Buckeye Gymnastics (coaches let go)

[nog]

Has anyone heard about Buckeye Gymnastics letting both Kittia and Charlie Tamayo go due to a Safesport investigation? I saw on Gymcastic, not sure validity of the post, just looking for info on accuracy

 

[MaryClare]

Has anyone heard about Buckeye Gymnastics letting both Kittia and Charlie Tamayo go due to a Safesport investigation? I saw on Gymcastic, not sure validity of the post, just looking for info on accuracy

I posted about it on the GAGE thread. It appears accurate, gymcastic have screen shots of what was sent to parents at the gym

 

[RedBirdie]

 

[RedBirdie]

 

[RedBirdie]

Let me know of those screenshots of the letter aren't showing up. You can also read it here:

 

[nog]

Let me know of those screenshots of the letter aren't showing up. You can also read it here:

thanks....reading that through, wonder what changed for the owner. He states that "Buckeye Gymnatics has not received a single complaint from our athletes or parents in some months" -- so they HAVE received complaints within this past year I'd say. Wonder why that was not enough, but just the fact that SafeSport is now involved and investigating IS enough to fire them? They don't appear to be saying that there has been any conclusion to that SS investigation. Just that they've opened an investigation. But that was enough to fire them now but not before? Are these different and much more serious allegation than what the allegations reported directly to them?

 

[Indy]

The "Buckeye Gymnatics has not received a single complaint from our athletes or parents in some months" line is super suspicious...so you HAVE received complaints about them in the past? Just not in the past few months, so you were hoping it was all just going to go away? And you're only now doing something because Safe Sport is involved? It's great that action has been taken and all but it seems a little ass-covering.

 

[rlayt]

…you're only now doing something because Safe Sport is involved? It's great that action has been taken and all but it seems a little ass-covering.

That’s my take on it.

eta: The other thread said the gym fired them for the reputation of the club so yes the owner is ass-covering. It was ok to be abusive until a higher authority called them out.

Makes you wonder about Gabby firing Kittia doesn’t it.

 

[BB12]

The 'no complaints for months' line is wild. It definitely insinuates they've had complaints that they have ignored.

 

[RedBirdie]

But Gabby stayed with Christian, who has also had at the very least complaints filed against him, and the entire Canadian senior WAG team openly revolted when he was named national team head.

 

[RedBirdie]

It says right in the letter "we received second-hand reports, which are more difficult to investigate with the tools available to us." Whether it was hearsay that couldn't be reasonably substantiated or sweeping known abuse under the rug, who knows.

Frankly, if I were Buckeye, I would have gone in a very different direction. Much shorter, much less detail about what they did or did not hear and do in the past.

 

[Passion]

Buckeye didn't have anyone at Nationals this year. No juniors or hopes at Classics either. Just Avery Moll who has already left for Georgia. So it won't affect any elites at least. They have a lot of level 10's.

Kittia is a Brevet judge too.

 

[rlayt]

Christian might have looked like the better option and the only option with a few months to go. We don’t know. it just raises questions.

 

[cats]

The letter just sounds like some small time guy who doesn’t know how to lead or manage people being scared of having to do his job.

 

[hmmmm]

The letter just sounds like some small time guy who doesn’t know how to lead or manage people being scared of having to do his job.

Which might explain why Kittia has been there so long with minimal results (elite wise) to the point that many assumed she was the owner.

 

[KristyJ]

I feel like if I was a parent who got that letter, if I didn't have red flags before I'd have them now just from that letter. Bad press is their biggest concern but not complaints from several months ago? And they actually said as much? Big yikes

 

[Hatsumomo]

Charlie Tamayo is a name that's ringing a bell. Wasn't there drama with him and the Cuban federation or something? I think all this was on the old board.

 

[Indy]

Charlie Tamayo is a name that's ringing a bell. Wasn't there drama with him and the Cuban federation or something? I think all this was on the old board.

Not sure about drama with the Cuban Federation, but he was fired from Georgia for misusing his UGA credit card. Not a safe-sporty thing but definitely a lack of good judgement situation at the very least.

 

[irichluck21]

Charlie Tamayo is a name that's ringing a bell. Wasn't there drama with him and the Cuban federation or something? I think all this was on the old board.

Tamayo did not think it was fair that any prize money won didn't go directly to the gymnast, as the gymnasts had to share it with the federation. Additionally, Tamayo was frustrated that Cuba didn't send athletes to meets consistently. He didn't see gymnastics as a way to financially support his family as an elite level gymnast, since Cuba didn't fund athletes properly.

He had a broken ankle at Anaheim Worlds and ended up having to compete on all 6 events for Cuba. His 7.175 was the score dropped from this event. Unfortunately a 7.575 was counted alongside 8.312, 8.425, and 9.200. This resulted in a 37th place finish on FX for Cuba (out of 52 teams) and it eliminated them from qualifying a full team to Athens.
Despite the horrific floor rotation Cuba was 15th and just a little over 2.0 away from knocking out Germany in 12th. Cuba was heavily favored to qualify a full team even though they hadn't sent a full team to 2001 Worlds in Ghent.
Cuba was 7th on rings, 7th on vault, and 5th on pbars. Showing the talent of the team.

Based on his frustration of the federation not showing support and their disappointing finish at Worlds by not qualifying a full team to Athens, Tamayo chose to defect alongside teamate Michel Brito (who had an Uncle living in Los Angeles IIRC). Also Janerky De La Pena, who was the alternate in Anaheim defected alongside the two, meaning Cuba lost 3/7 of its World team in 2003 to defection.

 

[MaryClare]

I’m not sure that defecting whilst at the world championships was the best way to convince the Cuban federation they should send their gymnasts to more meets