I think this article would be a lot more relevant were it written in 1996 when the Magnificent Seven won their team gold at the olympics. You want to talk about abused gymnasts, there were several on that team. Case in point: Dominique Moceanu, who was only 14 when she competed and later detailed the "training practices" of Bela Karyoli; the book "Little Girls in Pretty Boxes" written around that time also details the tough training characteristic of 90s gymnastics. Judging from their lack of curves, if you look at that team, it's hard to believe that any of them were over the age of 13, but several (Amanda Borden, Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, and Kerri Strug) were over 18. Gymnasts today do not look the same as those girls, largely because training nationwide has changed. Shawn Johnson, for example, works out only 4 hours a day and attends a regular high school. In addition, if you were to line up this year's team with the Magnificent Seven, this year's olympic team has noticeably more breasts and hips, perhaps to their competitive detriment. As someone who has trained as an elite gymnast, I worry that your post is too much of a blanket statement about a sport that has several great programs that put children first. In terms of injuries, how many children fall off skateboards and bikes without a helmet on? If you ask me, that's the greater abuse.

OK, I'm sure there is some abuse. Just as there is in ballet. However, no reputable gym bans parents. My son started gynastics at 6. The gym had a "moms" room with fancy one-way glass, set up about a half-story above the floor. We were invited to view the whole session,
The real story here is what happens when parents abandon their parental responsibilities and leave the kids at the gym, while they go off and get their nails done. A good parent doesn't let their child go any where where the parent can't go. I don't leave my dog alone at the groomer, why would I leave my child alone at the gym ? or the dentist, or the barbers, or anywhere else?
A friend of mine had a daughter who suddenly started skipping school. After trying everything else he could think of (and finding nothing that worked) , he took a week off work, and went to school with her everyday, all day, for 5 days. He walked her to school, walked her to every class, sat in the back and watched everything. And it worked. For one thing, it impressed the girl with how important it was to her father. How many parents would be willing to do something like that?

btw- alicia sacramone, U.S. Olympic gymnast, silver medal, 2008 Beijing, 20 years old.

Although this is a passionate rebuke of the gymnastics world, it is not well researched or based on fact. You could make the same argumnent about many sports - should we ban all young female sport participation? There have been some abusive practices, I will not dispute that claim, but all of these athletes have the desire and passion to succeed and you cannot force anyone to that level of dedication. There is a lot of joy, laughter and of course, tears, in any gym, but these young women have given themselves the gift of self discovery, self discipline and the knowledge that they are capable of incredible achievements. I would not take that away from any of them.

Abuse doesn't mean physical beatings. I agree that girls involved in gymnastics are passively abused. My daught began at 4 and went once a week for 1 hour. By the time she was 6, they wanted a commitment of 2 hours and it goes up from there. It is simply ridiculous to put children into such a mindset at such a young age. The abuse comes in when parents go along with this insanity.

I'm afraid Diane is right. Her point is subtle, if not clear. She's not saying all gymnasts have been abused, she's saying that if you've made it to world class, you've been abused. If you're just doing recreational gymnastics, you may be just fine. It's hard not to agree with this. There are no world champions whose sexual maturation hasn't been retarded. There are no fully developed women in world-class gymnastics. There is not a single world class female gymnast who looks like girls her age. All you have to do is point to a single fully developed young woman in world class gymnastics (point to a single one in the olympics, right now in 2008) and you'll prove her wrong.