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

[Sasha]

I never had an "in" to GGMB and I'm frankly very glad for it.

 

[MaryClare]

GGMB was such a strange place. There were many people there with a fabulous knowledge of the sport, that I learned so much from. But the entire “social hierarchy” of the place seemed to be based upon who could make the more offensive remarks whilst operating under the illusion that they were some how the “good people”. Progressive, empathetic etc

 

[Amber]

I was banned from GGMB for saying that calling Ponor, Porno was immature and that they acted like a bunch of children Boy they did not like to hear the truth…
my main board at the time was Gymworld, I was a moderator there for the Dutch Forum. i think I was a member of ll message boards out there at the time, good times!

 

[eanda]

Speaking of Jeff Wood, back in the day, I was much more prolific about posting routine scoring breakdowns, and I incurred his wrath by downgrading one of Shayla's switch ring leaps due to the front leg being below horizontal.

I once indirectly incurred his wrath for calling an obvious OOB on one of his gymnasts at regionals. Not in my face, but he stormed around the head judge's table for a good while over it.

Staying on topic: my board history includes varying levels of activity on OOBN, Gymworld, GGMB, WWGym/here, TAAF, with some lurking around at some of the others that have been mentioned.

In addition to YouTube, I sometimes see Marco commenting on posts on Facebook.

 

[RAFIKI]

Good to know that Marco is still around.

I have also angered Jeff Wood. I did podium training reports for 2007 worlds and he took issue with me pointing out Shayla Worley bending at the hips on her tkatchev catches.

 

[MaryClare]

Good to know that Marco is still around.

I have also angered Jeff Wood. I did podium training reports for 2007 worlds and he took issue with me pointing out Shayla Worley bending at the hips on her tkatchev catches.

Marco, bless him. I’ve spoken to him in Italian and he comes across as a very knowledgeable gymnastics fan. But his English is just wild. SWAN JOHNSON was legendary

 

[eanda]

Marco, bless him. I’ve spoken to him in Italian and he comes across as a very knowledgeable gymnastics fan. But his English is just wild. SWAN JOHNSON was legendary

Of course this is all 20 years ago now, but as I remember, Marco was fairly normal in his posting until he wasn't. Like something sort of snapped in his posting style over night.

 

[RedBirdie]

Good to know that Marco is still around.

I have also angered Jeff Wood. I did podium training reports for 2007 worlds and he took issue with me pointing out Shayla Worley bending at the hips on her tkatchev catches.

I think everyone in the world has angered Jeff Wood at some point for having the audacity to exist without kissing his ass.

 

[MaryClare]

Is he still coaching?

 

[IratePanda]

I think everyone in the world has angered Jeff Wood at some point for having the audacity to exist without kissing his ass.

Yeah, he ripped me a new one when I expressed admiration for Chari Knight-Hunter, a former elite and NCAA gymnast who competed at L10 Nationals in her 30s. He said that older athletes had no right to compete L10 because they might steal college scholarships from younger ones.

His posts were always unhinged and ungrammatical. He might have been entertaining if he hadn't been such an asshole.

 

[flappergirl]

Yeah, he ripped me a new one when I expressed admiration for Chari Knight-Hunter, a former elite and NCAA gymnast who competed at L10 Nationals in her 30s.

I was a big fan of hers. I got to see her in person in Seattle (NCAA)

 

[rlayt]

I got banned once too. I wish I had been for standing up for other people.

 

[JaJa]

Yeah. Some of the GGMB ringleaders were definitely involved in cyber-bullying, stalking, and doxxing.

For real? Sounds like a thin line between just nasty and toxic and somewhat unhinged and possibly criminal.

 

[RedBirdie]

A lot of them were very unhinged.

 

[MaryClare]

For real? Sounds like a thin line between just nasty and toxic and somewhat unhinged and possibly criminal.

I’m sure that USAG got involved? When someone was harassed in person at a meet?

 

[IratePanda]

For real? Sounds like a thin line between just nasty and toxic and somewhat unhinged and possibly criminal.

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

 

[JaJa]

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

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 . . . . .

 

[Passion]

I remember them getting in trouble in the arena for their sign telling Jana Bieger to die in a fire at some National competition.

 

[PointedFeet]

For real? Sounds like a thin line between just nasty and toxic and somewhat unhinged and possibly criminal.

Definitely criminal. GGMB existed back in the cowboy days of the internet when almost anything went. Most of these people would have criminal records if they behaved the same way today. Bullying, doxxing, identity theft, threatening and stalking users' family and friends, deepfakes, you name it. It happened. I know people who were frightened in their real lives because some of these people threatened to contact their workplaces, their schools, their families. This is in addition to the bodyshaming, misogyny and linguistic elitism.

Many of the gymnasts from that generation were already traumatized by the high-profile abusers who were influential in the sport at the time. These girls would go on GGMB and read terrible things about themselves. When abuse became public knowledge these people changed their tune and acted so concerned for the girls involved. To me this was very hollow. It was fine to call a girl fat and bad at gymnastics when the abuse she was subjected to wasn't public, but as soon as it was? They acted like butter wouldn't melt.

I remember that the core group attended a meet and were staying at a hotel when a wedding was taking place. Chalkybutt was very proud of the fact that she had approached the bride and called her a c***. She did not know these people, but Abomb dared her to do it or something. Imagine the happiest day of your life and some woman comes up and starts abusing you for no reason. So messed up.

Anyway, I don't want to keep revisiting this. I just think it's important that people understand what really went on considering many of these people are still active and let's just say that some of them have not changed much. Hopefully whoever is in charge here does not let such people infiltrate what seems like a cohesive community.

 

[Passion]

Hopefully whoever is in charge here does not let such people infiltrate what seems like a cohesive community.

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