2026 Gymnastics Social Media bits

[MaryClare]

Is this a change?

Is what a change?

 

[rlayt]

Is this report on Becky’s behavior (IMO it’s the last conversation topic in this thread) a change?

 

[MaryClare]

Is this report on Becky’s behavior (IMO it’s the last conversation topic in this thread) a change?

No. For most of Becky’s career she has had a stable coach and club. I’d say it changed post 2021

 

[Aizheng]

No. For most of Becky’s career she has had a stable coach and club. I’d say it changed post 2021

I’m sure at least for some of them, it is the fact that Becky (and her sister) spoke out about abusive practices at British Gymnastics, which was not well received by many coaches.

 

[MaryClare]

I’m sure at least for some of them, it is the fact that Becky (and her sister) spoke out about abusive practices at British Gymnastics, which was not well received by many coaches.

If I remember correctly, Becky and Ellie’s complaints related to British Gymnastics as an organisation and not anyone who had personally coached them.

What do you mean by “wasn’t well received by many coaches”?

 

[rlayt]

I was asking because she didn’t appear to have a reputation as being trouble. l think we saw with USAG that lone and early reporters of abuse aren’t well received.

 

[MaryClare]

I was asking because she didn’t appear to have a reputation as being trouble. l think we saw with USAG that lone and early reporters of abuse aren’t well received.

She was neither lone nor early.

I don’t know Becky, but I’ve met her briefly and spent some time around her whilst she was training. She’s not in any way trouble, but she’s her own worst enemy and that has been reflected in her performances at times. BG has likely seen her as “difficult to deal with” for at least a decade, long before she spoke out about her experiences in the sport. Some of that reputation is likely justified- she probably isn’t easy to deal with. Plenty of elite athletes aren’t.

Becky has been successful in getting certain concessions from BG, such as not having to attend national team camps. That won’t have gone down well with everyone. What she wasn’t successful in was being granted the ability to self train. I don’t know if any official reason was given, but it would go against nearly all of the welfare and safeguarding policies that BG have had for at least the past 20 years.

Britain has stricter rules than most other countries regarding what level a coach can coach at. Right down the exact skills. Becky cannot just practice with any coach. Whilst she is on the premises of a BG registered club, she needs a Level 4 coach (high performance) to be present due to the level of skills she does. If she was doing just a strength and conditioning session, she could probably get away with a Level 2 (club) coach. A L1 coach (assistant) is allowed to teach a round off. But you can’t teach a round off onto a springboard until you are L3 (senior club) because that is considered Yurchenko prep. If you do so, your insurance is invalid both personally and as a club.

Not all that many coaches in GB have this qualification and they may not be available outside of the times that their elite squad practices which is usually in the evening. It’s not unusual even at this level that a coach has another, non gymnastics job or that their full time hours are maintained by coaching pre school during the day. Then you add in how the sport and its athletes are funded in the UK and it complicates things even more.

(Apologises if my info on coaching qualifications is out of date, it’s been a few years since I coached in GB)

 

[Bob]

I thought the issue was about her previous training facility not having a pit?

I think she was referring to Rugby not having a pit.

 

[Bob]

She was neither lone nor early.

I don’t know Becky, but I’ve met her briefly and spent some time around her whilst she was training. She’s not in any way trouble, but she’s her own worst enemy and that has been reflected in her performances at times. BG has likely seen her as “difficult to deal with” for at least a decade, long before she spoke out about her experiences in the sport. Some of that reputation is likely justified- she probably isn’t easy to deal with. Plenty of elite athletes aren’t.

Becky has been successful in getting certain concessions from BG, such as not having to attend national team camps. That won’t have gone down well with everyone. What she wasn’t successful in was being granted the ability to self train. I don’t know if any official reason was given, but it would go against nearly all of the welfare and safeguarding policies that BG have had for at least the past 20 years.

Britain has stricter rules than most other countries regarding what level a coach can coach at. Right down the exact skills. Becky cannot just practice with any coach. Whilst she is on the premises of a BG registered club, she needs a Level 4 coach (high performance) to be present due to the level of skills she does. If she was doing just a strength and conditioning session, she could probably get away with a Level 2 (club) coach. A L1 coach (assistant) is allowed to teach a round off. But you can’t teach a round off onto a springboard until you are L3 (senior club) because that is considered Yurchenko prep. If you do so, your insurance is invalid both personally and as a club.

Not all that many coaches in GB have this qualification and they may not be available outside of the times that their elite squad practices which is usually in the evening. It’s not unusual even at this level that a coach has another, non gymnastics job or that their full time hours are maintained by coaching pre school during the day. Then you add in how the sport and its athletes are funded in the UK and it complicates things even more.

(Apologises if my info on coaching qualifications is out of date, it’s been a few years since I coached in GB)

She needs a level 5 coach for the skills she does. Level 5 is needed for releases on bars and other skills that sort of level. So she needs a club with a level 5 coach who is prepared to come in during the day for her to train. Day time training is less common here outside of the big clubs. So for most coaches that would mean coming in all day for her and then coaching in the evening. Also heating and lighting the gym for one gymnast is a big ask. So paying a coach to coach her during the day plus the heating and lighting costs not really viable for most clubs even if you can get a suitable coach to do it.

 

[RedBirdie]

Thank you both for your insights into the requirements about coaching levels in GB! I had no idea. Certainly a whole lot more barriers than, say, the US.

 

[MaryClare]

She needs a level 5 coach for the skills she does. Level 5 is needed for releases on bars and other skills that sort of level. So she needs a club with a level 5 coach who is prepared to come in during the day for her to train. Day time training is less common here outside of the big clubs. So for most coaches that would mean coming in all day for her and then coaching in the evening. Also heating and lighting the gym for one gymnast is a big ask. So paying a coach to coach her during the day plus the heating and lighting costs not really viable for most clubs even if you can get a suitable coach to do it.

Thanks Bob, I had no idea that Level 5 (IHPC?) was an actual qualification now. I’m sure it used to be an honorary title given to coaches whose gymnasts had made a euros team or above. That makes it even harder for her. Also post Whyte there are far fewer clubs doing daytime practice than before due to rules about not missing school etc.

Thank you both for your insights into the requirements about coaching levels in GB! I had no idea. Certainly a whole lot more barriers than, say, the US.

BG’s very rigid coaching rules inadvertently prevented Don Peters from coaching at GB competitions and training camps when Shavahn Church was representing GB. The rules meant she had to find a British coach to accompany her. More recently, Charlotte Booth and Simone Seed have had to do the same.

In Russia it’s even more hierarchical. You might have noticed that one gymnast will have 1 person listed as their coach, where as someone else will have 2 or even 3 even though they are all coached by a number of coaches (the set up is kind of similar to a NCAA coaching team). But the named coach is the personal coach with the highest level of (university) qualification. If 2 or 3 are equal, they all get the honour. I can’t remember what the practicalities were when Irina Alexeeva competed nationally. She was listed as unattached rather than representing a city or region but I don’t know what happened coach wise

 

[makam]

Are the rules only if she is actively competing or on stipend/payroll? I see all the videos of Ash Watson and Nile Wilson doing insane things at Nile's gym and no coaches serm to be present. Could she decamp to Canada or somewhere else and still be considered for BG stuff or would she still need to have a coach for all the competitions/camps?

 

[MaryClare]

Are the rules only if she is actively competing or on stipend/payroll? I see all the videos of Ash Watson and Nile Wilson doing insane things at Nile's gym and no coaches serm to be present. Could she decamp to Canada or somewhere else and still be considered for BG stuff or would she still need to have a coach for all the competitions/camps?

Ash and Nile won’t be BG registered athletes. Becky has to be if she wants to represent GB at intl competitions and compete nationally. She could relocate anywhere she wants, but she’d still have to find a British coach to accompany her for competitions, just like Charlotte Booth and Simone Seed