Olympian and Nassar survivor Jordyn Wieber speaks with the moderator of the Q&A portion of the night, president of Michigan State University's Sexual Assault Crisis Intervention Team Anna Cumming on March 22, 2018 at the Wharton Center. Wieber addressed the crowd about her process of realization, her support system, as well as several other topics. —
Photo by Matt Schmucker |
The State News
When Olympic gold medal gymnast Jordyn Wieber began her talk at the Wharton Center Thursday, she said moving forward was the name of the game when she was pursuing her Olympic dream. Despite blisters and tumbles, she said she had to tighten her ponytail, get back up and keep going.
During the Jordyn Wieber: Moving Forward event at Wharton Center, Wieber recounted her experiences of sexual abuse at the hands of ex-MSU and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, of coming forward and continuing her life. She shared the inner struggles she had, facing fear and experiencing empowerment. Here are three key points from her talk.
Victim to survivor
When considering whether or not to come forward about the sexual abuse, Wieber said she thought about what the public would think. She said she thought about the fact that when people Googled her name, Nassar’s would follow.
"This experience doesn’t define me. The things that happen to you in your life don’t define you. Yes, I was a victim, but the key word in that sentence is 'was,'" Wieber said. "I was a victim when he abused me, but I am no longer a victim, so I decided to free myself from that label."
Gymnastics has to change
Fear is the motivator USA Gymnastics uses, Wieber said. Athletes who hit their marks and pull off flawless routines get praised, and mistakes make kids outcasts. Wieber said this system inspired silence in the athletes.
“They get you to do the routines and hit everything they want you hit out of fear of what’s going to happen. ... There has to be some way to create champions — that’s not that way. I have to believe that there’s a way to do that,” Wieber said. “If I were to speak out about anything that I thought was wrong, I would’ve never made the Olympic team. ... My chance would have been ruined.”
Sexual abuse, the silent epidemic
Referring to sexual assault as "the silent epidemic," Wieber said she won’t stop until every survivor feels empowered to tell their story. Seeing and hearing the other survivors, some of them her Olympic teammates, share their stories helped her come forward with her story, she said. She said she was still Jordyn.
“Survivors need to move forward, and so does Michigan State University. When more than 250 brave women stood up in court to confront Larry Nassar, many of us also confronted MSU,” Wieber said. “It starts with stopping the victim shaming so that survivors feel empowered to speak out and then that culture can start to change around sexual assault.”
Wieber now volunteers as an assistant gymnastics coach at the University of California, Los Angeles, the school she attended. She said she wants to keep coaching, speaking and doing advocacy work. She said she focuses on encouraging and supporting her gymnasts as they pursue their dreams.
“It’s one thing to come forward about sexual abuse and share your story, and hopefully it inspires other survivors, but there are some serious, serious changes that need to be made to prevent this from happening again." Wieber said. "This is just beginning with all of the changes that need to happen with not only Michigan State but USA Gymnastics and the Olympic Committee. There’s a lot of people who are not being held accountable for their actions, and this is the new age of accountability.”
