WAG Maggie Haney suspended

[bogwoppit]

Maggie Haney suspended 8 years by USA Gymnastics

Olympic gold medalist Laurie Hernandez and world champion Riley McCusker testified against their longtime coach, who was alleged to be verbally and emotionally abusive

www.ocregister.com

 

[bookworm]

I'm surprised it's that long (not because it wasn't deserved but more a reflection of USAG screw ups) and it says she has a 2 year probation after that so a total of 10 years so you wonder , does she just decide she's done with the sport?

And I don't think she's alone in her behaviors, as what she was doing was how a lot of it operated back in the day, so you wonder , have other coaches who were used to screaming, belittling, swearing , harassing not doing those things anymore ? There's a lot of kids whose parents brought them to coaches like Haney, Geddert, Liukin etc and said "we want to go to the Olympics, we're all in" and didn't really question tactics as long as they won. Hernandez spoke up, albeit after the Olympics, and I didn't feel like she was really "believed" at first...and you still had Mccusker and Greaves training like madwomen in that gym... I really think what sealed the deal for Haney , because she was an idiot not to change her ways when the first rumblings of complaints came out , was when Mccusker got rhabdo from over training and it pulled her out of competing and finally another high profile athlete in her gym complained.

 

[bogwoppit]

Agreed, it is a big suspension. My opinion is she will decide to be done. Hard to walk back in a gym in 10 years and start over with this reputation. Harsh sentence because she represents the old school coaching style, and USAG likely want to "state" that they are not supportive any longer.

She totally had a chance to change, but she resisted, and here we are. Thirty years ago she would have continued along for a long time.

 

[amiandjim]

I'm surprised it's that long (not because it wasn't deserved but more a reflection of USAG screw ups) and it says she has a 2 year probation after that so a total of 10 years so you wonder , does she just decide she's done with the sport?

And I don't think she's alone in her behaviors, as what she was doing was how a lot of it operated back in the day, so you wonder , have other coaches who were used to screaming, belittling, swearing , harassing not doing those things anymore ? There's a lot of kids whose parents brought them to coaches like Haney, Geddert, Liukin etc and said "we want to go to the Olympics, we're all in" and didn't really question tactics as long as they won. Hernandez spoke up, albeit after the Olympics, and I didn't feel like she was really "believed" at first...and you still had Mccusker and Greaves training like madwomen in that gym... I really think what sealed the deal for Haney , because she was an idiot not to change her ways when the first rumblings of complaints came out , was when Mccusker got rhabdo from over training and it pulled her out of competing and finally another high profile athlete in her gym complained.

I can tell you that as a parent of a child that attends a gym that some would include in the “old school coaching style” category, our head coach has absolutely changed. And she will be the first one to say, years ago she coached how she thought she was supposed to coach. And she has since learned it’s not the appropriate way.

 

[bogwoppit]

This quote is a doozy. ""Other parents said Haney herself threatened to commit suicide if their high-profile daughters left MG Elite." . WHAT???

 

[bookworm]

I can tell you that as a parent of a child that attends a gym that some would include in the “old school coaching style” category, our head coach has absolutely changed. And she will be the first one to say, years ago she coached how she thought she was supposed to coach. And she has since learned it’s not the appropriate way.

And THAT was Haney's problem ... she didn't learn, she thought she was untouchable because she got results. There were rumblings about her a while ago and if she'd done like your coach did and changed her nasty ways, she'd still be coaching.... but no one was going to tell her how it was done, how it had always been done ...and guess what Maggie, you're done.

 

[JBS]

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[skschlag]

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Every time I look at that list...I find someone new that I "know"

 

[Gympops]

I honestly think this is “the example” that USAG is using to tell coaches that the “old ways” will not be tolerated and it send a message to not only gyms but more importantly the gymnasts....elite and otherwise that their voices have been heard and they are trying to prove that to them.

 

[bogwoppit]

Every time I look at that list...I find someone new that I "know"

Yes, and that does not include the "permanently ineligible" members.

Permanently Ineligible & Ineligible Members and Participants • USA Gymnastics

usagym.org

 

[amiandjim]

Every time I look at that list...I find someone new that I "know"

I just noticed the owner of a gym in our state that hosts one of the biggest meets of the year is now on there

 

[3rd_time_around]

Maggie Haney suspended 8 years by USA Gymnastics

Olympic gold medalist Laurie Hernandez and world champion Riley McCusker testified against their longtime coach, who was alleged to be verbally and emotionally abusive

www.ocregister.com

This is impossible to read because of all the pop-ups.

 

[bogwoppit]

This is impossible to read because of all the pop-ups.

I read it on my iPhone, no pop ups on there.

 

[sce]

I honestly think this is “the example” that USAG is using to tell coaches that the “old ways” will not be tolerated and it send a message to not only gyms but more importantly the gymnasts....elite and otherwise that their voices have been heard and they are trying to prove that to them.

I think many stated, and were right, that USAG often did not do enough to change the abusive culture of the sport. Now they are starting to do something.

 

[bookworm]

This quote is a doozy. ""Other parents said Haney herself threatened to commit suicide if their high-profile daughters left MG Elite." . WHAT???

So I'm guessing she said this to either Laurie or Riley's parents , and how does one respond? "Oh Maggie, you've been mistreating my daughter for years all in the name of results and we've decided to move on because we've had enough so now you don't offer up that you'll CHANGE your behavior, but that you'll KILL YOURSELF if we don't continue to send our child here to put up with your behaviors?" .... that would be a hard pass for me and I probably would have burst out laughing when she said it.

 

[Tigtimes]

But will it change the PARENTS culture? Cause there were many many at the gym that still supported her and the line to get in that gym was still long. Parents are also to blame seriously just the leotards they allowed their kids to wear, which I am sure was a take it or leave the gym kinda thing, kinda says it all ........

Arrogance gets misinterpreted or accepted veiled in the name of pride and parents accept that cause that Div 1 scholarship is all that matters. As long as their kid is on the “ best team” so many will look the other way or justify behavior. Just my two cents cause there are so many more out there not on the National level, I am always amazed to see intelligent people sucked in by it all.

 

[bookworm]

I agree with you Tigtimes, I'm sure Haney was well known for her tactics as the parents clamored to sign their kids up there ...there certainly were whiffs of it before Mccusker moved there ....but she had gotten Laurie to the Olympics so they were all drinking the Kool aid.

I think many go to these places thinking/hoping/wishing it can't be "that bad" , but rare is the leopard who changes his spots. I think too that the gymnast culture has always been to tow the line, obey your coach and behave so when it starts, the athletes don't complain because they were taught that thus is what it takes to succeed.

We had a coach that never used these tactics and she was totally considered an outlier in the gymnastics community in our area ....coaches often mused that "it works for her but I could never get results if I coached like that" ....but now they have to. Our gym hired a coach that was known to be a screamer with some questionable tactics , and she tried it on the first day , and was taken aside by our wonderful coach and told "that's not how we operate here and if you can't change , you're done here" ...and like amiandjim's coach , she changed and admitted she didn't know any better before , and has been a fabulous kind, caring coach , who's kids go to JOs and get D1 scholarships, for the past 10 years. Culture change for coach, athlete and parents IS tough, but it IS possible.

 

[Flipfloppy]

Since I can't reply to @JBS 's PM, which I presume was sent to all members:

JBS, it is extremely inappropriate to send a PM about abuse to all members. Especially in the gymnastics community, there are many people who are survivors of abuse. If I click on the main forum, I can choose to avoid threads about abuse and, psychologically, the threads/news about abuse aren't being forced upon: the choice to engage in news or conversation is mine and that control over exposure to information is really important for survivors. I can also choose to engage with the news when I feel ready and capable of engaging with it. A PM - especially a PM that I can't reply to - can be extremely triggering for survivors. Please don't ever do that again.

As soon as I figured out how to turn off email notifications for PMs, I'll be leaving Chalkbucket for a while so I won't be back to engage in conversation about this post. Please follow best practice guidelines, especially when so many in the gymnastics community are survivors of abuse.

 

[Tigtimes]

In my opinion the coach that uses the “ignore” tactics are by far the most damaging. Again parents say “but our coach never yells” again arrogance veiled and the smart ones know it. We were at a meet with Haney, watched a kid struggle on bars fell twice. Both coached turned their backs on that kid after event and for the rest of that meet. Literally the kid came up to compete and they turned around backs to the child. It was horrible to see and yet that parent sat there and it was OK cause that’s what it takes to be on “the best team”.

My kid suffered from the fall from favorite, the ignore as if you don’t exist. To anyone else in that gym it went unnoticed and believe me it was abuse at its finest - calculated and intentional and beyond Horrible. Coach no longer at gym or we would have left

 

[Jamie1999]

EIGHT YEARS! Wow, definitely didn't expect that.

Funny enough, last night I was watching a YouTube video from about 7 years ago of Laurie on bars at an elite competition. She fell twice and the way Maggie acted... if looks could kill. The first comment was something along the lines of 'Nice gymnast, coach needs to chill'. Basically, anyone with eyes can see the attitude at that gym.