WAG Mary Lee Tracy Named New Elite Development Coordinator

[bogwoppit]

Not to say that all coaches are abusive, I know many who are awesome people, who put masses of energy into making the kids experience a positive one. But there enough egotistical ones at the elite level who seem to believe they are some kind of demi god.

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

Not to say that all coaches are abusive, I know many who are awesome people, who put masses of energy into making the kids experience a positive one. But there enough egotistical ones at the elite level who seem to believe they are some kind of demi god.

this I agree with. Seems the younger/newer elite coaches are just so excited to even have girls capable of taking them down this path that they are just happy to be on the journey. That is certainly what I see from Lily’s coaches. If all their elite girls decided to stop doing elite they would just be happy to have gotten to experience what they did.

 

[John]

This forum is a great place for discussion. It does make me self-edit at times, not something I like. I am still thinking about developmental camps for these young athletes and was hoping to hear more thoughts on the benefits of sending children. I concede that sending senior elites to camp may have merit. I am sorry but friendship does not sound like enough benefit to outweigh the cost. As a parent, it is my responsibility to raise a well rounded human being. I want a daughter who has the ability to see good in friends interest outside of the gym. I know she tends to lean towards other gymnasts as her bestie but I make it my job to introduce her to children with a wide range of interests. She loves water sports, animals and being artistic. When she gets together with gym friends gymnastics is the last thing I let them do. I want a daughter that does gymnastics, not a gymnast who is my daughter.

 

[wandrewsjr]

Idea. Maybe we stop taking gymnasts to centralized camps and take coaches instead. Wouldn't every gymnast at a local gym benefit if his or her coach/coaches got the opportunity to increase their technical abilities.? I know camps like this happen but I am talking more camps, mandatory training. I also liked someone's idea of coordinators visiting gyms or local regional gatherings of athletes, do the work where the gymnasts live.

I am not sure I clearly understand what happens at a developmental camp. A hopes athlete's mom told me they watch the athletes and give recommendations on what skills should be pursued and what skills should be dropped. What else happens at a development camp that is worth attending? Getting attention? I actually have a problem with this kind of thing, but I am of the mind that a gymnast and his/her coach should decide what style/skill gymnastics the gymnast should compete. (what makes them happy)

Not every coach has the ability(at least they might not yet) to ascertain which, say, 4 or 5 transitions and release moves on UB a particular athlete should focus on to lead to the best upgrade potential, connection bonus potential and highest execution evaluation by international judges down the road.Them international judges are mean and tend not to value what makes a gymnast "happy".

 

[calli]

The benefit of attending the developmental camps is to prepare gymnasts for Hopes, and then hopefully onto Elite. Not all gyms and coaches can do it without the expertise of the National Staff , and most gymnasts and athletes get better when they are training with peers that are similar or better. There is a lot of feedback , direction, and redirection, of skills and technique that take place at Camp. My daughter always came home from Camp noticeably better then before she went. Gymnastics and sports are not the only place unfortunately where children have been abused. Currently, a lot of information is coming out about abuse of children within the Catholic Church over the years. Scouting is another organization that has been identified of having not protecting children from abuse. It is not only coaches, but priests and scout leaders. As far as moving forward, I do think that there are old-school practices of coaching( verbal abuse and weighing) that many excellent coaches have used in the past. If they have moved away from those methods then they should be given a chance. Parents used to spank children that is completely unacceptable now. Certain practices were normal in certain periods of the past , but it doesn't mean that people/coaches that used those practices aren't amazing and talented and could make a valuable impact now.

 

[amiandjim]

So, she resigned. She posted on FB that KP told her she must resign or be removed bc, get this, she contacted Aly to talk to her! To apologize and move forward, which apparently wasn’t allowed! So, now what? We have coaches trying to improve things and have discussion, but that’s not ok with USAG???

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

Lily got her official camp invite today. Doesn't have the same excitement to it anymore though. Everything is just so tainted and negative feeling.

 

[l.c.o]

So, she resigned. She posted on FB that KP told her she must resign or be removed bc, get this, she contacted Aly to talk to her! To apologize and move forward, which apparently wasn’t allowed! So, now what? We have coaches trying to improve things and have discussion, but that’s not ok with USAG???

I read this, too - I think it’s completley ridiculous and a red flag.

I have no real horse in this race as my DD has retired from the sport, but it still makes me feel more concerned than I had been.

And @bogwoppit - I agree about abuse in sports. Now it’s not all coaches or teams by any stretch, but we even see it in Little League and rec baseball. Thankfully, my DH coaches with a pretty good group of guys and it really doesn’t seem to be an issue. That said, no way I’d let my son play on a select baseball team. Even parents scream at other peoples’ kids. It’s insanity.

This really seems to be an epidemic in many youth sports in general.

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

I read this, too - I think it’s completley ridiculous and a red flag.

I have no real horse in this race as my DD has retired from the sport, but it still makes me feel more concerned than I had been.

And @bogwoppit - I agree about abuse in sports. Now it’s not all coaches or teams by any stretch, but we even see it in Little League and rec baseball. Thankfully, my DH coaches with a pretty good group of guys and it really doesn’t seem to be an issue. That said, no way I’d let my son play on a select baseball team. Even parents scream at other peoples’ kids. It’s insanity.

This really seems to be an epidemic in many youth sports in general.

Sounds like it could be because aly is suing USAG so no current employees can have any contact with her. I don't agree with it but from a legal sense it makes sense.

 

[bogwoppit]

So, she resigned. She posted on FB that KP told her she must resign or be removed bc, get this, she contacted Aly to talk to her! To apologize and move forward, which apparently wasn’t allowed! So, now what? We have coaches trying to improve things and have discussion, but that’s not ok with USAG???

That speaks volumes about USAG and KP. They are a dumpster fire.

I hear people do not want to start again, but this leadership seems toxic.

 

[amiandjim]

Sounds like it could be because aly is suing USAG so no current employees can have any contact with her. I don't agree with it but from a legal sense it makes sense.

Sure, but then you inform said employees before the fact!! You don’t call them afterward! What a mess.

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

So, she resigned. She posted on FB that KP told her she must resign or be removed bc, get this, she contacted Aly to talk to her! To apologize and move forward, which apparently wasn’t allowed! So, now what? We have coaches trying to improve things and have discussion, but that’s not ok with USAG???

I t

Sure, but then you inform said employees before the fact!! You don’t call them afterward! What a mess.

Oh I'm not defending the actions, was just adding what I had heard. It might not even be accurate. Could be just an excuse by KP to get her to resign because of all of the backlash she was getting. It's a huge dumpster fire right now and I don't see it getting any better anytime soon. Sucks for the girls that are stuck in limbo.

 

[Lunde]

Well didn't that get crazy - the straw that broke USAG's back with MLT was not supporting Nassar after he was charged, not abusive coaching techniques around body shaming, nor was it even hiring a paedophile in the 2000s because she didn't do staff background checks ... it was reaching out to Aly!

It shows that USAG is still a huge mess and totally incompetent. KP is trying to deal to deal with these issues as a temporary PR issue rather than instigating true structural change. Any basic background check - even just using google - would have flagged up most of these issues so that they could have been discussed and evaluated before the job was offered.

I feel sorry for the gymnasts who are caught up in this because USAG cannot get its act together.

 

[l.c.o]

Sounds like it could be because aly is suing USAG so no current employees can have any contact with her. I don't agree with it but from a legal sense it makes sense.

Well, to a point I suppose I understand this, but given their current PR issues it’s most definitely not a good look.

I’m also not convinced that it makes it much better.

I get it. Elite sports are tough. The kids need to be tough and dedicated. Sacrifices must be made. These children in this sport train through injuries and many have put up with varying types and levels of abuse - all for the glory of being an elite gymnast. Can a gymnast be elite without the abuse? Some argue no or that it’s not any sort of abuse - it’s just what is needed to reach the top.

This mentality is what has gotten USAG where it is - all of the good and all the awful. USAG and at some level the USOC need to decide if that’s the image they wish to maintain moving forward. If so, then the hiring and resignation of MLT fits and is fine. And it’s up to parents whether they support it.

If they instead wish to change their image, then this is an extremely poor choice. Both the hiring and the terms of the forced resignation of MLT.

 

[thefellowsmom]

Well, the plot thickens...

She just stated on the fb page she is not resigning and has obtained counsel.

@FlippinLilysMom i wanted to say congrats to lily on her amazing season and her invite to camp. I know what a huge deal this is for her and your family and I am sorry that what should be the most exciting thing has been tainted by this whole thing. It is a hard time to be at this stage In her career, but she has lots of time before she is a senior elite and lots can change and happen. It will all work itself out and with her talent and obvious good coaching, she will be ok. My heart goes out to you and I empathize with you and your feelings. I just encourage you to be patient and not get too caught up in the hype. One day of training at a time.

 

[Aussie_coach]

The fact that Nassar was able to get away with abusing such an incredibly large number of kids for such a long time means that many, many people made similar mistakes to MLT. No way did every smile one of those hundreds of kids keep it a total secret from everyone. Plenty of people must have denied the accusations.

Background d checks don't solve it all either. Here in my state in Australia, it is compulsory for anyone who works with children to have a blue card and it must be renewed every three years. It proves a police check has been done, to ensure there are no previous criminal charges that may make them a risk to work with children. Gyms are required to ensure all coaches have one, so it's natural to assume that you have done what you need to do by way if background checks if your staff have one.

But, there are people with Bluecards, who shouldn't have them. It just means they haven't been caught and charged, so,etimes not because their behaviour has not come to light but because parents have not been willing to let their young children testify in court because they want them to forget what has happened.

 

[NutterButter]

I'm baffled right now. On one hand, it's always seemed that KP is in over her head with this job and the hiring and now firing of MLT is yet another PR gaffe (and doesn't she have a PR background???). On the other hand, it's not too smart on MLT's part to post her statements against her (former?) employer on FB, especially considering she has it set so that anyone can see her posts.

What a Cluster.

 

[Flyaway]

oy. What a cluster.

Lily's mom - CONGRATULATIONS on Lily's camp invite. Regardless of the cluster around her, she has worked very hard and it's paid off.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Seldom have I ever lost so much respect for somebody in such a short time as I have for Mary Lee Tracy over the last few days.

She defended Nassar after 50+ victims had come forward. This alone should have disqualified her from consideration for any sort of leadership role in USAG; however, I could understand that human nature is to resist realizations as horrifying as the one she was facing, and honestly I could forgive her as a person and as a coach if she had admitted error and apologized. Here is what she could have said:
"I was reluctant to face the possibility that this doctor, whom I trusted and to whom I had sent many of my athletes, may have been a serial abuser of children, possibly including my own athletes. I was wrong to defend him, and I apologize to those victims that were hurt by my defense of such a person."
Here's what she said instead:
"Here is my truth: I absolutely did that interview and spoke from my truth and experience only. I did this without ever negating anyone else's awful experience. I was fooled just like the survivors were along with many other coaches, he was a massive manipulator to ALL OF US! I am all about solutions and learning from the survivors, we can do this together!"
Short version: It's not my fault! Other people were fooled too! I was a victim!
(also, it irks me that, in a statement that should be about helping other people, literally every sentence starts with "I." It's all about her.)

When she was the recipient of massive backlash after being appointed to the position and was considering resigning the position, here is what she could have said:
"What's important now is that we listen to the athletes and the gymnastics community, in order to find a constructive way to move forward that puts our athletes' well-being first. If the victims, the athletes, and the coaching community feel that I am not the right person for this job, then I will listen to them and step down."
Here is what she said instead:
"“I’m at a point where – I’m strong lady, but I have a great family, and none of this is worth risking my family or watching what my family is going through right now while people are saying these awful things about me."
In short: I'm the victim here! It's not my fault!
(again, it's all about her)

When she made the (since-withdrawn) decision to resign her post, here's what she might have said:
"It has become clear that the victims and the broader coaching community feel that my appointment to this position keeps open certain wounds that must be allowed to heal. In defending Nassar in the past, I made the mistake of failing to listen to the victims and athletes; I will not repeat that mistake. I am therefore resigning."
Here is what she said instead:
"Kerry P gave me two options, to resign or be removed because I tried to contact Aly to apologize and hope we could work together to make our sport better and learn from all of the mistakes of the past. I was never informed that I was not permitted to speak to Ali or any of the survivors!"
In short: It's everybody else's fault but mine! I'm the victim here!
(are we detecting a pattern here?)

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

oy. What a cluster.

Lily's mom - CONGRATULATIONS on Lily's camp invite. Regardless of the cluster around her, she has worked very hard and it's paid off.

Thank you!!!!