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Disturbing video shows high school cheerleaders forced into repeated splits

darscot

Member
I'd have legit smashed a chair over that coaches head. Are you fucking kidding me dirtbag? You don't need to be putting your hands on a person to coach them.

You have never actually witnessed a gymnast or cheerleader or any of a thousand other sports being coached have you? I for one am very happy to see a coaches hands on my daughter, I can not imagine the injuries she would have suffered if he did not.
 

BeforeU

Oft hope is born when all is forlorn.
Is this against their will? I am confused. Yes that video was very disturbing to see and I dont understand why anyone want to go through that pain. But they sign up for it and not something they are forced to do it right?

nvm

Just read again. It is against their will. Wtf?
 

double jump

you haven't lived until a random little kid ask you "how do you make love".
I keep coming in and out of this thread. I don't know how the parents didn't react violently to the news and footage.
 
Primary school friend 20-odd years ago used to tell me that his martial arts teacher would basically do this to him. Seemed pretty savage back then.
 
I don't think anyone educated in sports medicine would think that was proper stretching technique. Getting the other kids to help out is just...wtf.
 

mr jones

Ethnicity is not a race!
Yup, video is worse than I thought it was going to be. First girl crying and screaming was enough.

I thought that it was going to be the sideways splits, not the front/back splits. With an adult male pushing down on her shoulders to force her into the position. NOPE.
 
Thats really fucked up, couldn't make it that far in the video.

I coach high school sports myself, and one of my many philosophies I take to heart in coaching is that if one of my athletes is in severe pain anywhere in the body, I tell he/she to stop what they are doing immediately and go see the athletic trainer. I will never understand the point of pushing them to those limits like in the video, and I have seen my fair share of coaches do this. I have told them all that I have to put my trust in them that they will do the right thing in gauging pain levels and 99% of them do the right thing and exceed my expectations when it comes to competition day.

There is literally no reason to push someone, especially in high school past their limits to the point where they are in so much pain like this poor girl. Progression in sports (and even in life) is long terms and takes time.
 

NewGame

Banned
No. I used one when taking karate.

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Mine had a crank handle. Not a steering wheel.

Yes sadly excercise does involve some pain which most GAFers wouldn't know about.


I can't watch the video right now but it sounds like a typical training routine.
 

darscot

Member
Man this coach crossed the line with this athlete because of his poor technique or lack of knowledge but you guys are having a massive reaction. Walk into any competitive gym and you would see this being done properly with a lot more force. This looks like a rec athlete in a competitive program. The coach screwed up and is wrong he should be fired. I'm not defending this coach, but I am defending a proper coach and dedicated athlete form putting in the work and sometimes pain to improve.
 

snap

Banned
Yes sadly excercise does involve some pain which most GAFers wouldn't know about.


I can't watch the video right now but it sounds like a typical training routine.

yes, your opinion on this matter without bothering to look at any of the details or context, is valued in this discussion.

even the post you quoted was saying that the machine would've been a better way to do this
 

yuoke

Banned
Totally fucked up and he needs to be out of there immediately. The other girls helping also should be getting in trouble.
 

Bucca

Fools are always so certain of themselves, but wiser men so full of doubts.
As a sports and exercise science major everything about this video is fucked
 
Yes sadly excercise does involve some pain which most GAFers wouldn't know about.


I can't watch the video right now but it sounds like a typical training routine.
Why even post if you haven't seen the video? What value are you adding in doing so? Makes no sense...
 

GhaleonEB

Member
I was going to watch the video, but the image in the preview was so horrifying I don't want to watch it.

I'd go absolutely ballistic if someone did this to my child. Everyone involved needs to be in prison.
 
Is this against their will? I am confused. Yes that video was very disturbing to see and I dont understand why anyone want to go through that pain. But they sign up for it and not something they are forced to do it right?

nvm

Just read again. It is against their will. Wtf?
You don't put children in a position to make such a decision anyway.
 
I'd have legit smashed a chair over that coaches head. Are you fucking kidding me dirtbag? You don't need to be putting your hands on a person to coach them.

That's not even close to being the problem here. Most gymnastics/dance coaches put their hands on the student, there's nothing wrong with that. This dude was cramming his knee into the student's back as she cried out in pain, which is obviously abusive and far from the norm.

The most basic issue is that he made her do something she was uncomfortable with. Something that could have caused her emotional trauma in addition to the obvious physical harm. Forcing students to perform beyond their limits for the sake of athletic success is never okay.

I'll also add that I appreciate how calm and fair the mother's email to the school was. Her reaction to all of this was measured and reasonable, backed by the opinion of an expert instead of the typical "outraged screaming parent" you tend to get in school scandal stories.
 

Keri

Member
I started the video and immediately opted out. Cheerleading is dangerous enough as it is, you don't need to add torture to the mix.
 
This was pretty much how i was taught the splits growing up. Is there is another method that doesnt hurt like hell?

There's a difference between accepting the pain through training and being forced into it.

Were you held down while screaming please stop?
 

g11

Member
To prevent shit like this is why you have coaches, not to cause it. Even if the girls in question lack knowledge about how to properly lengthen the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in their legs and pelvis to properly advance their splits, the fucking coach is supposed to be there to teach them to do it properly without hurting themselves, not to force them into injury. There's a progression to anything physical, for fuck's sake. Coach should have known better.
 
Awful. Reminded me of this Taekwondo training video forcing young children into stretches to the point of tears. I couldn't watch the whole thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao52h3P95rs

EDIT: this video is also very upsetting.

Watching the Karate kid and seeing black belts at Tae kwon do was the reason I quit at yellow belt. When they asked me why I said I couldn't do the split. They told me it didn't matter, I still noped out. Wasn't going to it no way.
 

Velcro Fly

Member
Rule #1 of working in a school: If you have to put your hands on the students and physically force them do something, you fucked up

As a personal rule I never put my hands on a student beyond a high five or a fist bump. It is just not worth it ever.
 

Somnid

Member
If the person is saying "stop" then stop. Period. It doesn't matter if they put up a fight, signed an agreement or you think you know what's best. Anything else is assualt.
 

tci

Member
That is both a failure in training practices and torture. How the hell did this person even get that position.

You can do more damage than good doing that. Holy shit. Flexibility is something you train over time to be able to. Some have it easier, but doing this is horrible.
 
As a personal rule I never put my hands on a student beyond a high five or a fist bump. It is just not worth it ever.

As a counselor who specializes in this area, this ironclad rule is not necessarily a good thing. Positive touch is incredibly important for a child's development and plays an enormous role in their emotional growth. The general rules should be "never touch a child on the bathing suit area or the mouth" and "never touch a child without their consent."

This ensures that all touches are "good touches," which is to say: non-sexual, non-intimate physical contact that the child is developmentally capable of consenting to and perceives as warm, caring or fun.

Your personal rule is fine for you, but it's become the default in many countries because of extreme prejudice against men working in childcare, who are arguably doing immensely important work in terms of combating regressive gender norms.
 

Laieon

Member
Murica

When being a cheerleader or football player grants you being a cool kid.

I've always felt lucky because my high school had a population of 4000 kids. Too many people to give a shit about who was an athlete or not. I've always felt like the whole clique thing was a bit of a myth too because the athletes in my school tended to be in higher level classes as well. Not only were they athletic, they were also really smart. Lots of them went on to become engineers or work in robotics.
 
http://www.wfaa.com/news/east-high-coach-let-go-from-previous-job-over-forced-splits/467142182

The East High School cheerleading coach under fire for physically forcing girls to do the splits was dismissed from a similar position at Boulder High in 2016 for doing the same thing, 9Wants to Know has learned.


Yes sadly excercise does involve some pain which most GAFers wouldn't know about.

I can't watch the video right now but it sounds like a typical training routine.

Looks like you have some free time to check it out now.
 

Flo_Evans

Member
You really shouldn't need a safe word for high school sports.

Shit is crazy I don't plan on letting my kids get involved in any competitive leagues. One has taken some intro gymnastics and he really likes it but I don't think he can comprehend what going "pro" means.
 
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