People I think could take the USAG High Performance Director job to replace Tom Forster. And their drawbacks:
Brian Carey (1L): Coach of the 2020 Tokyo Floor gold medalist. Problem, she’s his daughter and he hasn’t ever coached another elite to success. He recently left his gym. 60% Likely
Jess Graba (1R): Coach of the 2020 Tokyo All Around gold medalist. There are some unsavory things about using conditioning as punishment even after that was a safe sport violation. But picking him (or Carey) would be on brand and “easy” 10% Likely
Kelli Hill (2L): Old school been around forever, has questioned gymnasts description of conditions at the ranch. She’s had a falling out with her most famous gymnast (Dominique Dawes) who has kept quiet about the details for now but might light her on fire if she gets the job. 10% Likely
Dominique Moceanu (2R): 1996 Olympian, one of the first to set USAG on fire over abuse. Persona non grada for many years. I still don’t think they’ll hire her because that’s hiring someone they can’t control. 1% Likely
Peggy Liddick (3L): Shannon Miller’s 1996 beam coach. She ran the Australian program for fifteen years. Cons: She broke the Australian program and is probably about to be sued in Australia. But she’s applied for this job repeatedly. .0001% Likely
Valeri Liukin (3R): Soviet Olympic medalists, coach/father of Nastia. He was forced out of this job before Tom because his former gymnasts talked about all the weight shaming bullshit he put them through in the early 2000s. Tom took the job on the understanding that Liukin would get it back eventually. Cons: Liukin called those accusations nothing/nonsense and said racist things to Russian media in Russian because the people who can speak Russian say things to Russian media like no one outside of Russia speaks Russian. 10% Likely
Mihai Brestyan (4L): The other American who broke the Australians. Also Aly Raisman’s coach. 5% Likely
Cecile Canqueteau-Landi and Laurent Landi (4R): Simone Biles coaches, a married couple. She is a 1996 French Olympian. Why would they want this job? Wishcasting. .5% likely
Rhonda Faehn (5L): Former Women’s Program director, one of the first ones to report Nassar... unfortunately she reported him to her superiors. Former Florida NCAA coach. She’s nuclear. I could see them flirting with the idea but no. .5% likely.
Mary Lee Tracy (5R): Long time old school coach. 1996 Olympic team coach. Loves to put her foot in her mouth and quote bible versus about forgiving her enemies when her gymnasts talk about how she hurt them. She’ll apply. Also nuclear. .5% likely.
[After describing Alicia Sacramone having a bad tumbling day...] I talked to him, Mihai Brestyan right there, he says hey when she's like that when she was little I could go over step on her toe a little bit say let's go now, but he says now a days I just gotta walk away because she's been around so long she will get it back on track.
Tim Daggett describing I don’t know what he’s describing here... 2008 US National Championships Day 1.
"It is incredible that no one knew ... or if they knew, they didn't speak out," Brestyan said. "It makes me so very angry ... (this) has happened to one of my athletes," Brestyan said. "We are so happy that (Nassar) has been caught — but we are not happy that it took so long for him to be caught. He fooled all of us."
Brestyan said there were lessons for people involved in sports.
"We need to keep working with our parents and our athletes to help them protect themselves and we need to protect each other," he said. "But I also hope that we do not become paranoid ... it is a sensitive subject but kids and parents, the coaches and administration must keep working together and soon as there is a sign, we must check it out."
In January this year, Faehn was hired by the University of Michigan, but after backlash was fired the next day. She is in Melbourne on a short-term appointment with the Waverley Gymnastics Centre, and is accredited at the national championships at Melbourne Arena – her title "future international team coach".
"She has had a long, unblemished career as an athlete and coach," said GA chief executive Kitty Chiller. "We’re 100 per cent confident that Waverley has done the due diligence on her at every level. They went beyond the usual requirements.
"She has an Australian working with children check. She’s passed all our child safety modules. Her visa was endorsed. Her name has not been implicated in any wrongdoing in the US. She came highly recommended. Our national coach, Mihai Brestyan, who is also an American, recommended her.
"Waverley is a highly successful professional club. All the parents of the children she works with at Waverley are willing to provide statements of support."