Recent content by ausnat83

Lee over Lu was the correct ranking. Yufei was slightly cleaner, but not by much; she had a very short handstand in there and caught her jaeger close to the bar. Despite Suni breaking her connections (not an E deduction) and brushing her feet the individual skills were well executed, and Suni's...

IMO this thread needs to stop. It's part of the bigger problem. Simone is an adult human being. She is not public property, a literary character for us to analyze, or a child for us to parent. She doesn't owe any of us an announcement about what she's going to do or not do next or any more of...

Should family & coaches encourage an injured athlete to take care of themselves and stop when clearly necessary? Of course. But in practice I think the line where it's best for an athlete to stop is never clear. Did she and her loved ones know she was stressed and struggling? I'm sure. But let's...

There isn't really an incentive for gyms to underdo hours - they could charge more for higher hours. Gyms want to build successful teams of gymnasts that advance and stay in the sport while staying healthy. Many gyms overdo hours in pursuit of success because that's the traditional model and...

In my experience, sports have always been fair game for "spoilers." Major sporting events are not the latest box-office hit, they're current events treated like news stories. This is especially true with big international events like the Olympics where the whole world is watching from every time...

I'm struggling to respond to this politely, and I want to thank others for offering some wise, calm words. Read through this board. Spend some time soaking in the struggle that gymnasts and their parents have when considering whether it's time for a level 7-10 to potentially leave the sport...

Yes, for elite team competitions. So for example in Tokyo the four team members must be dressed identically in qualifications and the team final. That's a dumb rule IMO since it's not like team sports where refs & opponents need to be able to ID teammates at a glance or other disciplines where...

Wanting to understand and help your daughter understand how coaches are making decisions on level progression (note: this isn't exactly the same as "why suzie moved and I didn't - leave other gymnasts out of it) is totally ok. That's part of our job as parents. Coaches also should not be...

I think you're overanalyzing this. No gym is going to reject a strong L8/9/10 prospect over a squat-on. Has she grown recently? I know squat-ons look easy and are learned young, but longer legs & a shifting center of gravity can actually make them a lot harder. I can absolutely see a gymnast...

I think this goes back to what your daughter wants. If she's happy then I'd take a hard, honest look at whether this is just something for you to work through internally rather than a problem that needs solving. Most of us want our kids to excel, but at the end of the day this is a recreational...

Did the coach comment on your daughter's weight or on the coach's? If it's the former, that's a GIANT red flag. Get your daughter out of that environment. It is absolutely, positively unacceptable for a coach to comment publicly on a gymnast's body condition -- zero room for discussion there...

I think there are options out there for any kid who wants to do gymnastics to do so and benefit from it, and I strongly disagree that a kid's physical abilities or "talent" should determine whether they're encouraged or supported to continue in the sport. That said, many gymnasts and families...

To add to NutterButter‘s excellent questions... are these fears your child has vocalized? How is she responding to them? Do they seem to be bothering her, or mostly bothering you?

1. Leave that gym 2. Write everything out, compile any documentation, and report this PT to their licensing board. 3. Future coaches do not have a say in your child’s medical treatment. See a doctor for injuries so they can write an appropriate PT script.

It is a long time, but not that uncommon for international assignments. They usually leave right after camp (or with a day or two in between) for worlds. Pan am games were the same last year. The Olympic team will be away from home for close to a month, which is kind of crazy. I think a...