This message board is far more mature and sane than Twitter, especially now that it's far less active here than it has been in the past. There aren't many children here, and for the most part, people are respectful. Message boards usually have human moderators, whereas Twitter doesn't (they use shoddy Artificial Intelligence instead), and people feel like they can say anything on there. It's a weird environment where 13 year olds are interacting with adults, and it can get ugly quickly. It's the opposite of real life, where little kids would obviously not be in the same social circles as moms. And let's face it, people like drama. A lot of people are interested in this story not because they really care, but because it's entertaining. A coach fighting with a teenage former athlete? Get out the popcorn emoji.
People can write/vent on Twitter all they want, but it doesn't do much good. As you said, there's a lot of trolling and pettiness there. I can't help but think if a child was sexually abused, opening up to an actual therapist would be way healthier than opening up to cheer anons on an app, but that's just me. I wouldn't want my child subjected to that app at all. Even when other kids post the positive experiences they have had at that gym (which they are entitled to do, and it's natural for people to come to the defense of something they love), it might feel triggering for a child who experienced the opposite. This gym has several locations that aren't linked to each other that literally have nothing to do with this, so of course kids are going to defend their gym when they see a #ceaisover hashtag everywhere.
Also, no, the police aren't going to care if a coach screamed at a kid or kicked them off the cheer team, etc, but they will likely listen if you say your child was sexually abused. Hopefully SafeSport continues to grow and becomes a more effective avenue to deal with things like this, where kids/parents can feel safe coming forward, because Twitter to me is not it.
When the former CEA parent (justpeachy) shared some of her story in this thread, it was met with compassion, support, and mature responses. She mentioned that she and her daughter had once received a tremendous amount of hate over this story, and it stemmed from a post made by a Twitter account that people had assumed was her. She said that Twitter then set out to "destroy her". That's what you deal with on Twitter. There are many keyboard warriors and tough guys, and as "catlady" mentioned, kids who enjoy the power they feel they have there.
I saw some disturbing/insane stories, but then there are some other stories where you get the sense that there are two sides to the story, and then the truth probably falls somewhere in the middle. I saw someone blame her eating disorder and low self-esteem on cheer. But those things are often much deeper issues that go beyond the gym. Yes, there are some serious instances of emotional abuse, but then there are other kids who are equally as traumatized by any sort of yelling/criticism because of their perfectionist nature, fear of doing anything wrong, etc. Some kids need that extra push to get something out of them, but then other kids have to be coached differently (which not every coach realizes). This isn't to excuse any terrible behavior, but just an acknowledgment that all kids are different and have their own perspectives.
And I saw someone dispute the story about the Abilities team with an explanation that sounded reasonable, and you wonder if the truth falls somewhere in the middle of that too. In conclusion, I'd much rather come to this message board than a childish app, but good for anyone who gets something positive out of Twitter.
