Sex Abuse Ignored? USA Gymnastics Coaches Accused Of Misconduct

[AeonPax]

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Has sex abuse been ignored by officials of the USA Gymnastics organization? A shocking report published by the Indianapolis Star on Thursday (August 4) alleged that officials had routinely ignored warnings of coaches sexually abusing the gymnasts and failed to alert authorities.

Special Report: USA Gymnastics protected coaches over kids by failing to report sex abuse allegations. #OutofBalance https://t.co/DuoeDofW5n
— IndyStar Sports (@IndyStarSports) August 4, 2016

Indy Star reporters Marisa Kwiatkowski, Mark Alesia, and Tim Evans uncovered the unsettling truth of what was going on behind closed doors at the prestigious national organization as a part of an Indy Star investigation. The reporters discovered a number of children who had been suffering the horrific consequences of the USA organization turning a blind eye to the alleged abuse. The Indy Star investigation revealed a case of a young female athlete in Georgia who was preyed on sexually by a gymnastics coach for seven years. The USA Gymnastics organization dismissed the first four warnings about the coach regarding sex abuse. Source 1 (http://www.inquisitr.com/3384564/sex-abuse-ignored-usa-gymnastics-coaches-accused-of-misconduct/) Source 2 Source 3 (http://mashable.com/2016/08/04/usa-gymnastics-abuse-report/#_rXVFsbaVPqi)
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It's bad enough I have to follow the criminally infested politics, I'm not going to stand for patronizing a fake celebration run by child sexual abusers.

[FindersKeepers]

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It's bad enough I have to follow the criminally infested politics, I'm not going to stand for patronizing a fake celebration run by child sexual abusers.


This has always been a problem -- but it's not USAG that's at fault -- it's local clubs and parents, in my opinion.

I used to judge below-elite level gymnastics meets and I volunteered as an assistant coach in the gym.

The gym hired a male coach to work as an assistant under our female coach and this male coach was not given a high wage, yet his knowledge was far superior to the female coach's. Turns out they knew one another when they worked a few years prior in a gym in Phoenix, but neither one was sharing that info. Something was wrong -- you just don't find coaches of that quality for that low of pay. Unless, of course, they've just come out of prison.

I, and one other mother-coach, eventually took our suspicions to the board, and the guy was fired. He'd done a year in the pen for a marijuana-growing operation, but before that he worked for Béla Károlyi's in Texas. Our club knew none of this, and it was just by chance that the two of us, while taking a team to a meet in another state, ran into other gym parents who had "heard" that Károlyi had fired the guy under "suspicious behavior with a student."

The problem (and it isn't limited to gymnastics by a long shot) is that foolish parents live vicariously through the accomplishments of their children and the competitive drive is so strong, that we're seeing parents taking chances they should never take. These parents are nothing less than cutthroat and vicious in their drive for their child to be the best.

A knowledgeable coach is held in high esteem and too many parents are willing to ignore those little "inklings" that something is amiss. Until it's too late.

Show me a child that's been molested by a coach (in any sport) and I'll show you parents that put undue pressure on that child to excel, parents who bake brownies for the coach, parents who invite the coach over for dinner or to sit in the hot tub, parents who worm their way in to the coach's good graces and tell instruct their child to LISTEN and DO WHAT THE COACH TELLS THEM TO DO.

You know what the worst part was? The other mother and I were not popular for going to the board. The competitive parents were angry because their kids were just getting a taste of success. Their scores were way up and they were doing tricks they never expected them to do.

USAG has no control over that. They don't have the ability to police every private gym. That's outside their scope of operation.

The coach, kid and parental dynamic.

That's where the problem lies.

In my opinion.

[AeonPax]

This has always been a problem -- but it's not USAG that's at fault -- it's local clubs and parents, in my opinion.I used to judge below-elite level gymnastics meets and I volunteered as an assistant coach in the gym.The gym hired a male coach to work as an assistant under our female coach and this male coach was not given a high wage, yet his knowledge was far superior to ......<snip>.
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We differ. I'm not concerned with the technicalities here and you'll find out most people are not ether. Where there is rot, there is always coverup which most times, can be traced to the top. Couple that with the inhuman corruption that is a Rio games, I'm also not interested in excuses. I just will not watch or support the Olympics in its present state.

[FindersKeepers]

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We differ. I'm not concerned with the technicalities here and you'll find out most people are not ether. Where there is rot, there is always coverup which most times, can be traced to the top. Couple that with the inhuman corruption that is a Rio games, I'm also not interested in excuses. I just will not watch or support the Olympics in its present state.



You make good points. There are always those who turn a blind eye to abuse, I just tend to fault parents because, in my opinion, they are the ones tasked with keeping their children safe.

I'll watch the gymnasts because still enjoy the sport and because those girls put in so much hard work to get where they are.

But -- I hear ya.