What’s wrong with USA-gymnastics? (GUEST BLOG)

exgymgurl wanted to write a guest blog and of course I said yes so here it is.
(P.S. Write the blog about Mustafina’s sister and I will post that a later date:)

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What’s Wrong with USA- Gymnastics

I wanted to do a guest blog on Mustafina’s younger sister, and Russian Gymnastics BUT when I saw this YouTube clip, this is where I had to go:

Pursuing the Perfect 10 – Parkettes Documentary

I’m going to apologize in advance for being somewhat disjointed on this. So many random thoughts came to mind while I was watching this and thinking what does this experience really does to these girls.

So here we have Parkettes kids competing TOPS with broken ankles. Other ones bribed by their parents. We have Donna Strauss assuming someone does gymnastics and makes mistakes for attention.

Nicole Harris: Became a basketcase and Left ASU in February only to return the next year when she felt like she could handle it.

Gym blog, Nicole Harris back at Arizona State

Why are all of these gymnast’s parents so Freaking overweight…..???

What is really funny is that none of these people made the olympic team which of course doesn’t surprise me. Most of their elites have had nice college careers which is great, but kids can get college scholarships for a lot of things, that don’t involve Strauss induced torture.

My son plays football in Texas. He’s 12. There was a kid on his team that wrecked both of his knees, and also at one point was on crutches. Getting cortisone shots. He could barely walk and his parents were not taking him to the doctor very often. He would sit out practices and then his dad would brag that he was on pain medication every game for what? Odds are he will never make the NFL or even get a college scholarship.

The Parkette parent’s attitudes remind me of that.
　
Who would send their kid to this Donna Strauss psycho?

I have to commend Mackenzie Wofford’s parents. My 12 year old is taking a year off football to focus on scouts. I told him I thought that was wise. He is in 6th grade and I discussed with him that football only gets more competitive from here on in. You can take a year off in middle school and go back in football, because puberty and growth actually helps you.

So none of the Parkettes from the 2002 elite class made the Olympics in 2004. I’m shocked. But what really shocks me is that people are in an uproar over the secret of Deva and the Russian documentaries that show the same thing, when apparently it’s going on in the US as well. This is Donna Strauss in front of the camera…. imagine what she’s really like.
　
The follow up to where all of these girls ended up:

I’m glad the Strauss family allowed CNN in their gym. I’m not surprised their wasn’t more uproar. We have the same thing in football that these gym parents have. It’s ridiculous the way these parents live their lives through their children, or usually their one star athlete child. There has to be a better way of training these athletes then continually breaking them.

Tags: nicole harris, parkettes gymnastics