Jessica Shuran Yu condemns training abuse in China (Article) | Golden Skate

Jessica Shuran Yu condemns training abuse in China (Article)

ladyjane

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This is horrifying. What is going on in our favourite sport? It's one thing to nurture talent, quite another to force it.
 

Noxchild

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Very sad and enraging to hear about child athletes still being abused without (seemingly any) consequences. I am glad she felt she could speak up now, even at no doubt professional risk :pray:
 

el henry

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So sad and so enraging; I am furious that any minor children could be treated in such a way. And proud of Jessica for speaking up.

May those in authority listen and perhaps actually do something to prevent situations where young teens are told these are the "sacrifices" one must "make" to follow a dream.:pray:
 

sparklestan

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Very, very sad. It is horrible when anybody is told they are worthless. Especially when it is a child who is not performing the way their adult trainers want (probably not even the kid’s fault). No one should be talked to like that, but especially not an innocent child.
 

Shayuki

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Yes, this has been known of for a really long time, for China specifically. But also on a general level.

I always find it strange because it's scientifically been proven to be an inferior method in comparison to positive reinforcement.

I guess it's a way for the adults to feel a sense of power or something, with little risk of getting into trouble.
 

Edwin

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Cultural differences and lack of understanding thereof on our part always pre-determines these articles and opinions.

Like with any other discussion over training methods and their (perceived) abusiveness, we project our cultural preferences on other societies.

It is for the respective societies to take action from the inside out, if at all.

Like with the abuse scandals that still hold USA gymnastics in its grip, this is a very slow and painful process. Changes need to be made on so many levels, athletes, parents, coaches, clubs, federations, NOC's etc. etc.
 

Decoder

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Yes, this has been known of for a really long time, for China specifically. But also on a general level.

I always find it strange because it's scientifically been proven to be an inferior method in comparison to positive reinforcement.

I guess it's a way for the adults to feel a sense of power or something, with little risk of getting into trouble.

The problem is that this mom does not really know any scientific method, nor does she have any scientific thinking. She does not trust the Chinese single trainers that much either (by results). As you said, she wanted to have it under her own control, and chose the method she considered the most efficient - hard training to extreme.

Edit: I thought I was writing in the thread "Article on upbringing of Chinese skater An Xiangyi". Anyway.
 

el henry

Go have some cake. And come back with jollity.
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Cultural differences and lack of understanding thereof on our part always pre-determines these articles and opinions.

Like with any other discussion over training methods and their (perceived) abusiveness, we project our cultural preferences on other societies.

It is for the respective societies to take action from the inside out, if at all.

Like with the abuse scandals that still hold USA gymnastics in its grip, this is a very slow and painful process. Changes need to be made on so many levels, athletes, parents, coaches, clubs, federations, NOC's etc. etc.

Which is why Jessica herself saying that she was physically and emotionally abused by her coaches is so important.

No cultural projection there: the actual athlete training in the actual situation saying this happened to me. And saying it was wrong. :(

In fact, if anything about this sad situation gives hope, it is that Jessica found inspiration from the US gymnasts who told their story, said this happened to me, and this was wrong. Reaching across the cultures:thumbsup:

ETA: and, jumping off and not directed at your post, it has nothing to do the newspaper, Jessica disclosed the same details in her own Twitter.
 
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Harriet

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I always find it strange because it's scientifically been proven to be an inferior method in comparison to positive reinforcement.

I guess it's a way for the adults to feel a sense of power or something, with little risk of getting into trouble.

I was reading an interesting article today about the concept of cognitive dissonance - when a person holds two (or more) contradictory beliefs or values, and participates in an action that goes against one of them. They have to find a way to reconcile the two ideas in their head - to make the action that betrays their values consistent with those values in some way. The example I always think of is my father, who smoked for his entire adult life: he knew that smoking could cause cancer and other health problems, and was bad for him, but he liked smoking, and justified his decision to keep doing it by claiming that he 'didn't have the gene that triggers cancer' (even though his own father lost half a lung to cigarette-induced lung cancer) because if he did he would already be dead (in other words, he deployed one scientific idea to justify ignoring another).*

I think something similar might happen in the minds of at least some coaches who behave the way Jessica describes. They know that hurting children is a bad thing to do; they may even have been hurt the same way themselves as children, and hated it and the people who did it to them. They also believe that training athletes who will perform well and win is a good thing to do. Perhaps, in order to resolve the cognitive dissonance, they tell themselves that hurting children in this specific way (though a bad thing that makes the children hate them - another bad thing) is justified because it helps to make those children into winners (a good thing), the same way it made them into winners themselves (also a good thing).

Though I'm sure there are also some who enjoy being cruel and having power over vulnerable young athletes, too. People like that find their way into every field that offers them a steady supply of people to hurt.

*My father died of lung cancer at the age of 70. Reality tends not to care much about anyone's self-justifications.
 

jenaj

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Cultural differences and lack of understanding thereof on our part always pre-determines these articles and opinions.

Like with any other discussion over training methods and their (perceived) abusiveness, we project our cultural preferences on other societies.

It is for the respective societies to take action from the inside out, if at all.

Like with the abuse scandals that still hold USA gymnastics in its grip, this is a very slow and painful process. Changes need to be made on so many levels, athletes, parents, coaches, clubs, federations, NOC's etc. etc.

What is "cultural" about physical abuse of an athlete by her coach? I'd say it's universally wrong.
 

karne

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Cultural differences and lack of understanding thereof on our part always pre-determines these articles and opinions.

Like with any other discussion over training methods and their (perceived) abusiveness, we project our cultural preferences on other societies.

Uh.

I'm pretty sure that striking a child multiple times with a blade guard is assault in pretty much any culture.

Or are you saying that because it's a different culture, assaulting a child for making a mistake is okay?
 

Fried

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karne

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