The world of ‘acro’ gymnastics is a small and intense one that first came to prominence when Spellbound won Britain’s Got Talent. Very few ‘accro’ gymnasts or parents have dared to speak out publicly even anonymously as they are afraid of the retribution that might follow. Hopefully, with the support of the rest of us, more may speak out and help prevent further abuse in the name of gymnastics. Here is our first acro testimony:
“My story starts as a 9-year-old child, training in what is known as one of the UK’s top sports acrobatic centres.
I adored gymnastics and wanted to be the best, yet my experiences have tainted my love of the sport and left me with deep scars. To be able to write it all down and get my feelings and story across will be a tough task.
I will start with the strict weight regime we were all put under. We were weighed twice a session and our weight was recorded in a book, both at the beginning and at the end of the session. If we had put any weight on, we would be shouted at. We were also told to eat less at dinner time. This caused so much anxiety in me that when Easter came, I begged my mum to give away all my Easter eggs. I also used to run up and down the stairs when my mum was in the garden. I was desperate to keep my weight down. After every few laps of the stairs, I would weigh myself. Desperate not to be shouted at when I went to training later that day. At the age of 9, I had a dangerous and unhealthy obsession with my weight.
The forced stretching was another painful event in more ways than one. The older gymnasts were encouraged to stretch us. Incredibly dangerous and a situation in which many could take advantage, to which they did in a lot of cases. The girl I was paired with stretched me to the point where I could not walk in a straight line afterwards. Actually, this happened at every session, in fact sometimes twice a session, we were over-stretched to the point that we couldn’t walk properly. One time before a competition, she was trying to impress a boy she knew who did gymnastics at another club. She force-stretched me so hard I was sobbing. They were both laughing, taking enjoyment from my very obvious distress. I had to compete just moments later, pretending nothing was wrong.
I also saw the head coach force stretch a 4-year-old girl to tears. This little girl had come in just for a trial session. The child was crying in pain and pulling at her legs, against the coach but the coach did not stop and instead, kept that hard, stony, look on her face which still haunts me today.
The head coach also was not averse to slapping. I got a slap round the leg at the end of a routine as my leg was not straight enough. It left a mark and yet she showed no concern. It was like it was something she felt she could do knowing there would be no come back.
When I decided enough was enough and I wanted to leave the group, I was shamed into staying. I was told I would be letting people down and I ended up staying for a good few months more. I then decided to continue training in a group which was not as intense, and which was based at the same club. Unfortunately, things were not much better. My male coach told me I was fat regularly. I was 14 at the time and of course, not even remotely overweight. I remember going into the toilets in tears, a team mate came in with me and as there was a pair of scales in the toilets, I got on them, and I remember her adjusting them slightly so my weight would appear lower. She told me it was ok but it felt anything but. After my parents complained about this coach’s treatment of me, he claimed it was a joke and made it seem like I was making a fuss out of nothing. Looking back now, there were other behaviours that were very inappropriate. He would say to me ‘One day some guy is going to fall in love with those eyes’ and he would constantly be trying to touch me. He made me feel deeply uncomfortable and I tried to avoid being alone with him at all costs.
At the age of 15, I left the sport. It has without doubt left me with many scars. The forced stretching incident where my pain was laughed at most of all, but especially the focus and berating of my weight. I have worried about my body shape and food intake for many years. I also suffer from very low self-esteem.
We were not cared for or valued as people. We were objects, puppets to our coaches. We had no voice and were controlled. Seeing all the accounts come out of other gymnasts’ stories is so hard to read. There are so many similarities between them. The main theme seems to be that we were not cared for or treated as the children we were.
There needs to be a huge overhaul as to how we deal with coaches who overstep the line. Regular checks and child protection training for all staff working with gymnasts is key. Not just the coaches but also the receptionists and the cleaners who work at the clubs. The more people that are educated, the better we protect our future gymnasts.
Gymnastics is a beautiful sport, but it has been tainted by those who really should know better. No more silence. It’s time to tell our stories and overhaul the whole damaging culture. I emailed the integrity team and they said they would get back to me but never did.
Thanks for reading my story.”
#gymnastalliance
If you have been affected by or witnessed maltreatment in the gymnastics setting you can speak to a trained NSPCC counsellor on 0800 056 0566.
If you would like your story to be shared on this blog please email blog@innermagic.co.uk