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Your Stubborn Child Might Just Turn Out To Be More Successful And Wealthier, Says Study | Atlantic Gymnastics

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Source: Your Stubborn Child Might Just Turn Out To Be More Successful And Wealthier, Says Study | Atlantic Gymnastics

Your Stubborn Child Might Just Turn Out To Be More Successful And Wealthier, Says Study

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“No, I don’t want to wear that! You can’t make me!”

Does this sound like a familiar line you’ve heard from your sweet little child before? I remember when I had to call in late to work because my daughter insisted on putting on her sweatshirt herself. She managed to get her head stuck in the arm hole. I had to cut it off of her. On the occasion where I had to put Maddie in “time out” I swear she just sat there and stared at me plotting her revenge.

I recently flew out to Colorado to visit my daughter. As I was contemplating her success on my flight home this article came across my newsfeed. I hope it’s true!

Your Stubborn Child Might Just Turn Out To Be More Successful And Wealthier

While many parents have been quick to discipline such behavior in the past, new research is showing that stubborn kids actually turn out to be richer and more successful, and that there’s nothing to worry about. The study suggests that we may want to spend time understanding and supporting our strong willed little ones, rather than discouraging their behavior. We may have a few more “arguments” with our children as a result as they grow up, but we’ll be happy later down the road that we stayed patient and let our children develop into strong willed and successful adults.

Psychology has already shown us that the “No phase” is a very healthy and important step in a child’s development and individuation process, and a recently completed studyfound that stubborn children often grow up to be more successful and richer than their peers.

The study, which tracked students from their late primary years until well into adulthood, found that children who frequently break the rules or otherwise defy their parents often go on to become educational over-achievers and high-earning adults.

700 children between the ages of 8 and 12 years old were evaluated for non-cognitive personality traits such as academic conscientiousness, entitlement and defiance. 40 years later, as the children reached 50 years of age, researchers followed up with the participants and recorded how they turned out; rule breaking and defiance of parental authority turned out to be the best non-cognitive predictor of high income as an adult. 

They found that stubborn children tend to be driven by their goals more so than their peers, enabling them to achieve more as adults. If you notice that your child isn’t afraid to break your rules here and there and sometimes debates what you tell them, this is actually a potential indicator of future success. Many of the adults who achieved the highest levels of wealth were observed to be rule-breakers as children.

Another study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology confirmed that agreeable individuals earn less than others.

Therapists explain that as they grow up, strong willed and stubborn children are more likely to do what they think is right, rather than what their friends or peers are doing. A major benefit of this behavior is that it can keep children out of trouble in high school and college; it enables them with the power and ability to say no to peer pressure when friends are engaging in unhealthy activities, behaviors or ideas.

When understanding how to parent a strong willed child, psychologists and parental trainers have a few healthy pieces of advice:

1. Stay Calm, Listen To, And Understand Your Child

It’s normal to feel frustrated when our children don’t quickly acquiesce to our rules or demands, but it’s critically important that as parents we do our best to stay calm in such situations, and attempt to understand the reasoning of our little ones. Keep a calm voice, refrain from yelling, and listen with your heart as to why your child refuses to wear their shirt today. If it’s because their favorite superhero also doesn’t wear a shirt, then their pure hearts are actually motivated towards a good cause. Let them know that you understand, and praise them that they too are a hero of kindness and justice, and see if you can negotiate a little by explaining that even superman wears regular clothes during the day, and a cape when he needs to help someone.

2. Establish A Connection. Don’t Impose Your Will

Often, we may feel inclined to overpower a defiant child. Yet doing this often does more harm than good for our children and leads to resentment and further problems. Teach your child empathy, so that they too become kind and caring, and give them consequences when they go too far. Connect heart-to-heart with your child through listening and understanding, and by being on the same team as our child we often disarm their desire to rebel. Show them that we too struggle with putting our empty cup in the sink, but with a hero’s passion and determination, together we can do it!

3. Encourage Their Drive Towards A Good Cause: Inspire Them

If parents can use positive reinforcement to motivate their children to do well in school or can help direct their passion and drive towards a meaningful and compassionate purpose, these children can become wonderful and motivated leaders who will do the right thing, even if they have to do it alone. Help them pick up trash around the neighborhood to save the environment, help them learn to be kind and sit with the lonely kid in the cafeteria, help them volunteer to help feed the homeless, help them walk the puppies at an animal shelter. These successful and stubborn children won’t give up easily, and spend more time and energy finding valuable solutions when compared to their passive peers.

Author Maureen Healy gives some wonderful advice on parenting Indigo children when she says, “Indigos see, feel and experience life differently than their more mainstream counterparts. They tend to have an usually high level of creativity, sensitivity, giftedness, and angry energy to channel. This angry or warrior energy that defines many indigos isn’t a bad thing. It is the energy that breaks down broken systems (think: public school systems) and creates better ways of doing things. Of course, the challenge is to raise indigo kids to use their incredibly sensitive, highly responsive, and fierce energy as a force for good.”

So the next time your beloved little one comes to you to negotiate a new bedtime, take a deep breath, and lovingly listen. Showing empathy and understanding towards their positive and strong willed little personalities will enable them to become more successful adults who can help to make our world a better place.

Do you have success stories you want to tell us about YOUR STUBBORN child? Let us know.

Make Coaching A Profession

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At USA Gymnastics National Congress this year a number of club owners got together by the USGCOA booth in the trade show. These club owners were discussing the shortage of coaches available through out the country. There are many reason for this. In the last few years fewer new coaches have joined our ranks. All the turbulence within the gymnastics community has kept some coaches sidelined. With coaches like Liuken, Chow and Brestyan now coaching overseas we have lost some great leaders in our sport. 

With fewer coaches joining our profession there seems there seems like there are  hundreds of unfilled coaching vacancies in state after state.

But we need to stop calling it a coaching  shortage.

You can’t solve a problem starting with the wrong diagnosis. If I can’t buy a Porsche for $1.98, that doesn’t mean there’s an automobile shortage. If I can’t get a fine dining meal for a buck, that doesn’t mean there’s a food shortage. And if appropriately skilled humans don’t want to work for me under the conditions I’ve set, that doesn’t mean there’s a human shortage.

Calling the situation a “coaching shortage” suggests something like a crop failure or a hijacker grabbing truckloads before they can get to market. It suggests that there simply aren’t enough people out there who could do the job.

There is no reason to believe that is true. But pretending that it is true sets up justification for a variety of bad “solutions” to the shortage. “Since there aren’t enough coaches,” the reasoning goes, “then we might as well just let any warm body coach in the gym.” Some gyms have adopted the idea of letting any person with any college degree take charge of a class or group of team kids. We are lucky that we are still a field that we cannot be replaced by computers and online learning!

Some gyms instead of saying, “Well, you’d better bend to free market forces and make a better offer,” instead  ask USAG to change the rules so that gyms can hire folks who have no real credentials. Some gyms have suggested that a single super coach could handle an entire gym full of gymnasts without any loss of the quality that made them super. All of these choices are less than optimal.

I believe it was Jeff Metzker who said, “It is better to be UNDERSTAFFED than POORLY STAFFED” 

All of those “solutions” rest on the premise that there just aren’t enough qualified humans  in the world, that the magic coach tree hasn’t borne enough fruit. Given that premise, these all seem like ways to address the problem, even if means settling for less than the high-quality coaches all students deserve.

But if we assume there are plenty of qualified people who could choose to enter our gyms and stay there for a career, then we realize that we’re dealing with an entirely different problem. Gymnasts who could choose to become coaches are choosing not to. People who could choose to stay in the gym are instead engaging in a slow-motion strike, an extended exodus, and our real problem is how to attract and retain those people.

Money is obviously an issue.  Also that being a GYMNASTICS COACH is often not viewed as a profession (just ask my father). But over the past couple of years coaches have also suffered a steady drumbeat of disrespect, the repeated refrain that a guy who coaches women’s gymnastics must have a problem. That coaching gymnastics is just a stepping stone until someone can get a “real job”.   The rise of “any warm body will do” solutions send the message that coaching is such a simple job that any shmoe with minimal training can do it. 

Qualified people exist, but too many  gyms want to pretend otherwise, in part because there is one other appealing aspect to viewing this as a coach shortage. The shortage model allows gym owners and managers  to shrug and say, “Hey, they just aren’t out there. It’s not our fault.”

When the dealer won’t sell me my $1.98 Porsche, I can blame it on him and complain, “It’s not my fault he wouldn’t sell to me.” Or I can suck it up, take a look in the mirror and say, “If I want that car, I need to do better.” 

As gym owners we need to make coaching a profession. Educate our staff. Make them proud of what they do. We need to charge for classes and team enough to pay our staff a sustainable wage. If we do that we will see the ranks of coaches grow. Making coaching  and teaching gymnastics a competitive profession. 

FAILURE IS AN OPTION

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I was reading an article by Joyce Russell in Forbes Magazine- FAILURE IS AN OPTION IF WE LEARN FROM IT. There were so many good examples we can learn from this.

Remember in the movie Apollo 13 the Commander at the NASA mission control center said: “Failure is not an option?” We often think exactly that when at the gym. We try to portray an image of how we have it all together and are always succeeding.

I had lunch the other day with one of the first gymnasts I ever coached. We were talking about how I did what I did and how I managed to coach at such a high level at a relatively young age. I told her my goal was to always just stay a day or two ahead of them. Everything in the gym was a gamble. I just had to place my bets carefully.  I knew I was going to make mistakes. I just needed to remember the lesson and move on.

There’s plenty of advice noting that a failure is definitely an option. Talk to ANY coach of ANY sport who has been coaching for a few decades. They will tell you that the lessons learned from failures are more important than the lessons of success.  Talk to any venture capitalist in Silicon Valley and they will tell you that if you are an entrepreneur then you needed to have failed (and bounced back) a number of times before they even consider your pitch. Likewise, most CEOs will point out times over their career that they have failed and what they have learned from those experiences. In fact, many say that sharing their vulnerabilities enables others to more closely identify with them.

Yet, today, young adults are having more and more trouble dealing with the slightest failures – getting an A- on a project or missing a few items on a test seems to be devastating for some of them. Getting negative feedback from a coach seems to shatter some gymnasts self-esteem.

Clearly, we want our gymnasts and other coaches  to succeed, but we also want them to learn that failure is a part of life and what’s most important is how to bounce back from those failures. We think of resilience as a gymnast’s ability to bounce back from, learn, and flourish during obstacles and adversity.

You can’t develop resilience with just success in your life. You have to experience setbacks in order to build resilience, but the good news is that your resilience gets stronger each time you overcome challenges or obstacles. But, we have to understand what happened from our failure – reverse engineer it to see what we can learn from this experience. We have to understand what failure means in terms of new opportunities. Our leaders and workplaces can help us with this.

As coaches, we shouldn’t shelter gymnasts from failures, but rather help them see them as learning opportunities within a safe environment. This is easier said than done. Our tendency is to immediately reprimand or place blame, rather than explore what happened and what they can learn from it. And yet, enabling them, especially younger gymnasts, to learn what happened and how they can move on is critical for building their own resilience and later success!

We need to teach coping strategies in our gyms as well. We need to help the gymnasts develop the right attitudes, behaviors, and a strong social support system. It’s more important than ever before since the world has gotten increasingly more complex. At the gym, we could help them learn a variety of strategies such as:

  • Helping them to build stronger connections and relationships so that they have a support group. Setting up mentoring relationships so that they have others to talk with.
  • Building a culture of giving or doing for others. There is plenty of research on the benefits of volunteering or focusing on others, which enhances one’s own happiness. Many gyms have programs for giving back to their communities. Getting gymnasts and coaches involved in these “give back” programs can really add to their own feelings of happiness and worth and often put things into perspective for them (i.e., my failures are not really that big in the larger scheme of life”).
  • Teaching them mental agility and toughness. Teaching them how to confront the problem and learn from it. Also, mindfulness is a powerful tool that people are practicing to deal with the increasing stress at school or gym.
  • Teaching them how to reframe the situation or think about it differently by pausing, reflecting and trying to understand what they are experiencing. Talking about it with others can help.
  • Sharing gratitude stories. Getting them to focus on what they are grateful for and what positive aspects may have come from the failure.
  • Helping them cope by teaching life skills of getting the right amount of sleep, hydrating and eating healthy  to balance out what they are doing in the gym and make sure that they can handle what life throws at them. 

You only have to turn on the news to see that adults and children alike are having more trouble coping with failure. As leaders at the gym, we can build cultures to strengthen the resilience of the gymnasts we work with by letting them fail and bounce back stronger than ever before. Failure can be an option if we use it to learn life lessons.

https://gymmomentum.com/weekly-momentum/failure-a-prerequisite-for-success/

12 Lessons You Learn OR End Up Regretting

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TRAVIS BRADBERRYMARCH 15, 2019

Being busy does not equal being productive.

Sticking your neck out and taking charge of your career is no trivial matter. Whether that’s switching careers, going back to school, or walking away from a j-o-b to start your own business, it takes a lot of guts.

But guts will only get you so far. Once you build up the nerve and make the leap, you’re no more than 5% of the way there. You still have to succeed in your new endeavor, and trying to succeed is when your worst fears (the ones that made you hesitate in the first place) will come true.

I’m going to assume you’re like me and don’t have a brilliant mentor, a rich uncle, or some other person who is going to show you the ropes and explain each step you need to take to take charge of your career.

You see, it’s been almost 20 years since I last had a boss. I went from working in a surf shop to striking out on my own, eventually starting TalentSmart (with a partner) before I’d finished grad school.

When I set out on my own, I had all the gumption and appetite for risk that I needed to take charge of my career. At the time I thought that was all I needed to succeed.

It wasn’t. I also needed guidance. Without it, I learned some difficult (and often painful) lessons along the way.

I’d like to share some of my biggest lessons learned with you so that they can help you as you take charge of your career (in whatever form that takes). As I look back on these lessons, I realize that they’re really great reminders for us all.

1. Confidence must come first

Successful people often exude confidence — it’s obvious that they believe in themselves and what they’re doing. It isn’t their success that makes them confident, however. The confidence was there first.

Think about it:

  • Doubt breeds doubt.Why would anyone believe in you, your ideas, or your abilities if you didn’t believe in them yourself?
  • It takes confidence to reach for new challenges. People who are fearful or insecure tend to stay within their comfort zones. But comfort zones rarely expand on their own. That’s why people who lack confidence get stuck in dead-end jobs and let valuable opportunities pass them by.
  • Unconfident people often feel at the mercy of external circumstances.Successful people aren’t deterred by obstacles, which is how they rise up in the first place.

Confidence is a crucial building block in a successful career, and embracing it fully will take you places you never thought possible. No one is stopping you from what you want to accomplish but yourself. It’s time to remove any barriers created by self-doubt.

2. You’re living the life that you’ve created

You are not a victim of circumstance. No one can force you to make decisions and take actions that run contrary to your values and aspirations. The circumstances you’re living in today are your own — you created them.

Likewise, your future is entirely up to you. If you’re feeling stuck, it’s probably because you’re afraid to take the risks necessary to achieve your goals and live your dreams.

When it’s time to take action, remember that it’s always better to be at the bottom of the ladder you want to climb than at the top of one you don’t.

3. Being busy does not equal being productive

Look at everyone around you. They all seem so busy — running from meeting to meeting and firing off emails. Yet how many of them are really producing, really succeeding at a high level?

Success doesn’t come from movement and activity. It comes from focus — from ensuring that your time is used efficiently and productively. You get the same number of hours in the day as everyone else. Use yours wisely. After all, you’re the product of your output, not your effort. Make certain your efforts are dedicated to tasks that get results.

4. You’re only as good as those you associate with

You should strive to surround yourself with people who inspire you, people who make you want to be better. And you probably do. But what about the people who drag you down? Why do you allow them to be a part of your life?

Anyone who makes you feel worthless, anxious, or uninspired is wasting your time and, quite possibly, making you more like them. Life is too short to associate with people like this. Cut them loose.

5. Squash your negative self-talk

When you’re taking charge of your career, you won’t always have a cheerleader in your corner. This magnifies the effects of self-doubt. The more you ruminate on negative thoughts, the more power you give them. Most of our negative thoughts are just that — thoughts, not facts

When you find yourself believing the negative and pessimistic things your inner voice says, it’s time to stop and write them down. Literally stop what you’re doing and write down what you’re thinking.

Once you’ve taken a moment to slow down the negative momentum of your thoughts, you will be more rational and clear-headed in evaluating their veracity.

6. Avoid asking “What if?”

“What if?” statements throw fuel on the fire of stress and worry, which are detrimental to reaching your goals. Things can go in a million different directions, and the more time you spend worrying about the possibilities, the less time you’ll spend taking action and staying productive. Asking “what if?” will only take you to a place you don’t want — or need — to go. Of course, scenario planning is a necessary and effective planning technique. The key distinction here is to recognize the difference between worry and strategic thinking about your future.

7. Schedule exercise and sleep

I can’t say enough about the importance of quality sleep. When you sleep your brain removes toxic proteins from its neurons that are by-products of neural activity when you’re awake. Unfortunately, your brain can remove them adequately only while you’re asleep.

So when you don’t get enough sleep, the toxic proteins remain in your brain cells, wreaking havoc by impairing your ability to think — something no amount of caffeine can fix.

Your self-control, attention, and memory are all reduced when you don’t get enough — or the right kind — of sleep. Sleep deprivation raises stress hormone levels on its own, even without a stressor present, which are a major productivity killer.

Ambition often makes you feel as if you must sacrifice sleep to stay productive, but sleep deprivation diminishes your productivity so much throughout the day that you’re better off sleeping.

A study conducted at the Eastern Ontario Research Institute found that people who exercised twice a week for 10 weeks felt more competent socially, academically, and athletically. They also rated their body image and self-esteem higher.

Best of all, rather than the physical changes in their bodies being responsible for the uptick in confidence, it was the immediate, endorphin-fueled positivity from exercise that made all the difference. Schedule your exercise to make certain it happens, or the days will just slip away.

8. Seek out small victories

Small victories can seem unimportant when you’re really after something big, but small victories build new androgen receptors in the areas of the brain responsible for reward and motivation.

This increase in androgen receptors increases the influence of testosterone, which further increases your confidence and your eagerness to tackle future challenges. When you have a series of small victories, the boost in your confidence can last for months.

9. Don’t say “yes” unless you really want to

Research conducted at the University of California in Berkeley shows that the more difficulty that you have saying no, the more likely you are to experience stress, burnout, and even depression, all of which make it difficult to take charge of your career.

Saying no is indeed a major challenge for many people. “No” is a powerful word that you should not be afraid to wield.

When it’s time to say no, avoid phrases like “I don’t think I can” or “I’m not certain.” Saying no to a new commitment honors your existing commitments and gives you the opportunity to successfully fulfill them.

10. Don’t seek perfection

Don’t set perfection as your target. It doesn’t exist. Human beings, by our very nature, are fallible.

When perfection is your goal, you’re always left with a nagging sense of failure that makes you want to give up or reduce your effort. You end up spending your time lamenting what you failed to accomplish and what you should have done differently instead of moving forward excited about what you’ve achieved and what you will accomplish in the future.

11. Focus on solutions

Where you focus your attention determines your emotional state. When you fixate on the problems that you’re facing, you create and prolong negative emotions which hinder your ability to reach your goals.

When you focus on the actions you’ll take to better yourself and your circumstances, you create a sense of personal efficacy that produces positive emotions and improves performance.

12. Forgive yourself

When you slip up, it is critical that you forgive yourself and move on. Don’t ignore how the mistake makes you feel; just don’t wallow in it. Instead, shift your attention to what you’re going to do to improve yourself in the future.

Failure can erode your self-confidence and make it hard to believe you’ll achieve a better outcome in the future. Most of the time, failure results from taking risks and trying to achieve something that isn’t easy.

Success lies in your ability to rise in the face of failure, and you can’t do this when you’re living in the past. Anything worth achieving is going to require you to take some risks, and you can’t allow failure to stop you from believing in your ability to succeed.

When you live in the past, that is exactly what happens, and your past becomes your present, preventing you from moving forward.

Bringing it all together

I hope these lessons are as useful to you as they have been to me over the years. As I write them, I’m reminded of their power and my desire to use them every day.

Travis Bradberry is the coauthor of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and the cofounder of TalentSmart.

This article originally appeared on LinkedIn.

A letter to the new CEO of USA Gymnastics

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A letter to the new CEO of USAG;

I have heard that a new CEO has been chosen and that they are in the vetting and negotiating process. USAG has NOT been on a winning streak recently and I am hoping that we are going to turn this around.

Dear Madam (or Sir);                                                           February 13, 2019

The federation has faced a pretty rough few months and there are still rocky roads ahead. Although the growth of registered athletes, despite the recent scandal looks good. It is a reflection of where gymnastics was 6 years ago.  The overall feeling inside and outside the gymnastics community is hard to read. I believe that the professional community of coaches and club owners has never felt more vulnerable. It is as if the whole country is waiting for the other shoe to drop. On the whole, I think we can safely assume we’ve weathered the current storm. However, while we can all be grateful for the recent signs of an upturn in our performance, I suspect the next year or two will hold many challenges.

Indeed, the stabilization of our situation offers only a brief reprieve, if any at all. Many of the clubs in the country are still on fragile ground. We operate in an industry that still has many needs. The needs of the gymnasts, parents, coaches, and club owners. The need to perform exceptionally well at international competitions, the need to continue to develop  new talent in all the disciplines and build a place where they can train successful and safely. The need to market each discipline. The need to secure sponsors and Television contracts. All this AND we going to be embroiled in lawsuits for at least the immediate future.

It is my feeling that the gymnastics community needs a leader we can rally behind. Someone who can give us hope that we will get through this together. If the professional community doesn’t believe you (or in you) I do not feel that USAG will be long for this world.

In short, you’ll have your hands full indefinitely.

The pressure of achieving results: Meeting targets of any kind can cause immense pressure. As CEO, you will be constantly conscious of these targets…in fact, they will almost consume you.

Solution: Set realistic targets for yourself, for people in the office and for our teams. Assess what’s doable and what’s not. Have a core group of people you can rely on but involve everyone in the plans from day one, so that they are on the same page, and aware of what needs to be done. You will need to deploy a diverse set of people with different competencies to achieve the targets… Successful gymnastics clubs always have individuals with complementary competencies and skills, rather than similar ones, not only does that make a well rounded program in the gym but they are also then able to view and solve problems with a different approach. You will need to get people “on the ground” involved. It can be a motivating force moving toward a shared vision, and not just a gold medal or number

The pressure of always being right: As CEO you will be constantly looked upon as a role model, someone who will not err or fumble, someone who is fair and looks at a problem from different angles. This pressure will often put you in doubt — doubt about the direction the federation is moving in, the decisions you’re taking, and your own capabilities and worth as a leader. ‘To be or not to be’ was not just a dilemma for Hamlet…it’s a dilemma every coach goes through. You may even feel reluctant to continue in your position…

Solution: Realize that all the burden of responsibility is not your own. As CEO, you are largely a facilitator, and you should focus instead on growing your teams, rather than doing everything yourself. It is not essential for you to know and direct on every detail of every aspect … All you need to do is focus on the vision set out, and then nurture great teams to execute them. The more you empower those around you, the less stress you will feel.
Grow a circle of advisors who you can reach out to when in doubt. These should be your confidantes…those you can pour your heart out to, and share your problems with. Take ideas and solutions from them and find strength from their support.

Many people have called for USAG to become more Transparent. What is Transparency? Can you have it without accountability? Too often, leaders don’t know what accountability looks like, much less how to implement accountability in an organization. In order to set the team at USAG on the path to greater accountability and greater results there are a few things that I have found have helped me in my businesses.

Set clear expectations.
Achieving results requires clarity around expectations and outcomes–so it’s on you as a leader to affirm (and reaffirm) that everyone understands what they need to do to achieve success.
Be realistic about what people in the office or out in the field can handle. Avoid overburdening them just to get the results you want, when you want them.

Measure and report progress.
Doc Massimo told me that all my goals as an athlete and as a coach should be clear and measurable. If I can’t measure them, they shouldn’t be a goal. You will need to be transparent and open when measuring and reporting progress. The board may need to be reminded that a change in priorities may mean a change in the Key Results in the short term that will define success for the organization in the long term.

Give and receive feedback.
Keeping the feedback loop open is crucial to great leadership. In my gyms I do not want “Yes men”. I need people around me who can give and take feedback. I have a policy of “catch them doing something right”. It’s easy to fall into the trap of giving feedback only when something goes wrong, but that conditions employees to associate feedback with failure or punishment. And always ask for feedback as often as you give it.

Encourage risk taking.
Collaboration and innovation is fostered in an environment where risk-taking is encouraged–even when a project or action isn’t guaranteed to succeed. I have written many articles on Failure being a prerequisite for success. In too many organizations, the fear of punishment strongly deters risk-taking. Sometimes the only way to achieve success is to take risks along the way. Build a culture of trust, collaboration, and transparency by letting those in the National office or in the field take risks and learn from failures. Encourage people to engage in creative problem-solving so they can learn what it feels like to overcome obstacles together.

Inspire gymnastics professionals to take ownership.
Accountability is all about ownership. Right now I think about 80% of the coaches out there want the National office to swoop in and fix all the problems. When the office does make a decision all they do is complain. There needs to be accountability through out the gymnastics community. A professional who skirts their responsibilities, expecting others pick up the slack, does little to encourage a proactive, dynamic culture. Everyone must be focused by ensuring that everyone is on board with the federations objectives.

These are just a few of my ideas to help you keep your balance and beat the pressures you will face daily as CEO. Of course there will be many more, as the leadership role is vast…
Today’s times are rightly described as VUCA — volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. These factors will play havoc in the life of the leader too.
But as CEO, if you decide to face these situations with calm and equanimity you will be an inspiration to many.

Tony Retrosi

Want to Raise Successful Kids? Science Says Teach Them Any 1 of These 7 Things. Or better yet, help your kids learn them all.

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I recently read this in INC Magazine. Definitely something to share at your gym.

How can you teach your kids to be successful — and more important, live happy and fulfilled lives?

1. Teach them to seek small wins first.

According to research, gaining agreement has an effect — even if only over the short term.

Teach your kids that, instead of jumping to the end of their argument, they should start with statements or premises they know their audience will agree with. Teach them to build a foundation for further agreement.

A body in motion tends to remain in motion, and that also applies to a head that nods in agreement.

2. Teach them to focus on positive outcomes. 

While it’s tempting to use scare tactics, positive-outcome statements tend to be more persuasive. (Researchers hypothesize that most people respond negatively to feeling bullied into changing a behavior.)

So if your kids are trying to create a change, tell them to focus on sharing the positives of that change. They want to take their audience to a better place, not tell their audience what to avoid.

3. Teach them to dare to take a stand.

You would assume data and reasoning always win the day, right? Nope. Research shows humans prefer cockiness to expertise. We naturally assume confidence equates with skill.

Even the most skeptical people tend to be at least partly persuaded by a confident speaker. In fact, we prefer advice from a confident source, even to the point that we will forgive a poor track record.

So teach your kids to be bold. Teach them to stop saying “I think” or “I believe.” Teach them to stop adding qualifiers to their speech. Tell them, “If you think something will work, just say it will work. If you believe something will work, just say it will work.”

Teach your kids to stand behind their opinions — even if they are just opinions — and to let their enthusiasm show. People will naturally gravitate to their side.

4. Teach them to understand the way others prefer to process information.

A fellow supervisor used to frustrate the crap out of me. (Read the next paragraph to see how that swearing thing works.)

I was young and enthusiastic and would burst into his office with an awesome idea, lay out all my facts and figures, wait breathlessly for him to agree with me — and he would disagree.

Every time.

Finally — it took way longer than it should have — I realized that he wasn’t the problem. My approach was the problem.

Not to go all Myers-Briggs on you, but he was an “I.” He instinctively wanted time to think. He liked to process. By demanding an immediate answer, I put him on the defensive,  which led him to fall back on the safe choice: Saying “no.”

So I tried a different approach. “I have an idea that I think makes sense,” I said, “but I feel sure there are things I’m missing. If I run it by you, could you think about it for a day or two and then tell me what you think?”

He loved that. One, I implicitly showed I valued his wisdom and experience. Two, I implicitly showed I didn’t just want him to agree. I really did wanted his opinion.

And most important, I gave him time to process my idea his way.

Teach your kids not to push for instant agreement when an individual’s information-processing preference makes that unlikely.

And teach them not to ask for thought and reflection if their audience loves to make quick decisions.

5. Teach them not to be afraid to show a little emotion.

Cursing for no reason is just cursing. But say a team needs to pull together immediately pull together.

Tossing in an occasional — and heartfelt — curse word can actually help instill a sense of urgency because it shows you care. (And of course it never hurts when a leader lets a little frustration or anger show, too.)

In short, teach your kids to be themselves. Authenticity is always more persuasive. If your teenager feels strongly enough to slip in a mild curse word, he or she should feel free (in the right setting, of course). Research shows they’re likely to be a little more persuasive.

(And don’t tell me your teenagers never curse. Didn’t you?)

6. Teach them to share the bad with the good.

According to University of Illinois professor Daniel O’Keefe, sharing an opposing viewpoint or two is more persuasive than sticking solely to your argument.

Why? Very few ideas or proposals are perfect. Your audience knows that. They know there are other perspectives and potential outcomes.

So teach your kids to meet objections head on. Tell them to talk about the things their audience may already be considering. Teach them to discuss potential negatives and show how they will mitigate or overcome those problems.

Teach your kids to talk about the other side of the argument — and then do their best to show why they’re still right.

7. Teach them to not just say they’re right. Teach them to be right.

Persuasive people understand how to frame and deliver their messages, but most important, they embrace the fact that the message is what matters most.

Teach your kids to be clear, concise, and to the point. Teach them to win the day because their data, reasoning, and conclusions are beyond reproach.

What’s true for your kids applies to all of us: The art of persuasion should always be the icing on a logical cake.

Journalism and USAG

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Anna was one of my former gymnasts now attending the University of New Hampshire. 

Final Research Assignment
ENGL 534
Anna Burns
Section 1: Topic
I am going to be looking into the coverage of USA Gymnastics during their fall from grace post-sexual abuse scandal. Larry Nassar was an incredibly well-regarded doctor in the gymnastics world, for almost 2 decades. However, recently it’s been discovered that during this time, he molested hundreds of women and girls under the guise of medical treatment. USA Gymnastics is accused of creating a culture that allowed Nassar’s abuse to remain unreported. The athletes recall feeling scared to come forward due to risk of backlash from those in charge at USAG, and the NGB has been accused of efforts to cover up the abuse and slow down the investigation. Recently, the United States Olympics Committee has taken steps to decertify USAG as the National Governing Body of gymnastics after multiple failed attempts at rebuilding the reputation of the organization. I chose to look into how USAG’s demise has been covered in the media and see if the reporting has been balanced, transparent, and uses strong sources. As a former Junior Olympic Gymnast for USAG member clubs, this story has been gripping to watch unfold, and I have been following it for months. For this assignment, I compiled recent articles mostly about the decertification of USA Gymnastics, and some from before the decertification was announced.
Section 2: Inventory of Reports
https://www.wcjb.com/content/news/USOC-moves-to-shut-down-USA-Gymnastics-after-Nassar-scandal-499814581.html
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/11/big-new-change-us-olympic-gymnastics/575473/
http://time.com/5431333/usa-gymnastics-decertify-aly-raisman/
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/21/sports/usa-gymnastics-usoc.html
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/20/us/usa-gymnastics-nassar-biles-raisman/index.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2018/11/21/us-olympic-committee-starts-process-revoke-usa-gymnastics-status/2079315002/
Section 3: Analysis of Reports
The article from the Associated Press is probably one of the most thorough of the group I analyzed. To start, it provides context effectively by explaining what led to the USOC moving to decertify USAG. The article provides a timeline of USAG’s mistakes, detailing the chain of CEOs they’ve hired and lost. The reporter also provides past examples of when the USOC has decertified organizations, providing precedent and background into the decision. The information contributing to the context is presented factually, without unnecessary embellishment or sensationalizing.
When it comes to sourcing, the article uses a lot of issued statements from both USAG and the USOC. While it would have been more interesting to read if there were more detailed accounts of both the USOC’s side and USAG’s, it is likely they both would not have commented as they are in the middle of a lawsuit. Outside of the issued statements, the article uses two additional sources that were both relevant. One of those was an Olympian and past survivor of Larry Nassar, and the other was from an attorney defending a gymnast who is part of the group suing both the USOC and USAG. Sources I would have liked to have heard from on this issue may have been a current coach, former USAG employee, or club owner who could comment on what effects the decision to decertify would have on the thousands of members of USAG. However, with the current climate, many of these types of sources likely would refuse to go on record for fear of backlash, which is a fundamental problem that will come up often in analyzing the coverage.
A part of the story that hasn’t been talked about a lot in the news that this article covers is that the USOC is named in lawsuits along with USAG. A lot of coverage of this issue has been really heavy on USAG being the one bad guy, when actually the USOC may be purposely distancing themselves. This article discusses the mistakes the USOC may have made, and what motives they might have in decertifying USA Gymnastics. Over all, this article is one of the more thorough ones I have come across when it comes to reporting on multiple angles of the story. That being said, along with many of these stories, more sources from all sides would be beneficial in telling a complete story about how far-reaching this issue is.

The article in the Atlantic was a bit strange in how it structured introducing sources but provided interesting takes on the situation from a broader standpoint. The article’s first mention of outside sources introduces them as “multiple sources” that had talked about the effect USAG being decertified would have at the grassroots level. While this is an incredibly important side of the story that isn’t getting much coverage, the introduction as “multiple sources” and not “an anonymous source” or “multiple anonymous sources in the gymnastics world” was somewhat confusing, leading me to question who these sources were. A more thorough labeling of these unnamed sources would provide for a more transparent article.
Later on, the reporter introduces named sources, including a lawyer representing gymnasts in the case against USAG and the USOC, as well as a workplace culture consultant. Both of these sources were interesting to read, as many articles have just been quoting issued statements, or quoting high profile athletes. Hearing from the workplace consultant about how the culture of USAG contributed to such big issues as well as how she would suggest going about creating the new organization showed an interesting take on a path forward for USAG.
There was one place in the article where a passage could be interpreted as opinion. When the reporter talks about a “toxic culture … which allowed a predator to go unnoticed,” the statement could be taken as her opinion. While it is widely accepted that this is the case, having the statement come from a source or saying that “many believe the toxic culture allowed a predator to go unnoticed” would have been more representative of fact rather than opinion.

Time overall had the strongest of these articles. To start, they provided many parts of the story that have gone unreported. The reporter opens by talking about Simone Biles and the recent World Championships, which provides context and establishes the importance of the timing of all the strife within USAG. The element of the effect on the athletes has gone increasingly unreported as the political drama of the organizations increases.
Following introducing the issue in the context of the athletes and their continued success, the article provides more context on the issue and what has been happening with USAG. They explain the chain of fired CEO’s, but maintain transparency by using language such as “allegedly” and “reportedly” when talking about unconfirmed accusations. The article provides numbers on Nassar’s victims and prison time, providing more context and factual support.
The article sources only from athletes apart from providing the issued statements from USAG and USOC, which was one area of weakness. That being said, as with many of these articles, it is likely that the organizations would not have been allowed to comment due to being the subject of an ongoing investigation. It was likely incredibly difficult to get any sort of statement from someone other than the athletes who have already been outspoken. Even hearing from coaches or past USAG employees is unlikely due to the polarizing nature of this story. As will be mentioned in my later interview with a highly regarded member of the gymnastics community, few non-athlete sources will go on the record due to risks of being misinterpreted.
That being said, the three athlete sources were all relevant and provided insight on the culture of USAG and what they think needs to be changed. The counter-opinion to their stance would be the issued statement from USAG that is included, which is again not ideal but likely the best the reporters could get.
One big strength of this article is that they actually talk about what it means to be a National Governing Body in sport and goes over the bylaws the USOC created that NGBs must adhere to. Rarely has an article covered USOC bylaws in detail and explained why this is such a drastic move. Explaining that USAG would lose funding and support towards competition answers the big “so what?” question that many who are unfamiliar with the Olympic process would ask. The article also explains how the decertification process would work, and what is still unclear going forward providing a base for continued coverage of the story.

The main point in the article from CNN is covering the two major events – resignation of one CEO and the arrest of a different past CEO – that happened in the same week, likely sparking big decisions by the USOC. The article gives quick but relevant backstory and context, informing the reader about the bare-bones reasons USAG is under fire. There could have been more detail in providing context, and providing the numbers associated with Nassar’s case would have been compelling facts to communicate the gravity of the situation.
The article provides thorough coverage of the two events it focuses on. Covering CEO Mary Bono’s resignation, the article cites Simone Biles’ tweet taking Bono on, and gives context and explanation as to why Bono’s behavior was so bad given the circumstances (Bono marked out a Nike sign on her sneaker, showing she opposed athletes kneeling during the national anthem). The article talks about the importance of Simone’s voice, especially in this situation, as a black athlete who is sponsored by Nike. The article also cites the IndyStar publication when reporting on Bono’s involvement with covering up the Nassar scandal, referencing a well-regarded publication and providing a source for unconfirmed information.
Moving on to their second focus, former CEO Steve Penny’s arrest, the article continues to use pretty relevant sources and cover parts of the story that haven’t been focused on. They include a statement from Penny’s lawyer, providing that side before talking to Olympian and ESPN analyst Kathy Johnson-Clark. Johnson-Clark is a highly regarded member of the gymnastics community and provides a more level headed and thoughtful take than many other sources close to the sport have been able to. The article also talks about the inclusion of Michigan State University in much of this process, as many officials at MSU have been implicated in Nassar’s crimes and are included in lawsuits. There is a statement in the article from the attorney general of Michigan, which was an interesting element that communicates the gravity of the case even more. One weakness in their sourcing is the inclusion of a source that doesn’t appear to be very relevant right in the beginning of the article. The source’s name is Haley Almstedt, described as a former gymnast and professor at Loyola University. Other than her being a gymnast, it was not communicated if she is related to the case in any other way, so her inclusion was a bit out of place.

A shorter article in USA Today does not include any sources, only issued statements, but talks about the current status of decertification, next steps, and looks forward to what decertification means for the future of gymnastics.
The article is unique in that it provides the necessary background to make the article make sense, but doesn’t focus on the more eye-catching and sensationalized pieces of the story. The reporters focus more on the current status of decertification, and what steps the USOC will be taking. They quote the bylaws and discuss who will be on the panel making decisions for USAG, which provides much-needed insight into how this process will work. The actual nuts and bolts of the decertification process has been largely forsaken for the more gripping stories of CEO mishaps and arrests, so telling this part of the story was necessary. The article also mentions USAG member clubs, a facet of the story that has also largely gone unreported. Many effects of decertification will be felt by member clubs at the grassroots level, but few news outlets have looked into exactly what that effect is. The article could have gone into more detail about what this means for enrollment in gymnastics, team success, and growth in the sport to tell a more complete story.

The last article I analyzed was a NY Times article that covered only part of this story, focusing on the organizations involved rather than the more far reaching effects. They provide good context and background on the issue as all of these articles have but could have given more detail about USAG’s failures in hiring leadership. They quote the USOC statement and USAG’s statement and talk about what USAG did in response to being notified of decertification. Only using the issued statements didn’t provide for a very compelling use of sources, and sourcing from any of the involved athletes, coaches, or staff would have added better detail and a more complete story. The article also lacked details about what decertification would mean for the gymnastics community and failed to cover the fact that the USOC is implicated in lawsuits as well. Overall, this article was the least thorough of the bunch, but in addressing USAG’s response to the USOC’s aggressive move, they cover the basics.
Section 4: Experts that could provide insight

Tony Retrosi – Former National Team Coach, Gymnastics Educator, Gym Owner. Previously applied for CEO position. Member of USAG Advisory Council
Tom Forster – Current USAG High Performance Director, in charge of running the National Team.
Sarah Hirshland – CEO of the United States Olympic Committee, author of the letter from the USOC declaring action to decertify USA Gymnastics.

Section 5: Report on my interview with Tony Retrosi

I interviewed Tony Retrosi, a national level coach, highly regarded gymnastics educator, and gym owner here in New Hampshire. Tony has been asked to take the position of CEO at USA Gymnastics twice since former CEO Steve Penny resigned. Tony is also my former coach.
I began by asking Tony if the news coverage he’s seen used sources that were fair and sourced from both sides. He started by saying that he feels news is rarely fair and balanced, but rather consumer driven. In the beginning, he says, the Indianapolis Star and OC Register were doing a good job with their reporting on the plight of USAG, but in the past year believes they’ve been milking the story without seeking out new sources. Part of this, he says isn’t necessarily the fault of reporters. USAG has been advised not to comment by legal counsel, and Tony himself has been contacted by numerous news outlets to comment but refuses to comment on record. Without opening himself up to reporters he already receives hate mail as a visible member of the gymnastics community, and doesn’t want to put his family, friends, or gym through any scrutiny.
High profile athletes have been a commonly used voice in the media, but the media has the tendency sensationalize and rarely are realistic solutions suggested. He says, when I asked who the media should be including in the coverage, that it would be beneficial if the media included former USAG board members, college coaches, for an informed perspective. The pattern seems to be those who are more educated in business, or with more experience in the world of gymnastics as a coach/gym owner have been rarely included in coverage. However, many of these people he says will, like him, refuse to go on record.
I then asked if he thought there were parts of the story that he thought deserved more attention. The interesting thing he brought up that hasn’t gotten much attention in the media, is actually that the USOC is named in more lawsuits than USAG is involving not only gymnastics but other sports as well. Another element that has been underreported and that I didn’t even know about, is that this is not the first time the USOC has tried to decertify USAG. The USOC actually tried to decertify them in 1999, because the USAG wanted to take the steps to suspend members for behavior. According to Tony, the CEO at the time told the USOC that if they did this, they would be criticized in the press for not taking steps to protect athletes, and they backed down. This has been underreported as an almost-failure of the USOC to protect athletes. Additionally, Tony talked about how the good stories won’t sell or get attention online, but there is so much good happening in the gymnastics world that no one is finding out about because all of the reporting is focusing on the politics of these governing bodies. Athlete success, clubs taking additional measures to protect athletes, and men’s team success is all taking a huge back seat to politics.
The coverage of this story has massively impacted those in the gymnastics community. Tony and his colleagues are “terrified” of the current climate. While he feels very strongly that the bad press gymnastics is getting is deserved, it is impacting everyone who works in the community, including those trying to do good. He wonders how coaches are supposed to protect themselves from being wrongly accused if they say, hug an athlete after a great routine. He also brings up an interesting point- the strength of the current National Team is based on success in gymnastics 12+ years ago. Simply put, Tony wonders if gymnastics had bad press when Simone Biles was 6 years old, would they have signed her up? If there was more coverage of what club coaches and owners are doing to ensure the safety and well-being of athletes, maybe they would. But with the current circulation of negative press about gymnastics, he fears not only is it impacting current enrollment, but therefore is impacting the success of our future national team.
I wrapped up by asking him what he would like to see in the coverage as the story progresses. Many parts of the industry have worked for real and significant change. More coverage is needed of the changes people like himself are working for, and coverage of the success the national teams have had in the face of adversity. While yes, it pays to focus on the drama and politics, what about the people who are trying to pick of the pieces? There are so many people, like him, who love the sport so much and are working every day to teach kids the lessons gymnastics has taught myself, Tony, and so many others. Where are those stories? Tony emphasized multiple times that USAG is a mess. He thinks he and many of the people he is connected with in the gymnastics community can try to save the sport that they love. But, how do they do this when anyone associated with USAG, even the “good guys” get threatening hatemail? How can he open himself and his livelihood up to scrutiny? The media has whirled the gymnastics community into a finger-pointing, politically-driven frenzy, and it doesn’t appear to be coming to a swift end.

A TEAM Approach for The Future of USA Gymnastics.

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It may be time for USA Gymnastics to consider a TEAM of individuals to become interim leaders until a permanent CEO can be found.

Who knows, maybe the new CEO and  COO would be part of this team. 

To be an effective leader you need to preach patience and planning. Very often,  when I have rushed to make a decision the result is usually less than optimal. Being patient does not mean you are delaying or avoiding the inevitable. It is just waiting until you have the best information at hand. It is remembering the lesson of past mistakes and implementing a plan for the future. 


The reality is that anyone WE (in the gymnastics world)  would really want as CEO would have business interests, sit on Boards of companies, or  possibly currently serving in congress. They would not be able to drop everything and start work at USA Gymnastics.  It will take at least 6 months for them to divest their interests, sell shares or put things in a blind trust to be ready to accept a leadership role. This is not like applying for a job at Best Buy where you fill out your application on a Tuesday and can start a shift on Saturday. It is going to take time to find the right person. Give that person time to transition out of their current situation and into a leadership role at USA Gymnastics. 

Rushing to get someone at the top is not going to help us. 

Do I know someone who would be a great CEO?  Yes. I know a few great candidates. Do I know a group of people who would make a great transition team? Yes. 

To know what we want in the transition team we need to know what we would want for CEO. Please remember, these are my ideas, I am speaking for no one other than myself. Please feel free to share YOUR ideas in the comment section.

  • Come from INSIDE the industry. They need to be able to speak our language. 
  • Be a great communicator for both INSIDE and OUTSIDE communications. 
  • Have a strong background in business and understand the complex financial situation USA Gymnastics is in. 
  • Have experience working with a Board of Directors.
  • Be a team player. Not a bully. The National office is understaffed and I am sure morale is pretty low. They need someone they can rally behind. 
  • Be able to build alliances through out the sport (between NCAA, Suppliers, and different disciplines)
  • Values Education. We need to continue to educate our professionals. Not just on safety and welfare but on technique and science. 
  • Be able to speak before US Congress, legal teams, and World Leaders.
  • Work with Athletes, Professional Members and Club Owners to see our sport grow and become the gold standard in athlete safety. 
  • Be able to reach out to potential sponsors. 
  • Understand the true meaning of “Transparency” and “empowerment” 

The transition team needs to start sooner rather than later. An added benefit of a TEAM approach is that it is easier to replace one member of a team instead of the head of the organization. The transition team will need to be diverse to fill all those needs. They need to be diplomats not bullies. 

Strategic thinkers who will be able to implement short and long term plans. Build morale in the office and build confidence in the gymnastics community. Hire great minds, not just who is available and cheap. Work with the legal team and Board of Directors to navigate the legal issues facing USA Gymnastics. Work with Club Owners and Professional Members ensuring their voices are heard and that the organization reflects the needs of the membership. 

Work with the survivors and their families. Help them find closure and have them help the federation move forward and put policies in place that would make us all safer. 

As a coach, I have spent my career building people up. The mark of a good leader is that they work to make EVERYONE around them better. I believe in what USA Gymnastics can be. What it should be. I think we can find a team and a leader who can build it up. Not burn it down. Individuals who will replace the parts that are not working. Growth and Change are always difficult but necessary. USA Gymnastics has made far too many mistakes in it’s rush to find a fast solution. If we do not get this next one right- there is probably not going to be another chance. 

Gymnastics IS GREAT- And we will make it EVEN BETTER

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Once again we find gymnastics in the news. Those of us IN the industry – we are not helping ourselves when we post and share only negative news. 

WE HAVE GREAT THINGS HAPPENING 

  • There are hundreds of clubs across the nation doing fundraisers for clubs damaged in Hurricane Michael. 

  • There are clinicians and coaches traveling throughout the world hosting clinics and training camps sharing the knowledge which we gained in the USA.

 

  • Our Men’s and Women’s team are in Doha preparing for World Championships. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Remember all the great things you are doing as a coach in the USA. 
  • Remember all the great things your club does giving back to the community. 
  • Remember that you are making a positive difference in the lives of children. A gymnast you have in class today may grow up to be a doctor that finds a cure for cancer. They will fail many times in their research but they learned about moving on from failure from you. 
  • A gymnast on your team who struggles through conditioning make grow up to be a fire fighter who rescues a larger adult because they learned perseverance from gymnastics. 
  • A gymnast on your team who barely makes it to practice on time because her life is so busy may grow up to be a world leader. 
  • That young coach who works for you who is so excited to learn and share their knowledge may one day become president of the federation. 

Yes- we must own our failures.We must educate our community and do better, but we also must be proud of everything our gymnastics community has done , is doing and will do going forward! #GymnasticsStrong #GymnasticsProud #TogetherWeAreBetter.

Today- look forward to what we can do and Be proud of our accomplishments. 

I have so much respect for each one of you. I thank you. 

I am merely a reflection of your greatness. 

Tony

Vote of No Confidence

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Vote of NO CONFIDENCE

Dear Gymnastics Community and Board of Directors

We, the undersigned coaches of the gymnastics industry and professional members in good standing with USA Gymnastics, have regretfully composed this letter to express our dissatisfaction with the current President Ms. Kerry Perry. Unfortunately, circumstances have left us no other recourse.

This letter is an expression of our “Vote of No Confidence” in Ms. Perry and her ability to run our federation. We understand the severity of this decision and did not arrive at it hastily. We have lost all trust, faith, and confidence in Ms. Perry’s ability to make decision for or lead USA Gymnastics.

USA Gymnastics has, for the most part, been a federation to be proud of, one where decisions were made on a collaborative basis with the best interest of all in mind. Supporting organizations and groups have always relied on USA Gymnastics to display experienced great vision from our current leaders, and where athletes, judges and coaches were given the respect and support needed to achieve our goals.

Throughout the past months, we have had concerns regarding Ms. Perry’s leadership specifically regarding trust, collaboration, decision making, vision, her lack of communication. We also believe that Ms. Perry failed to abide by the mission statement, “Win medals, Grow the Sport, Increase Visibility for the Sport, Lead and Serve the Sport”. All athletes, judges and coaches will succeed in a climate that sustains a passion for fairness. Athletes succeed best when the gymnastics federation maintains a strong partnership with the total membership at all levels. As coaches, we no longer have a voice.

Perry has not created a better gymnastics environment, but instead has created a toxic environment for both coaches and athletes. Without the recognition of mistakes or the willingness to listen to outside entities or her own trained competent coach members, there is no hope for changing or improvement and thus no way forward.

We feel she has a lack of attention to, preparation for, or appropriate prioritizing of, the requirements and interests of our entire membership body,  as well as a failure to recognize and respect the expertise of the educational professionals in the membership.

We feel she has inconsistency in application of rules and an ongoing lack of respect toward many of the coaches and organizations that make up the USA Gymnastics Board of Directors. A federation cannot be run successful with a one-way avenue of communication.  Even when input is sought, there is a failure to follow through or a total disregard for the communication in the first place. Ideas of many; when communication occurs, it is too often delayed and incomplete. There’s just an overall feeling of we as coaches are losing ground all the time. We need a different, more solid leadership, we need a firm direction to head towards. The moral is just too low and feel it is time for a change.

For these reasons stated, we the undersigned are voting “No Confidence” in Ms. Perry and hope and believe that you as a USA Gymnastics professional member and role model will make the right decision and chose what is in the best interest for the industry including the athletes, coaches and judges of all disciplines and vote no confidence as well.

Together, as professional members, we can make positive change.

US Elite Coaches Association for Women’s Gymnastics

Established 1976

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