Recap: A Night With Aly Raisman
Hello Boulder Friends! As many of you may know if you follow me on Instagram you’ll know that I attended the student keynote by Aly Raisman April 13th. Middle school me was totally thrilled and so excited to listen to someone I greatly looked up to as a gymnast and tumbler. For those of you who don’t know Aly Raisman is the two-time team captain of the gold medal winning U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Teams in 2012 and 2016. The most decorated U.S. gymnast at the 2012 Games and first American gymnast to win gold in the floor exercise, she stole the hearts of millions during her silver medal performance in the All-Around competition at the 2016 Games. Raisman is the second most decorated American gymnast of all-time with six total Olympic medals and one of two U.S. gymnasts to make back-to-back Olympic teams in more than 15 years. Her idol is her mother and she was always inspired by the 1996 Olympic Team. After listening to Aly and her testimony last night I’ve decided it was super important to give a small recap of the major things she said.
Be Kind
A big thing Aly shared with us last night was to be kind to each other. I feel that this so important especially in the society we are living in today. Being kind and caring for each other is an aspect of character everyone needs in their life.
Look Out For Each Other
Another thing Aly touched on was the importance to look out for each other when going out. Being aware of the situation and those around you is extremely important because if you see something than you can say something and potentially save someone from getting into harm’s way.
Be True to You
Aly mentioned to us her involvement in Aerie and their #AerieREAL campaign which features models who have been untouched by photoshop and promotes positive body image. Aly told the audience that you shouldn’t have to worry about the way you look because if you feel sexy in an outfit you should go out and be confident in it no matter what other people think.
Darkness to Light
Aly also mentioned another organization she is involved with called Darkness to Light and the campaign flip the switch. This organization and campaign will help educate coaches, students, teachers, and doctors on the signs of sexual abuse. As a gymnastics coach I have taken the free two hour course and it has helped me become more aware of the signs. With Aly’s involvement with Aerie she has created a swimsuit saying “survivor” and Aerie has agreed to give 100% of the sales to Darkness to Light and Flip The Switch in order to help being more awareness to the situation. You can currently purchase the swimsuit on Aerie for about $22
I would like to thank CU for allowing Aly Raisman to come and share her story with us and talk about a topic which is seen as a national issue. I feel that everyone in attendance learned something new and was impacted by what was said. I hope that the issues Aly brought forward will help the campus to improve help with sexual assaults on campus and involve Darkness to Light as a course new students should take to help prevent this issue on our campus.
Thanks for reading!
XOXO- Michaela