Gymnastics coach Jeb Silsbury fired from Melbourne club after allegedly texting teenage athlete

A gymnastics coach who quit the Australian Olympic team after the ABC alleged he harassed a former colleague has now been accused of making sexual comments to former junior athletes, including calling them names on their bottoms.

The allegations against Jeb Silsbury, who is now training an Olympian at Cheltenham Youth Club in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs, come from his time coaching MLC Gymnastics Club, affiliated with Methodist Ladies’ College, a prestigious girls’ school. Melbourne.

ABC investigation uncovered allegations by two former MLC gymnasts; one of them claimed Mr Silsbury’s behavior “went on for years” and included suggestive comments.

The allegations were reported to the school and Mr. Silsbury was fired.

Mr Silsbury did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Allegedly inappropriate comments left girl ’embarrassed’

The former gymnast, now 29, said Mr Silsbury was friendly when he arrived at MLC Gymnastics in 2008.

He said that when the team went abroad for international competitions, he left chocolates in the athletes’ rooms or bought them gifts such as T-shirts or treats from the airport.

But he claimed Mr Silsbury’s comments became increasingly inappropriate as time went on.

She recalled Mr Silsbury’s claim to have described some of his gymnastics feats as “like the best orgasm ever” or “like good sex”.

The gymnast said some strength exercises, such as hip thrusts, also attract sexually explicit comments.

“He would say, ‘Pretend so-and-so is lying on top of you,'” she claimed.

“I would never do this exercise when he was around because I was too embarrassed.”

Gymnast claims coach commented on her body

The gymnast claimed Mr Silsbury sometimes commented on his athletes’ bodies, including his own, and went so far as to give them nicknames for body parts.

“I remember you telling me I had a rounder butt than everyone else,” she said.

“How are you supposed to react? We would laugh hysterically about it, and then it became a coping mechanism.”

He said the incident had a lasting impact on him.

“Years later… I would wear really long, baggy T-shirts because I was so embarrassed,” she said.

“I was young and wanted to do gymnastics, but I ignored it.

“I guess I ignored a lot of the things he did.”

Another gymnast, now 28, also claimed Mr Silsbury made sexual comments while coaching her.

“For example, he would make inappropriate comments, like the Rihanna song S&M once played…he would just say ‘sex smells weird,'” she said.

“I think it’s weird that he said that to a group of underage girls… he was our coach, it’s inappropriate considering the professional role he was supposed to play.”

She claimed Mr Silsbury had glared at her on occasions.

“You’re wearing a leotard, there’s not a lot of coverage there,” she said.

“I always felt really uncomfortable.”

Mother recalls ‘sickening feeling’ after daughter shares allegations

Coaches are expected to comply with Gymnastics Australia’s member protection policy, which sets out guidelines for behavior in the sport.

Coaches are told to avoid inappropriate or “profane or sexual” language.

Things came to a head for the teenager, now 29, in 2012 when she told her adult sister that Mr Silsbury had been texting her.

He said the messages were friendly but set off alarm bells for family members.

His sister recalled the conversation to ABC.

“I don’t think he fully understood what was going on, the seriousness of it,” the sister said.

“I think he didn’t want to share how many messages he was getting in the beginning.

“I think he felt conflicted, I don’t think he knew how to deal with it.

“I felt like you felt a little bit trapped.”

At her sister’s urging, the gymnast told her mother about Mr Silsbury’s alleged behavior on the way to training.

“You know, there’s a sick feeling… like you don’t want this information in your head,” her mother recalled.

“I felt like, ‘I need to tell someone,'” she said.

Employment terminated after parent expressed concerns

The gymnast’s mother approached Mr Silsbury’s boss, Michelle De Highden, MLC Gymnastics Club’s head coach and high performance manager, and a meeting was scheduled at the school.

The gymnast recalled Ms. De Highden taking notes while sitting with her mother during the meeting.

“She looked like her heart was sinking, she looked distressed,” the gymnast said.

“At one point he hugged me and told me it wasn’t my fault.”

Ms De Highden currently works at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), which is governed by the Australian Sports Commission.

A spokesman for the commission said Ms De Highden reported alleged concerns about Mr Silsbury to the MLC’s human resources department.

“MLC Gymnastics Club subsequently took the decision to terminate Mr Silsbury’s employment,” a spokesman said.

“The accounts shared by athletes are concerning and there is no place for this type of behavior in Australian sport.

“Ms. Silsbury’s next employer approached Ms. De Highden informally, who did not recommend her for the job.”

Julia Shea, the current principal of the Methodist Ladies’ College, who was not at the school at the time, confirmed that during Mr Silsbury’s time at the MLC “a concern was promptly reviewed and promptly addressed”.

“Following an investigation, appropriate action was taken in accordance with our policy and standards at the time,” the principal said.

“We can assure you that MLC’s decision-making during the relevant period was at all times guided by the mandatory reporting and child safety practices in force at the time,” he said.

The 29-year-old former gymnast said she later learned Mr Silsbury had taken a job at Waverley Gymnastics and it made her feel uncomfortable.

“I think Gymnastics Australia has a lot to say for itself and if this continues I don’t think I’ll ever put my child in gymnastics because I can’t trust the coaches and the way they treat gymnasts.” in question.

Gymnastics Australia says allegations are ‘concerning’

In July, Mr Silsbury withdrew from the Olympic Games a day before the national team was due to fly to Paris after the ABC alerted the Australian Olympic Committee to allegations of inappropriate behavior by a former colleague.

The ABC investigation found Gymnastics Australia was aware of a serious complaint of inappropriate behavior against Mr Silsbury before he was selected for the Australian Olympic team.

The ABC now understands Gymnastics Australia had previously limited Mr Silsbury’s participation in national camps due to concerns about his past behaviour.

Gymnastics Australia said the allegations against Mr Silsbury were “concerning”.

“Any inappropriate behavior is unacceptable and has no place in our sport,” a spokesman said.

“We encourage anyone with concerns to submit a Formal Complaint or Report through Sport Integrity Australia.

“Every coach and referee registered with Gymnastics Australia is required to undertake mandatory annual safeguarding training and comply with the national code of conduct.

“Any behavior or actions found to violate our standards, policies or procedures will be taken seriously and addressed.”

The ABC understands Gymnastics Australia will not investigate allegations against Mr Silsbury, who is free to continue coaching, because there are no formal complaints against him.