ProudDad
Proud Parent
I have been to dozens of meets and watched many sessions of differing levels. Within those levels there are gymnasts with varying skill levels as reflected by scoring. I am always a fan of every athlete and recognize that anyone can have a bad day or is in the process of overcoming a personal challenge - be it fear, recovering from injury, or personal loss, what rules if any exist around athlete safety and when they shouldn't compete?
I know that even if someone has a perfect driving record, if they are driving erratically on a deserted road and an officer witnesses it, he is obligated to pull them over and if he feels they are impaired and prevent them from driving until they are ready to do so safely. In a similar fashion, if a citizen sees the same erratic driving and feels it may endanger the driver or others they can and should call the police. Maybe a squirrel no one else saw darted out and it was a one time thing, or maybe they have a nasty head cold and are so doped up on meds they see thousands of angry squirrels plotting their revenge - someone has authority to make the call if they see it.
The gym is a place of learning with supportive teammates, watchful coaches, and enough foam to pay off most mortgages (seriously that stuff is crazy expensive). I expect to see struggles and misses every day, but what about at meets?
When you see someone in the optionals program not only skipping skills and having a reduced SV, but also having a series of bad warm-ups where even base skills (pull overs) are not executed well, including one that results in a minor injury - who knows what the root cause is, but that day, at that meet, for that event - that athlete just appears to be very unsafe, not just having a bad day - lots of kids have bad days and unexpected falls that result in injuries regardless of their skill level. What about when it is very apparent that something is off and a fear for safety exists... when that happens is anyone obligated to step-in at athat time or after the fact report it? Do gyms get censured for allowing them to compete? Does it only happen after the fact and only if a gymnast is injured, if at all? The judges came out after warm-ups, so could not have known prior... can they, and should they after fact at least inquire?
I know that even if someone has a perfect driving record, if they are driving erratically on a deserted road and an officer witnesses it, he is obligated to pull them over and if he feels they are impaired and prevent them from driving until they are ready to do so safely. In a similar fashion, if a citizen sees the same erratic driving and feels it may endanger the driver or others they can and should call the police. Maybe a squirrel no one else saw darted out and it was a one time thing, or maybe they have a nasty head cold and are so doped up on meds they see thousands of angry squirrels plotting their revenge - someone has authority to make the call if they see it.
The gym is a place of learning with supportive teammates, watchful coaches, and enough foam to pay off most mortgages (seriously that stuff is crazy expensive). I expect to see struggles and misses every day, but what about at meets?
When you see someone in the optionals program not only skipping skills and having a reduced SV, but also having a series of bad warm-ups where even base skills (pull overs) are not executed well, including one that results in a minor injury - who knows what the root cause is, but that day, at that meet, for that event - that athlete just appears to be very unsafe, not just having a bad day - lots of kids have bad days and unexpected falls that result in injuries regardless of their skill level. What about when it is very apparent that something is off and a fear for safety exists... when that happens is anyone obligated to step-in at athat time or after the fact report it? Do gyms get censured for allowing them to compete? Does it only happen after the fact and only if a gymnast is injured, if at all? The judges came out after warm-ups, so could not have known prior... can they, and should they after fact at least inquire?