Commentary by Jason Marsteller
COLORADO SPRINGS – Outside Magazine, a publication typically geared towards travel, fitness and adventure content, has published a comprehensive overview of the history and challenges of sexual abuse in youth sports with a focus on USA Swimming.
The article, along with a supplementary article focusing on specific USA Swimming coaches that have been banned for life, looks into some of the scandals that initially plagued USA Swimming including the cover ups of Andy King and Everett Uchiyama that Swimming World initially covered back in 2010. The article also looks at some of the moves USA Swimming has made since then to get better at policing the sport.
Within the article, Outside Magazine acknowledges that “..there have been so many sexual-abuse cases over the years involving swimmers, USA Swimming in 2010 became one of the first sports governing bodies to create a public list of coaches and other officials who have been banned for violating its code of conduct, which now forbids sexual advances toward or sexual contact with athletes, even if the coach and athlete are both adults.”
That public banned list currently names more than 100 coaches, athletes and administrators who will never again be able to be a member of the organization. The bulk of the list is filled with sexual predators, but some of those banned have also been punished for other crimes including drug trafficking and theft.
The most read about bans tend to be those with the most history. These include Rick Curl’s ban that led to his imprisonment for a seven-year jail sentence in 2013. But, there’s an entirely different and more urgent issue at hand. USA Swimming’s Safe Sport program continues to pursue those more recent offenders that are currently offending, in an attempt to stop more from being victimized.
In her article, author Rachel Sturtz writes that she has set up “Google alerts for ‘coach sex’ and ‘coach arrested’; over a period of four months, stories turned up involving roughly 80 coaches who had been charged for or convicted of the sexual abuse of athletes over the past 20 years. This sample showed that no sport is immune from sexual abuse—in my search, as it happened, most of the stories involved coaches in basketball, soccer, wrestling, and football.”
These are the same offenders that Safe Sport is working to ban from the sport, as they are current threats to swimmers on deck. USA Swimming’s Safe Sport isn’t alone in its attempt to move forward from the harsh media spotlight that came bearing down in 2010, as the United States Olympic Committee has continued to look at ways to improve the safety of athletes in all Olympic sports.
“Huge progress has been made within the USOC in the past four years,” Sturtz reports. “The culmination of that progress led the organization to announce in June that it is creating a new independent agency to handle sex-abuse cases, a $25 million effort. The National Center for Safe Sport will be the first dedicated agency in U.S. history to focus on the education and prevention of abuse in youth sports. The plan is for Safe Sport to take the investigative and adjudicative responsibilities out of the hands of individual governing bodies like USA Swimming and become a place for athletes to report misconduct without fear of retaliation. But its critics call into question its independence, noting that anything run by the USOC will have conflict-of-interest problems.”
Safe Sport – initially seen as a reaction by USA Swimming to stem the tide of the initial outrage following Chuck Wielgus’ poor showing on ABC 20/20 in 2010, when he refused to apologize on behalf of USA Swimming for any sexual abuse issues within the sport – has become just the tip of the iceberg as the USOC begins to make the eradication of sexual abuse one of its primary organization goals.
This move towards a singular voice in regulating Olympic sport has been a long time coming.
“Blame this history of lax oversight in part on Congress,” Sturtz reports. “In 1978, when it created the USOC and its NGBs with the passage of the Ted Stevens Amateur Sports Act, it neglected to create a separate national body that would set standards and provide regulatory enforcement. This was a huge loophole that predatory coaches exploited for decades.”
Sturtz provides a strong overview of what Safe Sport has accomplished since 2010 under the direction of Susan Woessner, and this type of positive movement can only get better as more and more third-party resources are devoted to protecting children.
“When USA Swimming launched Safe Sport in 2010, it became the first NGB to adopt a detailed code of conduct and to send out suggested guidelines and policies for reporting abuse,” Sturtz reports. “Director Susan Woessner created a program that was successful in raising awareness about sexual abuse and in requiring training for its 35,000 non-athlete members. Woessner has been working with a nine-person task force to close the loopholes and start adopting nearly all 39 recommendations made in Vieth’s report, such as offering Safe Sport training to children and parents and creating a victims’ fund.”
The article does a pretty solid job of synthesizing material that has been reported on within the swimming community for the past four years, and does bring up some valid questions regarding the future of swimmer safety within the sport. The key question for the swimming community comes down to one that is asked by USA Swimming spokesperson Scott Leightman as part of this article.
“In response to these and other stories about USA Swimming’s track record, spokesman Scott Leightman told Outside that it’s been difficult for the governing body to distance itself from its past, despite the big changes the organization has made. ‘We have taken many aggressive corrective measures to move forward to eradicate abuse,’ Leightman said. ‘We’ve been aggressive in banning those who violate our rule book and have even brought several individuals forward to law enforcement.’ As for Wielgus’s continuing employment, Leightman asked some questions of his own. ‘Are personnel decisions necessary if the organization has made strides and created programs to improve itself and better serve its constituents?’ he said. ‘Is a personnel change necessary if the actions have rectified the problems?'”
That’s the question at the crux of the sport of swimming moving forward and solving these challenges with the full force of the sport behind it. What do the bulk of the swimmers, parents, coaches and administrators in our sport want?
If the swimming community feels that only a Wielgus resignation or termination will eliminate the shame of the missteps taken by USA Swimming during the past regarding sexual abuse claims, then nothing done to help sexual abuse victims going forward is ever going to be enough.
If the swimming community feels that USA Swimming and Wielgus have learned from the past four years, and are in a well-suited position to effect positive change towards protecting athletes, then it believes rehashing history is only going to limit the effectiveness USA Swimming can have on improving athlete protections.
USA Swimming responded with the following statement from president Jim Sheehan when Swimming World asked for comment on the Outside Magazine article.
“Anna Strzempko’s experience reveals the dynamics by which child sexual abuse in sport can occur and the devastation it can cause. We agree that one child hurt is one too many,” Sheehan said. “We’ve come a long way since 2010 and understand the issues much clearer. We have learned to better address the problem of abuse and work diligently to remove those who perpetrate these horrific actions against our members. Despite the length of the in-depth article, the full story of USA Swimming and its Safe Sport program was not told. With a heavy concentration on the past, readers were not given an accurate picture of how vastly different our organization is today. We started a new chapter in 2010 with the creation of Safe Sport and it is now an essential part of our responsibility to our 400,000 members. We work tirelessly to minimize the risk that any child could be victimized, through continued introduction of new preventative programming, educational tools and outreach efforts. The ‘bad guys’ are those who gain the trust of our children and manipulate relationships to abuse them. The swimming community must work collectively to keep our members safe from harm.”
One question, How can the organization be trusted when the same management is still in place that knowingly gave Uchiyama a strong recommendation despite knowledge of sexually abusive behavior and actually covered up an official abuse complaint regarding Andrew King in 2003?
As a result of that cover-up King was given a free pass to abuse child athletes for an additional 6-years or so. How can the same management bragging about accomplishments be trusted?
USA swimming claims they have come along way since 2010. Our complaint originated in Oct. 2012. In Sept 2013, we got a fedEx from USA swimming saying the case was closed unless Anna was willing to involve herself in their “hearing”. This is after she spoke with USA swimming’s investigator, Nancy Fisher, as did I, my son, and Anna’s therapist. USA swimming now has 2 statements from Anna, as well as the therapists’s diagnosis of PTSD. Anna can’t even hear the mention of the coach’s name, let alone hear his voice without being triggered. Why does USA swimming insist on this kangaroo court? Susan Woessner never reached out to us last Spring. In addition, I spoke extensively with Victor Veith. What more do they want from us? The only reason they are looking into it now is because of the publicity. USA swimming does not protect it’s athletes in any way. 2014 is no better than 2009.
No doubt that all members of the Strzempko family have been wrecked by this trauma. My heart goes out to your family during this traumatic period. I as both sorry and outraged you can’t get justice. As a bystander shouting from the gallery, USA Swimming management, much like the inmate at a parole hearing insisting they have “changed” and will “never do that crime again” suddenly goes out and commits the same crime over-and-over.
This public relations talking point insisting they are reformed organization was getting milage but your family coming forward is making it very clear they still don’t know what they are doing nor does the upper management care.
Monica,
You’re willing to tell your story for media attention and you’re willing to tell your story for financial settlement, but you’re not willing to tell your story in a disciplinary hearing to make sure the coach doesn’t hurt anyone else?
Erika,
I suspect your question was rhetorical so as to impeach the victim’s character. I also suspect you already knew the answer. Unfortunately unsophisticated readers wouldn’t. So here is my rhetorical question…
The victim provided her statement and her evidence, why does she have to do it over again in a disciplinary hearing while an an opposing attorney not bound by ‘Deposition Civil Procedure’ emotionally tears her apart so as to game a settlement in USA Swimming’s favor?
Erika,
Your lack of sensitivity is alarming. Maybe you should talk to a few rape survivors before you make such suggestions. USA swimming has 2 matching statements from my daughter as well as a PTSD diagnosis. Why would an open hearing where she has to be tortured by the voice of her former abuser be necessary? Most of the banned coaches have criminal charges against them. I find this “beyond a reasonable doubt” a bit extreme for an orgainzation with a long history of sexual abuse and cover up. It is the responsibility of USA swimming to protect it’s youth and discipline the coaches- not mine. My daughter was not protected, and then was blamed for being raped.
Seems like the issue is that the coaches still deserve due process. Believe it or not, there are a lot of false accusations that occur all the time. You cannot just automatically punish the coaches without due process. Just because a girl says she is raped doesn’t mean it actually happened. I am not doubting this particular case, I am just speaking as a lawyer.
Article looks more like a large book report than anything. Regurgitating old information that has already been reported on by others, while giving no actual citations, is not investigative reporting.
Ms. Strzempko’s case is not old information. And I bet the whole insurance coverage game played by USA Swimming is “new” information to even those in the swimming world.
I would venture to say that most of the information in this article is “new” to a lot of people outside the swimming world…people being reached by Outside Magazine’s coverage.
Cindy,
Like the author you accuse, your indictment of their journalistic prowess provides no examples, no citations, or links to back up your blanket statement. Thus, your comment is a “pot calling the kettle black” argument.
PAST and NOW
USA Swimming’s so-called “Safe Sport” is no more effective than it was when it didn’t exist.
David is one of many in the USA Swimming hierarchy who is part of the problem. While all of the garbage that is spewed out by individuals like lawyer David and those who are guilty of cover up and obfuscation, the day of reckoning is on the horizon for those who commit crimes against children and athletes. And the day of reckoning is near for those of you who knew and did nothing or worse revictimized victims and their families. I and the countless 100’s of unheard and hurt victims have to believe this. The many more who have painfully remained silent and who are too weak and destroyed to fight are counting on this. We ask where are all the noble good people in the sport to help?
Past and Present, USA Swimming has used a scorched earth policy regarding children and athletes that have been hurt by coaches who abuse their power. Especially failing to properly address the issues, investigate, adhere to the published rules, and in my opinion are/have criminally conspiring to aid in cover ups, using abusive tactics to exhaust whistleblowers and victims emotionally and financially. They fail to tell the truth if they are not playing the “I don’t remember” game while spinning facts to their favor.
USA Swimming’s so-called “Safe Sport” under Susan Woessner is no more effective in protecting our kids than it was when it didn’t exist all. The same individuals litigate, obfuscate, conspire and spin, making decisions based on politics as opposed to right and wrong. Safe Sport and Ms. Woessner are mere window dressings with all the feel good language and philosophy that looks good for the press, FBI and Congressional investigators. In other words, smoke and mirrors for the ill-informed membership.
The Safe Sport model tells individuals how to address grooming and red flag behavior, as well as claims of or witnessed abuse. USA Swimming tells coaches and members to report to them first and it will be confidential. They tell you they will investigate (if they ever get around to it). They promote that they will report to law enforcement. It is my experience that Safe Sport, together with the very same lawyers who ultimately defend USA Swimming in sex abuse claims, do nothing more than gather information which they will ultimately use against the victim or whistleblower and protect their Olympic coaches at all costs, especially if that coach was in the know about the abuse of his friends and colleagues. They lead you to believe that they care and are investigating thoroughly and will help you. This is the illusion. And it is disgusting that they get away with it.
The Safe Sport program has become a shield or better a cloak for which these unscrupulous overpaid irresponsible executives hide. David is a part of those hiding under that cloak .
The USA Swimming Family is duped and at risk because of this ridiculous and unethical policy and more important procedural failure.
The commentary of David the lawyer is insensitive and without merit. Not to mention that his calculated commentary is agonizing for the scores of victims who have had there cries for help ignored, covered up and conspired against to protect the coaches,club administration,LSCs and NGBs image and the swimming brand.
David, you did not get it when you ignored Kelly Currin’s screams for help, and you still don’t get it.b
God willing, we are on the verge of securing new leadership at USA Swimming and you are clearly not part of what is needed in order to fully and completely secure the safety for our kids.
Dia,
Great diatribe written by your attorney, Bob Allard.
Andrew, …And your worthless comment was probably written by Chuck Wielgus. You know Chuck, right? The guy who sat on a sexual abuse complaint that could of put Andrew King in jail 7-years earlier but instead the pedophile was allowed to molest young girls for additional 6-or-so-years before getting caught. I can send you the email if you want?
Tony. The difference being that I am not a journalist that is writing an article for a publication. I am merely commenting and am not obligated to provide citation. I hope you’re not an attorney.
Cindy, If you are going to disparage a journalist’s work and a victim by claiming to be an insider, at least provide one fact the article got wrong or your comment is both a waste of time and/or a serious trolling effort. That was the crux of my comment but I suppose that point was lost on you.
Huh?
Guess it really was lost on you.
Tony,
I suggest you go back and read my post. I posted in response to David who did in fact disparage the author. I did not. I support the Outside article, especially because it helps to get this information out to those who are not part of the swimming world. It also does a great job of exposing USA Swimming’s insurance game.
My heart goes out to the Strzempko family and all the abuse victims.
Please read my post again.
ooops, my bad, I meant David. I do apologize :-S
So I guess that nobody here is in favor of due process? Girl claims something happened so it MUST have happened? Lynch-mob mentality? Or should all parties involved in such accusations be treated fairly and let the due process sort out the issues? Or are we just interested in castrating all the men around here?
There is absolutely little of judicious nature or fair about USA Swimming Safe Sport process.
David,
Really lynch mob mentality? The lynch mob blamed the victim. Why does USA swimming with a history of sexual abuse and cover up require a beyond a reasonable doubt mentality? In a school, or any other organization for children, a written statement is enough. Do kids lie? Yes, but adults lie a lot more. My daughter lost her sport, and her community. What could possibly have been in this for her? Her teammates called her a slut and a liar. USA swimming does not protect its athletes.
Not to state the obvious, but calling the police would be the first logical step. In schools, etc, the police are called, an investigation ensues and due process runs the course. I am not really talking specifically about your daughter. Every accusation should be taken seriously. What I do not understand is why you are so focused on USA swimming when common sense would tell me, as a parent, to call the police.
The Police were called, and USA swimming has the report. Without DNA or eyewitnesses there is no criminal case. He said she said is always the case with rape, especially when calculated pedophiles are involved. USA Swimming has provided a haven for these guys, and you are in the front row of their defense. Again, look at USA swimming’s history. Most of the banned coaches went to jail. Do our children have no other protection in youth sports? How do you sleep at night?
And the report to the police was overturned in appeal by the coach – as mentioned in the outside article. How does USA Swimming make its case on an overturned report alone as you assert it should be able to? You’re angry, I hear that, but I think you have to be willing to understand the challenge the case presents.
Andrew,
I am capable of voicing my own observations and opinions and have. I speak for myself . Bob has nothing to do with my expression of opinion and empathy for children who have been victimized relentlessly. I care that REAL changes be made where athletes and their welfare take precedence over greed and market brand. I care that people in the administration of our non profit public benefit corporation govern with integrity. An organization that puts the athlete first will develop true and emotionally whole champions. Diatribe my butt. I expressed my heartfelt opinions. Go ahead attack me too just like you do any especially a woman who speaks truth to power.
Alex,
You have no right to patronize me. The DCF report was appealed which is not legally binding. It was overturned because DCF did not follow due process in their investigation. If you have followed DCF in MA in the last two years, you would know that the organization itself is under investigation. The police report remains at the Holyoke Police Department. If you and the powers that be in USA swimming want to protect the coach as you have protected many other sex abusers in the past, he’s your problem. Maybe you can find him another team. He can’t hurt Anna any more.