Flipping Out: A Gymnastics Documentary

The extent of the sexual abuse of young female gymnasts by the notorious convicted felon Larry Nassar stunned the world. What if USA Gymnastics had an opportunity to change the rules that let coaches get away with abuse long before that abuser had a chance to do his worst? Amy Compton is making “Flipping Out,” a documentary about the battle she and fellow gymnasts started fighting long ago, begging to close the loopholes that protected abusive coaches at the expense of athletes.

Amy says she kept quiet about the cigarette burns, the kicks, and the other “minor” assaults her coach perpetrated until she was in her mid-30s when she discovered she was not alone, and the former gymnasts tried to get USA Gymnastics to address the problem. “The exact policies we tried to change could have prevented the toxic environment that allowed Larry Nassar to molest hundreds of gymnasts,” she says.

She has big ambitions for this film including an upcoming crowdfunding effort and hopes for many more grants. We love how Amy goes for the gold while promising to “run an operation leaner than a starving gymnast and stretch marketing dollars farther than I could do the splits 30 years ago.” Judges give that a 10!

This AWB award will help with equipment to get the filming (on an iPhone) underway.

Abusers used to be able to count on the silence of their victims, and thanks to the bravery of people like Amy, that is no longer true. We think that’s awesome.