@ makam
@ Caledi
I think I should rephrase my statements more about Safe Sport. My understanding about Safe Sport was the gymnastics experience has to be completely black or white for the athlete. The adults (coaches, trainers and the parents) and everyone else have to accept gray areas. When in doubt the athlete is right (within reason.) They have to accept the athlete “as is,” cannot be labeled as wrong, and the gymnast’s views cannot be challenged.
I hearken back to an experience I had back in the late 1990s online when a lower level USA’s gymnast’s routine was criticized by a poster. The individual said that the gymnast tried to do a Tkatchev, but she was “not even close” to catching the bar. And then said that she got up and regrouped and did a beautiful Jaeger as if her fall didn’t happen.
Shortly thereafter, her coach took to the same forum to shame the poster for saying she “wasn’t even close.” If his goal is to make a little girl cry then he succeeds. The poster did not know how hard she had been working on that skill and she was in tears over reading that statement. The coach had to accept her view “as is.” He could not say “get over it girl because ppl are going to criticize you online.”
Episodes like this happen. And I’m only bringing it up because it questions what the people can tell this girl and what they can’t. Under a safe sport you can’t say anything negative I believe so I don’t see how they can walk up to this gymnast and say “look you’re basically have to start over.” Even if they attempt to work with her and she gets frustrated so they stop, what more can they do?
We do not know the temperament of these gymnasts. Only the coaches know. So to blame them for not doing something may not be their fault. Some gymnast you just cannot fix. Not everyone can grow up and be a perfect gymnast. For example, using gymnast who have finished their career, I can name several. Alexi Nemov couldn’t hold an iron cross to save his life on the rings, yet is the most successful Russian gymnast ever. Produova wouldn’t lift with her arms when she’s tumbled backwards. Aly Raisman wouldn’t point her feet on even bars. Alicia Sacrimony told the world “I’m not really flexible I just jumped really hard.” And they all have World and Olympic medals.
When I see a gymnast who is struggling to do things that people consider basic I wonder if the coaches and staff are hindered in how they approach the problem. Maybe they have tried, it did not work, and they’re just hoping she’s going to have an epiphany and start changing. At the end of the day she’s not doing any physical damage to herself.
This becomes of paramount importance because people are so worried about what’s going to happen with their gyms and their programs if one gymnast speaks out.
So some gymnasts don’t do something properly that we think is important. Maybe there are other reasons and it’s not just bad coaching. Maybe they are so petrified of a negative response? Many fans just want blood. Look what happened to Liukin when Atler talked about her weight gain and what he did. She was taking about as if it was a joke and it would settle itself because she thought so, and he lost a career. And these gyms for some coaches are businesses. They have to worry about where the money is going to come to support themselves and pay the bills.
So with that being sent wouldn’t it be more accurate to look at other gymnasts from the same club and see if the problem exists with them? That way you could see it’s a coaching problem versus an athlete problem and fear of repercussions.
