Former Gym Calls Gabby Douglas A Liar After Oprah Interview

gabby douglas bullied

By: Amanda Anderson-Niles

Gabby Douglas might have stolen most people’s hearts when she won the gold twice in the 2012 Summer Olympics and made history, but it seems like there are some salty people at her own gym in Virginia where she originally trained before leaving to train with her current coach. And I’m sure it’s because of some recent comments Gabby made regarding her former gym, when she was asked about the struggles she endured to become an Olympic champion. In her recent sit down interview with Oprah Winfrey, Gabby (who now wants to be go by Gabrielle) revealed that she had been bullied and made an outcast by her former teammates while she trained in Virginia. She even said she had to endure racism at the hands of some of the girls she trained with, and it was to the point that she usually went home in tears after practice. And it was this terrible treatment that played such a huge part in her journey to Iowa, a situation that required her to leave her family to live with another, and train with current coach.

It was only a matter of time before the former gym responded. In fact, a couple of the other gymnasts decided to call her out.  And their responses were…interesting.

Here’s what Randy Stageburg, a former Senior International Elite and National Team member had to say:

This is absolutely ridiculous. I trained at Excalibur gymnastics for 8 years and I personally trained with gabby for 2 of those years. The accusations that are being made against the gymnasts and coaches are just sickening. I watched dena and Gustavo put so much of their time and effort into gabby and the other athletes, no matter their race. Gabby was never a victim, in fact many would say she was one of the favorites. I am not saying that she never felt bullied because when you are in a sport with a bunch of girls it is bond to happen. However, anything that she may have felt was never about race and I can assure you everyone at some point has felt bullied.

I never once heard her complain about girls being mean, funny how it is just now coming up. Also, not only does she owe the gym thousands of dollars but she owes dena thousands as well. I watched dena open her home to gabby, feeding her, taking her to gym, and allowing her to stay over her house whenever gabby wanted to. You take people like dena and Gustavo, people that are selfless and put so much into helping these gymnasts reach their potential and you make them out to be evil and heartless. You should all be ashamed of yourselves. Unless you were there to witness these so called racial acts against gabby I suggest you take your comments elsewhere because you sound ignorant. Girls leave gyms all the time it is just part of being an athlete but there is absolutely no need to publicly bash people that have done nothing but support you and do the best they can to help you reach your dreams. I also trained with Morgan Evans, Marcia Newby, Britney Ranzy and Sheriese Clark all of which were on the national team and are African American. I can assure you they all have nothing but great things to say about their experience at Excalibur.

And Kristina Coccia (aka Sharky), a former Senior International Elite who trained at Parkettes:

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing the Excalibur coaches for many years- never once would I question their coaching or love for their athletes. In fact, Dena and Jim were the first coaches to congratulate other athletes, as well as their own. I couldn’t agree more with Randy Stageburg. While I wasn’t personally coached by Jim, Dena or Gustavo- what Gabby is saying makes me sick. I know numerous gymnasts who experienced nothing but fantastic memories from Excalibur. Pay back the money you owe, stop playing the victim and respect the coaches who got you to the Elite level. Because the Excalibur family is one that I personally remember during my career. This entire story makes me sick sometimes.

Perhaps it’s just me, but maybe it would have been a little smarter to respond in a much classier and non hostile way, especially if you’ve been accused of racism and bullying.

In related news, Gabby recently sat down with Vanity Fair, and said those same girls even stole her clothes out her locker one day and told her she should get a nose job.

Regarding the clothes being stolen she says, “You don’t actually take by mistake someone’s clothes.”

19 comments

  1. Just tacky! If this gym is in VA, I’m gonna ride with Gabby on this one. That is one racist, sad place! And these responses were just totally disgusting. It said a lot about those young ladies.

  2. LOL but how are they going to take credit for getting Gabby to the elite level when she had to LEAVE that place to make it to the Olympics? Yeah, somebody’s salty that the lil black girl they teased actually became somebody.

    1. How do you think she got that good in the first place (all the early years of training in her first gym). She trained there for YEARS….these poor people got SCREWED because she wanted to get a FREEBIE from the olympics…typical

  3. I believe Gabby. Those racist white kids are terrible. They only want to hate you because their parents told them to. And now, Gabby has achieved something most of them will never do. Be careful who you pick on. You just never know who that person will grow up to become.

  4. Real talk, but who are her PR people? Who is training this child on how to answer interview questions? Because someone is setting her up for the okie doke. Just like she needs to stop answering those hair questions, she needs to stop talking about that damn gym. She’s a champion now, there is no need to keep talking about that.

  5. Just because she didn’t complain to them (the gym), doesn’t mean it didn\’t happen. Many girls suffer and come home and tell their parents. And I saw the interview, she never said the coaches said anything racist, she said the girls said it…we all know girls can be cruel, and she said it was an uncomfortable situation!!

    In regards to the comment \”I also trained with Morgan Evans, Marcia Newby, Britney Ranzy and Sheriese Clark all of which were on the national team and are African American.\” None of these women are even relevant to this situation. This is about what GABBY felt. And how do we know, they haven\’t felt the racism…think about…they didn\’t leave and go train with Coach Chow, making it all the way to the Olympics…that\’s like white people saying I have lots of black friends…and then name 4, further confirming that there probably was racism there.

    TEAM GABRIELLE all day!!

  6. Truth….I agree 100% with you. Gabby needs a PR team NOW! She needs to learn not to say everything that\’s on her mind. She is being set up. And the media (including Oprah) is exploiting her. There\’s a time, place, and a way to say everything. She has to become smarter at this game….or get the right people to help guide her through this.

  7. I don\’t believe Gabby Douglas. She stated in the Oprah interview that \”all the girls said that I was going to be their slave\”….give me a break…Do any of you think, for one minute, that a bunch of girls (including a couple of black girls that have ADMITTED to being there), would actually say something that stupid in the year 2012 and mean it. It was probably a funny joke (if it was even said). I guarantee Gabby herself has used that line before as a young girl. That\’s the way young girls and boys talk. I think little Ms. Gabby has an inflated ego. She was paying for training and then got offered a FREEBIE because she had some great talent. You don\’t think this girl paid for any of the training for the Olympics, do you? That is paid for by sponsors for the Olympic team. Gabby\’s mother is unemployed (disabled) if you can believe that…. and her father is active military (which by all accounts has been an absentee father. She didn\’t want to have to pay for training anymore …

    1. You sound salty your damn self. How the hell did she look for a freebie she wasn’t guaranteed a gold medal you big dummy ! Obviously they paid for some type of training because if it was my gym I wouldn’t care how good you were I want my money !!! So hush with your nonsense , you judgmental know nothing c-nt.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

YOU MAY LIKE

Discover more from Urban Belle Magazine

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading