This makes me sick. This is the first I have heard about this, despite the various ESPN Outside the Lines reports in the past.
That we still have to have a discussion about whether it’s appropriate for an school-aged athlete and coach to have a sexual relationship is bewildering to me. Read it.
just making it easier to access
Good article.
Thanks, I updated my post to include the link
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This makes me sick. This is the first I have heard about this, despite the various ESPN Outside the Lines reports in the past.
That we still have to have a discussion about whether it’s appropriate for an school-aged athlete and coach to have a sexual relationship is bewildering to me. Read it.
Is there a discussion?
The article from what I read isn’t even about sexual relationships it’s about rape.
You’re right, relationship was not the most apt word choice. I just wanted to post the article to make it known here.
read it. I knew there were problems in swimming wrt sexual abuse, but nothing like what is being described. eye-opening for sure.
I have a 10 year old daughter who just started competitive swimming this year. Reading this has made me want to check out Swimming Canada’s policies and procedures surrounding sexual abuse…
thanks, from the father of a 10yr old daughter.
Sickening …
My swim coach in Australia is doing time for statutory rape/sexual assault. The amazing thing is that the event happened in the late 1970s. He coached from 1970s-2009. There were always rumors, innuendo and wispers. It was also obvious that he “liked teenage girls” altogether too much.
I have a friend that was raised catholic. He said that in his church there were always joking comments like “boys stay away from that priest” or innuendo that implied that being an alter boy was like being a homosexual sex slave.
20 years later- guess what?
What I don’t understand is how people constantly over look obvious warning signs (me included).
Here are some thoughts:
Teachers, coaches, camp counselor are taught that they SHOULD NOT spend time alone with individual kids. This is especially true if the child belongs to a gender that the grown up is attracted to. Any adult that allows or encourages this to happen is engaged in question behavior.
Why not question it?
Weird stuff- think about motivation. Teachers, coaches, counselors should be motivated by- money, love for the activity, a general affection for kids.
The adult should not be motivated by an affection for a specific kid or kids of a specific gender.
Rumors- ok most are false. Still why not be cautious.
My impression from reading the article is that it is very well written with plenty of details, most of which are bad. My first thought was that USA swimming and the Catholic church have a dirty secret in common. My personal experience is that I had a summer swim team coach with similar behaviors as the abusive coaches described by the author. I never had any negative experience with him other than the screaming and yelling but there was rumor of abuse of girls by him. Those didn’t last long as he ended up driving to a park and shooting himself shortly after those accusations came out. This was the '70s so there was no further discussion about the abuse and most of the talk was just about how sad it was that he committed suicide and left a wife and family. Glad to see this dirty stuff getting put out in front of everyone to read and react. Hopefully it will make a better world for those kids that are coming through the ranks.
Sickening …
Exact same thoughts.
My first thought was that USA swimming and the Catholic church have a dirty secret in common.
Interesting juxiposition. USA Swimming is actually way behind the Catholic Church. My kids when to Catholic schools and swam. Several years ago the Diocese started requiring every single person who comes in contact with children to annually go through a several hour “keeping children safe” training program that is basically anti sexual abuse training. Parents even have to take the class before you can drive for a field trip. And all coaches are required to take it too. Even grade school CYO volunteers.
So, the Catholic Church required my kids’ high school swim coach to go through this program every single year but USA Swimming only requires a back ground check at hiring and while they do offer training, I don’t think it is mandatory.
read it. I knew there were problems in swimming wrt sexual abuse, but nothing like what is being described. eye-opening for sure.
I have a 10 year old daughter who just started competitive swimming this year. Reading this has made me want to check out Swimming Canada’s policies and procedures surrounding sexual abuse…
I’m curious as to how a policy or procedure can prevent sexual abuse? It just creates the illusion of security.
Not sure what the solution is…
read it. I knew there were problems in swimming wrt sexual abuse, but nothing like what is being described. eye-opening for sure.
I have a 10 year old daughter who just started competitive swimming this year. Reading this has made me want to check out Swimming Canada’s policies and procedures surrounding sexual abuse…
I’m curious as to how a policy or procedure can prevent sexual abuse? It just creates the illusion of security.
Not sure what the solution is…
The most simple: limit the number of kids left alone with adults that are not their parents.
When I was doing teacher training I was told:
Under no circumstances should I ever be alone with a child.
The risk/reward does not play out well for the teacher or for the student.
A previous poster says that the Catholic Church is now giving all it’s volunteers and staff a training course. “Don’t be alone with strange kids” is no doubt the central message of that course. The course also probably contains ways a teacher can avoid this outcome.
Quite obvious really. Why do I need to be alone with someone else’s kid? Are there any ways to avoid this?
If not, what can be done to improve risks: doors open, semi public place, references etc.
I’m glad to hear that your diocese has that policy in place and hope others do as well. I’d like to see the Vatican do more to regain the faith of those of us who no longer trust that institution.
So much wrong with what happened.
What is troubling to me is that even when a coach was caught, no real punishment occurred in most of the examples, so he moved on and did same thing in another location. Sad how parents and athletes defend the coach and blame/don’t trust the victim.
A bunch of ways. One is by not covering things up, ensuring tha all allegations are reviewed by an independent tribunal, prohibiting coach/athlete sexual relationships of any kind (within reason, a 40 year old couple may want to also have a coach athlete relationship, but at the age group level, out of bounds ). Some of these coaches were doing this for years and getting away with it, if the policies are such that they cannot continue in a coaching capacity after the first offense, it means that the coach can no longer continue being able to victimize kids, as the power relationship that is inherent in the coach athlete dynamic is no longer there. It also means that it creates an environment where it is clear that is not acceptable, and so people who might otherwise be incilined to take advantage of their power over the young athletes have second thoughts.
It won’t prevent all instances of this happening, but certainly some will.
I’m not going to turn this into a lavender room thread but, I know a lot of priests and a lot of swim coaches and only the swim coach group has produced a guy who ended up in prison for sexual abuse, and it was not the swimming authorities who went after him even though his victim was a swimmer and he used his coaching status to get to her. Sexual abuse is a widespread problem in society, not just a church problem, and at least as things stand now, the church is actually farther along on prevention than a lot of other groups who put adults in contact with kids.
read it. I knew there were problems in swimming wrt sexual abuse, but nothing like what is being described. eye-opening for sure.
I have a 10 year old daughter who just started competitive swimming this year. Reading this has made me want to check out Swimming Canada’s policies and procedures surrounding sexual abuse…
I’m curious as to how a policy or procedure can prevent sexual abuse? It just creates the illusion of security.
Not sure what the solution is…
The most simple: limit the number of kids left alone with adults that are not their parents.
I work in law enforcement. Parent or parents are unfortunately more likely to be offenders than coaches or clergy.
“Don’t be alone with strange kids” is no doubt the central message of that course. The course also probably contains ways a teacher can avoid this outcome.
Oh the irony…