(Content warning: Verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse)
Two very tough #GymnastAllianceAUS stories to share today, one brought to my attention via social media and one raised directly with me by the individual involved.
I am, as always, very thankful for (and inspired by) every athlete that comes forward to recount their experiences. It is especially challenging - but just as critical - to hear stories of abusive gymnastics culture when this week has seen celebrations marking both International Gymnastics Day and the 20th anniversary of the Sydney Olympics. Gymnastics Australia spent the week sharing a number of reflection and tribute videos on social media commemorating the people that make this sport so special. But there are other gymnastics stories to tell as well.
Sydney Olympian and Cirque performer Trudy McIntosh - the "pocket rocket" from Kuala Lumpur '98, the name cemented in the women's Code of Points for vault - has come forward to the Geelong Advertiser to detail the cruel and pressuring behaviours she and the women's team experienced in the lead-up to and during the Games. Unfortunately, the online version of the article is behind a paywall, so my thanks to twitter stalwart Moominwhisky for providing photos of the article as it appeared in the edition here.
"Going into Sydney... it was led by fear, not encouragement. We were told, "You're going to do well or it's going to look bad on us." So my memory is of the coach yelling at us. [...] I would be lying to say it was a positive experience. It should have been our showcase, our time to shine. But it was a pressure cooker that exploded. "
I note that Trudy was conspicuously absent from GA's catchup video with members of the 2000 team. Trudy was always one of my favourites as a young gymnast in Victoria, so it was particularly sad for me to learn how miserable and frightened she was when the Olympics are all about celebration and good sportsmanship. Those Games seemed so magical for so many watching. These would have been very difficult memories for her to revisit, so it means a lot that she too is adding her voice to the call for changes in gymnastics culture.
Of even greater concern are instances of sexual abuse in the sport coming to light, especially since the release of 'Athlete A'. Former gymnast Alison Quigley has shared her story with Greg Baum, about the disgusting grooming and abusive conduct by Victorian coach and PE teacher Graham Partington three decades ago. The individual spent just 3 years behind bars for his crimes and is due for release early next year, which in this blogger's view is reprehensible for actions so heinous against minors.
What is most worrying is Alison's strong conviction that she is not alone in what happened to her at the hands of this vile predator, given his lengthy career in coaching and teaching sustained after the incidents involving her. Alison now has multiple tertiary qualifications and is a loving mum, and wants things to be safer for everyone's children as much as her own. She is courageously asking that her story be shared in the gymnastics community in the hopes others affected will come forward with their stories too, and that schools and gyms will take adequate action in addressing sexual abuse incidents. Justice must be done.
Like Trudy, and all abuse victims out there, I wish Alison happiness and healing going forward, and hope that Gymnastics Australia take notice of these accounts given the pending Human Rights Commission investigation into the sport's culture. I for one would have liked this week, in addition to all the sentimental Sydney reflections, to have seen GA make a public statement on their platforms affirming their commitment to gymnast safety and wellbeing at all levels.
It is not too late.
MEDIA UPDATE -Sunday 6:10pm
I've just had a great new piece from gym writer extraordinnaire Blythe Lawrence ping my way. It goes a bit deeper into the history of gymnastics funding and development in Australia and the major issues of #GymnastAllianceAUS as recent as 2018 Worlds, with social media and reported remarks from past elite competitors.
"With government funding hinging on good results at international competitions, coaches were under pressure to get good results, and it trickled down to the athletes. The year [Olivia] Vivian turned 16, “management told me I had to make the World Championship team, otherwise we’d lose funding and the program would shut down”."
My thanks to Blythe for her dedication in getting this important piece out to major newspapers and shedding more light on such a crucial sports issue.
