The BulleTin • Thursday, June 24, 2021 A7
OLYMPIC TRIALS | GYMNASTICS
DEAR ABBY
Write to Dear Abby online at dearabby.com
or by mail at P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Dear Abby: I live in an
apartment and recently had
a serious leak come through
my bathroom ceiling. I called
maintenance and texted my
upstairs neighbor, who asked
me when they were coming. I
responded that I didn’t know
and I wasn’t sure whether
they’d have to go up to her
apartment or not.
Well, they went to her
apartment first. She was
VERY upset and messaged
me a dozen more times to let
me know how stressed she
was, that she was crying and
afraid she would get evicted
from her apartment because
she has a dog she failed to put
on her lease. She ended by
saying “next time” I should
let her know in advance.
Abby, I DID let her know.
But I guess she wants more
notice next time she causes
an emergency, so she’ll have
more time to hide her dog.
So — I’m supposed to let
my apartment get more water
damage to give her time to
hide an animal she should’ve
put on her lease years ago
and be paying pet rent for?
I feel like she was trying to
make me feel bad when she’s
the one who is wrong for be-
ing irresponsible.
Why do I have to cater to
her needs first? Should I feel
bad?
— Leaky Mess in the West
Dear Leaky Mess: You do
not have to accept the guilt
trip your neighbor laid on
you or “cater” to her. You
handled the situation appro-
priately and have nothing
to apologize for. When the
“good neighbor policy” was
written, she must have been
out to lunch.
Dear Abby: I got COVID
from a friend who came to
our book club even though
her husband was ill. When
she texted us a few days later
about his positive test, I told
her I was now sick.
She called and left a mes-
sage that she felt bad if she
had given me COVID, but
she has shown no concern
since. I have had long-term
COVID chest pain for three
months, but she’s never sent
a card or called to see how I
am. I reached out to her sev-
eral times and even brought
her a birthday gift, but she
doesn’t seem to care that I’m
not well.
It’s awkward because we’re
neighbors and in several
groups together. How can I
save this friendship?
— Recovering in California
Dear Recovering: How can
YOU save this friendship?
Lady, YOU are the injured
party. This woman may be
a neighbor, but she isn’t act-
ing like a friend. Call her and
clear the air about how the
situation has made you feel.
When you see her, be civil
and keep your distance. If she
had been less self-centered,
she wouldn’t have exposed
you and the other book club
members to what her hus-
band had — even if it was
“only” a common cold.
Dear Abby: What are the
three most important things
parents should instill in their
children in their formative
years?
— Wondering in Arizona
Dear Wondering: In my
opinion, the three most im-
portant things would be em-
pathy, that they are loved and
curiosity.
YOUR HOROSCOPE
By Georgia Nicols
Stars show the kind of day you’ll have
DYNAMIC | POSITIVE | AVERAGE | SO-SO | DIFFICULT
MOON ALERT: After 6:15 a.m. PDT today, there are no restrictions to
shopping or important decisions. The Full Moon in Capricorn peaks at
11:40 a.m. PDT.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021: You’re
careful, tactful and hardworking. You are also creative and artistic, and have
the self-discipline to use these talents. Home and family will always be a
prime focus for you. This year you are harvesting the seeds you previously
planted, which means that for most of you, this is a successful year. Expect
accolades and recognition, plus material success as well.
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
The Full Moon today makes you feel pulled between the demands of
home and family versus the demands of your career and public reputation.
Today you cannot ignore home and family. And so it goes. Tonight: Your
situation improves.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
Be careful, because the energy of today’s Full Moon can make this an
accident-prone day for you. Therefore, think before you speak or act. Pay
special attention if you are walking, jogging, biking or driving. Do not be
distracted. Tonight: Things are easier.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
Today’s Full Moon might bring some kind of financial issue to a head for
your sign. This could relate to earnings. It also might relate to your debt or
your involvement with the wealth of someone else, perhaps your partner. Af-
ter today, you might be able to improve things. Tonight: Solutions are likely.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
Today the only Full Moon all year that occurs opposite your sign is
taking place. This will definitely create tension between you and partners,
spouses and close friends. Do not jump the gun. Patience is your best friend.
Tonight: Relations are warmer.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
The Full Moon today might create some tension at work, especially
with co-workers. Perhaps you are the only one who feels this tension and you
are projecting it onto others. Do what you can to stay calm, and decide to
give everything a sober, second thought. Tonight: Steady as she goes.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Be patient with friends today, and also be patient with groups and clubs,
because today’s Full Moon can make people edgy and too emotional. Like-
wise, parents should be patient with their kids. Meanwhile, your kids might
have hissy fits and meltdowns. Tonight: Things calm down.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Some Full Moons are easier than others. (This one, not so much.) You feel
pulled in two directions — home and family versus your job and your career.
What to do? Today you cannot ignore your job and your public reputation.
Tonight: Be patient.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
This is an accident-prone day for your sign, so pay attention to every-
thing you say and do. Heightened emotions caused by today’s Full Moon
energy can distract you and create a problem either verbally or physically.
Therefore, be mindful. Tonight: Slow down and take it easy.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Some kind of financial situation will come to a head today because of the
Full Moon. Very possibly, it relates to your responsibilities for someone else
or perhaps money that you owe. Hopefully, after the Full Moon peaks, these
problems will diminish. Tonight: Take a breather.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Today the only Full Moon in your sign all year is taking place, which
means your emotions are all over the place. It might not look like this to
others, but you will feel it. Be kind to yourself and don’t make hasty decisions.
Tonight: Be safe and go gently.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Today’s Full Moon might create problems related to your health, your
pet, your job or any task that you set for yourself today. Generally, the Full
Moon brings things to a head, forcing you to decide one way or the other.
Tonight: Tread carefully.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Parents should be aware that this is an accident-prone day for their
kids. Furthermore, their kids might feel upset because of the Full Moon en-
ergy. Meanwhile, this is also a challenging day for romantic couples because
the Full Moon stirs up extreme emotions. Don’t act. Wait until things settle
down. Tonight: Warm discussions with a friend.
USA Gymnastics trying to move past Nassar as Trials begin
BY WILL GRAVES
Associated Press
ST. LOUIS — USA Gym-
nastics is trying to shift the
narrative away from the Larry
Nassar scandal as the Olympic
Trials are set to begin Thursday.
President Li Li Leung wants to
talk about the progress it has
made over the last three years.
The safeguards it is putting in
place to prevent sexual abuse.
The programs that focus on
education and empowerment.
The emphasis on changing a
culture that produced plenty of
medals but at a sometimes as-
tronomical cost both physically
and emotionally to the athletes
that won them.
Yet the cloud that’s engulfed
the organization since the first
survivors of abuse at the hands
of the former national team
doctor lingers.
While Simone Biles and the
rest of the hopefuls looking
to join the sport’s biggest star
in Tokyo next month spent
Wednesday preparing for the
U.S. Olympic Trials, a few feet
away Leung acknowledged
true forward momentum will
be difficult to attain as long
as the mediation process with
Nassar’s survivors remains un-
resolved.
USA Gymnastics filed for
bankruptcy in November 2018
with the hope of having a set-
tlement reached within 18
months.
The COVID-19 pandemic
has slowed progress signifi-
cantly and Leung finds herself
in the same position now as
she was when she took over in
March 2019: limited by what
she can say — and in some in-
stances, what she can do — out
of fear of the legal implications.
“Obviously, we would love to
be out of bankruptcy (so) that
we can be able to more freely
move forward with all of the
things that we have been work-
ing on and to not have this be
a part of the narrative,” Leung
said. “But at the end of the day,
what has happened is some-
thing that we are learning from
and we’re using the past to in-
form how we go forward.”
Leung remains “steadfast”
AP file photos
At left, USA Gymnastics president and CEO Li Li Leung speaks during the Winter Cup gymnastics competi-
tion in Indianapolis in February. At right, Simone Biles completes her dismount in the vault during the U.S.
Gymnastics Championships on June 6 in Fort Worth, Texas.
behavior to run unchecked for
in her belief that a settlement
so long.
with the dozens of Nassar sur-
Leung pointed out that by
vivors will be reached, hope-
her count USA
fully by the end of
“Obviously, we
Gymnastics has
the year. A settle-
cooperated
ment would allow
would love to be fully
with “at least” six
the organization
to exit from bank-
out of bankruptcy different entities
that have looked
ruptcy and — at
(so) that we can be into the Nassar sit-
least symbolically
She added
— create a lit-
able to more freely uation.
that, by definition,
tle distance from
move forward. if USA Gymnastics
one of the darkest
pays for any part
chapters in the his-
But at the end
of an investigation
tory of the Olym-
pic movement.
of the day, what it is not truly in-
dependent but of-
Despite insti-
has happened is fered “we are open
tuting a handful
any investigative
of initiatives, in-
something that to
body to come in
cluding providing
we are learning and investigate us.”
athletes with a plat-
While USA
form that allows
from and we’re Gymnastics
has
them to anony-
mously provide
using the past to preached the need
for transparency
feedback in real
time on everything inform how we go in hopes of re-
gaining the trust
from conditions
forward.”
of its member-
at national team
ship, things hav-
camp to the cut
— Li Li Leung,
en’t always gone
of their leotards,
USA Gymnastics
smoothly.
progress from a
president and CEO
Women’s na-
public perception
tional team coor-
standpoint has
dinator Tom Forster created a
only moved in fits and starts.
small firestorm following the
Several Nassar survivors —
including Biles — have stressed national championships in
Texas earlier this month when
the need for a more detailed
he declined to speculate on the
examination of the circum-
petition status for gymnasts
stances that allowed Nassar’s
Golf
Continued from A5
Thirteen players won the the
first 13 events on the schedule
this year until Nelly Korda last
week became the first multiple
winner.
Saso added to that three
weeks ago at Olympic Club in
San Francisco, seizing on a late
collapse by Lexi Thompson
and beating Nasa Hataoka of
Japan in a playoff.
Just like that, Saso is the No.
9 player in the world, leads the
LPGA Tour money list with
her $1 million prize from the
Women’s Open and is headed
to the Olympics.
She still hasn’t watched
highlights of her victory. Saso
doesn’t like watching video of
herself.
“I’d rather watch Rory’s,” she
said with a laugh.
That would be Rory McIlroy,
her golfing idol after whom
she tried to pattern her swing.
Saso was a surprise visitor to
Torrey Pines last week at the
U.S. Open, where the USGA
arranged for her to walk a few
holes with McIlroy during a
practice round.
Sophia Popov, another sur-
prise major champion at Royal
Troon last year in the Women’s
British Open, recalls seeing
Saso on television earlier this
year in Hawaii. The swing got
her attention (“As pure as it
gets,” she said) along with the
result (tie for sixth) and her
charm.
“Those are the personal-
ities and the players that we
can only hope to have on tour,
and so seeing her when they
told her that she was going to
have LPGA status I think was
the coolest thing,” Popov said.
“I’m like, ‘How surprised can
you be? You just won the U.S.
Open. You’re clearly one of
the best players out here.’ I just
think it’s awesome.”
Popov knows the feeling of
going from no status on the
LPGA Tour to major cham-
pion. Because of the pandemic,
she had to wait a few months
Jed Jacobsohn/AP file
Yuka Saso celebrates her victory after the final round of the U.S. Wom-
en’s Open at The Olympic Club on June 6 in San Francisco.
for her next crack at a major in
the Women’s PGA last year at
Aronimink.
Her expectations changed
immediately, mainly because
she knew she was playing well
and she loves the challenge of a
major championship.
“It was all about hitting the
right spots, putting yourself in
the right positions and being
able to score, but as well just
like 2017 world champion
Morgan Hurd and 2005 world
champion Chellsie Memmel.
Forster said at the time he
wouldn’t feel comfortable do-
ing so until after he spoke to
the athletes. The reality, how-
ever, is that Forster did speak
to the athletes, leading the or-
ganization to later clarify sev-
eral days later that he didn’t
talk about the petition process
because he wasn’t sure if he had
the athletes’ OK to do so.
Asked Wednesday if she felt
Forster lied, Leung defended
the man chosen in June 2018
to take over a program that’s
spent a decade at the top of
the sport. Leung pointed out
that “99.9%” of the athletes in
the organization are not in the
elite program and that a true
culture change can’t just be
limited to the gymnasts in the
spotlight.
“It’s about all these other dis-
ciplines that fall under us and
that we have a responsibility to
serve as well,” Leung said. “So
everything that we do from like
a guiding principle standpoint
is that we’re looking at things
through the lens of ‘How does
this affect the Level 9 athlete
or the Level 5 athlete and even
the Excel athletes at the end of
the day, when we make policies
and procedures in place?’ ”
protecting from higher num-
bers,” Popov said. “That’s a sit-
uation that I like to be in.”
That’s what Atlanta Athletic
Club will present.
The course measures 6,740
yards, and PGA setup guru
Kerry Haigh has options to
make the par 5s reachable or
three-shot holes, along with a
new tee on the par-4 sixth hole
that can play about 250 yards.
“I can’t wait to see what the
best players in the world …
how they’re going to play be-
cause you’ve really got to think
on those on every hole,” Haigh
said.
Sei Young Kim is the de-
fending champion and recent
history is not in her favor to
repeat. The last 19 majors on
the LPGA Tour were won by
18 players.
It’s another sign of increas-
ing depth, and with Saso, the
LPGA Tour only added to the
pool.
Coming this
HEALTH BEAT OF
CENTRAL OREGON
SUNDAY
The new
Pulse of Oregon
in The Bulletin
Sunday,
June 27.