Past Gymnastics Message Board Memories- Which was your first message board?

[Matilda23]

Let's just say that some members actually had to go to their work supervisors to head off potential career damage.

Would you mind letting me know what this means? Thanks

 

[Hatsumomo]

The main cult from GGMB won't post here. That would require admitting that this board outlasted theirs, something Abomb swore would never happen.

I think the only person from GGMB (that I know of) to post here was Doc before they passed.

 

[PointedFeet]

Wow. Extremely creepy. Why did people stay engaged on this Board if it was so evil? (sorry, but toxic seems like too tame a word to use here). I mean love of the sport is one thing . . . . .but . . . . .

Well there were a lot of very knowledgeable users who did not get involved in all of the bullying. Speaking for myself I was too scared to post most of the time and only read. I was heavily involved in gymnastics as a former gymnast and current coach so I enjoyed reading the posts that were actually on-topic. The bullies were a small number of users who just happened to be mods or real life friends with the mods. So it was a case of stay off of their radar and you'd be okay. If I recall correctly, they turned on each other pretty regularly. There were fallings out all the time in the core group. Gymnasty and KerriFairy are two mods who I remember ended up on the out. I thought then, and think now, that all of this behavior was very messed up but anyone who wasn't in their group was powerless to do anything about it because they ran the place.
I'd like to think that most of the users there disagreed with what was going on but probably felt the same. That speaking out was pointless because it was the people in charge who were the instigators. And many of us did not know the true extent of it until many years later.

 

[Denn]

2026 now makes it 20 years of WWGym/Gymnaverse! I can't lie: I am super proud of our longevity. Maybe we should do something to celebrate?

 

[PointedFeet]

I think the only person from GGMB (that I know of) to post here was Doc before they passed.

It's worth noting that Doc did not seem to be one of the bullies. She was the owner of the site but wasn't on it all that much. Actually I always got the impression that she was scared of the mods too. And you're right, she passed in 2020.
At one point she was raising money for the site's renewal and Betty took issue with it publicly. He said it was too expensive and implied that Doc was stupid for not using another host. As expected the other mods and their friends piled on. This was yet another iteration of Betty's same bullying tactics, only this time against the site's owner and it was very disrespectful. It could've been handled privately but he no doubt enjoyed humiliating Doc publicly. She didn't deserve that. RIP to her.

 

[IratePanda]

Would you mind letting me know what this means? Thanks

A member got doxxed--some of the bullies obtained her personal info, including workplace address. The member then had to contact her boss to say, "You might hear or read some things about me that aren't true."

 

[MaryClare]

There was definitely speculation at the time that member donations were used to finance trips to gym meets for the “in crowd”. At first it was denied, then it was justified because they were going to the meets and providing content for the whole board

 

[RAFIKI]

2026 now makes it 20 years of WWGym/Gymnaverse! I can't lie: I am super proud of our longevity. Maybe we should do something to celebrate?

That is really cool and I’m always happy to celebrate milestones.

 

[rlayt]

My first non-aol forum was ggmb. Back in 2000 there wasn’t much on the internet about gymnastics. The only place I could find any information on the whole internet was on that board.

We here are very fortunate to still be going.

 

[JoseM]

2026 now makes it 20 years of WWGym/Gymnaverse! I can't lie: I am super proud of our longevity. Maybe we should do something to celebrate?

Yes, 2026 marks 20 years !

Lets celebrate !

José M.

 

[JaJa]

2026 now makes it 20 years of WWGym/Gymnaverse! I can't lie: I am super proud of our longevity. Maybe we should do something to celebrate?

And the mods and admins who run this forum need to be congratulated for creating such a positive yet highly sophisticated and informative environment

 

[RedBirdie]

It will be 20 years in the fall.

We were frantically trying to get WWG up in running in time for worlds that year! Several of us had been purged from GGMB around nationals that year because we pushed back on the increasingly personal attacks lead by Abomb, Kerri, betty, Chalky, etc.

One of those people reached out to me some years later to apologize for their behavior and ask if they could join WWG. I deleted the email without ever responding.

 

[Indy]

GGMB was my entry into gymnastics fandom on the internet. I enjoyed the insider info and getting sources to videos of meets I'd never seen, but it was such a creepy toxic mean-girls environment that always made me uncomfortable. I rarely posted because I was afraid to say the wrong thing. I did meet up with some folks from that board to watch Stick It in DC when it came out in theaters, and while that was fun, it was also kind of eye-opening to meet people in person.

It was so nice to get invited over here when GGMB collapsed, and be reminded that there's a decent side to gymnastics fandom. The fact that this was 20 years ago is making me feel incredibly old though

 

[RedBirdie]

Indy, we must have met, because I was at the Stick It DC meet up, too!