I'm sure this article has been read by many. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/...QxVfyuhiDpdc-gFDfJTnYW7_f9ARWJuzutQONKatTc-sE
Good for all the gymnasts coming forward. It's long overdue that they were heard! I would like to hear from parents (and/or non-abusive coaches) of gymnasts who are contenders for a spot on the national team or a scholarship (or something of that nature) if they would report emotional abuse while the abused child is still competing. When I ask friends who are parents or coaches who meet the criteria I outlined, the answer is still a hard NO WAY. We all admit we would wait until the gymnast was in a place safe from retaliation (and the gymnasts themselves feel even more strongly about this). That doesn't mean we would leave them in an abusive situation, but we all know that reporting emotional abuse is still unlikely to be taken seriously and still very likely to lead to retaliation. I have spoken with folks from both SS and USAG and they both acknowledge that emotional abuse is very hard to prove and that they are unlikely to take action (meaning USAG, since SS does not have domain against emotional abuse). I would say the same is true for the type of abuse that is physical in nature that does not involve actually striking a gymnast (such as insisting a gymnast do a skill they are going to get hurt doing as their punishment or to prove a point). Even in the case of sexual abuse, I can only imagine what Maggie's answer would be to the question, "do you wish your abuse had been reported AFTER you had competed in the 2016 Olympics?" Does anyone know how to get past this in our sport? I would especially love to hear from anyone who is also in law enforcement or a mental health practitioner.
Good for all the gymnasts coming forward. It's long overdue that they were heard! I would like to hear from parents (and/or non-abusive coaches) of gymnasts who are contenders for a spot on the national team or a scholarship (or something of that nature) if they would report emotional abuse while the abused child is still competing. When I ask friends who are parents or coaches who meet the criteria I outlined, the answer is still a hard NO WAY. We all admit we would wait until the gymnast was in a place safe from retaliation (and the gymnasts themselves feel even more strongly about this). That doesn't mean we would leave them in an abusive situation, but we all know that reporting emotional abuse is still unlikely to be taken seriously and still very likely to lead to retaliation. I have spoken with folks from both SS and USAG and they both acknowledge that emotional abuse is very hard to prove and that they are unlikely to take action (meaning USAG, since SS does not have domain against emotional abuse). I would say the same is true for the type of abuse that is physical in nature that does not involve actually striking a gymnast (such as insisting a gymnast do a skill they are going to get hurt doing as their punishment or to prove a point). Even in the case of sexual abuse, I can only imagine what Maggie's answer would be to the question, "do you wish your abuse had been reported AFTER you had competed in the 2016 Olympics?" Does anyone know how to get past this in our sport? I would especially love to hear from anyone who is also in law enforcement or a mental health practitioner.