It took years before the awful truth dawned on UCLA gymnast Kyla Ross. Memories were repressed, but this year, she said she realized that she was among those hundreds of young women who were abused by former USA Gymnastics national team doctor Larry Nassar.
“Everyone copes in their own way,” said Ross, a member of the Fierce Five that stormed to gold at the 2012 Olympics.
Ross revealed that the abuse happened when she was 13-years old, and at the time she thought it was a legitimate treatment. She tweeted the above graphic earlier this week.
“It doesn’t matter how old you are and what happens to you. I’ve come to the point in my life this is something I want to share my story and move on,” Ross told the Associated Press.
Ross recently appeared on CBS’ This Morning Show with fellow gymnast Madison Kocian, who won team gold in the 2016 Olympics, to discuss the sexual abuse they suffered as elite gymnasts. Ross’ father is of African American and Japanese ancestry, and her mother is of Filipino and Puerto Rican descent.
Ross and Kocian have retired from elite gymnastics and now compete at the college level as teammates at UCLA. They helped their team to the NCAA championship last Spring.
The two student/athletes say they were in denial about their abuse. The turning point came in January as they watched nearly 200 women come forward to read victim impact statements to Nassar. He was found guilty last January and sentenced to 174 years in prison.
The two women listened to Jordyn Wieber, who competed alongside Ross at the 2012 London games and now serves as an assistant coach with the Bruins. Until she stood in front of Nassar, Wieber had never spoken publicly about her abuse, according to The Guardian.
“Just seeing the process through her view had helped me find my voice and be confident in myself and realize I was a victim,” Ross told The Guardian. “But we don’t want to be viewed as victims. This is something we have to grow through. Now we’re just trying to find our voice and help.”
With the revelations from Ross and Kocian, all five members of the 2012 Olympic team Ross, Wieber, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas and McKayla Maroney have revealed they were abused by Nassar. Kocian became the fourth member of the 2016 Olympic team to come forward, joining Raisman, Douglas and Simone Biles.
Ross and Kocian have both filed civil lawsuits against Michigan State where Nassar worked for decades and plan to do the same against the United States Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics.
They place part of the blame for their abuse on what they described as a toxic culture around the USA Gymnastics elite program that allowed Nassar’s treatment to run unchecked.
Like many of the athletes who have testified, the Ross and Kocian were too intimidated to question the physical therapy. “We were told it was a medical procedure. A lot of us had back injuries or hamstring injuries, and (were told) that this was the only option because he was our team doctor. If we were to speak up, you probably wouldn’t have been in that consideration of making that [Olympic] team,” Kocian said.
USA Gymnastics said in a statement it is “heartbroken” that Ross and Kocian are among Nassar’s victims, adding “their powerful voices and stories will continue to be a basis for our future decisions.”
“It’s saddening to know a lot of gymnasts have gone through this and (USAG) has not reached out to see how we are doing as people, not as just as athletes but as individuals who grew up in the sport,” Ross said on CBS.
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