Gymnastics Community Heartbroken as Details Emerge in Rutgers University Fiasco

Imagine a toddler running in the gym while the gymnasts are in a full practice session there. Something scary, right? With the Rutgers University gymnastics program, things are not going well. First, coach Umme Salim-Beasley was axed from her position. After a thorough investigation, the university authority found her guilty of having “an undisclosed relationship with former athletic director Pat Hobbs.” It was a clear breach of university policies and she had to pay the price. And all this is happening when the gymnastics program is in full swing in the ongoing season, sealing nine victories in ten duels! As if this was not enough, another shocking detail recently came to light that has left fans awestruck. Wondering what it is? Remember the opening line?

On January 19, a gymnastics handle on Reddit shared an NJ.com report that stated that the Rutgers gymnastics’ practice sessions had often been attended by three children. The report said that two of those children were unable to walk and one was a mere toddler. They are the coaching staffers’ kids. It also said that those children were “occasionally brought to practice, often on Wednesdays.” But is it an issue? A loose gaze might miss spotting the problem. But hold on! The report had a few more shocking details to help to learn the problems. 

The report subsequently revealed, “Gymnasts recalled that the toddler would run under the equipment and down the vault runway during practice. One gymnast recalled a time when a child walked under the uneven bars and she had to stop swinging to avoid hitting him.” The description serves as a lens to spot the problem. In the gym, the gymnasts under Rutgers gymnastics’ flag were feeling the pressure to continue their practice sessions. They had to deal with the challenge of the routines and had to protect themselves from facing injuries in the practices. On top of that, they had to keep an eye on not hurting the toddler who used to run the mat during the practice sessions. Isn’t that too much for a gymnastics program? 

According to the report, the issue was brought to the attention of Salim-Beasely and other coaching staff. Unfortunately, they turned a blind eye to the issue. In fact, as per several gymnasts, Umme Salim-Beasley was part of the problem. The gymnasts’ complaint claimed that the coach used to remain distracted in the practice sessions while holding one child. She was never in support of forcing those young ones out of the practice sessions. Per her, the kids were not hampering the sessions and were under close monitoring. 

On at least one occasion, when Salim-Beasley was asking a gymnast to compete even though she was injured, the gymnast expected the trainer to intervene. But she wasn’t attentive enough to watch the issue. Why? She was busy with her child. The fans couldn’t ignore the problem. Beneath the Reddit post, they explained their frustration. 

Gymnastics fans call the latest issue in Rutgers’ program a ‘mess’

A gymnastics fan wrote in the comment box, “What a mess… I feel for the gymnasts 😔” This was a mess and the gymnasts had nowhere to go. One commenter found it difficult to even imagine the situation, “The idea of a toddler running under the bars during practice….” 

One penned, “Sometimes, the rec kids would get loose from wherever they were and interfere with team practice. I remember a rec kid ran across the vault runway when I was running. I didn’t hit them but said “oh my god!” I got kicked off the event for swearing.” Again, the vault issue came in! The description claims the gymnast was facing a penalty because of venting her tension. Another gymnast explained her similar experience in the comment box. 

She wrote, “Kids running around during a full-blown practice is the worst. I’ve nearly done a bhs onto a little kid bc they ran behind me just before I went. My coach was spotting me and gripped my arm to get my attention to stop. Kids who know how to behave and occupy themselves during practice are fine. It’s the loose ones who scare me.” The situation at Rutgers gymnastics was far from ideal. After all, safety in sports is of paramount importance.