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
