The world of gymnastics has a competitive atmosphere. One thing these gymnasts strive for is winning and to be the best. With all that pressure on their shoulders to win, they also have the pressure of being perfect and looking perfect.
Gymnasts should be able to look up to their coaches for guidance and security — and to know they have someone rooting for them in their corner. Unfortunately, in the world of gymnastics, not all coaches give the healthiest support.
A viral video from Goalcast about the story of Katelyn Ohashi has over 40 million views about her previous coaches fat-shaming her. Katelyn was an elite gymnast who was up in the top ranks with Simone Biles at one point in time.
The negative comments about her body from coaches, as well as social media users, dissolved Katelyn’s love for gymnastics. In the video, Katelyn shares quotes of what coaches have said to her, including, “You don’t look like a gymnast; you look like you swallowed a pig.”
Being a victim of fat shaming, Katelyn started to hate herself. Even though gymnastics was her life, the hate that Katelyn held onto started to project onto her new coaches at UCLA.
During her time at UCLA, a new head coach, Miss Val, was brought in. Katelyn made sure to show her dominance right away, telling Val, “I just want you to know, everything you tell me to do, I do the exact opposite.”
Being new to the head coaching position, Val wasn’t sure how to handle this type of situation. Instead of matching Katelyn’s negative energy, Val took it in the opposite direction.
Val understood how Katelyn grew up. She knew that Katelyn had lived and breathed competitive sports since she was very young. Knowing Katelyn's past, Val was able to recognize the damage it caused her.
With this knowledge, Val became the coach that Katelyn needed. She showed her that she cared about her as a human being and gave her nothing but love and support to prove she was worth more than just her talent for gymnastics. She built trust.
To see Katelyn and Val’s whole story, click on the video!
