Monday, August 27, 2012



Gymnasts from Excalibur are saying that Gabby is lying based on her comments about race on Oprah's Next Chapter. While many will always wish to dismiss racism, I believe that Oprah and Gabby simply made TV out of an issue that is much deeper. Having known gymnasts and parents from the gym, there has always been a sense that girls know where they rank at that gym based on the attention afforded to them (and at many other gyms.) Gymnasts get a sense of who is gymnast #1, #2, #3, #4. When Gabby was coming up through the ranks, Marcia Newby, Randy Stageberg and Brittany Ranzy were originally the stars of the gym., but it was clear to anyone that Gabby had immense talent. Race is everywhere in gymnastics. Most black gymnasts are encouraged to be 'power gymnasts' by coaches who encourage them to throw every trick in the book while they might encourage a white gymnast to be more of a 'skill' gymnast or dancer. It simply happens. In fact, Gabby was initially pointed out as one of the first black gymnasts with 'exceptional toe point.' Things simply are as they are, and it is likely that the coaches viewed Gabby as a talent and her 'isolation' had more to do with her being the true talent of than gym, which her mom subtly hinted it, but it was Oprah and when Oprah wants you to give an answer...she will give it out of you and have you go along with what Omniscient O says is the real story. While Oprah is eager to bring up Gabby being a black gymnast in a predominately white sport (which is true, but has been changing for some time...and certainly not on the level of diving or figure skating), it should be known that there have been a number of successful black gymnasts from Excalibur. Did Gabby likely receive racist remarks along the way? Absolutely. But Oprah ignores the fact that in addition to being a black girl, Gabby was always the quick, light, effervescent gymnast with 'the gift.' After a Junior National Championships, I said the only thing Gabby needed to do to make the Olympics was switch gyms immediately to someone who could teach bars. If I could spot it, every competitive little gymnast and their parents could spot it and view her as a threat or someone to envy. I wouldn't be quick to label Gabby a liar, but I do think that things are different now that she has been branded by Oprah as someone who 'represents something more than herself to a lot of people.' Like Shawn Johnson, her interviews will likely soon be 'based on a true story.'

60 comments:

  1. Gabby is happy. She did this for attention and idiots like AJ are defending her.

    Classic shiat

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    1. Are we reading different posts or sth?

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  2. Oprah makes me sick. Hey, was she aware of the money Gabby's mother owes that gym. It was because of her talent that they made arrangements for her mother to pay them back later. Most girls have to quit the sport, many very talented because their parents have no money to pay for the training. What an ungracious brat this girl is! Wow, just disgusting. Shame on them. It just reminds me of how Oprah ripped the other of "One Million Little Pieces Apart" on national television for not being totally honest with most of his books, but at least he didn't steal from people, then file for bankruptcy and then smear the same people on a public platform. Class and Race have nothing to do with each other!

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    1. I meant class, as having class, not the socioeconomic class that you are taking about. Besides a few typing errors, sorry typing fast, at least I did not use vulgar language in my post. At least my vocabulary goes beyond using the word SH__!

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    2. Ungracious can mean disrespectful, which I think she is, ill-mannered, so what does not make sense to you. She basically bite the hand that fed her for years in this interview. I am entitled to my opinion. The information I have read is from the news media. If they are wrong then I hope Gabby's mother sues them. Somehow I doubt that will happen. Read the article on PilotOnline.com. Her hometown paper. Gabby may only be 16, but her mother is an adult. She should of known better than to go down that road in the interview. All she is doing is killing her daughter's marketability and her daughter's relationship with her father. And yes her mother does make me sick! Pay back the people who have helped your daughter, give them some credit instead of ripping them apart in the media! That my friend is UNGRATEFUL!

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  3. Thanks so much for this post. Nice insight. I'm black and the interview made me uncomfortable. I don't believe for a second that Gabby WANTED that interview to go in that direction. I mean, for her to have just won the medal... Maybe because we are still so close to that euphoric moment, its just a downer. Like really? I have watched both gymnastics and figure skating for years now and I've always felt like skating was much more of an elitist and white sport. I know that we are not in a post-racial society, but to say the things that she said, I'm just wondering who fed her this script? Why say these things? Did they NOT feel like this would cast Excalibur in a bad light? Note that she said (she fumbled through this part too which leads me to believe that there were talking points/script involved) "...I didn't want to hold back... I was afraid to do my best... I needed to change gyms so as not to waste my talent."

    Now Gabby is a little firecracker, very confident, borderline cocky (and I think the little athletes that make the meteoric rises ala Tara Lipinski kinda have to be to achieve greatness), but it just doesn't make sense for her to say these things. I can't wait til' she gets older. She's going to look back on this interview distastefully...

    --ct

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    1. I'm not a huge fan of Gabby, though I was happy to see her win the Olympics. That said, watching excerpts of the Oprah segment it's easy to see Oprah literally framing the story and feeding the lines to Gabby and her mom. I'm not suggesting that Gabby and her mom aren't culpable for their contribution to the storyline, but at the same time they do not strike me as particularly savvy, sophisticated people. I can see how it would be easy to get caught up in the show and to feel pressured to deliver a Cinderella story, even if it means distorting the truth. Not an excuse, but maybe a reason.

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    2. I agree, although I've loved Gabby since I first saw her in 2010. Gabby's family does not seem fully aware of the consequences of what they are saying. There is a reason gymnasts like Aly or Jordyn give the same old boring, generic answers in an interview-- it is safe. Gabby's publicist is very clearly not doing her job right, in my opinion. She should have prepared Gabby for this so that she would come off intelligent and introspective. Gabby is only 16. No matter how smart or savvy one is, at 16 a person is not fully thinking for themselves or fully grasping complicated issues (no matter how much a 16 year old would like to counter that argument!). Gabby has been thrust into the spotlight and probably has a million people telling her what to say and do. Oprah was asking leading questions, and Gabby felt as if she had to answer them in a certain way. That was clear as day. Gabby was not believable. Not because she was lying about the race issue-- I believe what she said. She was not believable because it was apparent that she was uncomfortable and understood that the topic was more complicated than Oprah was allowing it to be.

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  4. I don't know anything about Gabby or anyone else's situation at Excalibur, so I don't want to comment on that. However, I do feel that Gabby's interviews are so over coached and over rehearsed that her way of speaking now lacks credibility and authenticity. Gabby has a way of speaking that I wouldn't necessarily believe her if she said her favorite color was yellow and she recently enjoyed visiting an aquarium. So, I'm not sure about this one either.
    As you said, it may be this aspect of Gabby's personality (along with her incredible natural talent) that may leave her on the outside looking in among a group of girls. Without knowing details, this seemed to be the case with Gabby and the rest of Team USA this summer.

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  5. I like Gabby, but she needs to kick all the 'adults' in her life to curb ASAP. It's only been a few weeks and I already can't tell Gabby's true life story to the narrative that her PR team are trying to present.

    I always thought Gabby was the diamond in the rough who convinced her mom to let her go to a better coach. She moved away from home at a young age and also had to deal with her father being overseas fighting and skyped with him as much as she could

    Now it's she wanted to quit years ago, left Exaclibur because she was bullied, wanted to quit right before the Olympics, had the meet of her life and won, but now she hasn't spoken to her father at all.

    I don't know what to believe anymore. I can't tell if it's:
    Sheryl Shade who seems to love scripting lies for her clients
    Gabby's mom who now has the 'power' to throw it in Exaclibur's and her ex-husband's face
    Oprah who desperately wanted to make it about race with the constant 'I don't want to bring up the race card'

    It's only been a few weeks and I'm already tired of her story changing

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  6. You're over-simplifying what is actually a very complicated situation. Racism is so much more than the massive systemic scale in your example. Everyday, seemingly smaller expressions of it (like what Gabby talks about) contribute to the measurable, institutionalized forms of racism. They aren't separate things.

    I have no doubt that there is more to the story than Gabby simply being the only black girl in the gym. AJ's right: Oprah wanted a story and a certain narrative. However, I also think it's likely that some of the jealousy coming from other gymnasts & their parents was expressed via racist remarks to bring Gabby down/make themselves feel better. Whatever else Oprah's motives were, there is a story here and a conversation worth having.

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  7. Why are some people so skeptical that there may have been some bullying going on or some comments said, which could be construed as racist. This stuff happens all of the time. The fact that Excalibur coaches and gymnasts seem to be the taking the stance that 'this absolutely NEVER EVER would happen at our gym' is silly. It probably did happen, and it happens everywhere. Lots of kids get "bullied", especially in a setting like that where one kid is the "favored" one, and lots of kids say stupid, offensive things. I thought Gabby's comment was unnecessary, and I think she should just quit talking about Excalibur all together, but it was hardly a comment that painted Excalibur as ground zero for racism and bigotry.

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    1. agreed. @AnonymousAugust 27, 2012 9:30 PM
      Its also easy to overlook these problems, or to play part in it without being aware. When school shootings take place, or when bullied children hang themselves to escape their pain, the line is always the same "we did not realize there was a problem" . Just because you do not see it does not mean that the problem does not exist.

      IMO Excalibur has already cast themselves in a bad light with the article about Gabby's mom months ago. That was distasteful, and something to be settled legally not in the poor piece of "journalism" produced by the Virginia newspaper.

      Sheryl Shade is a bad agent -- if she was good Gabby would have been prepared for this interview and these questions. Gabby would not have responded to the Excalibur questions. Gabby would not have responded to the questions about her dad. In this sense, Sheryl (and Oprah and Gabby's mom, have somewhat exploited Gabby).

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  8. AJ, before attempting to make a thoughtful, articulate post, perhaps you should edit/spell-check. As it is I'm confused by your argument--is it: racism is a part of gymnastics, so accept it? Or is it the resentment toward Gabby was based on her talent and not her race? But said resentment manifested in racial slurs and if so, then if the girls are making racial remarks was Gabby somehow supposed to pick up on the fact that those comments aren't really because she's black, but because she's talented?

    Also judging by some comments you and your companions have made in the past, perhaps you aren't the best person to judge what's racist and what is not.

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  9. ya I really don't get how her dad was at trials and talking on skype, but now suddenly they aren't talking, i mean why talk openly about it but leave so much confusion, why all the trash talking now? was it not ok to do before olympic gold?

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  10. i didn't see oprah treat nastia this nicely

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  11. Of course Gabby was bullied. Of course racist things were said. It's called being an African American teenager in a very small highly competitive sport. But I doubt it's as prevalent as they are making it seem.

    Just look at the headline. 'Gabby Douglas to Oprah: I was bullied called slave during early gymnastics training in Virginia.'

    Gabby is a celebrity now and her PR team is going to try to spin the stories and keep her name in the public eye as much as possible. We're talking about the same agent who handles Shawn Johnson here people

    Publicity Publicity Publicity Publicity. We're saturated with celebrity culture and so and so is dating X actor who cheated with this musician. Things should be taken with a grain of salt.

    I'm sure what Gabby said is true, but exactly how many girls was it? How many times did it happen? Did she tell any of the adults in her life? Did other gymnasts have similar experiences? Should these questions be answered or is it OK for the media say a bunch of teenage girls and a gymnastics gym are racist?

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    1. What, exactly, is the current definition of "bullying"? It seems these days that any time a kid is on the receiving end of a single unkind word or action, that they are a victim of "bullying." If an idiot in a car yells, "Run, Forrest, run!" at me when I'm out jogging, have I just been bullied?

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  12. I'm willing to cut Gabby a little slack here because it looked to me like she had no desire to go down the racism road but Oprah was going to make a point about it no matter what anyone else wanted. I mean her questions to Gabby were so leading it was almost as though she were telling her what to say and when to say it.

    The kid is sixteen and has spent nearly her whole waking life in a gym. She doesn't know how to navigate this landline of public relations. People are going to put words in her mouth and she's got no idea how to refute them. It would be great if there were unselfish adults around Gabby to steer her in the right direction, but we all know the end to this story. It'll probably get worse before it gets better. All I can hope is that she grows up fast and realizes that not everyone giving her advice is trying to help her. I don't want her image to be tarnished all because she achieved the pinnacle of her sport. Some incentive for future gymnasts: win the gold, have your family's secrets and drama played out for the entire world to judge!

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  13. "It's a God thing?" These people are delusional. Remind me never to watch another episode of Oprah.

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    1. Can't stand the b**** myself......

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  14. Ugh Gabby is so phony now. Shade is telling her what to say and when to say it, and now she just spits out vague, dumb answers like a robot. Poor kid, not her fault.

    The situation with her dad is weird. He was at Trials, now she's not speaking to him? Poor kid.

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    1. Yea.. there is something odd about the dad thing. Obviously she wants to talk to him, did you see the look on her face when Oprah asked? Why on earth would Oprah ask that question anyway. This interview made me lose respect for her, to do this to a legal adult is one thing, but to a 16 year old? I'm very disappointed. Sheryl Shade only thinks in dollar signs, could care less about how Gabby and Shawn are perceived, so long as it makes her $$. Gabby's mom very obviously has Gabby's best interest at heart, but also very clearly does not know what is actually in her best interest in terms of media.

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  15. Racism happens all the time in subtle ways. It can only happen once, but it still happened, and it is still racism!!! In a competitive exclusive sport, it can really mess with a person's head! Most the time kids don't say anything when they experience racism. It's easier not to.

    Yes, Oprah edited and created a story that brought light to it. I think she lingered there too long. But that's not Gabby's fault! She didn't seem to want to talk about it at length.

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    1. I agree, and I got the same impression from Gabby's mother.

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    2. agree! Good point about the "it can only happen once" When I was 15, a boy made fun of me for the way I smiled in my school photograph. I have always been a confident, driven person. But that hurt. I did not smile with my mouth open for the camera again until I was in college. Things like that are amplified in childhood, you don't know how to brush it off or how to deal with it appropriately. She is giggly and outgoing now, but it obviously took some time to become confident (which is why her confidence sometimes comes off as arrogant, i.e. she is selling her confidence to her self). In a hyper competitive sport, nasty remarks can certainly hurt the progress of some young women or young men (and drive others!). Shame that the people around her are not appropriately navigating her through this media circus. I hope that after Kellogs she can go back to Iowa and train quietly for the next Olympics. She has it in her physically, hopefully Sheryl Shade doesn't ruin her.

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  16. I feel quite sorry for Gabby, because I do believe this story has been forced upon her. I'm sure Gabby was a "victim" of exactly what AJ says - the pecking order. At every gym I ever went to, there was a pecking order/favoritism, often created by the coaches to push the gymnasts. On top of that, teenage girls are experts at picking up on, capitalizing on, and reminding each other of who the "alphas" are. I have the feeling that this type of situation actually happened - and the occasional racist comments made were expanded upon later by those (Oprah) trying to make the story "interesting" and "relevant."

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  17. It's really nice to read an article that acknowledge that racism (however subtle or in your face) happens. Gabby's strong so I'm glad she didn't let it stop her.

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  18. spot on @Anonymous August 27, 2012 9:24 PM
    lets not forget Excalibur has publicly showed bad character toward Gabby's family Virginia Pilot article on her mother prior to the Olympics, which was borderline slander (Girls switch gyms all the time, get over it. Gabby had very poor technique from Excalibur and it took Chow to turn her into a champion.) So this goes both ways. Also, they did say in the special that it was not the only reason she left.

    I wish Gabby's family / publicist would have made this an off-limits topic and that Oprah would have steered away from oversimplifying such challenging, complicated subject. Clearly there was a lot more to be said than what a 30 minute tv special could provide. There is definitely a story there, but way oversimplified. Poor journalism in my opinion.

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  19. Also racist comments on forums such as AJ, which have appeared on every single post about Gabby, prove that she has had to deal with the problem. Anyone who thinks that Gabby and her family are not aware of these comments is quite simply ignorant. I'm sure girls made racist jokes about her at Excalibur, and whether or not their comments were driven by jealousy or actual racism, they have the same impact. Think about how you felt when another girl (or guy) made fun of your weight, your hair, your zits, your smile, your height (or lack there of), etc. when you were 16. How would you have reacted. I probably would have left that gym too if I felt there was something better out there. Does not change the fact that Oprah's interview with Gabby was an example of poor journalism, but goes to show that this is no publicity stunt.

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  20. http://www.gymnastike.org/coverage/248218-2012-London-Olympics/video/654683-Excalibur-Gymnastics-responds-to-Gabby-Douglass-comments-to-Oprah

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  21. did excalibur seriously let gabby train for free/lower payment? if so wow, she owes them a lot

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    1. they elected to give her the scholarships - there is no expectation that you pay back a scholarship. so, gabby doesn't technically owe them anything. she probably would be more inclined to give them a kickback for their help at the beginning of her career if they hadn't started this months ago by whining to the press that her family owed them sooooo much money.

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    2. Really? Then why did I read that Excalibur was going to pursue legal action after the games? That doesn't really seem like a scholarship sort of arrangement. And scholarship does not necessarily mean full scholarship or free.

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    3. i haven't heard anything about legal action, so maybe there is some new development that i don't know about... however, based on everything i read when this first became a big deal after scam, i figure: 1) they let her train for free with the expectation that she'd stay and go on to elite success with them; 2) she peaced out to find a better coach; 3) she started to do well with chow and people started getting really excited about her odds in london (remember all the hype after she unofficially beat jordyn?); 4) she made some comments about how really she just needed better coaches to take her to the next level & that's why she changed gyms (probably not the best phrasing, but we all know how gabby interviews); 5) excalibur got mad, felt insulted, and retaliated by going to the press.

      if gabby's family really "owed" them that money in the legal sense, i feel like excalibur would have acted by now. the split was obviously not pretty - it's not like positive feelings and happiness for gabby have been holding them back. they're obviously bitter about her leaving. i do think she "owes" them in the sense that they did her a huge favor that helped her progress to the absolute top of the sport, and for that reason i hope she just pays them the pocket change they want so it'll be done... but, both sides seem stubborn. i guess if they're planning to pursue legal action, we'll see what happens.

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  22. I'm not sure if regular people have any understanding of what complex horrible social environments big gyms can have. Some are worse than others. Gabby is mentally tough and I don't think she wants to think of herself as a victim. But that still doesn't make racial slurs ok. In light of all this maybe some gyms could benefit from some kind of discussion about race and bullying.

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    1. so true AnonymousAugust 28, 2012 9:05 AM

      I'm so happy that Gabby went to Chow's because that gym does seem to be the exception to a general rule. I do not speak from experience in gymnastics. However, I was a dancer for 11 years. Same problem.

      Unfortunately its not just the gyms that create this environment, its our society in general. Our media practically trains people to think that attacking others is somehow okay. Until that changes, problems such as this one with Gabby will not.

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  23. Some good comments on the original post AJ linked to this article... :

    The fact that they’re being so defensive and attacking a sixteen year old girl over money and calling her a liar indicates there’s probably some truth to Gabby’s allegations. She wasn’t even attacking the owners but her “peers.”

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  24. Typical of Oprah, bring race into it. Gabby's coach was a male of color, they forgot that. Excaliber has always had black gymnasts. Gabby's mother is a dead beat who owes a lot of money. This whole poor black me shit is getting old fast. I like Gabby because of her gymnastics. I don't give a flying fuck about her hair,or her race. It is not about her skin color. Okino could have won the olympics if she was healthy. Dawes could have won if she was mentally prepared. It is just very sad that her agent [coke whore Shade] has decided to paint Gabby as a poor black child. Spare me.

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  25. I heard Rockne Brubaker tried out with Amanda Evora. I thought she was retiring! Can someone either confirm or deny??

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  26. I'm sure talent had a lot to do with her isolation, and I'm sure Oprah and other people potentially feeding Gabby lines (I worry about Shawn Johnson's agent ahahah), but that doesn't erase the fact that Gabby is black and will therefore have dealt with racism. You cannot, YOU CANNOT, separate PoC from racism. You CANNOT say they are "playing the race card" or "race baiting" or other ignorant bullshit. RACISM FOR BLACK PEOPLE IS REAL. DEAL WITH IT. Especially in a very white sport that costs an $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to make it.

    Calling her a liar and acting like the worst crime is being called racist is immensely dismissive.

    Burning crosses and bed sheets do not define racism. Get with reality.

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  27. Great article AJ and I could not agree more.

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  28. em, Gabby and Company are doing fine: her portfolio post-Olympic gold is estimated at around $100,000,000 USD. On a related note, Oprah once again topped Forbes list of richest celebs.

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  29. Sharky and Stageberg sound like complete tools -huffy, whiny, petulant and jealous. And have they ever taken an English class? They obviously have no concept of a well-written statement, let alone basic grammar, punctuation or spelling skills. As for Sharky, well, her statement was ridiculous. How can someone who didn't even train at the gym make an assumption about what happened there? They both should have either kept their mouths shut or found a good PR person to draft a statement for them.

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  30. In the interview, they clearly said that was not the only reason she moved. It is evident on TV and in all interviews Chow gives that his gym is a refreshingly different environment.

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  31. i wonder why she's letting everyone know she hasn't talked to her dad since she won, and looks like she's not in a hurry to

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  32. I wonder if the racist things said to gabby were comparable to the anti-Semitic things said about Aly on THIS blog...

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  33. Excellent point, anon 4:34. Those comments have been shocking. Hey, did anyone read the comments under the article in the "Pilot"? Seems like quite a few others had less than stellar experiences at that gym. I think it is allowed to switch gyms. I mean, she wasn't drafted, right? It wasn't a religious mission or anything was it? Not a convent, or monastery? Any skaters we know ever jump coaches? Oh yeah....every fucking year. Lots of them. What is the difference here?

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    1. Her family owes them money

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    2. Says the gym that's pissed off. If the gym is really owed money, they need to lawyer up and get it settled or shut the fuck up. Either they have the proof of the debt or they don't, and its looking like they don't and prefer to act like babies and whine to the media.

      I mean, does anyone really think Chow would take a gymnast with 20,000 dollars worth of debt to another gym on? Chow's reputation speaks for itself on that matter!

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    3. The money situation was known long before Gabby became AA Champion. Why wouldn't Chow take on Gabby? I think it's been well established that everyone could see the talent in Gabby. If he thought he could make her a champion isn't the risk worth the reward?

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  34. Gabby gave one comment about being picked on and all the black community has turned it into she was harassed every day and ridiculed for her skin color.

    The real Racists here are every single black person trying to take one case that isn't even proven to be racism and making it full blown trouble.

    Gabby's mother admitted she was given money but said it was a gift. Do you need any more proof she is a lying piece of shit?

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    1. Yes actually, I do. If the money was a loan, then Excalibur needs to produce the papers. If there was an agreement that they'd be reimbursed the expenses if Gabby won the Olympics, then Excalibur needs to produce the agreement.

      If I'm giving someone money and I want it paid back, I'd make the other party sign a contract. Otherwise, that money is a gift.

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  35. wow, anyonymous 6:42, talk about making something full blown...

    let's back track to the facts - the teen said on O's show that she felt she was being bullied and the comments made have had racial overtones. And she thought to herself - was it because I'm black?

    So, because blacks, and others, I might add, are choosing to believe these simple statements (though there is probably plenty drama behind them), now "all the black community has turned it into she was harassed every day and ridiculed for her skin color."?

    Seriously, let's all calm down. Was what she said so over the top? What part of what she said is so over the top? "I was bullied"? or the part where she thinks it could have been because of her color.

    Kids bully. Kids say nasty things to one another. Heck, so do adults - ever read this blog?

    Doesn't make the black community (not sure how you can express an opinion for the whole black community) making it full blown trouble. "The community" is just choosing to have emphathy for her because they may have experienced the same things. No trouble, no full blown trouble. Why is it trouble to state "I was bullied, was it because of my color?" The only trouble I see are the "other community" - meaning those who can't emphathize - blowing it up into something bigger than it is because they feel she shouldn't have said it or they don't believe she was bullied, especially not with racial overtones!

    Come on, we know when we're trying to be snarky and pick on someone we use whatever about them that is different that ourself. Whether it be their color, size, sex preference, hair, shoes, etc. Happens every day, every hour, every blog.

    Why is it so hard to believe when someone says it on tv?

    Seems like we all just can't get along...

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  36. She's a 16 year old for christ sake...

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  37. 16 year old's still have at least some sense of manners, especially gymnasts, who know they are competing with other girls for the same hopes and dreams.

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  38. 16 is old enough to know that you don't go and lie on TV.

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