When I heard that Dr. Larry Nassar had sexually assaulted 500 gymnasts, including olympic gold medalists Aly Raisman and Simone Biles, I was sad but not surprised. As a former competitive gymnast myself, I know firsthand how the sports breeds abuse. I didn’t even fully realize I had been a victim until an article came out in the NY Times this past June, detailing accounts from over 50 people of emotional abuse by one of my former coaches. As young gymnasts, we are taught that if we can’t handle the coaching style, we are weak. What we aren’t told is that the “coaching style” is abuse, and that no kid should have to handle it.
Gymnastics is a very physical sport–gymnasts are in close contact with their coaches and are pushed, pulled, and prodded in the form of spotting and stretching. I was often poked in the butt as a reminder to keep my muscles tightened, and I’ve had coaches grab nearly every part of my body while helping me through a skill. This sends the message that your coach has a right to your body–all of it–creating a terrifying power imbalance.
It is ingrained in you from a young age that the coach’s word is gospel and that you must obey them at all costs. Thus, gymnasts are afraid to stand up for themselves because they know they will be punished. And when parents complain about coaches’ behavior, the coaches take it out on the kid. I always begged my parents not to take my complaints to the coaches or the administration for fear of retaliation.
At my gym, minor failings were regularly blown out of proportion and seen as a reflection of your character. If you are struggling with a skill one day and can’t get it, it’s because you aren’t trying. If you have to miss one practice, you aren’t dedicated. If you forget choreography, you’re “dumb”, “worthless”, or “replaceable.” (These are all direct quotes from the report on my former coach). Coaches would yell at you for being scared, for crying, and even for being injured. And at my gym, at the end of each practice, we had to thank each coach individually before we were allowed to leave, even if they had spent the last four hours berating us.
It took 13 years before a gymnast officially accused my head coach of abuse. Then dozens backed her up.
The Nassar case has brought a lot of attention to the subject of abuse in gymnastics, encouraging more and more gymnasts to come forward. It’s finally becoming acceptable for gymnasts to speak out. The culture is changing, at least among athletes.
But still, there is a lot of work to do. USA Gymnastics (USAG) and the US Olympic Committee (USOC) have both admitted to covering up the Nasser scandal for fear of losing sponsorships. Steve Penny, the former president of USAG, took 5 weeks to report allegations of molestation to the FBI, in direct violation of state law. (The FBI then did essentially nothing for more than a year). Penny falsely told the public Nassar “retired” when he was fired, and did not report him to the USOC or Michigan State University, where Nasser had his medical practice.
USAG has had four new heads in the last two years. The current president and CEO, Li Li Leung, has pledged to make athlete’s care and wellbeing her priority. Yet not much has concretely changed in the organization.
USAG and all those complicit need to be held accountable. Rachel Denhollander, the first gymnast to publicly accuse Nassar of abuse, recently suggested the following steps: Putting pressure on companies like NBC to stop sponsoring USAG; calling on the justice department to release its report on the FBI’s handing of the Nassar case, and reaching out to the survivors to ask them what changes should be made.
At the core, we need more people on the side of the gymnast. In every gym there needs to be someone whose priority is athletes safety and health, both mental and physical–an athlete advocate. And USAG needs to actually care for its athletes. Additionally, reporting needs to be more accessible for gymnasts. This means USAG must change their policy of sweeping complaints under the rug, not only in writing but in practice.
Anti-abuse training has to be mandatory and continuous for each and every gym. Right now, education and certification are required only for coaches of minors at the national elite level. It should be mandatory for every coach at every level. USAG’s Safe Sport policy (the federally funded non-profit that deals with abuse in sports) has a number of preventative policies, but does not include mandatory training/education. But on top of that, coaches should be trained on how to best work with children, not just how to recognize and avoid abusing them. There needs to be more mental health check ins and on-site resources for gymnasts. Gymnastics is a mental sport by nature–being able to flip on a four inch wide beam six feet in the air isn’t just about physical ability–but it shouldn’t be causing depression, anxiety, or eating disorders.
I love gymnastics. I sincerely miss the thrill of competing, the feeling of being upside down, suspended in air. My entire work ethic comes from gymnastics. I want other kids to be able to have the good experiences I had, without abuse.
Below, I’ve created a (non exhaustive) list of resources if you want to learn more about the issue of abuse in gymnastics. Please make sure to check out Athlete A on Netflix!
- Athlete A — Documentary on Netflix
- All Things Gymnastics — Podcast on Spotify
- Chalked Up: My Life in Elite Gymnastics — Book by Jennifer Sey
- What Is A Girl Worth? — Book by Rachel Denhollendar
- https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/01/sports/maggie-haney-gymnastics-abuse.html — NYT article about Maggie Haney
- https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/29/sports/gymnastics-emotional-abuse-chelsea-piers.html#:~:text=In%202018%2C%20she%20wrote%20a,eating%20habits%20and%20mental%20abilities. — NYT article about my coach, Chris McClain