This Is My Story
I was the national gymnastics champion in 1986.
I trained 8 hours a day.
And I fought through horrific injuries. Two broken ankles. A broken femur.
I learned how to lose. And keep getting up.
I learned to fight for what I wanted.
Learning to Fight Through Pain and Loss
20 years after I left the sport, I was the first to speak up about the abusive coaching that I and so many others had endured. I was smeared as a grifter and a liar.
It wasn’t ok to criticize well-respected coaches. That got me pushed out of the good graces of the gymnastics community. And the Olympic movement more broadly.
But their smears only strengthened my resolve.
Speaking Up — and Paying the Price
I didn’t want another child to go through what I had gone through. So I put up with the lies about me. And pushed back even harder. To speak on behalf of young girls’ right to train in a safe environment free from abuse.
Truth Comes Out
10 years after I spoke up, I was redeemed. Larry Nassar, the “doctor” for Team USA Gymnastics for 30 years, was convicted as a serial sexual abuser. The gymnastics environment was exposed.
2 years after that, I pushed back against COVID school closures because they were harmful to children.
Starting XX-XY Athletics
After 35 years and an award-winning career, I was ousted from corporate America forever.
So, I decided to start my own brand.
That brand is XX-XY Athletics.
We are the only brand standing up for women’s sports and fair competition.
Why I Fight
People ask me why I do it. I do it because somebody has to. Somebody has to fight for women and girls.
We work so hard. We deserve a fair fight. We deserve the opportunities that sports provide. We deserve to train and compete safely.
This is why I fight. For my own daughter.
And every little girl out there who works so hard to achieve her dreams.
There is XX. And there is XY. That’s it.
These are our sports.
If you believe in fair competition for women and girls, join me.
Join us.
