Dominique Moceanu has been an idol of mine when I first saw her beat another idol, Shannon Miller, in 1995 at the age of 13. I was 8. Being a fellow gymnast, though I was never an Elite, I can relate to a lot of her struggles in our sport, one that is, at times, physically, mentally, and emotionally grueling. I always looked up to Dominique and envied (what seemed like) her perfect relationship with her coaches, Bela and Marta. When I first started out & she was rising to fame, I couldn't stand my coaches and wanted what she had. I now know how the public was duped and how much she suffered. Gymnasts go through what ballet dancers do with coaches, if not more. The pressure to be thin is exacerbating and weight gain is shunned, because it really does change your flight path through aerial movements. My competitve career was over shortly after puberty, when my body changed, and done completely at the age of 16, due to chronic injuries. Dominique should be commended for her ability to openly share her journey and also to fight for what is right in the gymnastics community, since it has moved towards an Eastern European dictatorship; the dictator being Matra Karoyli, who is so deleterious to gymnasts' confidence in their ability and self-esteem. She & USAG should be ashamed, her for her behavior & USAG for allowing her to be in power and for backing her.