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. The newspaper reports it talked to three former gymnasts, who spoke anonymously. Reasonable accommodations are provided for all services, programs, activities, education, and employment for individuals with disabilities. There were certain times when our own kids would get X-rays or MRIs and the results would be released to the Parkettes coaching staff before we knew what they were, the father said. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Allentown Parkettes co-owner Donna Strauss introduces high school gymnastics during a mock college signing ceremony at the Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center in Allentown in 2013. Her 30 years of experience in behavioral health and health care policy, coordination and administration encompass the areas of primary care, ob/gyn and perinatology, cardiology, and mental health/substance use disorders, with a primary focus on womens health. Please support MeetScoresOnline by following our sponsors. 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Gateway Technical College. 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. While the sport of gymnastics is incredibly difficult to coach and train, protecting the health, safety, and well-being of the athletes is, as it has always been, the highest priority of Parkettes and the Parkettes staff, Prince said in an email. God Bless. After that incident, the woman said, she felt the coaches were ignoring her and she left Parkettes to continue training at another gym. 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. 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. If an athlete is speaking up, they probably have a good reason for speaking up, especially an elite athlete, she said. We have never seen this, Three Kansas City police officers shot and injured while executing search warrant, Bullying of referees leads to entire student section being thrown out of Iowa game, Andy Reid says teams equipment manager had Chiefs ready for slippery Super Bowl field, Burger King brings back fan-favorite sandwich but not for long. Yeah Parkettes is one of the gyms that the gym community has known is abusive for decades and I kept waiting for that to come up when everything else started coming up and it just. The sport needs to figure out do we need to create elite athletes anymore and if we decide it is important to our culture, how do I do that while ensuring that I never look at this young athlete crossways, Riegel said. (Emily Paine/The Morning Call via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Tripp said he could not discuss the investigation, and a spokesperson for SafeSport said in an email that the center does not comment on matters to protect the integrity of the process. To request disability accommodation or accessibility assistance, please contact the Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights at least three days in advance at 262-564-3062/Wisconsin Relay 711 or compliance@gtc.edu. He pleaded guilty in 2017 to multiple sex crimes and was sentenced last year to what amounts to a life prison term. She said she and her daughter complained to a SafeSport investigator last year about emotional and mental abuse that led to the depression and anxiety her daughter now struggles with. While the three women said they endured the emotional and psychological effects of training, it was the physical damage to their bodies that led them to leave Parkettes. In 2018, Jessica Armstrong, an advocate for athlete safety, told The Morning Call she was sexually abused by her coach while training at. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. The womans mother confronted the coach and the next day at practice Netwall walked up to her and started screaming. 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. Parkettes Boys Team. My emotional response was just like broken because my feelings never mattered in the sport. For the gymnast who is interested in competing, the opportunity exists on one of the many different teams, and is handled on an individual basis. I am too. She said in one instance the week of a major competition, Donna Strauss demanded she lose five pounds and said if she didnt she wouldnt compete because she didnt want the other parents to see a fat gymnast on her team. They said they contacted SafeSport to complain about abuse with the hope that it would keep other girls from experiencing the same thing. (LogOut/ In 2018, Jessica Armstrong, an advocate for athlete safety, told The Morning Call she was sexually abused by her coach while training at Parkettes in the late 1970s or early 80s. She said coaches would go through the gymnasts lunches and tell them what they could eat. Information from: The Morning Call, http://www.mcall.com, CORRECTS TO MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS AND REMOVES GYMNAST REFERENCE - In this June 30, 2016 photo, coach John Holman works with a gymnast at Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center in Allentown, Pa. Holman, who has coached for about 40 years at Parkettes Gymnastics Club, has been barred by USA Gymnastics from being around minors unsupervised while it investigates a misconduct claim. Error! 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. She detailed a separate instance when Deppa allegedly exposed himself in front of both girls. In one case a gymnast said she was punished for weighing 96 pounds instead of 95 and called fat, according to the article. I was just exhausted and couldnt take it anymore. I didnt think it was in the best interest of my daughter to be seen by someone who had a relationship with the gym, the mother said. Gateway Technical College Some coaches are stepping away from the elite levels of the sport, finding that they dont want to risk crossing the line or feeling that they can no longer accomplish their goal of training champions with the changes in what the sport deems acceptable, he said. To view/download conference handouts, please visit the Help & Hope Conference Speaker Handouts webpage. Parkettes co-founder Donna Strauss told the newspaper at the time she hadn't received any other reports of abuse. According to a Morning Call article, 11 former gymnasts have filed complaints against the owners and three other coaches alleging verbal, emotional and physical abuse. For the gymnast who is interested in competing, the opportunity exists on one of the many different teams, and is handled on an individual basis. Competed on 2.22.23 in San Juan, Puerto Rico @ the Junior National Elite Championships. 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 . Owner Bill Strauss says there is a board meeting Monday night where they will discuss what's next. There were no other places nearby where she would get that level of training, her mother said. When interviewed by police, Deppa said he knew he made someone uncomfortable, according to the criminal complaint. If there is any solution, it is that we have to empower parents to speak up, she said. One of the five coaches, John Holman, is also accused of sexually harassing athletes. The SafeSport investigation has reopened old wounds even as it brings hope for change, some parents said. Jill Yesko, a fellow at the Center for Sports and Media at the University of Texas at Austin, said the allegations against the Parkettes coaches are reflective of sports culture across the board. Coaches Robin Netwall and Heather Moroz, who no longer coaches at Parkettes, are also named in the allegations, according to the source. 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. Deppa, a coach at Twin Ports Gymnastics in Superior, was charged with two counts of sexual abuse of a child under 16 and one count of exposing genitals. My parents knew enough not to get involved, she said. We are dedicated to providing every child with a . The stuff I have seen some of my teammates get pushed through and the stuff Ive been through have affected me for the rest of my life emotionally, physically, and mentally. He is a 2011 Western Kentucky University graduate who has previously worked at the Paducah Sun and Madisonville Messenger as a sports reporter and the Lexington Herald-Leader as a breaking news reporter. ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) The organization tasked with policing abuse in Olympic sports has barred a Pennsylvania gymnastics coach from being around minors unsupervised while it investigates a misconduct claim. When one of the girls confronted 47-year-old George Deppa about the alleged sexual abuse, which included him kissing them, touching them inappropriately and exposing himself, he responded by saying, Well, I thought you wanted that, court records show. Many athletes are critical of SafeSport, saying they dont feel that it is there to support them but rather to protect the sports governing bodies. Youre doing things that I dont want you to be doing,' the woman recalled. State champion Kentucky track coach accused of placing recording device in school bathroom, Support my work with a digital subscription, iPhone alert led deputies to cries for help from car submerged in Florida canal, Bald eagles egg breaks in nest, Minnesota photo shows. I was a gymnast at Parkettes from age 5 until about 12-13 years old. 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. The third woman recalled coaches would go through the girls lunch boxes and throw away anything they didnt approve of. You realize very quickly that you are not welcome there, said the mother of a 19-year-old woman who left Parkettes and gymnastics when she was in the eighth grade after rising to the highest levels of the sport. 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