Losses do not look good on the Gators. But last week, they were handed one. Yes, Florida Gymnastics was utterly smashed by the table rulers, No # 1, Oklahoma at their NCAA meet (198.075 – 196.625). But more than the loss, the recurrent injury curse hit the Gators harder. As two more Gators have now injured themselves severely this NCAA season, it has left fans devastated with many wondering: what exactly went wrong?

Anya Pilgrim, the Florida Sophomore, slammed straight on the mats after she dangerously slipped from the uneven bars. Next, Sloane Blakely was executing her first pass on the floor when she injured her lower leg due to an under-rotated jump. This is just piling on Gators’ misery. As the team struggles to grapple with the injuries of Kayla DiCello, Skye Blakely, and Kaylee Bluffstone, these injuries make the whole situation even more concerning. What’s more, the two freshly injured gymnasts aren’t facing minor injuries. There is no ‘throwing on a band-aid and calling it a day’, situation here. We are talking about legit concussions!

As per the lastest update, Anya Pilgrim’s fall against Oklahoma ended with her getting a concussion. However, she was cleared and was seen back on the practice mats as early as Tuesday. Now, this is something that infuriated gymnastics fans. The article even cites that Blakely suffered a concussion after Florida’s tri-meet on February 2. This has kept her away from all-around events, but she still competed on the floor and the beam, when she returned against Auburn. We are pining for updates and sure you are no different!

Gators’ coach Jenny Rowland feels it’s best to leave the 22-year-old Blakely to communicate her fitness updates when she deems fit. After all, it’s her story to tell.  But gymnastics fans cannot digest the fact that Pilgrim took her time and hopped back to finish her bars routine, now that it’s officially confirmed that yes, she did suffer a concussion from that fall. One of the worried fans pointed out fear about Pilgrim’s future endeavors in a Reddit discussion: “I’m nervous about her even competing this weekend. I’m sure it was minor, but why risk it so soon?”

Well, the concern is only valid. Fans had probably seen how Anya landed hard on her back during the routine. She was bound to have a concussion after that freak accident. Also, it’s for reasons like this that gymnastics is considered a high-risk sport because some moves and falls can be notoriously dangerous, risking neck and head injuries. Thus, it’s often advisable that symptoms be observed closely in athletes who have had such falls, and if a concussion is found, they need to progress slowly under the supervision of a concussion-trained health care provider.

But the seeming negligence led gymnastics fans to ask crucial questions. Here’s what they responded with.

Gymnastics fans question Anya Pilgrim’s routine completion

One of the fans maintained a seemingly sarcastic tone. They wrote, “Incredible that they let her finish the routine. Out of an abundance of caution, they should have put her health first over what really amounts to an insignificant competition.” The fan stated how it would have been ideal to bail out of the competition mid-way because health is indispensable. We are sure many would agree to this point of view.

Another gymnastics fan pointed out how the intensity of the NCAA competition was way lower than a mega international meet like the Olympics. Thus, the manner of approaching the injury should have been different, per them. The fan wrote, “Seriously, this is not the Olympics. We should NOT be allowing athletes to put their safety at risk for a college meet”. They felt that putting a gymnast’s life on the line, that too for a college meet, is a case of misplaced priorities. The fan even went ahead to state some unfortunate precedents. “The consequences of a slip up in gymnastics are so severe, that’s why Elena Mukhina and Julissa Gomez aren’t alive anymore.” Mukhina and Gomez’s accidents will forever leave a black stain on the history of gymnastics. What exactly happened?

Well, gymnastics disasters are rare, but not totally out of bounds. Way back in 1988, Julissa Gomez slipped on the clipboard before a vault routine. Her head smashed onto the vault table and she was paralyzed from the neck down. Eventually, she succumbed to the injury. That’s when the International Gymnastics Federation started allowing U-shaped mats around the springboard, per CNN. A similar incident had happened with Soviet gymnast Elena Mukhina, who broke her neck while attempting a Thomas Salto. Although the injury was not fatal for Mukhina, it was still a blow to her gymnastics career. For the fan, when it decides between a competition and a gymnast’s health, the latter is without a doubt, more important. Many would agree with this perspective, and they did.

Another gymnastics fan had the coaches to blame. They opined, “I just don’t understand why letting athletes compete after falls like that is up to the coaches. They should have someone check them over and clear them before they are allowed to compete again. Is it going to take someone getting seriously injured before this is looked at? Don’t come at me, I’m a major fan of Florida and Jenny but Anya should not have been allowed to continue.” A professional medical nod should have been the modus operandi in this case, as per the fan.

But a third one came with the facts ready. The fan pointed that USA Gymnastics does have a concussion protocol. “…But as per the 6 stages of recovery, with 24 hours separating each of them she should only just be returning to full-out practice after 6 days, and in my opinion, she should not be 100% ready to compete after a week, what harm would it be in giving her more time to heal and get back in the flow of things?

Well, the USAG’s concussion protocol reads, “If in doubt, sit them out.” In case a gymnast has any new or worsening symptoms, they must not be allowed to compete. They also detail a step-by-step return to sport policy. With this, the fan tried to present the viewpoint that there are rules in place for every complication that arises on the mat.

But well, another chimed in with a comparison between gymnastics and NFL. The fan wrote, “In the nfl they have a unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant who watches gameplay and alerts officials if any player is hit in a way where a concussion could result. They then attend every player evaluation for concussions alongside the team medical staff – which is done on the sideline and takes 5-10 minutes. if the player passes those initial tests, they can return to play; if they don’t, they’re taken back to the locker room for further evaluation/monitoring.” The user just reiterated a point that many would agree with. A medical professional should be calling the shots if it is an injury.  A systematic SOS channel during situations like these can help manage the situation.

Amid the plethora of opinions and counter-opinions, we await further updates. Until then, let us know your opinions on what should be the ideal course of action when something like this occurs on the mat.