Chalked Up: Inside Elite Gymnastics' Merciless Coaching, Overzealous Parents, Eating Disorders, and Elusive Olympic Dreams

[QuietColours]

The John and Robin that Sey refers to, and are seen the the Parkettes documentary, were eventually sanctioned by SafeSport. John Holman has been banned for life, while Robin Netwall received a suspension (appears to be done, as I cannot find her on the list any more). Bill Strauss received as "letter of admonishment" while no action was taking against Donna Strauss due to "failing health."

I definitely took issue with her statement that the only reason men coach women's gymnastics is to be able to touch scantily clad little girls, but she definitely dealt with some of the coaches for which that appears to have been true.

 

[Matilda23]

Did Parkette’s have many gymnasts on the World Championships teams? Or was its success just in the number of elites the gym had?

 

[Hatsumomo]

And Sey wasn't even all that good! She obviously had a great work ethic, but little natural talent.

Cue up Elfi Schlegel

 

[IratePanda]

Did Parkette’s have many gymnasts on the World Championships teams? Or was its success just in the number of elites the gym had?

They had tons of elites, but only a handful made Worlds teams--two in 1985 (Sey and Calore), one in 1989 (Kelly), and one in 1981 (Stallone). Oh, and Maloney. I keep forgetting about her. (I didn't really follow gymnastics from 1997-2003.)

 

[QuietColours]

Part III

1987

• She came back to hide. Federation officials are calling to see if she'll attend Worlds, which she qualified to months ago, before her body retreated
• She pretends to workout, going to the gym each day (and arriving later and later). She considers going to the mall instead and eating trail mix with yogurt almonds and dried pineapple until her throat is coated in sugar. She doesn't throw up; she swallow laxatives instead. That seems less sick.
• She stretches for much longer than necessary. She isn't the girl she was two years ago, or two months ago when she left Parkettes.
• She does beam, the only event her lack of energy can handle. She's too afraid to do a single back handspring. She eventually tries and falls
• Lolo hugs her under the beam. "You are the 1986 national champion. You always will be. Don't you ever forget that."
• Who cares? Jen cries, Lolo mothering her the way her own mother can't because she's too lost in disappointment and self-pity–she gave up everything for Jen to do this.
• Lolo sends Jen home for the day. She only asks Jen try to get happy again and move on, to make it to September so she can accept her position at Stanford. She knows Jen will find her body and mind again
• Every failure in her life lingers and chafes for her, her whole life, not making the Olympics the most.

1985-1989

Chapter 17

• Time to Move
  • Lost weight right away because the training sessions were so much more rigorous. Five pounds lost without a thought–Jen and the coaches were satisfied, and so the coaches didn't comment on her eating habits
  • Her mother would give her a bagel with cream cheese and a diet soda after practice and Jen would eat in the lobby. The other girls would watch, appalled. They would never eat in front of the coaches. Jen didn't think about that–she was hungry, and at the time carbs were encouraged for athletes.
  • She'd already started limiting food before the workout, to avoid extra weight in her stomach when she weighed in.
  • John admonished her for being willing to eat a whole bagel (with cream cheese!) and her mother for giving it to her. They both conceded, and Jen went to bed that night without any additional food–just a half bagel.
  • Her grades started to drop too, Bs and missed assignments sneaking in. A teacher talked her about it, which was embarrassing even if she knew that even if the teacher called her parents, they wouldn't worry about one potential B grade for a kid who made straight As and had an exceptional extracurricular to get her into college. But it was humiliating.
  • It was time to move to Allentown.
  • They'd only been commuting a few months, but she'd mastered several new release moves on bars, a tumbling series on beam, and was working towards a tsuk full on vault, which had a 10.0 start value. In the past, all her vaults had started with 9.7
  • It was decided she'd move in with Beth, a coach at Parkettes, and her four-year-old son Wes. Beth coached 7 and 8 year olds and was not involved in Jen's training, which made the situation suitable according to Jen's parents.
  • Jen's parents paid $300/month for room and board.
  • Jen was sad when her parents dropped her off, even though it was her choice. She knew they'd have taken her home, and she wanted to keep training. Also, she knew the commute had been hard on their relationship
  • Beth had been awarded the house in a recent divorce but was struggling monetarily. The house was rarely heated, the blankets scratchy, the towels thin, the house dark. The food was bad and in small quantities–Beth had her own eating disorder and would be held accountable for Jen's weight on top of the financial issues with stocking the cupboards. She didn't have a radio or television in her room and mostly spent her time locked away in there, studying or sleeping.
  • She didn't tell her parents because she didn't want them to worry or pull her. If they asked questions, she knew she'd crack.
  • Molded herself into someone who was dedicated, fearless, and somber and developed habits to support it–dieting, deeply involved body checks. Constant exercising. And sleeping
• The new routine
  • Enrolled at Swain, a small private school. She didn't like it–it was dark, cold, and boring, and the kids were all awkward and could never have survived outside their closed environment
  • Mrs. Kuroda, the mother of fellow Parkettes Missy and Andie, picked Jen up from Beth's every morning and took them all to school. The Kuroda girls hated Swain as much as Jen did, but it was the only option for parents who saw themselves as above Allentown and on the college-prep track.
  • They had a uniform–a navy blazer with the school's crest and a grey flannel skirt. All classes were taken in the same room. She had ended up liking Haddonfield High more than her elementary private school because it made being a conventional teenager an option, if she wanted it. There were six kids in her tenth grade class at Swain, and only one boy.
  • She passed time there just to go to gym. Mrs. Kuroda picked them up at 12:30 and they were at the gym by 12:45
  • First, they had weigh ins. Jen enjoyed these now–with the lack of food at Beth's, she'd continued to drop weight and was now 95 pounds at 5'3. She counted calories obsessively and never topped 800.
  • After practice Beth would take her home and they'd push food around on the their plates. Jen would layer on clothes for the night, because it was so cold and do her homework to keep her parents and teachers out of her business.
  • When she heard Beth put Wes to bed and then lock herself in her own room, Jen would sometimes tiptoe downstairs looking for snacks. Once she'd hoped to find some peanut butter cookies Beth had brought home, but realized Beth had binged on them herself and hidden the empty container. That night, Jen binged on three butterscotch chips and then carefully hid the bag again before going upstairs
  • She went to bed earlier than she ever had in her life, because sleep kept her from being lonely or cold or hungry.
  • Sunday evenings were the worst, after spending an almost normal weekend with her family in New Jersey. And after eating normally with her family, she dreaded the Monday morning weigh in and would exercise to make sure she hadn't gained too much weight

 

[RedBirdie]

Parkettes also had eMjae Frazier make 2021 worlds.

Parkettes would show up at nationals with huge teams, and they've been around forever. But as far as getting to the world and olympic level, no.

Word in the early 2000s was one of the reasons they attracted so many elites and elite hopefuls was that they didn't charge elites tuition.

 

[RichardL]

Uzelac was a huge talent, but only as a junior, unfortunately. She was going to be on the 2002 team for sure but got injured and then never really came back in the same form again.

 

[Passion]

They got Ebee Price to Olympic alternate in 2012. Worlds non-traveling alternate in 2013.

They sent lots of people to other international competitions, like Pan Ams, Pac Rims, World Cups, etc. Loads of college scholarships.

 

[MaryClare]

Parkettes also had eMjae Frazier make 2021 worlds.

Parkettes would show up at nationals with huge teams, and they've been around forever. But as far as getting to the world and olympic level, no.

Word in the early 2000s was one of the reasons they attracted so many elites and elite hopefuls was that they didn't charge elites tuition.

That makes sense, if they weren’t charging tuition. It always puzzled me how they became such a magnet gym when they had pretty modest results given the number of elite they had.

 

[QuietColours]

They had tons of elites, but only a handful made Worlds teams--two in 1985 (Sey and Calore), one in 1989 (Kelly), and one in 1981 (Stallone). Oh, and Maloney. I keep forgetting about her. (I didn't really follow gymnastics from 1997-2003.)

With Kelly you also have the kind-of-making the 1992 Olympic team, and then being politicked off.

 

[RedBirdie]

That makes sense, if they weren’t charging tuition. It always puzzled me how they became such a magnet gym when they had pretty modest results given the number of elite they had.

Throw in that the next closest gym that had elites was Hill's, and Kelli not only charged tuition, she made gymnasts go to real school. Incredibly off-putting for a not-insignificant number of families.