On Friday, August 30, Kara Welsh was shot and killed near the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Clearwater. The nationally-titled gymnast was a few days away from starting her junior year of college.
Corey King, chancellor of the school, called on students and faculty to grieve together, in a letter to the “close-knit university community.” USA Gymnastics posted a picture of Welsh on X, sending “love” to her family. The USA Gymnastics community is just as tight-knit as the UW community, highlighted by posts from world-famous Olympic gymnasts mourning Welsh.
The two-time Division III All-American gymnast was majoring in management at UW-Whitewater’s school of business, according to the statement from King. Her sister called her “the light of [her] life,” in court. Her team at the university also memorialized her on the athletics website, calling her, “a phenom on the vault … a powerful athlete, a dedicated teammate, and the light in everyone’s dark days.”
Under the post made by USA Gymnastics, many commented on the alleged circumstances of abuse surrounding her death — alleged pending the completion of the investigation and court-proceedings. The Whitewater Police Department recommends charging Chad T. Richards, who is accused of killing Welsh, with first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety by use of dangerous weapon, and disorderly conduct while armed. The 23-year-old Illinois man appeared in court on September 3 for a bond hearing; though he has yet to be charged, the judge upheld a bond of $1 million, citing “a significant flight risk.”
X-users posted many times under the USA Gymnastics post to bring attention to the killing of Welsh as a case of domestic violence, especially using the known details of the case. According to police, Richards was “known to [Welsh],” and leading up to the shooting, “an altercation had occurred between the two.” Many commenters feel that the circumstances behind her killing are being covered up.
Though domestic violence affects around 10 million people in the United States every year, many feel that cases of abuse, especially in gymnastics, go unaddressed too often. For years, the USA Gymnastics program was a hotbed for abuse, sexual and verbal, uncovered with the 2016 Larry Nassar case, brought to light, in part, by 6-time Olympic medalist Aly Raisman.
But the problem isn’t unique to gymnastics; the sports world was further outraged by the death of Rebecca Cheptegei on September 5. The 33-year-old Kenyan Olympic marathoner was set on fire by a former boyfriend and died from abuse, extensive burns, and wounds. Kenya saw at least 34% of women reporting physical violence in 2022. Her father has called for justice for his daughter — the financial and emotional supporter of their family and of her teammates as well.
Cases of abuse and violence against women have recently come to light in the pageant community as well: Noelia Voigt, Miss USA, and UmaSofia Srivastava, Miss Teen USA, resigned within days of each other back in May. Both cited mental health and choosing themselves. Some noticed in Voigt’s statement that the first letters of the first eleven sentences spelled “I AM SILENCED.” Claudia Michelle, former social media director, announced her resignation and cited unprofessional behavior from current management of the organization, as well as workplace toxicity and bullying. This was following the firing of two of her colleagues. In a longer statement obtained by NBC News, Voigt cited mishandling of a sexual harassment case, as well as bullying. According to Engelhart, both winners signed contracts preventing them from speaking out. Miss Colorado Arianna Lemus also resigned in solidarity and while Miss USA was replaced by Miss Hawaii and Miss USA runner-up, Savannah Gankiewicz. Stephanie Skinner, the Miss Teen USA runner-up, declined the position.
In a world seemingly motivated to uplift women’s voices, many maintain that prominent organizations like USA Gymnastics, Miss USA, and other athletics organizations may be doing the opposite.
As seen with the #MeToo movement, bringing attention to instances of abuse can be a catalyst to bring other cases of abuse to light. That’s why the commenters on the USA Gymnastics post are so adamant about bringing attention to Kara Welsh’s death; only with continued conversation on the realities of domestic violence will the abuse end.
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