At least 30 witnesses have told USA Gymnastics they will testify that some coaches at Azarian U.S. Gymnastics Training Center physically, verbally or emotionally abused and bullied young athletes at the Aliso Viejo gym, the Orange County Register has learned.
USA Gymnastics general counsel Mark Busby confirmed the number of witnesses in conversations with Rena Shikuma, an ex-Azarian coach, and Reshma Block, a former Azarian parent this week, the women told the Register.
“Mark said there are 30 willing to testify against the coaches,” Block said.
The revelation comes against the backdrop of the postponement of testimony that Azarian girls team head coach Vanessa Gonzalez physically, verbally, and emotionally abused and bullied gymnasts. She is one of three coaches currently on interim suspension.
The postponement and USA Gymnastics’ handling of the case has enraged alleged victims and their parents, some of whom waited more than four hours Wednesday online waiting to testify against Gonzalez only to be informed via email that their testimony had been postponed.
USA Gymnastics, the Indianapolis-based tax exempt, non-profit that is the sport’s national governing body, had not rescheduled the testimony against Gonzalez as of Friday afternoon.
Three key witnesses in the Gonzalez case, Shikuma, who is believed to be the original whistleblower in the case, gymnast Ashton Woodbury, and Keri Moffitt, a former Azarian parent, said they were initially not invited by USA Gymnastics to testify even though they repeatedly told the organization they wanted to appear.
“This process is why the abuse continues and why people don’t come forward,” Block said. “This process is horrendous.”
A three-month Register investigation based on complaints, interviews, Azarian and USA Gymnastics documents, medical records and therapists’ reports showed that gymnasts, parents and Azarian coaches allege that some Azarian coaches regularly physically, emotionally and verbally abused, bullied and belittled, and pressured young female gymnasts to continue training and/or competing while injured.
USA Gymnastics suspended Gonzalez, and two other Azarian coaches, Amanda Hensley and Perry Davies, on an interim basis Sept. 4 pending the completion an investigation of the coaches. The coaches are prohibited from “all contact” with gymnasts under the terms of the suspension.
USA Gymnastics has jurisdiction over emotional misconduct, bullying, hazing, physical misconduct and retaliation related to safe sport complaints involving affiliated members or gyms. The U.S. Center for SafeSport has jurisdiction over cases involving sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, grooming, and child abuse within Olympic sports in this country.
Under USA Gymnastics policy, “if a report indicates an immediate danger or threat to the gymnastics community, USA Gymnastics may impose interim measures, including suspension for the duration of the investigation.
“The coaches are prohibited from ‘all contact’ with gymnasts under the terms of the suspension” as is the case with Gonzalez, Davies and Hensley.
Gonzalez, Davies and Hensley have declined to comment on specific allegations, citing a confidentiality agreement with USA Gymnastics, but all three have denied any wrongdoing.
USA Gymnastics did not respond to a request for comment. The organization has previously declined to comment on the Azarian cases, citing its SafeSport policy.
The testimony against Gonzalez was postponed Wednesday to allow character witnesses for Hensley to testify on her behalf. The Hensley hearing originally scheduled for part of Wednesday continued with a third day of testimony Friday with at least one witness against Hensley being called back for additional questioning.
It was the second time the Gonzalez hearing was postponed. A hearing scheduled for September had to be postponed because of the volume of complaints against the coaches, according to five people familiar with the hearing.
“We are not going to get to you today, we will be setting a new hearing date,” Busby wrote in a Wednesday email to Block who was waiting to testify against Gonzalez. “I apologize for the delay, we are obligated to give each person involved the chance to speak and be heard.”
But Shikuma, Block, Woodbury, Moffitt and other alleged victims and their families question USA Gymnastics’ commitment to hearing both sides in the case.
“Where was that obligation to the victims?” Block asked in an interview Friday.
Busby told potential witnesses in an email Friday that “we will be sending out an email later this morning confirming our hearings and notifying each witness of the time and date, as is relevant to their report to USA Gymnastics.”
But Shikuma, who filed a 5,000-word formal complaint with USA Gymnastics against Gonzalez and Davies, said she was not initially invited to testify in the Gonzalez hearing. She said she found out about the hearing from another witness and was only invited to testify after multiple attempts to contact USA Gymnastics.
Woodbury said no one from USA Gymnastics followed up with her about her complaint or the hearing and that she was unaware of the hearing until another witness informed her of it on Monday, three days after Busby said USA Gymnastics would contact witnesses. She contacted USA Gymnastics on Tuesday but was not provided a link to appear at the hearing until early Wednesday morning, shortly before its scheduled 9 a.m. start.
Moffitt filed a complaint against Gonzalez earlier this year. She said she was asked by Busby two weeks ago if she wanted to remain anonymous or was willing have her name released to the accused coaches, a step that would allow her to testify in the hearing. Busby and Jennifer Tarnowski, a USA Gymnastics paralegal, told her they would follow up with her, Moffitt said.
“And I heard absolutely nothing,” Moffitt said.
Moffitt said she sent USA Gymnastics three follow-up emails inquiring about the hearing and still did not hear from USA Gymnastics.
Source: Orange County Register
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