Advocating For Athletes Series - Introduction

In this introduction episode to the Advocating for Athletes Series, Abbie Hillis, the host of the Loving This Life Podcast, approaches emotional and physical abuse as well as sexual assault issues surrounding competitive athletes from multiple perspectives. Each episode hosts one guest and includes their story and involvement of adolescents in sports, and how they believe society as a whole needs to change and it needs to happen now. 

Since founding the 12th Woman back in 2018, Abbie has passionately advocated for sexual assault survivors. As an emotionally abused gymnast herself, she decided to create this series to bring more light to the issues surrounding sports and the culture of competitive gymnastics. 

The four episode series, sponsored by the Texas Advocacy Project, includes Abbie Hillis and guests: 

• Meghan Romere, co-founder of the 12th Woman
• Adam Miller, Head Girls Team Coach at Crenshaw’s Gymnastics, 
• McKenzie and Krist Wofford, an elite gymnast for USA Gymnastics and a 2x National Champion at the University of Oklahoma joined by her mother
• Michelle Simpson Tuegel, Licensed and Practicing attorney in Texas and New York

Throughout the series, guests share their stories of emotional abuse from coaches specifically in Texas. Abbie Hillis specifically shares her experience at Capital Gymnastics in Austin, TX as both an athlete and as a coach. She describes her experiences as the subject of emotional abuse by different coaches throughout her gymnastics career, and describes stories of abuse she witnessed as an adult and coach. The series then dives into a coach’s perspective on the culture with gymnastics and high-level sports and how, as a coach, it is hard to be an advocate when so many still treat athletes the wrong way. 

McKenzie Wofford joins her mom, Kristi, in the third episode where she shares her first hand experiences with National Coach Valeri Luikin and her assault with Larry Nassar, the previous team doctor for USA Gymnastics. She discloses stories she has never shared before, and her mother provides perspective as a parent and learning to cope with subjecting her daughter to the emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse. 

The series concludes with an incredibly informative episode with Michelle Simpson Tuegel who recently represented former U.S. National Team and Olympic gymnasts who were sexually abused by the Olympic team’s former doctor, Larry Nassar. She provides insight into her experience with survivors, USA Gymnastics, and the issues in society surrounding sexual assault and emotional and physical abuse to athletes. 

Collectively, this series shares stories that athletes and coaches experienced for the first time publicly. Hillis’s hope is that this series provides insight into the issues athletes and coaches face in competitive sports by bringing on guests who shed light on their personal experiences with gymnastics, athletes, coaches, and governing bodies such as USA Gymnastics. Ultimately, this series addresses the fact that we, as a society, must change our entire culture around athletes, emotional and physical abuse, and sexual assault and addresses the first steps we need to take toward making effective change. 

 

To learn more about TAP visit www.texasadvocacyproject.org.

To learn share your story visit: www.lovingthislife.org/shareyourstory

To donate to TAP visit: https://www.texasadvocacyproject.org/LovingThisLife