I was so saddened to find out that the amazing Gabby Douglas, who won two gold medals in this summer's London Olympics, nearly quit gymnastics because she was bullied. The 16-year-old athlete revealed this to Oprah Winfrey during a taping of her show, Oprah's Next Chapter. According to Gabby, the atmosphere at the local gym where she practiced was one of exclusion and at one point she was even told she was their slave.
The gym has since denied the allegations, but I don't see why Gabby–who's the first African-American to win the all around gold medal in gymnastics–would make up something like that.
First of all, it's not like she needs the attention. And secondly, being bullied is nothing to take lightly. I seriously doubt that Gabby would talk untruthfully about something that must have hurt her so much and that nearly destroyed her career. Plus, why then did she eventually move from that gym in Virginia Beach to one in Des Moines, Iowa?
Gymnastics is my favorite event to watch in the Olympics and this year was no different, except for the fact that my daughter sat right next to me and together we watched Gabby take two gold medals. Vanessa, who's been in gymnastics since the beginning of the summer, was in awe of Gabby and her amazing grace and talent. And I know that even though she's still so little, she totally looked up to Gabby. Not to mention that we were both very emotional the closer she got to getting a gold medal.
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I'm so glad Gabby didn't give up and continued on. I think she's really brave to come out and admit that she was bullied. Hopefully other young people will realize they shouldn't let their talents go to waste because of some hurtful and jealous people who have nothing better to do than to bully others.
Embedded content: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UGOsnHaaoo
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