From the Board: 2022 and Goals for 2023

Another year has passed, and we can’t help but look back on what has been accomplished this past year to set our new goals for 2023.

2022 was the start of a new normal – albeit a unique type of normal- that brought all sorts of new challenges that we face in our gyms every day.

While there is still much to learn and improve upon in the future, we hope to provide more opportunities for club owners to work together so we can continue to fight for the athletes, parents, staff, and coaches we represent.

2022 Outlook:

Over the course of 2022, we have been working behind the scenes to support the USAG SafeSport appeals process to fight for safer gymnastics practices for all.

With the SafeSport bills put into place, we all knew from the start that while SafeSport can undoubtedly help keep young athletes safe, there wasn’t going to be support for EVERYONE involved to be safe from abuse, from losing their career, and from slander in the media.

With the board’s, and many of our member’s support, we went to Washington, D.C. early this year and spoke with Senator Epstein and his council about what the USGCOA stands for.

After discussions were made, we were able to push for an appeal process to permanently remove wrongfully accused coaches from the ban list and support them with regaining USAG membership when initially deemed illegible.

With this major success, we are one step closer to helping those wrongly accused by the lack of formal policies the USAG has in place for SafeSport to investigate disciplinary processes and decisions involving allegations of sexual misconduct.

By curating a blog of hyper-focused resources, industry strategies for success, marketing processes, and updates on USAG and SafeSport communications, we hope to continue our mission of education for clubs.

Goals for 2023:

Many of the challenges we have faced in 2022 have included our teen gymnasts’ emotional and mental well-being and finding a proper balance between coaching and offering support without bleeding the boundaries.

We want to expand the space for club owners to voice their concerns and use one another as a resource to solve daily problems in our gyms.

During 2023, we will focus on achieving our members’ goals, which is why we will host quarterly virtual workshops focused on topics like how club owners can generate more income, coaching career progression strategies, and other approaches to improve your club from the board directly.

We are also excited to announce that we are preparing for our Annual Summit in October of 2023 in Boston to gather our members for a business conference and trade show.

Preparing for the Future:

While there isn’t a foolproof way to “prepare” for the future, there are still methods that we want to inspire and educate ourselves with, all of which happen when we work together.

By bringing our resources together, educating ourselves on the best way to navigate SafeSport for our athletes and coaches, and advocating for those wrongly accused, gymnastics can move forward and become a safer sport for everyone involved.

Let’s make it a great new year!

– USGCOA Board Members