“Stinkerbell, you’re lazy.” Can one even imagine being told things like these by their coaches, that too, to a kid? But Jordan Chiles—she has faced some nightmarish incidents. Chiles initially found herself training under Coach X, the person who should have been her guiding light, is actually associated with many of the gymnast’s painful memories in the sport. PS: One time, things had gotten so out of hand that Chiles’ mother had to step in and advise the coach! But what happened?

Jordan Chiles’ ex-coach would make her believe that the gymnast had no way out: “Coach X told us over and over that, having trained gold medalists and elite gymnasts in the past, she was the only person who could take me to the next level.”  But now some other incidents have come to light, and they are very concerning. Especially since Chiles’ mother, Gina, noted that Coach X once came into the gym drunk or still under the influence from last night. But this wasn’t the worst. The worst struck when…

In her book, “I’m That Girl,“ Jordan Chiles detailed an incident when Coach X apparently behaved erratically. She had once called Chiles’ mom, Gina, drunk, from Portland, and asked for help. “I need help, I need help,” she sounded in need of assistance. That’s when Gina Chiles got in her car and picked the coach up from a street festival. Soon, the coach admitted she had a drinking problem. This saw Gina giving her a stern reply, “Okay, well are you ready to fix it?… Because the coaching doesn’t even matter at this point. Your life does. You need to get your life together.” 

Naturally, this was all a bit too concerning. Especially since the coach was supposed to be in charge of the gymnasts every time they hit the road. Thus, Gina got Coach X into a rehab facility. Unlike the other times when she’d missed training and Dimitri had to hold the fort, this time, Coach X was absent because she was in rehab. But sadly, even this wasn’t the end of the ordeal.

Jordan Chiles mentions in her book that her mom even told her about the times when Coach X had started asking for favors from all the parents. She would ask people to run to the mall and buy her the foundation (makeup) she’d just run out of. And over time, this created a weird air between Coach X and the parents of her students. But Gina wasn’t one to fall for such tricks. When asked by Coach X for a favor, Gina outright denied. It was an inappropriate ask!

But well, so much has happened. To the extent that Jordan Chiles had to keep much of it hidden from her parents. She also wrote in her book, “My parents could see I was under a lot of pressure. But I didn’t tell them the full extent of Coach X’s extreme behavior.” Maybe if they had, Gina would have taken stricter steps. Because she is not one to fear! Remember, after Chiles’ Paris bronze medal controversy, Gina was the one who had broken her silence and clapped back at the trolls.

But all that aside, honestly, from Chiles’ narration in her book, it truly looks like she had been through a lot.

Jordan Chiles had to face a lot because of Coach X

First things first, Jordan Chiles was at her first Olympic camp and was sharing her room with a former coach when her braids were cut off. Well, she was just 12, and her coach felt that her braids weren’t giving the elite international look, so she was taken to the bathroom, and they were chopped off. The reason? Jordan Chiles wrote in her book, “That went to an extent like, you cut my hair because it wasn’t the proper way an athlete should look.”

Reflecting on this in her memoir, Jordan Chiles wrote, “I was verbally a—–. I was very devastated in a lot of ways.” But for the longest time, Chiles felt this was part of the sport. So did her parents. Well, that was just her first Olympic camp, and she was so new to the system. But with time, she understood that was not the sport. Not even one bit. Clearly, she has had to navigate some really dark days in the sport.