{"id":422921,"date":"2026-10-09T04:20:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T04:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/422921\/"},"modified":"2026-10-09T04:20:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T04:20:13","slug":"florida-removes-three-gymnasts-as-long-island-native-blasts-false-narratives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/422921\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida removes three gymnasts as Long Island native blasts ‘false narratives’"},"content":{"rendered":"

A collegiate gymnast is hitting out at the rumor mill after she and three other teammates were removed from the University of Florida Gators gymnastics team.\u00a0<\/p>\n

South Huntington native Skylar Draser, a senior, and juniors Ly Bui and Lily Bruce were removed from the SEC program this week, with head coach Jenny Rowland confirming the moves without specifying what led to the decisions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wish them well moving forward. Our focus remains on supporting our athletes and maintaining a team culture built on accountability, respect and commitment,\u201d the Gators head coach said in a statement to local outlets<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, Draser spoke out in a statement on social media<\/a> to express her heartbreak over the \u201churtful\u201d and \u201cdisturbing false narratives\u201d surrounding her removal from the program.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Skylar Draser of the Florida Gators competes on the vault at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama, Friday, January 19, 2024. Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d Draser wrote. \u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lily Bruce is shown in this undated photo. Instagram\/LILY BRUCE<\/p>\n

Ly Bui competes on the balance beam during the Core Hydration Classic at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., Saturday, May 18, 2024. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Draser was a regular starter for the Gators on vault and beam during the 2026 season and earned a career-high score of 9.95 on vault and beam during her junior year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She was an SEC Academic Honor Roll member in 2025 and 2026, an SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll member in 2024 and a WCGA Scholastic All-American in 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Draser did not provide details about what led to her removal from the Gators gymnastics program, but she did say that she would finish her academics at the University of Florida, graduate in December and then enter the transfer portal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The senior has this season and a fifth year of eligibility remaining.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Florida Gators head coach Jenny Rowland looks on during a meet against the LSU Tigers at the Stephen C. O\u2019Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida, Friday, February 23, 2024. Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cAs difficult as this chapter has been, I refuse to let it define me,\u201d her statement read. \u201cI 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 1 am. I know who 1 am, I know what I deserve, and I am proud of the person I am walking away as.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cAlthough 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\u2019ll forever be grateful for the memories, the lessons and the people Florida brought into my life. I\u2019m 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\u2019s ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A collegiate gymnast is hitting out at the rumor mill after she and three other teammates were removed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":422922,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,2530,30,29,28054,110],"class_list":["post-422921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-gators","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-gymnastics","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=422921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422921\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/422922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=422921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=422921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=422921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}