All-Star Gabi's New Gym And Team Announcement 7/6/15

[Eyes On The Prize]

it was on facebook actually. it was a reaction that any normal parent would have towards a grown man-boy talking badly about their kid.

apparently, this jamie parish has been salty towards Gabi for quite some time:

wasn't she 12/13 years old while at trinity? how could a 30-something-year-old person develop resentment towards a 12/13-year-old and still hold that resentment 4/5 years later?? lmao. was he jealous of her flexability? her flyer skills? her needle? lol.

maybe next time he should go up to her dad and tell him, "your daughter is a punkass gymrat." i doubt someone like him will do that... only if its a kid... and over the internet. lol.

"This jamie parish"? Try THE Jamie Parrish. I get the feeling you don't know who you're talking about or what has happened in the past...

 

[wishfulthinking]

What was the voiceover again?

"They're absolutely the best two cheerleaders in the state of Georgia, hands down. Everybody knows it."

 

[mamabear]

"They're absolutely the best two cheerleaders in the state of Georgia, hands down. Everybody knows it."

ick! what is wrong with this industry? The coaches and owners and soon-to- be owners should be models of good sportsmanship and not let petty battles play out in public. They are lucky I was not a judge.

I am seriously feeling a little disgusted at what I have been reading the last few days.

 

[John Butler]

I was going to refrain from posting on this thread, mainly because I've been on the board for years and I know how little it solves to quarrel with others who have differing opinions with regard to anything cheer related. However, since my wife's Facebook posts are now being posted on this thread I feel the need to respond to one issue.

I'm not interested in addressing any of the issues that have been discussed other than one I feel is very important that I am shocked has been glossed over, marginalized, and swept quietly under the rug. I am appalled at the lack of concern and willingness to “let slide” the fact that a coach and teacher within our sport decided to take to social media to bully my daughter. Call it what you want, minimize it as you may, but the fact is that a well-known coach, former gym owner, and traveling choreographer within our industry decided to get on social media and post a very insulting and negative post directed at my daughter. What’s even more disturbing is to see the lack of response against this by all those who have talked about how bullying is unacceptable. Apparently from what I’ve seen, if it is a coach that is doing the bullying, it is OK so long as he has a good point to make. I’ve seen so many say, “Well, while he might not have done it in the best way, he did have good intentions and/or a good point for discussion”. So is that how we are minimizing bullying now; it’s ok so long as you have good intentions.

What would happen if my daughter didn’t happen to be the strong young woman that she is and was so distraught from a coach calling her out on social media that she put a gun to her head and put a bullet in her brain? Would we all be so quick to simply brush away the clearly inappropriate tweet made by a man who is supposed to be a trainer of children. A man who should have an unwritten code of conduct that requires setting the example of how children should behave? As she lay dead, would all the comments be saying, “Well, he did have good intentions. It’s unfortunate a child is dead but at least now we’re all talking about liability insurance”.

The fact that I have seen so many coaches and owners jump on this thread and minimize what he did simply because he has been involved in many things cheer related over the years is rather disturbing. This shouldn’t be tolerated from anyone, especially a coach, even if they invented the sport of cheerleading. No wonder we have a social media problem within our sport. Bullying is never ok. Not from one child to another, not from adults to children, and certainly not from a coach who works with the very children we are all trying to protect.

Say what you want about whether or not my daughter can teach other children. Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves whether or not you think my daughter’s gym will succeed or fail. That’s your right… God Bless America. Just don’t forget that one day you may decide to go out on your own and take a risk at something you dream of. Maybe you too will be lucky enough to experience the type of support you have shown in this thread over your decision. I also encourage those of you who wonder what a group of young coaches who are athletes themselves can teach others to reach out to the many hundreds if not thousands of parents who have attended one of our events and have been overly impressed at the professionalism and knowledge of our staff of athlete coaches, 2 of whom are ASGA certified. I’m proud to say that I have over 1,000 letters of recommendation, emails, posts and “thank you” messages for the summer clinics we have done over the past 4 years. We must be doing something right if we continue to be invited back each year. I’m also perplexed by the fact that so many have forgotten or perhaps just don’t know that some of the biggest and most successful gyms in the country right now were started by young 17 & 18 year olds. They too didn’t know much about running a business back then, but they took a risk and today they have become storied programs.

I will simply close with this. Feel free to discuss whatever you want on these boards. Feel free to theorize whether our new program with do great or perhaps fail. What you may not realize is that we will be happy in either outcome, because success never comes without failure. If she succeeds, I will hug her and tell her how proud I am of her. If it fails, I will hug her twice as hard and tell her even more so how proud I am of her. Either way, she will grow, learn and become better for it.

So discuss away, but what I will not accept is our blatant ignoring of the fact that my daughter was bullied by an industry coach and this cannot be tolerated. It is never OK for a children’s coach to take to social media to embarrass and insult a child. We have already seen teens who have taken their own lives over much less. Those of you standing by and not speaking out against it are part of the problem. I have traveled the country with my daughter and met many amazing parents, gym owners and coaches. The one thing that we share at every stop is our desire to see children smile, grow and become better people through the sport of cheerleading. It starts with us, the adults, the parents, the coaches, and the gym owners. We have to stop the negativity. Be happy for one another. Be positive and shine like a bright light in a dark world. Isn’t that why most of us came into cheer to begin with?

 

[Keep_Believing]

"What you may not realize is that we will be happy in either outcome, because success never comes without failure. If she succeeds, I will hug her and tell her how proud I am of her. If it fails, I will hug her twice as hard and tell her even more so how proud I am of her. Either way, she will grow, learn and become better for it."

Love this ^^^^^ and my money is on it will be very successful!

 

[Mom2Cheergirls]

@John Butler I just wanted to tell you. My girls were fortunate to attend a clinic where Gabi was. It was a small gym and not a lot of kids at the clinic. Gabi looked like she was a bit tired from traveling but she gave 100% to the kids. She was kind and sweet and worked with them on some new skills. My girls are a higher level but young and not flyers. At first I was honestly worried what she would be able to do with them since they do not fly. My concerns were quickly alleviated. I was very impressed (and I do not impress easily). I have been off the board for a while and knew she was starting a gym but had not kept up with the rest till tonight. Kudos to you to raising a strong girl who is not only talented but caring and I think will make a great coach. All the best and realize for all the nastiness there are plenty of people genuinely happy for your daughter.

 

[MissCongeniality]

@John Butler I don't think most people here were defending what JP said. The closest I saw to that was a reminder that there are always two sides to every story...which is very true!
Next, and I speak from experience here, when you place yourself (or your child) in the public eye (whether or not you make a profit from it) you have to understand that you give away a level of privacy and open yourself/child up for comments. If you ever have any fears that criticism will lead to suicide...then shame on you for putting your child in a position where criticism is going to occur. Sorry, but that's the reality of being in the public eye and being under 18 doesn't get you a "get out of jail free card". There are many talented young athletes out there whose parents make the choice NOT to promote them and put them in the public eye because they decide the price just isn't worth it.
Having said all that... Like I alluded to earlier...I spent a number of years in the public eye...taking criticism for some of the silliest things (hindsight). It definitely sucks sometimes and isn't for everyone. People can be cruel. Sometimes it may be warranted...other times not. You either learn to thicken your skin,or get out...it doesn't matter whether you're 17 or 57! If your daughter loves being around these kids and doing clinics and knows she (and the others) are properly trained and not putting anyone in harm's way...then she can stand up tall and prove the naysayers wrong with what she does in the gym versus what they say on social media.

 

[Lisa Seye]

You are right @John Butler bullying is not cool. I wonder if some look at it differently because it's in our nature to view more "famous" people as invincible. Seems like everyone jumps in to stick up for the underdog but only a few stick up for those we think can stick up for themselves. It's not right either way, whatever our perceptions of another's ability to "take it." We should not be complacent in any bullying situations. So sorry.

 

[SL&AM]

@John Butler

I would agree with you that the comment made by JP is in bad taste, however, that comment alone isn't bullying Gabi. Is it wrong for an adult to get angry with a child and take it to social media? Yes. However, and I don't follow any of the above on twitter, that doesn't constitute bullying. Bullying takes multiple events over a course of time.

Also, if you want to classify Gabi as a child, I wouldn't disagree with you. Legally she is one and though teenagers like to act like adults, they're not. However, gabi has made it known that her current path in life is an adult one---opening her own business, which I have no doubts you and your wife are helping with, but you can't call Gabi a child in one breathe and yet allow her to be an adult in the other without that line blurring. As a business owner, JP's comment will be the least of her concerns when it's all said and done---she will have to take the good with the bad, so as you gave the example of the unstable teenager who could commit suicide over a comment like JP made, I would certainly hope if you ever saw Gabi in that type of position you'd pull the reigns back on what she is trying to accomplish now until she is more capable later on in life.

To be honest, I have no real opinion of Gabi or this JP person, and I get wanting to defend your daughter; but don't question why I'm not sharpening my pitchfork when his actions don't constitute what bullying actually is and she is being an adult by opening her own business. I'm not defending him---his comment was in very, very, very poor taste---but it's not enough to turn the world against him.

 

[Official OWECheer]

I was going to refrain from posting on this thread, mainly because I've been on the board for years and I know how little it solves to quarrel with others who have differing opinions with regard to anything cheer related. However, since my wife's Facebook posts are now being posted on this thread I feel the need to respond to one issue.

I'm not interested in addressing any of the issues that have been discussed other than one I feel is very important that I am shocked has been glossed over, marginalized, and swept quietly under the rug. I am appalled at the lack of concern and willingness to “let slide” the fact that a coach and teacher within our sport decided to take to social media to bully my daughter. Call it what you want, minimize it as you may, but the fact is that a well-known coach, former gym owner, and traveling choreographer within our industry decided to get on social media and post a very insulting and negative post directed at my daughter. What’s even more disturbing is to see the lack of response against this by all those who have talked about how bullying is unacceptable. Apparently from what I’ve seen, if it is a coach that is doing the bullying, it is OK so long as he has a good point to make. I’ve seen so many say, “Well, while he might not have done it in the best way, he did have good intentions and/or a good point for discussion”. So is that how we are minimizing bullying now; it’s ok so long as you have good intentions.

What would happen if my daughter didn’t happen to be the strong young woman that she is and was so distraught from a coach calling her out on social media that she put a gun to her head and put a bullet in her brain? Would we all be so quick to simply brush away the clearly inappropriate tweet made by a man who is supposed to be a trainer of children. A man who should have an unwritten code of conduct that requires setting the example of how children should behave? As she lay dead, would all the comments be saying, “Well, he did have good intentions. It’s unfortunate a child is dead but at least now we’re all talking about liability insurance”.

The fact that I have seen so many coaches and owners jump on this thread and minimize what he did simply because he has been involved in many things cheer related over the years is rather disturbing. This shouldn’t be tolerated from anyone, especially a coach, even if they invented the sport of cheerleading. No wonder we have a social media problem within our sport. Bullying is never ok. Not from one child to another, not from adults to children, and certainly not from a coach who works with the very children we are all trying to protect.

Say what you want about whether or not my daughter can teach other children. Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves whether or not you think my daughter’s gym will succeed or fail. That’s your right… God Bless America. Just don’t forget that one day you may decide to go out on your own and take a risk at something you dream of. Maybe you too will be lucky enough to experience the type of support you have shown in this thread over your decision. I also encourage those of you who wonder what a group of young coaches who are athletes themselves can teach others to reach out to the many hundreds if not thousands of parents who have attended one of our events and have been overly impressed at the professionalism and knowledge of our staff of athlete coaches, 2 of whom are ASGA certified. I’m proud to say that I have over 1,000 letters of recommendation, emails, posts and “thank you” messages for the summer clinics we have done over the past 4 years. We must be doing something right if we continue to be invited back each year. I’m also perplexed by the fact that so many have forgotten or perhaps just don’t know that some of the biggest and most successful gyms in the country right now were started by young 17 & 18 year olds. They too didn’t know much about running a business back then, but they took a risk and today they have become storied programs.

I will simply close with this. Feel free to discuss whatever you want on these boards. Feel free to theorize whether our new program with do great or perhaps fail. What you may not realize is that we will be happy in either outcome, because success never comes without failure. If she succeeds, I will hug her and tell her how proud I am of her. If it fails, I will hug her twice as hard and tell her even more so how proud I am of her. Either way, she will grow, learn and become better for it.

So discuss away, but what I will not accept is our blatant ignoring of the fact that my daughter was bullied by an industry coach and this cannot be tolerated. It is never OK for a children’s coach to take to social media to embarrass and insult a child. We have already seen teens who have taken their own lives over much less. Those of you standing by and not speaking out against it are part of the problem. I have traveled the country with my daughter and met many amazing parents, gym owners and coaches. The one thing that we share at every stop is our desire to see children smile, grow and become better people through the sport of cheerleading. It starts with us, the adults, the parents, the coaches, and the gym owners. We have to stop the negativity. Be happy for one another. Be positive and shine like a bright light in a dark world. Isn’t that why most of us came into cheer to begin with?

It warms my heart to hear how much you believe in Gabi. So many parents don't invest that level of faith into their child. I really hope that this is a successful venture.

 

[HeatUniqueJ]

@John Butler I don't think most people here were defending what JP said. The closest I saw to that was a reminder that there are always two sides to every story...which is very true!
Next, and I speak from experience here, when you place yourself (or your child) in the public eye (whether or not you make a profit from it) you have to understand that you give away a level of privacy and open yourself/child up for comments. If you ever have any fears that criticism will lead to suicide...then shame on you for putting your child in a position where criticism is going to occur. Sorry, but that's the reality of being in the public eye and being under 18 doesn't get you a "get out of jail free card". There are many talented young athletes out there whose parents make the choice NOT to promote them and put them in the public eye because they decide the price just isn't worth it.
Having said all that... Like I alluded to earlier...I spent a number of years in the public eye...taking criticism for some of the silliest things (hindsight). It definitely sucks sometimes and isn't for everyone. People can be cruel. Sometimes it may be warranted...other times not. You either learn to thicken your skin,or get out...it doesn't matter whether you're 17 or 57! If your daughter loves being around these kids and doing clinics and knows she (and the others) are properly trained and not putting anyone in harm's way...then she can stand up tall and prove the naysayers wrong with what she does in the gym versus what they say on social media.

Absolutely agree!
Also, while you can never look into ones Head and 100 % know what they are feeling, i think it goes a little far to bring up suicide here. Gabi seems like a very grown up, stable and supported Person Who Has been in the public eye since she was a Child. This is most probably not the First time someone has said something mean to her and she obviously knows how to handle it. Someone who commits suicide because of bullying can't really be compared to this Situation. I'm sorry if this is an unpopular opinion. Also Sorry for my spelling, i'm on my Phone

 

[njallday]

I don't think anyone was standing up for Jamie. He is one of the most immature man-boys I've ever encountered and I am glad he gave up the reigns to his gym because the thought of him influencing children's lives sometimes worries me. With that madness, comes absolute creative genius. He has had a part in every single one of my favorite routines of all time. That creative genius has put in 30+ years of work into becoming the name he is today... so yeah, he is going to be protective as he!! of people coming onto the scene who could be putting athletes at risk or teaching them without certifications etc, etc making his entire field of work look bad and possibly have to face repercussions because of it.

Did he have ulterior motives in his post about safety concerns? Probably, he is JP after all... but I questioned the insurance/certification scenario with these kids teaching kids all summer weeks ago. It's an extremely valid point and legitimate concern. Those thousands of thank you notes won't matter when something disastrous happens to one kid who will take you all down.





Also, I would like the definition of "bullying" to be placed on a header on every thread. thank you.

 

[j4z0n]

Funny how posting honest opinions about someone/something is considered "bullying". If you can't take the heat, stay out of it...or at least away from social media because that's where everyone, no matter what age, can go crazy

 

[SL&AM]

Absolutely agree!
Also, while you can never look into ones Head and 100 % know what they are feeling, i think it goes a little far to bring up suicide here. Gabi seems like a very grown up, stable and supported Person Who Has been in the public eye since she was a Child. This is most probably not the First time someone has said something mean to her and she obviously knows how to handle it. Someone who commits suicide because of bullying can't really be compared to this Situation. I'm sorry if this is an unpopular opinion. Also Sorry for my spelling, i'm on my Phone

Also, I would like the definition of "bullying" to be placed on a header on every thread. thank you.

You're officially making JP sound interesting enough for me to like google and stuff...

And I couldn't shimmie your last line enough. Oh @King could you possibly make that happen?

 

[njallday]

You're officially making JP sound interesting enough for me to like google and stuff...

And I couldn't shimmie your last line enough. Oh @King could you possibly make that happen?

I very vaguely recall a reel video of all the cheer routines he's done so i went to find it for you and i found this gem from 2008 instead