Parents USAG Card

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Sorry if this has already been discussed....but is there anyone out there as angry as I am to have to spend money on a USAG Card this year? This is one of the last organizations I would like to support, but here I am sending them my money on the remote chance my daughter will be able to complete this year. There has been plenty of money I've spent that I'd consider "waste" in this sport and I smile and write the check because it makes my daughter happy.... but this really takes the cake, supporting an organization that allowed for horrible atrocities.

Please help me feel good about sending them my money.....
 
While I understand that USAG has made mistakes, I truly do feel they are trying to change and unless we continue to support them, they won’t have that chance. I can’t get behind this new organization that so far seems to be about making money rather than changing anything.
Thank you for your thoughtful answer, but I feel as though "mistakes" is an understatement.

Really......how are we all "okay" with this? It makes me sick to my stomach, and the thought of going on their website and updating my daughter's card makes me want to cry.
 
OP I understand your sentiments completely and I am sure it is further exacerbated by the fact we don’t know if there will even be a competition season. The problem is in my area USAG is the only org gyms compete with and my kids love gymnastics. The new proposed organization has not shown promise yet just that they want to make more travel meets for eve younger lower level athletes.

I’d like to see a thread about what USAG is doing to change actively for any coaches in the know because right now there is no alternative if our kids want to compete in some places.
 
I would absolutely love to see a growth of gyms that don’t push competition (rec gyms), but also don’t throttle skill growth to the very lowest levels. Some people would have (I know we would have) happily abstained from competition altogether for a long while if we could still get the training without it. My daughter has managed twice to train with gyms without competing and both were lovely experiences- but it’s so far from the norm that most people would scoff.. but my kid loves gymnastics- not competing, necessarily, and definitely not any particular org. My dancer daughter also chose a non-comp studio and preferred to focus on her training. Maybe my kids are just weird, but I am not mad at it.
 
I haven’t had by girls renew their memberships yet. I am really hoping that I don’t have to. I am hoping to have an alternative by meet season. My son is an elite and he has to renew his today for his gym. I am angry that I have to give them money.
 
@lostinfog "I’d like to see a thread about what USAG is doing to change actively for any coaches in the know because right now there is no alternative if our kids want to compete in some places."

Yes. I'm a little nervous about a new organization myself. I have no control over what our gym decides to do. I keep hearing that USAG is actively changing for the better, but I would like specifics too. Over the past year, their USAG Safe Sport system has been a terrible mess. They have a flowchart of the process on their webpage, but they do not follow the flowchart. I've spoken with quite a few people who were involved with complaints filed through USAG Safe Sport, and they do not follow their own process. That's just the workings of USAG Safe Sport though, but not a small thing in my opinion. I'm definitely not "in the know," so it is entirely possible that the organization is working to make big changes. I agree we can't hold the current USAG people accountable for the actions of past USAG leaders. All the more reason for transparency now. I would love the hear about changes they are making within the organization.
 
I don't think mistakes covers it either, and so many of the old guard are still involved in high levels of the organization that I definitely wouldn't call it "all new." I like the current CEO, but I doubt a single person's ability to make dramatic, sweeping changes through an organization that really doesn't want to change.

I don't think my daughter's gym would just jump on with the new org. It sounds sketchy itself. But they did not tell us to renew in July. We'll see what January brings...
 
I would absolutely love to see a growth of gyms that don’t push competition (rec gyms), but also don’t throttle skill growth to the very lowest levels. Some people would have (I know we would have) happily abstained from competition altogether for a long while if we could still get the training without it. My daughter has managed twice to train with gyms without competing and both were lovely experiences- but it’s so far from the norm that most people would scoff.. but my kid loves gymnastics- not competing, necessarily, and definitely not any particular org. My dancer daughter also chose a non-comp studio and preferred to focus on her training. Maybe my kids are just weird, but I am not mad at it.


Agreed!!! I don't think your kids are weird, I wonder how many athletes quit because they feel the pressure to complete. My daughter has expressed to me that she doesn't care if she ever competes again. But if we don't get the card, signaling she won't be competing, she might as well coach herself. It would be the rare coach who would take his/her time away from the athletes who will be competing.

So, what really has me irritated is that if we don't support this vile organization, the unintended consequence is it will definitely affect how she is coached. Do I turn my head on all the things USAG allowed to happen to others' daughters, simply because I want my daughter to be happy? If so, then I'm vile.
 
Agreed!!! I don't think your kids are weird, I wonder how many athletes quit because they feel the pressure to complete. My daughter has expressed to me that she doesn't care if she ever competes again. But if we don't get the card, signaling she won't be competing, she might as well coach herself. It would be the rare coach who would take his/her time away from the athletes who will be competing.

So, what really has me irritated is that if we don't support this vile organization, the unintended consequence is it will definitely affect how she is coached. Do I turn my head on all the things USAG allowed to happen to others' daughters, simply because I want my daughter to be happy? If so, then I'm vile.
Depending on your state, a YMCA team might be an option.
Each state / and in some cases, region of the state do things a little differently.
In our "district", we only compete against other YMCAs. There are 4 districts in Ohio. I know that some of the teams in other districts offer some or all of their gymnasts an opportunity to compete USAG as well as YMCA. Only the ones who will be competing in USAG meets pay for USAG membership. I know that some of the gyms only offer the USAG option for their upper level optionals (because the competition at the higher levels isn't as readily available ... for example, we had 1 gymnast that was considering level 9 for her senior year, but none of the other teams in our district had Level 9s, so she chose to stay in Level 8 to have competition).

Our team treats all team girls the same whether they are going to be competing or not. My YG is considering not competing this year because she would rather train and get more of her skills solid. HC will be fine with her doing that - and IF she decides she does want to compete, she can change her mind up to the day before a meet.
 
Depending on your state, a YMCA team might be an option.
Each state / and in some cases, region of the state do things a little differently.
In our "district", we only compete against other YMCAs. There are 4 districts in Ohio. I know that some of the teams in other districts offer some or all of their gymnasts an opportunity to compete USAG as well as YMCA. Only the ones who will be competing in USAG meets pay for USAG membership. I know that some of the gyms only offer the USAG option for their upper level optionals (because the competition at the higher levels isn't as readily available ... for example, we had 1 gymnast that was considering level 9 for her senior year, but none of the other teams in our district had Level 9s, so she chose to stay in Level 8 to have competition).

Our team treats all team girls the same whether they are going to be competing or not. My YG is considering not competing this year because she would rather train and get more of her skills solid. HC will be fine with her doing that - and IF she decides she does want to compete, she can change her mind up to the day before a meet.

Awe...thanks raenndrops, the YMCA is a fantastic organization, and a really great idea. :)
 
I don't think mistakes covers it either, and so many of the old guard are still involved in high levels of the organization that I definitely wouldn't call it "all new." I like the current CEO, but I doubt a single person's ability to make dramatic, sweeping changes through an organization that really doesn't want to change.

I don't think my daughter's gym would just jump on with the new org. It sounds sketchy itself. But they did not tell us to renew in July. We'll see what January brings...

It will be interesting to see if this new organization gets legs underneath them.
 
USAG is not “a vile organization.” They have a new CEO, a new board, have implemented lots of new changes and are actively working to improve everything. You can go to their website and read about it in all their updates. They aren’t perfect, lots of things were wrong, but if we can’t allow people to learn from their mistakes and improve and change, then literally 99.9% of the earth’s population would never get past their child/teen years. If USAG had refused to acknowledge things, and weren’t actively working to improve, they would deserve to collapse, but they did and they are.
 
It will be interesting to see if this new organization gets legs underneath them.

From what I’ve seen, it looks like a lot of former USAG employees have positions with them. And they were more concerned about posting pictures of pretty medals and level requirements and deductions than posting their board members or how they plan to keep athletes safe.

Now I don’t think that everyone that worked at USAG was bad, but I don’t understand those that said everyone at USAG should be terminated, but are willing to jump on board with an organization with some of those same people.
 
From what I’ve seen, it looks like a lot of former USAG employees have positions with them. And they were more concerned about posting pictures of pretty medals and level requirements and deductions than posting their board members or how they plan to keep athletes safe.

Now I don’t think that everyone that worked at USAG was bad, but I don’t understand those that said everyone at USAG should be terminated, but are willing to jump on board with an organization with some of those same people.
Exactly! Thank you!
 
There aren't any meets scheduled on our state site until January. And then besides States, Regional and Nationals there are only 3 that last time I look.

This is the sign up time of year. Haven't heard a peep out our coaches about it. Personally I won't be shelling out for the card until I feel there is a solid chance they will compete. And in NY that simply ain't happening anytime soon.

Side note, I am more skeptical of a "new" organization, that seems to have much of the same people that condoned the "old" one. And it seems more of the same.

So JMO, I rather the devil I know. They are having no choice but change.

I would think if our gym were to opt out of USAG. We would go with IGC. Our gym has done competitions in IGC previously, so we would be more likely to do that.

But right now the gym is in a holding pattern, just enjoying being back.
 
From what I’ve seen, it looks like a lot of former USAG employees have positions with them. And they were more concerned about posting pictures of pretty medals and level requirements and deductions than posting their board members or how they plan to keep athletes safe.

Now I don’t think that everyone that worked at USAG was bad, but I don’t understand those that said everyone at USAG should be terminated, but are willing to jump on board with an organization with some of those same people.

Yeah, I'd like a new org, but if you don't vet them closely enough, it could easily be out of the frying pan and into the fire and then what was even the point.

I'd love to see AAU or similar. The only alternative organization we have here is not only very local (in state only), it also doesn't go above level 8 (and less than a dozen level 8s compete it in the whole state of Texas.) And apparently it has issues of its own.
 

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