WAG Miss Val - UCLA - speaks on USAG - Nassar

[bogwoppit]

This is a must read.

http://officialmissval.com/times-up-usag/

 

[duyetanh]

Thaylt was FANTASTIC. WOW.

 

[amiandjim]

Awesome article!!

 

[amiandjim]

The part about Mattie Larson breaks my heart....Aly discussed it in her book as well.

 

[LindyHopper]

WOW!!!! Miss Val took no prisoners!

 

[profmom]

Wow! Amazing!

 

[TakeTwo]

Beautiful. She's an amazing lady. I agree, though, we've all seen it, and we've all justified it for too long. Those of us who have had children in that realm have known what was there and chosen to blind ourselves because the threat of invisibility was just too powerful. leaving The Ranch is a step, but it's only a step. Martha was not in any way the only person wielding the threat of invisibility. We need to do much more to cure the disease.

 

[gymdog]

I can't really get on board with NCAA gymnastics being an overall "safe haven" either though.

 

[FlippinPrincess]

Thanks for sharing. I’m so happy to see people with influence finally fighting and standing up for these athletes. It’s about time.

 

[FlippinPrincess]

I can't really get on board with NCAA gymnastics being an overall "safe haven" either though.

Especially after reading the many posts by bookworm on the subject.

 

[wandrewsjr]

Thanks for sharing. Miss Val deserves the love, she has helped so many to find a positive gymnastics experience. So glad Jordyn found a home there, and here's to Coach Jo continuing to spread that strength and positivity as a head college coach one day.

 

[gymgal]

I finally had the chance to read this. While I am glad she is speaking up and was there to help so many gymnasts pick up the pieces and find love in the sport again, I have to question why she and other NCAA coaches remained silent for so many years. They may not have known about the sexual abuse but they certainly saw the remnants of the emotional and physical abuse that many of these former elites endured at the hands of the nation's top coaches. They were in a position to lead meaningful changes across the sport, whether anonymously or out in the open.

 

[tomtnt]

Interesting also how all the olympic gymnasts kept saying how much they love Marta and will miss her. The "final five" was part tribute to her final five gymnasts. I guess that is part of the problem, when you are in her good grace, you probably felt very loved and wanted. When you are no longer useful, you are invisible.

 

[tomtnt]

“I think the training camps are key,” said Aly Raisman, the team captain who on Tuesday won her third Olympic gold medal. “It’s where we are evaluated and compared to each other, in a healthy way. We wouldn’t be here without that system.”

“She’s pushed us harder than anyone else, harder than our coaches,” said Biles, who performed on all four events Tuesday and is the massive favorite for the Olympic all-around crown Thursday. “Every day in practice, even if you’re so close to perfection, she still tells you that you can be better. … She does it because she loves us. She just wants the best for us.”

 

[wandrewsjr]

The part about Mattie Larson breaks my heart....Aly discussed it in her book as well.

I haven't read the book, would you mind summing up for me what Aly said about being on that world's team with Mattie?

 

[Ginger]

Interesting also how all the olympic gymnasts kept saying how much they love Marta and will miss her. The "final five" was part tribute to her final five gymnasts. I guess that is part of the problem, when you are in her good grace, you probably felt very loved and wanted. When you are no longer useful, you are invisible.

Yes, my thought exactly.
Dominique Moceanu's book (Off Balance), with multiple recounts of abuse at Karolyi's ranch, was released in 2012. No one backed her experience basically till now.

ETA: I was thinking about her when I watched the 2016 squad hugging Martha and telling her they decided to call themselves 'Final Five' in her honor.

 

[coachmolly]

I haven't read the book, would you mind summing up for me what Aly said about being on that world's team with Mattie?

"However, Mattie was blamed. People looked past her like she didn't exist. She sat quietly at dinner that night and picked at her food. I could see she was trying hard not to cry. Mattie continued to get the cold shoulder from many until our plane touched down in Houston several days later. She never competed at the elite level again."

 

[coachmolly]

“I think the training camps are key,” said Aly Raisman, the team captain who on Tuesday won her third Olympic gold medal. “It’s where we are evaluated and compared to each other, in a healthy way. We wouldn’t be here without that system.”

“She’s pushed us harder than anyone else, harder than our coaches,” said Biles, who performed on all four events Tuesday and is the massive favorite for the Olympic all-around crown Thursday. “Every day in practice, even if you’re so close to perfection, she still tells you that you can be better. … She does it because she loves us. She just wants the best for us.”

I think it's a matter of perception, and that perception is greatly colored by where you stand in the eyes of the person in question. I had a teacher in elementary school who detested me for some unknown reason. She did all she could to belittle me and put me down. It was an awful year that left me very hurt and damaged. I had a friend in the exact same class who was very similar to me in every way (quiet, timid, bookish, not into what was "cool") who the teacher absolutely adored. Gave her special jobs, invited her to events, asked her to help with certain tasks. So while the teacher was cruel and abusive to me, to the child she handpicked as her star pupil viewed her as loving, supportive, encouraging. It's totally possible for the same person to be both.

 

[tomtnt]

"However, Mattie was blamed. People looked past her like she didn't exist. She sat quietly at dinner that night and picked at her food. I could see she was trying hard not to cry. Mattie continued to get the cold shoulder from many until our plane touched down in Houston several days later. She never competed at the elite level again."

the cynic would ask, "then why didn't you go and talk to her and eat with her?" oh yea - didn't want to the coaches to see you doing that and ruining your own chances..

 

[txgymfan]

^^^ Exactly! Aly isn't stupid. They all played Marta's game or else. I'm convinced that's what happened to Maggie.