Anon Ready to Tap Out of CB...

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So I've been here awhile (the days of Bog). I've reached a point where I'm considering tapping out for a couple of reasons:

1. I think the age limit for kids should be raised. I'm not very comfortable being part of a group where kids are receiving advice on sensitive topics from strangers. We don't know what's going on in the lives of these kids but you start to wonder when you piece together information shared from different threads. No matter how articulate they are, a 13 year old is still a kid. I personally feel some responsibility as a parent to tread lightly or not engage at all.

2. Confusing and sometimes inconsistent 'policing' of threads. Sometimes threads are shut down for seemingly innocuous reasons and sometimes they are allowed to continue. Recent examples - a thread of a kid asking about NCAA chances was shut down quickly. Threads asking about weight, body image and diet have been allowed to proceed. The most shocking is the Livy Dunne post - the pictures posted are not the issue, the issue is the negative comments surrounding the posted pictures (one picture referenced 'thot' with a photo of an athletic pose. Seriously, how did this get approved?).

That's it. I love this group and have received so much advice and wisdom over the years but increasingly I'm feeling uncomfortable with the overall management of this site.
 
The feedback is appreciated, and these are fair points.

We've moved the Livvy Dunne thread to the back office for now while we decide what to do with it. As for the rest, I'll let @JBS decide how/whether to answer, as he is the one who ultimately makes CB policy decisions.

People always come and go from communities like this one, and management is never perfect. We hope you'll stick around.
 
100% agreed. Been here since this site opened and the direction things have been heading recently is highly discouraging. This used to be a great place for parents and other adults to share advice, now it feels like you never know who you're talking to.
 
I agree, as well. I found CB early in my daughter's journey and have been here since. Received such a wealth of information here. It seems less substantive lately, for lack of a better word. Not a reflection on the mods at all, but maybe is the influx of so many kids? Not sure.
 
While I think it’s good for young people to have a place to come where adults are actually to able “keep an eye out”. As a grown up I try to keep in mind the age of who is posting. Teens tend to think they are way more grown up than they actually are maturity wise. And many like drama.

There have been a few threads lately that made me shudder. A kid fainting and complaining the coach is being mean/abusive by wanting a doctors note. I was quite shocked by how many indulged it. Fainting doing gymnastics does require medical clearance. That should have been the first response from any adult. The meannesses is secondary

Kids saying I got hurt doing xyz, or my back/wrist/knee hurts doing xyz. The answer is see a doctor. Tell your parents. I get kids may not say that to each other. And kids need empathy from each other. But grownups need to be more responsible.
 
I think this is a great place for information. The balance of active posters genuinely want to help and provide good information. I dont think there is a huge problem with younger posters. I have seen plenty of posts from people presenting as adults with the same injury type questions. I have been frustrated or perplexed with some of the english non-native posters from just trying to understand some of the questions. I also get annoyed with the one-sided story-vent-confirm my anger at this coach or gym or gymnast, but that's just me. I do think the quick censor on Dunne post was a bit of a reach, while I do understand how it could quickly devolve, but with only a couple of posts it wasnt yet going there. Barring someone posting something flat out pornographic or illegal, or outside TOS, I would view taking a post down as an extreme last measure. I think a mod within the post could keep discussion on task.

Its a message board, what can you say? I love it.
 
I had to go look “thot” up - I had never heard the term before. (Getting my education from a gymnastics board…lol.) But yes that’s a problem and I can see why that was taken down. I also have noticed the responses to weight posts had changed, and I’m not a fan.
 
Maybe the solution to the problem of having younger posters (under 18) is to give them their own section to vent and support each other. But it would need to be silently moderated by an adult and it might be time consuming.
 
While I think it’s good for young people to have a place to come where adults are actually to able “keep an eye out”. As a grown up I try to keep in mind the age of who is posting. Teens tend to think they are way more grown up than they actually are maturity wise. And many like drama.

There have been a few threads lately that made me shudder. A kid fainting and complaining the coach is being mean/abusive by wanting a doctors note. I was quite shocked by how many indulged it. Fainting doing gymnastics does require medical clearance. That should have been the first response from any adult. The meannesses is secondary

Kids saying I got hurt doing xyz, or my back/wrist/knee hurts doing xyz. The answer is see a doctor. Tell your parents. I get kids may not say that to each other. And kids need empathy from each other. But grownups need to be more responsible.
Yes, this. I tried to explain the need for a doctors note after fainting, but was shot down by a bunch of posts saying that the mean coach should be instantly fired.

I feel like medical posts in general used to be shut down much faster here with the advice to see a doctor.
 
I was shocked at the advice being given to the fainting teen. My daughter developed POTS a month after having covid (she has some other long covid symptoms too but the POTS has been life altering). Around the same time the POTS developed she also experienced an ankle injury that would ultimately force her retirement from the sport. The ankle injury was the ‘official’ reason for retirement but there’s no way she could have continued to safely train as a college vault/floor specialist with the POTS. I realize the teens situation is different but it was very irresponsible for folks here to comment on the situation.
 
I do think the quick censor on Dunne post was a bit of a reach
I have a different opinion. The thread devolved the second a professional photo of an athlete was cropped and posted out of context along with the word ‘thot’ and a comment of ‘whatever that was’. Further insult that the athlete was non-white. This was actually pretty darn hurtful to me.
 
I have a different opinion. The thread devolved the second a professional photo of an athlete was cropped and posted out of context along with the word ‘thot’ and a comment of ‘whatever that was’. Further insult that the athlete was non-white. This was actually pretty darn hurtful to me.
Agreed. Things posted in that thread were disgusting, and shutting it down was the right decision.
 
Yes, this. I tried to explain the need for a doctors note after fainting, but was shot down by a bunch of posts saying that the mean coach should be instantly fired.

I feel like medical posts in general used to be shut down much faster here with the advice to see a doctor.

I was shocked at the advice being given to the fainting teen. My daughter developed POTS a month after having covid (she has some other long covid symptoms too but the POTS has been life altering). Around the same time the POTS developed she also experienced an ankle injury that would ultimately force her retirement from the sport. The ankle injury was the ‘official’ reason for retirement but there’s no way she could have continued to safely train as a college vault/floor specialist with the POTS. I realize the teens situation is different but it was very irresponsible for folks here to comment on the situation.
I thought I was the only person. It was a freaking crazy thread consider how many grown ups were commentin- irresponsibly in my opinion
 
I find I learn a lot when threads wander. Unless there is personal attacking or the OP requests the thread shutdown I think threads should be allowed to follow their natural course. And before shutting down a thread there should be a warning.

Lately, I find threads shutdown far too quickly based on having to keep hyper specific on topic.

There is then less discussion and less spin-off discussions.

I’ve been learning a lot on my recent thread asking about a change for my kid. If responses were kept very specifically to my question I wouldn’t have other things to consider. which could also be useful to others.
 
I have not seen all the threads specifically mentioned here so won't comment on those. But since OP brings it up, I have to admit it definitely makes me VERY uncomfortable that younger gymnasts are permitted to post on the site. I stick mostly to the parent forum, and I only responded to a person I knew was a minor once, and it made me very uncomfortable. Minors reading the site for info? Yes. Have a parent post a question FOR their teen? Sure. Minors posting and interacting with adults? No. Any benefit does not outweigh the risks. I know it happens everywhere and there is probably no way to entirely prevent it. Chalkbucket may be one of the safest places to do this, even. But that does not make it right or responsible. When even "safe" sites encourage this, it normalizes something that should not be normalized. Adults should not be interacting with minors without parent knowledge and oversight. Anywhere. Especially the internet.
 
There was a lot of discussion when the age limit was lowered from 16 to 13. Points of the discussion included the inability to accurately determine a posters true age ( we can’t ask to see a drivers license) and the ability for us to give kids a safe space to get answers from responsible adults. Ultimately, JBS made the decision largely based on the fact that 13 year olds are everywhere on the internet and it doesn’t make sense to keep them off CB.

The moderators have all been active on CB for over ten years, we all have jobs that keep us busy for about 50 hours a week ( or more) in addition to families and other interests. We do our best to keep CB a positive place and I think it’s one of the best places for parental discussions. There are times a topic gets pulled into the back office until we have time to discuss it further. It often takes a while for us all to give input and come to a conclusion. Please have patience and know that we are doing our best. The fact that we’ve kept at it this long is pretty impressive.
 
Interesting thread ...and I must be showing my age because I had to google "thot" as well. I have been on and off as of late and actually didn't realize the age limit was 13...until I read a couple posts by kids that identified themselves by age and weren't banned. I agree with a poster about mostly staying on the parent forums because I'm not looking to fraternize (even on line) with a middle schooler who may or may not have a parent's permission to be on the site. I get that CB is pretty safe but 13 is middle school.,,,maybe like the "parent forum" , there could be "young athlete 13-17 yo forums" ? Not trying to give the mods more work but I preferred the 16 yo age limit. I still stick around and comment here and there.
 

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