It's horrible, it happens. It's even worse when you know, liked or trusted the offender. It's terrible and life alterring for those who were offended.
There has to be many who've never been caught.
I've heard a few stories of swimmers who were abused, the damage lasts a lifetime. One swimmer told me her story and said that coach "Ruined my life." The coach scared them and they never came forward and now as adults they don't want to dredge up that chapter of their lives. States have statute of limitations. The coach is still an esteemed community member and even has a pool in a major city named after him.
USA Swimming has an Athlete Protection section on their site.
USA SWIMMING'S ATHLETE PROTECTION
Code of Conduct
Policies and Best Practice Guidelines for Athlete Protection
Background Checks
As a condition of membership, all coaches, volunteers and non-athlete members must satisfactorily pass a criminal background check. A background check requirement has been in place for coaches since 2006 and other non-athlete members since 2010. The background checking process is a criminal record search and is not a substitute for clubs conducting appropriate pre-employment screening of applicants.
PRE-EMPLOYMENT SCREENING
List of Individuals Suspended from USA Swimming for Life
It's horrible, it happens. It's even worse when you know, liked or trusted the offender. It's terrible and life alterring for those who were offended.
There has to be many who've never been caught.
I've heard a few stories of swimmers who were abused, the damage lasts a lifetime. One swimmer told me her story and said that coach "Ruined my life." The coach scared them and they never came forward and now as adults they don't want to dredge up that chapter of their lives. States have statute of limitations. The coach is still an esteemed community member and even has a pool in a major city named after him.
USA Swimming has an Athlete Protection section on their site.
USA SWIMMING'S ATHLETE PROTECTION
Code of Conduct
Policies and Best Practice Guidelines for Athlete Protection
Background Checks
As a condition of membership, all coaches, volunteers and non-athlete members must satisfactorily pass a criminal background check. A background check requirement has been in place for coaches since 2006 and other non-athlete members since 2010. The background checking process is a criminal record search and is not a substitute for clubs conducting appropriate pre-employment screening of applicants.
PRE-EMPLOYMENT SCREENING
List of Individuals Suspended from USA Swimming for Life
