Years before Simone Biles and Gabby Douglas took the world by storm, the U.S. women's gymnastics team gave America their first team gold at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga. Known as the Magnificent Seven, the young athletes helped pave the way for the powerhouse gymnasts of today — in more ways than one.
During a panel appearance at 90s Con in Hartford, Conn., on Saturday, March 29, Magnificent Seven members Dominique Moceanu and Shannon Miller opened up about their experiences growing up in sports and why it's so important to both of them that aspiring gymnasts today have the support and protection they need.
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While neither Moceanu nor Miller was directly abused by Larry Nassar, the former team doctor of the United States' women's national gymnastics team who was convicted of sexually abusing female gymnasts, Moceanu's outspoken stance against the abusive methods of her own coaches led to her becoming a source of support for survivors of Nassar's abuse.
As Moceanu explained it, after finding out about the "devastating" extent of Nassar's crimes, she became a sort of "underground call center" for his victims in an attempt to help "change the culture of our sport for the future."
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The process was a "long journey to get there and a hard one, especially for me," Moceanu said, adding, "I was very isolated after I spoke up."
Interestingly, Miller didn't have to deal with abusive coaches; as she put it, "gymnastics was a very healthy outlet for me."
Still, Miller recognizes that "this stuff does happen," and it's important for parents of young athletes to do whatever they can to protect their children, like "going in and asking questions" without being overly fearful.
"Yes, look for those red flags, but there's so many great lessons and life lessons and confidence and self-esteem and all these great things that come from sports," Miller said.
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