Special Post: Mixed Emotions on the Passing of a Giant

November 15th Bela Karolyi passed from this world. This was a man whose position in gymnastics history is complex, to say the least. I have mixed emotions on the passing of this giant of a man.

I once went to a national training conference and Bela was one of the speakers. The room was packed with over 200 coaches of all ages, all levels, all from different regions, all with different philosophies. As he spoke he told us that one must connect with each gymnast to effectively coach them. Some would respond to humor, some to logic, some to consequences. I agreed. His lecture was uplifting and empowering. Every coach in the room felt it. As he spoke he triggered the things that motivated us as coaches and even just as people. He shared things that helped us see the similarities between him and his Gold Medal history, and us; coaches looking for guidance. I realized he was doing it to us. He connected with each individual in turn and his message found a home as he did. When he closed he said “When you have the fire in your heart, and are ready to tear the mountains down, then you are ready to coach.” I was so ready. I felt like standing up and shouting that I needed to get into a gym. Now! What a great motivator.

In that lecture he shared his philosophy of coaching champions. He told us that he likened it to putting 12 Scorpions in a box. In the end only one would survive, and that is the one he wanted to coach. While he went on, I got stuck wondering who would care about the other Scorpions. After all, he was referring to children. I never stopped thinking that. It was this type of thinking that created the possibilities of mental, emotion, physical, and sexual abuse in our sport. There are still many coaches that feel the 11 Scorpions don’t matter. They will shout, ignore, punish, and turn a blind eye when witnessing the same. That is what destroys the Scorpions that eventually could be discarded.

Bela and his wife were brought on to win and develop a culture of excellence. They did their job. But, until it all blew up, no one asked about the cost. We all like to win, but we also work with children. I, and I am not alone, see the victory award ceremony taking place years after the gymnast leaves the gym. I love trophies, medals, and banners but am not willing to sacrifice my Scorpions to get them.

So, I am saddened by Bela’s passing. I believe that his soul will return to this Earth to try again and hopefully he will evolve and grow to refill the holes he had dug in this go-around. Until then, I will respect the gifts he shared with the world, but will always qualify that respect against the damage he left us to clean up.