By Canadian Press

Two “Bluewater Survivors” say they were re-victimized by gymnastics investigation

May 17, 2022 | 8:55 AM

Former gymnast Abby Spadafora and another of the 11 athletes known as the Bluewater Survivors publicly criticized the handling of their abuse complaint by Gymnastics Canada, saying they were re-victimized by their forced silence.

Spadafora and the second gymnast known as Athlete B were among the 11 who lodged an abuse complaint Jan. 15, 2019 against coaches Dave and Elizabeth Brubaker.

“We were constantly told, ‘Don’t say or post anything publicly about what you are going through. Don’t say or post anything about the abuse you endured, because if you do, it will be used against you in the hearing process,” the two said in their statement Tuesday morning.

“So out of fear of ruining the case, we kept silent,” the statement said. “We went about our everyday life while silently struggling with being put through a process from hell! One would think that the Gymnastics Canada process would protect victims. However, that process did the complete opposite by continuously re-victimizing all of us.”

The 11 gymnasts — Spadafora, Melanie (Rocca) Hunt, April Nicholls, Alheli Picazo, Alysia Topol, and six others referred to as “Athletes A, B, H, I, J and K” — comprise the core group of athletes who pushed for a third-party investigation and testified in the 2020 disciplinary procedure with Gymnastics Canada.

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According to the Bluewater Survivors, so named because Brubaker was coach and director of Bluewater Gymnastics in Sarnia, Ont., a March 2021 disciplinary judgment found 54 counts of misconduct, including emotional, psychological, physical and sexual abuse, in the couple’s capacity as coaches over multiple years, up to and including the year of Dave Brubaker’s arrest in 2017.

Brubaker, who coached Canada at the 2016 Rio Olympics, was banned for life by Gymnastics Canada last year after the internal investigation into multiple complaints. He’d been suspended in 2017 after he was arrested and charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse. He was found not guilty, but GymCan launched its own investigation after numerous complaints.

His wife Elizabeth was suspended in 2019 through 2024.

The Brubakers have denied all allegations. They withdrew an appeal to Gymnastics Canada last month.

Last week, former gymnast Amelia Cline filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Gymnastics Canada and six provincial gymnastics federations — B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec and Ontario. The proposed class of plaintiffs claim physical, sexual and/or psychological abuse while participating in programs delivered by those organizations dating back to 1978.

Spadafora told The Canadian Press she’s undecided whether she’ll join the class-action suit.

She and Athlete B were among the 450 signatories of a letter to Sport Canada demanding an independent third-party investigation into what they called Gymnastics Canada’s “toxic culture” of abuse and silence.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2022.

Lori Ewing, The Canadian Press