Skylar Draser, senior University of Florida gymnast, along with juniors Ly Bui and Lily Bruce were removed from the team roster on Wednesday. Coach Jenny Rowland in her statement said “We wish them well moving forward. Our focus remains on supporting our athletes and maintaining a team culture built on accountability, respect and commitment.”
While a clear reason for Draser and others’ removal was not specified, there’s been plenty of online speculations.
Speculations around Skylar Draser’s removal
A Reddit forum dedicated to discussing gymnastics saw claims that there was drinking involved, as well as a recruit.
“EDIT: Second source so this is the story I have been told. Upperclassmen take a freshmen out to a bar. Freshmen is drunk and wants to go home. they put her in an uber and stay to keep partying. Freshmen alone and drunk in the back of an uber feels unsafe and scared and calls a friend of hers who happens to be a recruit. Recruit is worried and tells her parents. Mom calls the coaches worried about the Freshmen. Told one of the dismissed may actually have been dismissed for an unrelated instance of showing up somewhere black out drunk,” one wrote, adding “Latest update: More than the three athletes were involved. There was drinking involved but the recruit was not drinking. The recruit was not on an official visit.”
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Another added that the row might have started from putting a drunk freshman in an Uber. Yet another said that Draser and Bruce looked like ‘big party girls’.
To be sure, these are all speculations on Reddit and there’s no official cause for the dismissal that’s been provided. However, Draser responded to the team changes and the speculations surrounding her removal.
Skylar Draser addresses removal from roster
Draser issued a lengthy statement after the removal. She slammed the speculations surrounding the decision, labeling them ‘hurtful’. Her statement was shared by Planet of Gymnastics.
“Three years ago, I came to Florida with a dream. Looking back, I never could have imagined everything these would bring. This journey gave me some incredible memories, friendships, and experiences of which I am so grateful for while also challenging me in ways I never expected. There were moments that tested my confidence and strength, but my love for this sport never wavered. Every challenge, setback, and moment of uncertainty has shaped who I am today.
If you told little Skylar who committed to Florida in 8th grade that this is how this chapter would end, she never would have believed you. Simply put I made my commitment to UF at such a young age and gave EVERYTHING to the best of my ability to stay true to that commitment even when I questioned my happiness and whether this was truly where I belonged.
I never imagined that stepping away from Florida in the middle of my final year would mean seeing my name circulating online attached to so many hurtful, and disturbing false narratives. It is heartbreaking to see people create stories about situations they know nothing about. While I cannot control what others choose to say or believe, I know the truth, I know my character, and I know what I gave to this program. I am also so blessed to have the best family support through one of the most challenging times in my life,” she wrote.
“As difficult as this chapter has been, I refuse to let it define me. I will learn from it, hold myself accountable, grow through it, and come out stronger. I have learned how to keep showing up when things are hard, find strength in uncertainty, and believe in myself when the path ahead looks nothing like I imagined. This sport has shaped me in countless ways, but it does not define my worth or who I am. I know who I am, I know what I deserve, and I am proud of the person I am walking away as.
With that, I will graduate in December and have decided to enter the transfer portal as a graduate transfer, with this season and my fifth year of eligibility remaining.
I know I still have so much more to give to this sport. I am excited for the opportunity to continue competing at a high level, experience a new environment, build new relationships, and continue growing as both a gymnast and a young woman.
Although this chapter did not end the way I once dreamed it would I am leaving Florida with lessons I never expected to learn, strength I never knew I had, and a renewed belief that everything happens for a reason. I’ll forever be grateful for the memories, the lessons and the people Florida brought into my life. I’m closing this chapter with gratitude and walking into the next one with an open heart, a lot of faith and so much excitement for what’s ahead
Here’s to new beginnings, finding where I belong, and giving everything I have to a program that believes in its athletes as people, supports them through adversity, invests in their growth, and holds everyone to the same standards,” Draser added.
Draser holds career highs of 9.95 on vault and beam, and helped the Gators to a NCAA Championships appearance and top-four finish.