Apology accepted /s
What is up for debate is whether these rules result in brand new, draconian, unfair consequences to completely innocent people who have no recourse- because THAT is what really matters here, no? Not the words on a page. I dropped the 'can't hug at the finish line' countering after you conceded it was erroneous. I've conceded long ago that Safesport says what you say it does about coach/athlete relationships and applies until/unless USAT supersedes it with a clarification, so let's stop bringing that up. My argument is centered on how this will affect people.
I say the consequences you are afraid of are not new, that it is still highly - critically- dependent upon individuals deciding they want to report people, that USAT tells the triathlon community not to do plenty of things that they still band together to do
prolifically, that discouraging coach/athlete relationships could be a good thing anyway, that there is reasonable recourse for innocent people, that it isn't unfair, and the pros grossly outweigh this hypothetical con.
How this actually plays out to affect people is absolutely open for debate. Even if your nightmare comes true, whether it outweighs the benefits is open for debate. Whether coach's *should* be schtooping their athletes is even open for debate. I had no problem with it previously, but I think H really had a point and I'm changing my mind. If coaching is a profession, then coaches should be happy to meet the same professional standards that exist everywhere else.
Independent Council on Women's Sports - Triathlon Working Group Lead
http://www.iconswomen.com