I often wonder what the outcome would have been had I made different choices in respect to my daughter’s gymnastics career. Many scenarios flit through my mind - ranging from sporting achievements to short and long-term health outcomes and all the variables in between. I have been asked on many occasions whether I regret removing …
Continue reading “This is not fun, this is serious gymnastics”
The Nassar scandal has opened up the conversion regarding abuse within the gymnastics community. A culture forged on pain, intimidation and unequal power relations has enabled the abuse of young gymnasts for the past 3 decades. The acceptance of a win at acceptable cost attitude coupled with the widespread dismissal of abuse claims by NGB’s …
Continue reading A step in the right direction toward culture change?
According to Near and Miceli (1985) the term whistleblowing relates to "the disclosure by organisation members (former or current) of illegal, immoral or illegitimate practices under the control of their employers, to persons or organisations that may be able to effect action." For an individual to be classified as a whistleblower the information disclosed must …
Continue reading To blow the whistle or not: That is the question.
Deviance can be described as a behaviour diverging from socially accepted values, within wider society deviance is often used to describe behaviour that is negative such as a rejection of cultural goals. Within sport, some behaviours are considered negatively deviant, such as illicit drug use or disregarding the rules of the sport but many would …
It is often easy to look back on a situation and reflect on how you would do things differently if you had the knowledge then that you now possess. We often find ourselves contemplating the ‘ifs and buts’ but usually feel we did the best we could at the time given the situation. When decisions …
The excerpt below is taken from a larger case study which considered the influence socioeconomic status may have on pain and injury discourses. The athlete was a retired elite gymnast who reflected on her experiences with a number of coaches in a variety of settings. We join the conversation at the point she is discussing …
I have been considering writing an opinion piece for a while now. Much of what I write on the blog is around the subject matter I study grounded in research. Although my field is sociology based I like to gauge how academics from other fields view my thoughts and findings. This has opened up some …
Since beginning this blog I have had numerous parents and gymnasts reach out to me as some of my posts have resonated with their own experiences and I have been asked on a few occasions to post a narrative on their behalf. I believe all lived experiences are valuable and add knowledge to the growing …
The recent leak of the independent investigation commissioned jointly by British Canoeing and UK Sport has revealed another Olympic sport where athlete welfare appears to have been compromised through a win at all cost attitude. The report is damning, highlighting a culture where key individuals were “‘untouchable’ … able to act with impunity and without …
Continue reading Is British Gymnastics due an independent review of their practices?
This piece was written in 2016 shortly after the Indianapolis Star broke the Nassar abuse story. The troubling issue of sex abuse within youth sport has been prominent within the media over the past few months. The abuse of youth football players in the UK from grass roots level to professional clubs has emerged with …
