their back on what was going on. Maybe this is what she is trying to say. Do not get me wrong I think gymnastics is a great sport, my daughter has gained confidence and a good work ethic and I think most gyms are okay probally even Parkettes. I do not mean to judge other parents who have gymnasts that are elites but I can not imagine having my child give up regular school and possible live away from home. I just think it is sad that to become a elite gymnast children are encouraged or required to do this. It truely is a tough sport which makes one admire even more the girls who stick out and make it to the higher levels. I think she is trying to tell the general public who are not in gymnastics how tough it is. Maybe she should of been alittle more confidential instead of naming particular clubs.

[gymdog]

Living away from home wasn't that unusual in J. Sey's time but it's virtually no longer done. One parent goes with the gymnast if they move to another training center, if not the entire family. I can't think of any of the top gymnasts today offhand that (as minors) don't reside with a parent.

[Gym-Nice-tics]

I'm currently reading it. I'm only about 100 pages in, but it doesn't seem that bad. She consistently harps on how a lot of she went through occured because of her own personality type. She was obsessive and competitive and wasn't going to let things stop her.

I don't really feel like she's attacking gymnastics, at least not this far into the book.

[kristilyn73]

I just finished it. It was interesting.. I think she believes every word, I think that some has been exaggerated.

I would have liked to know more about her life and feelings after gymnastics. the book seems to end in a small chapter almost like an afterthought. I want to know if she watches gymnastics on tv, does she go to meets? Does she feel like the sport has changed? Is there something that still needs to be changed? Does she feel like she should be an advocate for young gymnasts?

I guess I feel like if she thinks that the sport did this to her, but yet she still loves and misses the sport everyday(like she said in her book) then she should still be involved to make sure other girls dont be coached the way she was coached.