Kara Eaker, from University of Utah to Georgia

[QuietColours]

"Stay in our inner circle and keep anything that you have to yourself" also doesn't read well. I'm also amazed that no one from PR has had a talk with them.

 

[irichluck21]

There is a way to give these interviews and come across professionally, without making yourself look bad with comments.

The allegations of abuse by Farden caught O’Keefe by surprise.


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“Just because I feel like I’ve been with him for awhile,” O’Keefe noted. “And that’s how I feel. So yeah.”

Paulson said that losing the only head coach she’d had at Utah a month before the start of the season was a significant challenge, even though the university retained Dockendorf and assistant coaches Jimmy Pratt and Myia Hambrick.

“It was a difficult situation no matter what happened,” she said. “Losing your head coach a month before the season is a difficult transition.”

"I was surprised at the allegations because that was not my experience in the time he coached me, however, if other student athletes had a different experience than mine, I wouldn't know."

"It is a difficult situation to lose a head coach right before the season, but the team is moving forward and we are going to continue in our goal of becoming national champions."

Or if not able to answer in a professional matter simply say it isn't something you wish to comment on.

 

[Laura722]

I'm disappointed in Maile O'Keefe.

 

[Sparklesmom]

That team came off so poorly in the article. Yuck. Just so toxic.

 

[One]

I'm just guessing but based on the article it seems Carly probably won't be able to change the team culture until after those three leave.

 

[Big_rock_show]

That article just validates Kara even more, in my opinion

 

[GymnasticsLion]

Have they signed anyone this past week now that it’s NLI time? I can’t think of anyone

They signed Clara Raposo, Zoe Johnson, Avery Neff, and "surprise" Poppy Stickler.
But that was after Tom Farden got fired.

I feel like the team will do so much better with Carly Dockendorf in charge. And watching the Red Rocks Preview, I could tell they were nervous, but were having fun being gymnasts, which compared to last year, is a huge difference. Last year they probably wouldn't have any fun if Cristal Isa and Abby Brenner weren't on the team.

I'm confident this is going to be a good year for the Utes

 

[irichluck21]

The signing class still signing on with Utah is not a surprise and really not having anything to do with Farden as they were all (beside Sitckler) verballed to Utah.
Too late to back out now, really, since 99% of the NCAA teams had scholarships locked up/promised to other gymnasts already.
They didn't really have a chance.

 

[One]

Kara and Kim recently spoke in front of the Utah State Legislature.

Former Utah gymnasts testify in legislative hearing about abuse in sports

A House committee passed a resolution condemning abusive coaching practices.

www.deseret.com

You can also watch their testimony here and it's divided into sections based on the person Kara, Kim and Cox. https://le.utah.gov/av/committeeArchive.jsp?mtgID=19096

The victim advocate also spoke at the hearing and gave a little more insight to the type of abuse the athletes were facing. A Reddit user transcribed her testimony and the original post can be found here. ()

Cox: Hi, I'm Shannon Cox, The Journey of Hope. I was called in as a victim advocate by several of the other families. There were several girls that were suicidal on the team, and they needed resources outside of the University of Utah, and I knew where those were. I was trauma informed, and I knew how to get to the dean's office and where the Women's Resource Center is. None of these families had been told about their Women's Resource Center, that there were tertiary treatment agencies on the campus, that there were advocates that they could utilize. They didn't know that there were outside resources that they could speak to.

And even some of the leaders on the campus that I called said, "Shannon, be careful." And I'm retired law enforcement. I've put hundreds of felons in prison. I have traffickers that want to kill me. And I'm like, "Be careful of who? What are we talking about here?" And they were scared for me. And I thought, this is really sad. I'm trying to protect these girls from taking their lives. And you're worried about me getting help for them? That something could happen to me because I'm asking the questions. Because I'm calling the people. Because I'm calling up to the big names. How sad. How very sad. And still, there are people in places protecting people. And still girls are suffering on the team. It's time to protect these children, these young adults. We shouldn't have to, but we need to. Thank you.

Legislator: I want to take the prerogative of the chairman. Could I ask you a couple of questions?

Cox: I'm happy to answer them.

Legislator: No, you don't have to if you don't want. Yes. Okay. Sometimes there—sometimes we don't see the line. But there is a gray area between motivating someone and it flipping to abuse. Can you, do you envision—can you tell me what you see? Or what do you see that that line is in your experience?

Cox: Yes. A lot like domestic violence. I deal with a lot of domestic violence perpetrators. They weren't allowed to talk to their parents. What does the domestic violence perpetrator do? You're not allowed to talk to your family.

Legislator: Isolated.

Cox: Yep. They weren't allowed to talk about anything that was happening in the gym; they were only allowed to talk to one another. They were only allowed to talk to the psychologist that was assigned to the gymnasts. They weren't allowed to talk to any outside therapists. They weren't allowed to go to the Women's Resource Center. They weren't—they weren't allowed.

I mean, closed door meetings with a male coach, shutting the door, he was throwing objects at them. He would run into their faces, threaten them. He would—he started calling them when they're 13 and 14 years old, grooming them, offering them scholarships. Withdrawing the scholarship: "If you go and visit UCLA, I'm taking your scholarship." Completely unethical, completely unethical. He had a 16-year-old on the team who broke her back. He injected her with steroids without telling the parents and put her up on the beam.

You tell me if you would have wanted to know as a parent, that your child had fractures in her back, was being injected with steroids and was being thrown up on the beam. But she wasn't allowed to talk to her parents. Code of silence. You tell me if that's abuse.

 

[RedBirdie]

You want to be pissed off all over again? Remember in the Farden report that he told a gymnast they were worthless and would be working at a gas station if not for him?

He said it to Kara Freaking Eaker, two-time world team gold medalist.

Former Red Rocks gymnasts share stories of abuse in hopes of change

Two former University of Utah gymnasts who spoke out about the "emotional and verbal abuse" they say they experienced under a former coach, hope what they went through can be a catalyst for change.

www.fox13now.com

 

[rlayt]

Jesus. Now he can go pump gas.

 

[cats]

How does a minor get a medical procedure - a steroid shot to the back isn’t a tape job! - without parental consent or awareness? That sounds like a problem bigger than Tom.

 

[Matilda23]

Any updates on how Kara is? Hope she is doing okay

 

[rlayt]

I wonder where Kara will end up?

 

[Laura722]

 

[Passion]

That's GAGE's gym.

 

[makam]

Well, if Kara is finding happiness in gymnastics again, even if it is at GAGE, I'm happy for her.

 

[Laura722]

Word over on the Reddit sub is that she is trying to transfer to Georgia. Probably training at GAGE for the summer.

 

[rlayt]

She’s in the Georgia photos with the team.

 

[irichluck21]

YUP! Back row.