WMBF Investigates: Horry County gymnastics coach placed on restriction

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) - The owner of Beach Team Gymnastics at Terry & Don’s is accused of sending inappropriate texts.

A mother who spoke to WMBF News said her daughter texted the coach for the last two years. She did not want to reveal her identity and shared dozens of messages that she called inappropriate.

“It destroyed my daughter,” she said.

The messages include:

• “Are you wearing your new bathing suit?”
• “I told you hot pink is the way to go”
• “I still want you to talk to me about us”
• “Good night, I missed you”

These are just four of the more than 80 text messages one mother shared with WMBF that she said she found between her daughter and her gymnastics coach, 39-year-old Christopher Mula.

“There were 400 pages between the two of them and that did not include Snapchat, which is most of his communication with her,” the mom said.

She alleged the texts started as early as 2021 when her daughter was 15 practicing at Beach Team Gymnastics at Terry and Don’s.

The mother said once Mula gave her daughter a cellphone the texts didn’t stop until 2023.

“He was just really good at his game, I believed in him,” she said. “I feel so horrible for everything that I let go on for so long.”

It’s this type of behavior that former coach Brian Johnson said forced him to sound the alarm.

“There are certain things you just do and you don’t do,” Johnson said.

He coached at the gym for 15 years until he said Mula fired him in May.

Johnson said the way Mula coached made the athletes trust him, but he questioned Mula giving the athletes gifts

“Certain ways he would choose to spot kids, certain actions he did with the kids, and then once some of those children talked to me, it made me realize how much more those things that I saw with my own eyes were a big problem,” Johnson said.

He filed a report with the U.S. Center for SafeSport in September. SafeSport is an organization that investigates abuse and other misconduct in several sports, including gymnastics.

On Oct. 20, SafeSport placed Mula on temporary restrictions.

The SafeSport website said he is not allowed to coach or train unsupervised.

SafeSports’ Electronic Communication Policy said a parent, guardian, or another adult participant must be copied on all communication with a minor athlete.

“They go through it very clearly the things you just don’t do,” Johnson said. “You don’t engage in electronic communications with athletes.”

WMBF News spoke with Mula who declined to go on camera.

Mula’s lawyer, Russell Prince sent WMBF News this statement:

The allegation that has been made against Coach Mula seems to stem from an employment conflict, but the U.S. Center for SafeSport has not yet scheduled a formal interview with Coach Mula, and the Code does not allow Coach Mula to disclose more specific information related to the complaint. What we know for sure is that all Beach Team Gymnastics coaches, employees, and families have been encouraged to participate in the investigation being conducted by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, and we fully expect the matter to be resolved in a timely manner. However regrettable the underlying circumstances may be, the U.S. Center for SafeSport is a necessary and valuable tool in helping keep our athletes sand sporting community safe, and whatever inconvenience and distress the allegation has caused Coach Mula does not change Beach Team Gymnastics’ commitment to providing a safe and healthy training environment for all its athletes and families. Protecting the health, safety, and welfare of our athletes has been the guiding mission of the gym for more than thirty years and will continue to be long after this matter has been concluded.

The lawyer also said parents received a letter in November. The full letter can be read below.

“It’s everything you read about and you’re taught in SafeSport that I didn’t see right in front of my face,” the mom said.

She also said she worries if her daughter will ever fully enjoy the sport.

“Every day is still a struggle, and even though she loves her new gym, at the same token, gymnastics is almost just still a source of trauma to her,” the mom said.

SafeSport said they can’t comment on pending investigations.

When asked specifically for comment about alleged text message communications, Mula’s lawyer declined to comment and said they are happy to be participating in the investigation.

Copyright 2023 WMBF. All rights reserved.