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Gym Denies Gabby Douglas' Racism Claims: Who Do You Believe?

SodaHead Celebs 2012/08/29 17:00:00
Related Topics: Gabby Douglas, Oprah
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Newly minted Olympic gold medalist -- and America's resident sweetheart -- Gabby Douglas shocked her fans when she told Oprah that she was bullied with racist jokes at Excalibur Gymnastics in Virginia Beach, Va.

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"I was just, you know, kind of getting racist jokes, kind of being isolated from the group. So it was definitely hard. I would come home at night and just cry my eyes out," the 16-year-old gymnast told Oprah on "Oprah’s Next Chapter."

"One of my teammates was like, 'Could you scrape the bar?' And they were like, 'Why doesn’t Gabby do it, she’s our slave?' I was the only African-American at that gym. I definitely felt isolated. Why am I deserving this? Is it because I’m black? -- those thoughts were going through my mind."

But Randy Stageburg, a former Senior International Elite and National Team member who trained at Excalibur, called Gabby's claims "ridiculous," according to gymnewstics.com. "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." Gustavo Moure, President and CEO of Excalibur, added, "Gabby’s remarks were hurtful and without merit." Who do you believe: Gabby... or the gym?
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  • squire Brian G... 2012/09/05 18:05:48
    squire
    the chump did let it go by blocking me, or didn't you know that already? it's what you chumps do.
  • betz 2012/08/30 10:46:04
    The Gym
    betz
    I wish you had put a "not sure" as a choice. We probably will never get to the truth. I would hate to think either one of them would lie.
    If this in fact did take place it's disgusting....

    If this young girl in fact is lying...that too is disgusting.
  • squire betz 2012/09/05 18:06:37
    squire
    or are the gym spokespeople lying; now that's disgusting.
  • betz squire 2012/09/05 21:31:05
    betz
    +1
    That is what I am saying...someone is not telling the truth and it's disgusting.
  • Ichiban Otousan 2012/08/30 10:08:19
    The Gym
    Ichiban Otousan
    +2
    Being half black and half Japanese and a military brat, i will say that I rarely had issues with racism...until I left the military community.....and I expected all kinds of whites to talk trash...especially after marrying a white women...but no, the first racism I was exposed to were from my black brothas and sistas. I have come to notice that whites generally try very hard to be politically correct...unless they are famous and then PC goes out the window. but Black America still has a lot of issues and take everything as an insult. it is only from this experience that i say this...I could be wrong though.
  • squire Ichiban... 2012/09/05 18:11:55 (edited)
    squire
    half black my ass! no matter what the issue, blacks are now, and have always been seen as inferior. in american we are culturally conditioned to believe that white is superior and black is inferior. the manifestation of that is that any black is underestimated, undervalued, and marginalized. of course we have problems that stem from racism/white supremacy. don't you have black japanese in japan? sure you do. how are they treated; even the ones who weren't black were (atombombed), and they were civilians. . could be wrong? you're damn wrong. sept 6-2012> SO YOU BLOCKED ME BELOW. YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A FAKE OUT ANYWAY YOU CHUMP. I WILL BLOCK YOU ALSO.
  • Ichiban... squire 2012/09/06 08:33:57
    Ichiban Otousan
    Black culturally condition themselves as such. I was lucky to live overseas my whole life on military bases till college and you just don't see that. My dad never once said any woe is me story. he made his way thru the ranks and retired because of his great attitude and intelligence. Blacks in the military that come in with that mentality almost always fail and rarely retire. Blacks want to keep each other down and i don't get that. Still have yet to feel that way from any white person. But from my own and folks like you...so sad. don't talk to me again until you grow up, change your attitude and realize that you are responsible for how your life goes. Till then your ass is blocked
  • jerry.alan.carroll 2012/08/30 09:00:10
    The Gym
    jerry.alan.carroll
    +3
    drama queen!
  • Ichiban... jerry.a... 2012/08/30 10:09:03
    Ichiban Otousan
    +1
    i would have to agree with you here.
  • squire Ichiban... 2012/08/30 15:41:53
    squire
    OF COURSE YOU WOULD.
  • jerry.a... Ichiban... 2012/09/06 08:43:35
    jerry.alan.carroll
    +1
    Everyone loves to play the victim...it makes their plight that much more dramatic.
  • squire jerry.a... 2012/08/30 15:41:36
    squire
    JEALOUS MAN!
  • squire jerry.a... 2012/09/05 18:12:38
    squire
    drama that those of your mindset create and then try to walk away from. it's just your nature
  • jerry.a... squire 2012/09/06 08:26:41
    jerry.alan.carroll
    +1
    Just my nature?? you are creating drama by that comment. That could also be construed as a racist comment regardless of what your race is. Yes, there is such thing a racism within the races. I don't have time to deal with folks like you...I try to avoid the drama.
  • john doe 2012/08/30 08:25:15
    Gabby Douglas
    john doe
    +5
    There may have been a comment or two about race. If this was a white person in a black gym you could be damn sure there would have been plenty of racist comments. The whole thing is blown way out of proportion for ratings. WaY to sell yourself out gabby.
  • Franklin john doe 2012/08/30 11:45:03
    Franklin
    not a chance racetard! you are such a tool and that card is so played out-
  • john doe Franklin 2012/08/30 12:18:41
    john doe
    +1
    People make fun of each other, so what. I'm sure gabbys road to Olympic gold wasn't wrought with racism. Editing is a manipulative tool.
  • Franklin john doe 2012/09/01 03:30:04
    Franklin
    editing ? i did not edit / BTW I think we agree on most of this . I have worked in all white as well as all black* (other than me) jobs as well as plenty of mixed jobs ...people who bitch about "racism" are always losers who don't work as hard as everyone else and look for an excuse - Gabby won two golds and screwed it up with this stunt ! She could have been a role model but now she is just a cry baby-
    *I was the token white guy at a garbage company worked my ass off and had plenty of people willing to back me up when the race thing came up -
  • squire Franklin 2012/09/05 18:14:22
    squire
    THE DECK HAS FIFTY TWO CARDS THAT ARE OF YOUR CREATION.
  • squire john doe 2012/09/05 18:13:34
    squire
    if,if,if. HYPOTHETICAL
  • addie 2012/08/30 07:40:18
    The Gym
    addie
    +4
    No one who is willing to be interviewed by Oprah, has any credibility. Period.
  • DarkChild addie 2012/08/30 13:04:28
    DarkChild
    +2
    We have another uneducated fool, no matter how much you hate Oprah, she has a lot of people who respects her.
  • addie DarkChild 2012/08/31 04:03:18
    addie
    A lot of people like crack. What's your point, popularity equals quality?
  • squire addie 2012/08/30 15:42:54
    squire
    +1
    ESPECIALLY BECAUSE SHE'S BLACK. RIGHT?
  • addie squire 2012/08/31 04:04:39
    addie
    Yes, my dislike of her must be about her being black. lol
  • squire addie 2012/08/31 19:42:52
    squire
    AT LEAST PARTIALLY. AT LEAST YOU'RE HONEST ABOUT IT.
  • addie squire 2012/08/31 19:47:11
    addie
    Oy.
  • Ichiban... addie 2012/09/07 08:18:40
    Ichiban Otousan
    +1
    Yeah, remember Tom Cruise? LOL!
  • SheShe 2012/08/30 04:50:29
    The Gym
    SheShe
    +3
    Why did she say that she needed more intense training which meant that she had to move and go to a new trainer ... and a white family took her in and treated her like their own daughter? The whole town was very supportive of her. She (in her own words) became homesick and wanted to go home and back to her old gym (OlympicTV interview). If you felt that you had been treated as an inferior ..would you want to go back to that situation? I think Oprah wanted a"story"..... enough said. Now my mind has been changed about Gabby and Oprah.
  • Ev Rom SheShe 2012/08/30 09:51:23
    Ev Rom
    +1
    She said a few people made those comments, even if it was just one person, she is not blaming the gym and the entire team, she is talking about an experience she had with few racist poeple, I guess some of you would rather she lied.
  • Ichiban... Ev Rom 2012/08/30 10:14:52
    Ichiban Otousan
    +1
    i would have rather she called out the individuals on the spot. I know I would have in that situation and I know it would have been dealt with. This is not some golds gym, this is a place for elite athletes and they usually won't tolerate this BS. Personally it almost seems that she is just milking the fame by getting folks to feel sorry for her and claiming all kinds of adversity to get there. The only one that beat adversity was her mom that went so far into debt that she filed for bankruptcy. Now THERE is a woman I can admire!
  • Ev Rom Ichiban... 2012/08/30 10:30:46
    Ev Rom
    +2
    she did no such thing, she said one person made that comment, she didnt blame the school, she felt singled out by the comments, You people are trying to make her look bad for some reason and I think I know why.
  • Ichiban... Ev Rom 2012/08/30 10:39:48
    Ichiban Otousan
    if you read the entire story about her...you will see she said that Gabby recalled the cruel treatment on several occasions.
  • Ev Rom Ichiban... 2012/08/31 07:32:53
    Ev Rom
    SO?
  • squire Ev Rom 2012/08/30 20:48:44
    squire
    they can't help it. it's in their nature
  • DarkChild SheShe 2012/08/30 13:07:27
    DarkChild
    +1
    Everyone know's Oprah do not build a story around lies, that is why a lot of cauccasians love her.
  • squire SheShe 2012/08/30 15:44:38
    squire
    +1
    GABBY WASN'T TALKING ABOUT THE FAMILY SHE STAYED WITH OR HER SUPPORTERS, YOU PROPAGANDIST. SHE WAS SPECIFIC
  • Darnel 2012/08/30 04:44:38
    Gabby Douglas
    Darnel
    +6
    not rocket science.
    1. She gains nothing by lying.
    2. It still happens because there is a group out there who can't handle difference.

    Either they quietly support this kind of poor behavior, or they do it from a position of strength and dare the minority to say anything. Her being the only girl of color and getting slammed for it? not a stretch.

    Sad funny how you can talk real time as IT IS HAPPENING NOW and some loser steps up to tell us that all complaints/incidents are due to history that minorities can't "let go of".
  • Franklin Darnel 2012/08/30 11:46:27
    Franklin
    1 she gets on TV
    2 what would you do with out the ability to "cry" about racism for several hours every day ...LOL
  • DarkChild Franklin 2012/08/30 13:08:30
    DarkChild
    +1
    This is no lol moment this is real talk.

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