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as a former gymnast I must say that much of this depends on the gym and the coaches. I moved around quite a bit as a child and every gym was different. Some gyms were wonderful but others were truly terrible. At one gym, the girls were in tears almost every night and the coach required the girls to wear only leotards (not leotards and spandex shorts as many other gymnasts wear) so that they could better monitor the girls' weight. Another gym told me (at 5'1 100 pounds of pure muscle- no eating disorder here!) that I had to lose 20 pounds to train with their team. But in both cases, I walked away when I realized the situation wasn't right for me and my parents were supportive. But the two gyms I spent the most years at were truly homes away from home. The time I spent there taught me lessons that have helped me achieve success and survive failure ever since. I am so thankful for the wonderful coaches and teammates I had through my ten years as a gymnast.
As an aside, I saw more disordered eating on my high school cross country, track and field and soccer teams than I ever saw as a gymnast. Like everything else in life, there is no perfect sport, no perfect coach and no perfect athlete. I don't want to discount the things that happened to Jennifer Sey because I know first hand those gyms/coaches do exist. Stories like hers are a valuable reminder that we must instill the strength in our children to know what is right and what is wrong and how to walk away when necessary.
