WAG Some news on Geddert himself - suspended

[bogwoppit]

And the latest -- Geddert required girls but not boys at his gym to see Nassar and only Nassar for treatment. This just gets worse and worse. While I'm glad that the boys seem to have escaped this particular monstrosity, that is one HELL of a red flag, isn't it?

Kamerin Moore yesterday spoke of how he abused her brother at Nassar's home. In the guise of treating his shoulder. I am thinking he may not be the only male victim.

 

[profmom]

Probably not, sadly, but Geddert did not have an entire machine devoted to funneling male targets to him.

Jennifer Sey had a comment somewhere on a Facebook thread asserting that there are male victims out there, though it wasn't clear if she was referring to Nassar specifically. Given the culture, given the opportunities, it would be highly surprising if there weren't. And as hard as it is for these young women to step forward and point the finger, it's hard in a different way for young men, who must also contend with the longstanding uneasiness of men's gym with homosexuality. (Yes, I am assuming that most of the perpetrators of sexual abuse are male and that this would extend into gym as well.)

 

[strawberries]

Let the house cleaning begin...

Without driving decent coaches out of the sport, are there any good plans for identifying and investigating other programs that are causing widespread emotional trauma? Or even educating coaches who use outdated tactics of punishment, manipulation, fear, control, etc.? The sorts of tactics that have not only been shown to be ineffective, but more importantly, that leave the door open to all this other abuse?

I don’t have any particularly good ideas (aside from tracking the percentage of gymnast that walk out of a given club/college and straight into the therapist’s office), but the culture that facilitates the abuse isn’t gone w/ John Geddert. As we all know.

 

[LindyHopper]

So, there's this:

Link Removed

I can't believe that he even rubs in her face that she was petitioned onto the Olympic team. Whose place did she "take"?

 

[amiandjim]

So today a gymnast testified that Geddert dropped her on purpose on the low bar and she had to quit bc of the injury sustained. She also said they had a weight limit and if they didn’t make weight they had to clean the bathroom with a toothbrush. How has this been allowed to go one for so long. And I realize parents at Twistars have said they have some good/supportive coaches BUT, those coaches had to know about this stuff right???

 

[SMH]

So today a gymnast testified that Geddert dropped her on purpose on the low bar and she had to quit bc of the injury sustained. She also said they had a weight limit and if they didn’t make weight they had to clean the bathroom with a toothbrush. How has this been allowed to go one for so long. And I realize parents at Twistars have said they have some good/supportive coaches BUT, those coaches had to know about this stuff right???

Other coaches had to have known. How many people witnessed abuse like this and just turned away?

 

[Gymmommy71]

Maybe somehow they can file criminal charges against him - patten of abuse or depraved indifference or something like that - Jack McCoy on Law & Order could find a way.

Seriously though - I really don’t believe Nassar would have been able to do what he did w/o Geddert and the “system” created by the Karolyi’s. They should be held accountable - civil lawsuits just don’t seem like enough to me.

 

[bogwoppit]

We just know that he is not the only really abusive coach out there. Liukin, Brown, Peters and many more have been publicly denounced for their abusive coaching techniques. There are a ton of posts on here about downright nasty coaches.

Parents have to stop accepting abuse, they have to be prepared to walk away from the sport if necessary. Kids sports are rife with this kind of stuff, it is not okay to let people be cruel to your children. Nassar was a very sneaky abuser, I think he flew under the radar because he lies so well. But your kid being thrown on the bars? Screamed at in public at a meet, ignored and pushed aside? Well we all know that crap is not okay.

 

[gymgal93]

Geddert has announced his plan to retire (or "retire" as the case may be):
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com...ys-email-families-he-plans-retire/1057165001/

 

[SMH]

Geddert has announced his plan to retire (or "retire" as the case may be):
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com...ys-email-families-he-plans-retire/1057165001/

Wow his letter sure is a big pile of bs.

 

[Gymmommy71]

Wow his letter sure is a big pile of bs.

Yep - eerily similar to very positive Nassar resignation letter...

 

[LindyHopper]

His intensity is challenging?!? He knows his shortcomings as a coach?!?

 

[skschlag]

That beginning "You know me, and you know Twistars" coupled with the parent support in the letter, makes me kind of want to vomit.

 

[PRY9]

Yep - eerily similar to very positive Nassar resignation letter...

Let's hope his retirement is similar - behind bars!

 

[TumbleTimes4]

I am hoping that this is just the beginning of some major house cleaning of abusive coaches. I am thankful that this judge has given these girls not only a safe space to open up, but has empowered them to use their voice to demand change. And I feel like the changes (closing the ranch, board member resignations, Geddert suspension) are in large part due to their voices. And while most of us would like to see more than his suspension, at least its a start and he is no longer in the gym coaching.

I wonder if their voices are strong enough to put pressure on Liukin. Has he really changed? Are there enough gymnasts speaking up that could lead to his resignation as NTC?

 

[profmom]

I don't think anyone realized how significant making the space for these statements was going to be. Between the creativity and empathy of Judge Aquilina and the bravery of the women and men who've spoken, we now realize the depth and structural nature of the problem. The sport faces a serious crossroads. It can either change to privilege less authoritarian, cruel, and domineering coaching styles and stop privileging winning over everything else, or it can continue to be fertile ground for sexual and other forms of abuse.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

I am hoping that this is just the beginning of some major house cleaning of abusive coaches. I am thankful that this judge has given these girls not only a safe space to open up, but has empowered them to use their voice to demand change. And I feel like the changes (closing the ranch, board member resignations, Geddert suspension) are in large part due to their voices. And while most of us would like to see more than his suspension, at least its a start and he is no longer in the gym coaching.

I wonder if their voices are strong enough to put pressure on Liukin. Has he really changed? Are there enough gymnasts speaking up that could lead to his resignation as NTC?

Liukin? I have seen nothing but excellence from Liukin each and every time I have had the pleasure of working with him. Did I miss something ?

 

[HappyGymmie]

Liukin has become NTC after Nassar was arrested. Why should he be pressured to resign?

 

[Flippin'A]

I've heard a few reasons for it. Katelyn Ohashi recently detailed some very troubling moments in her blog that would have occurred during her time at WOGA. (https://behindthemadnesssite.wordpress.com/2017/08/24/dear-standards/)
Vanessa Atler spoke on Gymcastic about similar things regarding weigh ins and the like.
Earlier today, Mattie Larson also spoke about Liukin being complicit in her mistreatment during 2010 worlds, and her concern that having him at the helm would just be more of the same.
There may be more, but those are the three that come to mind.

I have never met Valeri Liukin, and I know nothing about who he is as a person or a coach apart from these types of accounts. Obviously as someone who works with him you are in a better position to judge. I guess I'm just currently feeling hesitant to dismiss any accounts of mistreatment. Of course I've heard many positive descriptions of Liukin as well, and maybe he has moved away from those unhealthy techniques. I hope that's the case.

 

[Empowered]

Liukin? I have seen nothing but excellence from Liukin each and every time I have had the pleasure of working with him. Did I miss something ?

I am sorry but this, this crap right here is the problem. It was the same dang excuse with Nassar and Karolyi. Just because you haven’t witnessed something doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened!

Listen to the words of Ohashi, Larson, Atler and understand the interactions between two male coaches are very different than daily coach/gymnast interactions.

And with all due respect, you coaches are quite often the worst at defending your own kind. Heck one of the “expert” USAG coaches on this very board referred my kid to the abusive coach who chased her out of the sport and damaged her body permanently. He probably still thinks her old coach is a fine coach.

Of course he wasn’t privy to her being called fat, stupid, lazy on a regular basis for 4 years. He didn’t travel to meets where my daughter and her teammates would be dragged to restaurants, where he coaches would eat and drink and yuck it up, while telling the waiters the girls were to be served nothing but salad. He didn’t hear that coach tell the PA who said my daughter needed to see a surgeon, that my daughter was faking it and it was all in her head. He didn’t watch her suffer an entire level 10 season in agony from her “fake” injury, while her coaches called her a lazy idiot who wasn’t worth their time to coach. And he didn’t sit through 2 damn surgeries to fix a limb that will never be normal for my daughter again.

So no, pardon me if I consider the Valeri seems great to me line, to be a giant pile of crap. I believe the athletes, not the coaches club.