Centre County’s Camp Woodward sued by gymnast over allegations of sexual misconduct by coach
The parents of a teenage gymnast who was taught by a Woodward Camp coach that’s been suspended for sexual misconduct sued the nationally renowned company Tuesday.
The 21-page lawsuit accused one of the top training grounds in the country of improperly responding to allegations that coach Nathaniel Singer groped and digitally penetrated a gymnast during a summer camp in 2018 and 2019.
The lawsuit also accused the camp administrator and her assistant of trying to dissuade the gymnast from reporting the abuse. Neither were named as defendants.
They secluded the gymnast in a conference room, challenged her credibility and told her to “stop spreading rumors” that could hurt Singer’s reputation, family attorney David Inscho wrote.
If she didn’t, they said, it could “wreck her chance” of becoming a collegiate gymnast, Inscho wrote.
“We filed this lawsuit on behalf of the family because they, like many other parents, had trusted their kids to Woodward Camp and the camp didn’t do its job to properly vet and supervise the coaches they’d brought in,” Inscho said Thursday. “And because of it, this young lady was taken advantage of. We believe that others have been as well. We’re looking to hold the camp and Singer accountable for what they did.”
Singer, who was named in the lawsuit alongside the company, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Also called Camp Woodward, the action sports facility in Woodward hosts summer camps, competitions and specialty programs for athletes specializing in gymnastics, BMX, cheer and more.
Powdr — Woodward Camp’s parent company — wrote in an emailed statement that it takes the allegations detailed in the lawsuit “very seriously.”
“The safety of our campers and community remains Woodward’s top priority,” the company wrote. “As this is an ongoing legal matter, we cannot comment further at this time.”
The family of the gymnast who filed the lawsuit said she was not alone in experiencing abuse. She reportedly witnessed Singer inappropriately touch other girls during the summer camp as well.
Other coaches and staff members were “concerned about Singer’s behavior with campers” and raised those issues with the camp’s administrators before the alleged sexual misconduct, according to the lawsuit.
Singer was suspended as of July 2020 by the U.S. Center for SafeSport because he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a camper, according to the lawsuit. He’s suspended from all contact with those involved with USA Gymnastics.
There are two active investigations regarding allegations of sexual misconduct at the camp, state police at Rockview confirmed Thursday. Singer has not been charged criminally.
“This haunts her,” Inscho said. “She was taken advantage of in a place where she was supposed to be safe.”