Coaches Robin Netwall and Heather Moroz, who no longer coaches at Parkettes, are also named in the allegations, according to the source. Last year, The Morning Call reported that former U.S. National Team member Jessica Armstrong said she was sexually abused by a coach while training at Parkettes in the late 1970s or early 1980s.. One woman said that as a young teenager, Holmans teasing personality reminded her of her older brother, and she would respond to his comments with smart remarks, but when she repeated them, her mother found them troubling. Holman has been restricted from unsupervised contact with minors since 2019, when he was confronted with allegations of improper touching and inappropriate comments dating to the early 1990s. I love Bill and Donna. He says it every time he does something., The 14-year-old girl described a time when she and her friend were at his home, and he began sexually assaulting her while giving her a massage, according to testimony. What is ESG investing and why do some hate it so much? Racine, WI. Brand New App to watch all of WFMZ-TV News and Syndicated Programing 24/7 on your Streaming App enabled TV. The parents of elite gymnasts who trained at Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center say years of alleged abuse by coaches took a devastating toll on their daughters mental and physical health and continues to strain family bonds years after leaving the Allentown gym. Para solicitar una acomodacin por discapacidad, comunquese con Josh Vollendorf con tresdas de anticipacin al 262-564-3062 o enve un correo electrnico a compliance@gtc.edu. She was told she was uncoachable, I cant deal with you, and it wore her down.. As an elite-track gymnast, coaches started weighing her with her teammates at age 10, she said. Parkettes founders Donna and Bill Strauss at the Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center in Allentown. They were mad at my mom because she wouldnt bring me in earlier, the woman said. The sport of gymnastics is in a period of intense change after it was rocked by the accusations of hundreds of girls and women who said they were sexually assaulted by U.S. womens national gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, who was convicted in federal court in 2017 for being in possession of 27,000 images of child pornography and in 2018 on 10 counts of sexual assault in two Michigan courts. Riegel was one of Moyers accusers, alleging the coach molested him between the ages of 8 and 16. $8.00 for current members, $10 for non members. MORNING CALL FILE PHOTO Parkettes owners Bill and Donna Strauss and three current and former coaches are named in abuse allegations filed by the U.S. Center for SafeSport in which at least 11 athletes say they were subjected to physical and emotional abuse and sexual harassment from a male coach who has been restricted from unsupervised contact Hosted By: Parkettes Facility: Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center Located: Allentown, PA Women's Meet He confirms he received the complaint from the U.S Center for SafeSport. Parkettes, founded in the 1960s by Bill and Donna Strauss, was not untouched by the wave of athletes who went public with their accounts of abuse while training to be some of the worlds best. The first time the 13-year-old was sexually assaulted by Deppa, according to her testimony, her younger sister was asleep in another room at the home. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. They said they contacted SafeSport to complain about abuse with the hope that it would keep other girls from experiencing the same thing. In addition, several specialty classes have been developed to meet the specific needs of a variety of groups. The parents said they struggle themselves at times, questioning their judgment in sending their daughters to train at Parkettes, which one described as a meatgrinder. The mothers and one father described an organization where parents were kept at a distance and the consequences for those who questioned coaches would be dealt out to their children. Pennsylvania Level 10 State Champions. When asked why he felt someone was uncomfortable, Deppa is accused of saying, they asked me to buy them things, and Id do it. Parkettes gymnastics coach hit by SafeSport suspension John Holman, a 40-year veteran coach at the controversial gym, suspended by SafeSport and USA Gymnastics By Scott M. Reid | sreid@scng.com. But she said Netwall made her do backflips. Theres no reason that she fractured her pelvis and had this [repetitive stress] injury if it wasnt for the training at Parkettes, her mother said. They said their coaches verbally berated them for mistakes, made them work out with fractures and other injuries, controlled what they ate, and made inappropriate comments about their bodies. Yesko said sports governing bodies should also have an independent ombudsman as the first point of contact for athletes. However, they're now on the defensive after a recent Morning Call article detailed allegations of emotional, physical and verbal abuse. Parkettes Elites. The bylaw cited as grounds for the restriction refers exclusively to sexual misconduct, but USA Gymnastics said it could also refer to non-sexual misconduct allegations. We offer a variety of programs for boys and girls of all ages; preschool . I dont want to see coaches that are still there coaching little girls. I didnt realize that it was as bad as it was until a parent of one of her teammates called me because her daughter came home crying because of how they treated my daughter, said the womans mother. There were no other places nearby where she would get that level of training, her mother said. Kristen Maloney discusses her injuries and how she has n. There was an error processing your request. John and Robin were always awesome and never out of place. The driver spent about 20 minutes trapped in the canal. I was just exhausted and couldnt take it anymore. Facility: Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center. He declined to share the document. Parkettes founders Donna and Bill Strauss in 2014. Website Accessibility & Privacy Statements, Gateway Technical College is committed to providing, for all. Instead we welcome donations to help support hosting costs. When the team traveled to meets, salads or a plain baked potato were the only meals of substance they ate, she said. No walk-ins. (LogOut/ Change). As a project and program coordinator, Bernestine Jeffers joined the Center for Urban Population Health in 2020 to develop educational and capacity training strategies, opportunities, and resources for community, academic and governmental organizations, and substance use disorder (SUD) workforces. July 09-10: Level 8 Where: Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center 401 Martin Luther King Jr Dr. Allentown, PA 18102 (610) 433-0011 Who is Gymnasts who competed optionals in 2022 and who will compete at a minimum . Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. standoff, Palmerton considers plans to curb vandalism. They would brainwash the girls into thinking you would not go into college gymnastics if you went somewhere else.. She just really is struggling, she said. She said a sports psychologist told her and her husband the environment at Parkettes was too toxic for their daughter to return and they found out their daughter had tried to harm herself by taking an overdose of pills. Netwall declined to comment. Its hard that it has taken this long for it to finally come to the surface. Parkettes Gymnastics - YouTube Switching our focus now to a group of talented young athletes at Parkettes Gynmnastics. She and her dad insisted that they continue on that route because she was an extremely good gymnast.. The woman left Parkettes shortly afterward. Three former Parkettes gymnasts spoke to The Morning Call about their complaints to the U.S. Center for SafeSport that resulted in an ongoing investigation of five Parkettes coaches, including owners Bill and Donna Strauss. Even when their daughter was unhappy at Parkettes, she was hesitant to leave or complain, a gymnasts parents said adding that she begged them not to go to the gym and say anything. So even by the time theyre of age, the line between tough coaching and child abuse gets blurred. happens, you already dont believe your own take on things.. One of the women who made allegations to SafeSport and agreed to be interviewed by The Morning Call described herself and other gymnasts being subjected to criticism for their weight and body shape. Holman has been restricted from unsupervised contact with minors since 2019, when an accusation of improper touching and sexual comments was first leveled against him. While the women said they discussed their experiences with parents, they either assumed it was a normal part of training or didnt want to risk complaining because of the effect it might have on their childrens prospects as gymnasts, the women said. The U.S. Center for SafeSport is investigating the allegations. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. SafeSport was created by Congress in 2017 to promote safety in amateur athletics. May 06, 2021 10:17 AM. Its hard that it has taken this long for it to finally come to the surface. Some suffered career-ending injuries in their early teens, developed eating disorders, suffered depression and one attempted suicide, said the parents of six young women who trained and competed with Parkettes in the last decade. After the first surgery there was a 70% chance she would not compete again and after the second one, it was like an 80 or 90% chance and she wanted to prove to herself that she could do it, but then she realized, at what cost? her mother said. USA Gymnastics tells The Allentown Morning Call that Holman's suspension, issued by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, is a requirement when such allegations are reported. the frequent calls of abuse from some athletes that meet praise from others (the reaction to the Parkettes CNN documentary, the reaction to Jeff and Rachelle Thompson at Penn State . I dont know how many other girls are being affected, one said. Some said that made them hesitant to speak up or even prompted their daughters to beg them to remain quiet. This affordable conference brings together experts in the field of alcohol and other drug addiction to provide fresh perspectives on how to serve children and families who suffer the effects of substance use disorders. In the current sports culture, athletes have everything to lose by speaking up, she said. These kids go to these national training centers when theyre 10 years old. Classes dooley 2022-12-13T15:22:23+00:00. The source provided the names of some of the women who made the most recent complaints against Parkettes, two of whom provided emails from SafeSport investigator Scott Tripp last week confirming that notice of their accusations had been or would soon be delivered to the coaches. Beyond sexual abuse, advocates including former Parkette Jennifer Sey have spoken out about the punishing nature of elite training that leaves athletes with lasting psychological, emotional and physical injuries. SafeSport is a federally funded agency created in 2018 to oversee athlete safety in amateur sports. 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The Parkettes organization provides the finest in gymnastics training to over 1200 local children that participate to have fun while developing physical fitness, coordination, strength and flexibility. She described herself as growing up at the gym and said she only realized when she was older that it was a toxic environment. These include Cheerleading, "Special Needs" classes, addressing the needs of children with emotional, mental or physical handicaps, as well as Adult classes. Two of the women still work with nutritionists to address eating disorders they developed after training at Parkettes, their mothers said. 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