USA Swimming coaches problems

... ...i am not a coach. The interview w/ 20/20 was embarrassing for swimming. Sounded just like the church. USA Swimming should accept responsibility for the problems they have skirted by their watch and clamp down on any future issues that arise. With an intense firm hand. I have encouraged many in our community to swim and have fun doing it. For this leader to dodge the issue is unacceptable. Stand up, be a real man and accept the work that needs to be done in the future to rid the organization of the perverts and make USA Swimming better for the problems that have been hidden. What is so hard about that? Apologize dude and tell your membership you will do better!

My hubby, a current police officer, made the comment, "Why are people looking for USA-S to police this, the police police this." Underneath it all, that is really what it comes down to. Notice there was no mention of anyone saying that they had gone to the police. The one mom who called 20/20 seemed like she was putting all of her hope that USA-S would take care of it. How can they, besides to fire the coach. These people need to be ARRESTED. I agree with my hubby, but also think that USA-S should really clean house as I mentioned, and like Elise, get a real screening in place. My hubby also said that with the Internet anybody can look up anything on anyone. For example, one of the idiots he arrested recently won't be prosecuted but an arrest will show up when you google his name. I suggest a webpage on USA-S where people can blog about coaches. If nothing else. I hope parent communicate to their children the importance of reporting inappropriate behavior by adults.

I suggest a webpage on USA-S where people can blog about coaches. While on the surface this can sound like such a good idea, it is a terrifying one in reality. How does one adjudicate the accuracy of statements concerning coaches? Once a damaging accusation appears how does the target defend themselves in the court of public opinion. It's already a 'guilty and it doesn't matter your innocence' attitude currently within the USA swimming community.

as a former PO, do you not find it odd that this coach's perversion (video taping teen age girls in the shower... as mentioned in the link) earned him 33 years in federal prison while most people convicted of violent sex crimes receive much lighter sentences? I knew this guy. He was also a public school teacher for awhile. I think he was nailed because they were able to obtain actual footage of children he had taped on his computer. He sold the computer to a woman per e-bay but for some reason did not have all this stuff wiped off his hard drive. When she came upon it she turned him in complete with all the evidence.

Speaking as a former police officer who dealt with a few pedophiles, I feel I must emphasize how sophisticated and clever many of them are in pursuit of their perversions. They are usually adept liars, often feel no remorse (in fact often feel they are benefiting their victims), commonly network with other pedophiles (helping screen each other). Many times there is no criminal record to check (although, of course, that sort of due diligence should be done), so as others have posted, much needs to be done in educating parents & club officials in recognizing signs & symptoms of abuse plus zeal exercised in checking out 'get out of town' job references that can be found in some abusers' resumes.

chaos- my club was small and my friend was still molested- in this case size does not matter Paul- I think the opposite could work as well. I would defend some coaches to the end in a public forum. Just imagine if even one sleazy swim coach thought they would be caught b/c of a webpage like that? Maybe they would go away. What it really comes down to is an effective screening process.

yes, what this guy did was criminal and sleazy to say the least, but doesn't 33 years in federal prison seems a bit heavy..... or is it just me? Yep. I suspect that there was a lot more to this than we are privy to. Serial killers serve less time than that or get out in 3-5 for "good behavior". Blech.

In case you are not a registered USA Swim Coach... Thought you might be interested to read this message from Chuck Wielgus. TO: All USA Swimming Member Coaches FROM: Chuck Wielgus, Executive Director DATE: April 11, 2010 SUBJECT: Child Protection Safeguards In recent days our sport has been portrayed in a very bad light in the media. Sadly, I have also been portrayed as an insensitive, uncaring administrator and spokesperson for USA Swimming. There are pieces of the recent 20/20 interview that I’d like to have back, there were important things left out, and there were pieces of the report that were untrue. As a father myself, it breaks my heart to know that there are children out there who have been taken advantage of by their coaches or others in positions of trust. It reminded me to sit down with my daughters and have a very frank but very important discussion about boundaries and appropriate behavior. I also am extremely sorry if our organization has not done enough to provide the highest level of child protection safeguards and guidelines. We cannot shy away from this issue and we are going to need your help and participation. I want to encourage you to be proactive in addressing this topic with the young athletes, parents and other coaches with whom you work. As a starting point, here are some very important factors to consider: Ø This is a societal issue. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that by the age of 18, one in four girls and one in six boys have been sexually molested. This amounts to approximately 39M victims in the U.S. alone. Ø Parents have the most important role. Parents need to talk with their children about what is acceptable and what is not acceptable physical contact between the child and their coach and other adults. Parents must also stress to their children the importance of telling them anytime there is inappropriate or questionable behavior by their coach or other adults. Ø Sexual abuse must be reported to the police. It is estimated that 30% of sexual abuse incidents go unreported. Children and parents need to understand that it is not only okay to report these incidents, but that reporting is the only way that sexual predators can be brought to justice and prevented from harming others. Ø Child protection safeguards are both national and local. USA Swimming provides a number of safeguards, but the most important application of safeguards must take place at the club level. USA Swimming’s current child protection safeguards are: o Safety Training – all member coaches must be certified in CPR, First Aid and Safety Training for Swim Coaches. o Background Screening – all member coaches must clear (prior to joining and then every two years) a criminal history screening that checks for charges involving sexual misconduct and illegal drug use, among other things. o Education – by the second year of membership a coach must complete the “Foundations of Coaching” course. o Code of Conduct – our rulebook outlines a thorough Code of Conduct that is applied to all members. o Reporting of Complaints – our rulebook also details the procedures for reporting any Code of Conduct violations. Complaints involving sexual misconduct should be sent directly to my attention at USA Swimming HQ: cwielgus@usaswimming.org. (It is worth noting that anyone can file a complaint against a member … non-members may file complaints). In addition to these safeguards, we are continually studying what other youth- serving organizations are doing to determine if there are other safeguards that could enhance our child protection efforts. Two items that are under immediate consideration are: o Hot Line – we are currently working to establish an anonymous reporting hotline so that victims who may be frightened can report any sexual abuse and have this information relayed to police. o Black List – we are studying the feasibility of making available a list of names of individuals who have been banned for life from USA Swimming for sexual misconduct, in order to provide a resource for other youth-focused organizations. Member clubs, as independent businesses, must also employ responsible hiring practices. At a minimum we recommend the following: o Raise Awareness – by openly talking about the topic of sexual misconduct you will help young athletes, parents and coaches all become more comfortable with recognizing what is inappropriate behavior. o Conduct Thorough Reference Checks – club leaders must take the time to thoroughly check the personal and professional background and previous experiences of coaches before they are hired. Do not simply rely on USA Swimming’s criminal background screening; checking driving records and other police records are also important. Clubs should not only check references from prior employers, but should seek input from other parents whose children previously swam for the coach. o Stress the Importance of Reporting – Sexual abuse is a criminal act and must be reported to the police. Reporting to USA Swimming is also important because we can then take action to expel the offending adult from our organization, and hopefully keep them from becoming involved with any other youth organization. I hope this information is helpful to you as you address this very important issue with the young athletes, coaches and parents with whom you work. Thank you very much for giving this your most serious consideration and attention.

Should have sent that to 20/20 before they made an omelette on his face.

Speaking as a former police officer who dealt with a few pedophiles, I feel I must emphasize how sophisticated and clever many of them are in pursuit of their perversions. as a former PO, do you not find it odd that this coach's perversion (video taping teen age girls in the shower... as mentioned in the link) earned him 33 years in federal prison while most people convicted of violent sex crimes receive much lighter sentences?