Alright, USA Swimming.
Yes, you should apologize. Step up the protection of
our youth and ban these idiots who think they can
get their jollies out on the youth of America.
Do not become like the catholic church and try to sweep
this BS under the rug. Take charge and accept the problems
and DEAL WITH IT!
Does traveling alone with coach happen that often? Perhaps just on very small teams? My kid has done a lot of travel meets over the years, but she travels by bus, stays in the team hotel with other girls and is heavily chaperoned.
Our kids would argue overly-chaperoned!
There should never be a situation where an adult coach is ever alone with a child, same sex or different sex, period.
Should it be the responsibility of USA swimming to apologize for coaches who had sex with minor athletes (& adult athletes) or should it be the responsibility of the local authorities who prosecute them as criminals?
Banning convicted offenders from contact with minors should be in the terms of the offenders penalty?
What if the offender is a day care worker?
Should the national association of day care workers apologizes?
What if the offender is a teacher?
Unlike a church, where priests are employees of the church. Most coaches aren't employees of USA Swimming, they are employees of clubs, schools, businesses, & non profits.
These organizations should have a screening process in their hiring practices to prevent this type of thing from happening.
Each org should have a code of conduct to prevent this from happening, like BSA's 2 deep leadership. But unfortunately if there's a determined offender, they will figure out a way.
It's horrible that it's happened and I'm sure there are many more situations where the abused remained silent & the offenders never been caught.
I know of a case where a coach was coaching an adult athlete & left his wife to be with the athlete & they are still married to this day.
Alright, USA Swimming. Yes, you should apologize. Step up the protection of our youth and ban these idiots who think they can get their jollies out on the youth of America. Do not become like the catholic church and try to sweep this BS under the rug. Take charge and accept the problems and DEAL WITH IT!
Does traveling alone with coach happen that often? Perhaps just on very small teams? My kid has done a lot of travel meets over the years, but she travels by bus, stays in the team hotel with other girls and is heavily chaperoned.
The team I swam for my last two years in HS did not have oodles of people going to big meets. I went with one other swimmer (male) and our coach (also male) to Junior Nationals twice when I was 16. When I was 17, I went alone with my coach to Senior Nationals twice. My parents didn't come to any of those meets. This was a different era, obviously. But it does put a pretty significant extra financial (and sometimes logistical) burden to go to such meets with a small team, if one or both parents need to come too.
I am interested if your feelings would be different if the coach were female?
Maybe I'm wrong, but doesn't it seem like there are very few female head coaches? If so, I wonder why that is true? (I see a number of female assistant coaches locally, though.) Especially since there seem to me to be more girl than boy swimmers.
What if the offender is a day care worker?
Should the national association of day care workers apologizes?
What if the offender is a teacher?
Unlike a church, where priests are employees of the church. Most coaches aren't employees of USA Swimming, they are employees of clubs, schools, businesses, & non profits.
These organizations should have a screening process in their hiring practices to prevent this type of thing from happening.
Each org should have a code of conduct to prevent this from happening, like BSA's 2 deep leadership. But unfortunately if there's a determined offender, they will figure out a way.
Agreed. The attempt to draw a parallel between USAS and the Catholic church is ridiculous also. USAS has never claimed god-ordained moral authority or papal perfection. If USAS has had their heads in the sand, they need to learn from mistakes and make adjustments. Trying to argue this is a scandal the likes of what's gone on in the Catholic church is just silly.
There have been some comments here that seem to try to absolve USA Swimming of responsibility. While I think the ultimate responsibililty is local, to the extent that USA swimming certifies coaches and endorses local teams they share in the liability. I'm not an attourney and that much is obvious to me.
Any organization that has capable risk management should identify this as well. And while this puts USAS in a very difficult position in terms of enforcement, they still have to have clear expectations of conduct. And when an accusation gets dumped in their lap, they have to respond in a fashion that assures safety.
The team I swam for my last two years in HS did not have oodles of people going to big meets. I went with one other swimmer (male) and our coach (also male) to Junior Nationals twice when I was 16. When I was 17, I went alone with my coach to Senior Nationals twice. My parents didn't come to any of those meets. This was a different era, obviously. But it does put a pretty significant extra financial (and sometimes logistical) burden to go to such meets with a small team, if one or both parents need to come too.
Maybe I'm wrong, but doesn't it seem like there are very few female head coaches? If so, I wonder why that is true? (I see a number of female assistant coaches locally, though.) Especially since there seem to me to be more girl than boy swimmers.
Same with my HS team. Only two of us qualified for the Texas Invitational in Austin and we went to the meet without parents or coaches.
It is surprising that there are not more women head coaches. My daughter's HS and USA coaches are both female and excellent coaches.
Unlike a church, where priests are employees of the church. Most coaches aren't employees of USA Swimming, they are employees of clubs, schools, businesses, & non profits.
These organizations should have a screening process in their hiring practices to prevent this type of thing from happening.
Due to their size and (mostly) volunteer nature many local swim clubs probably lack the resources and/or skills necessary to develop such screening practices without some outside assistance. Perhaps USA Swimming can provide tools/guidelines for clubs to use when hiring coaches. I suspect such guidelines would have to come with disclaimers out the wazoo to keep USA-S off the hook should a club hire a coach who later turns out to be a pedophile.
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Also, any parent that agrees to let their child go on a week long stay in another state with their coach, alone, for a swim meet...well, they're either too trusting, or they're oblivious. If my daughter were swimming and her coach wanted to take her to another state for a meet, even for a day-trip, you bet your sweet hiney that I'd be taking a day off and going along - regardless of how long the trip was or how much I trusted that coach. I'd want to be there for my own personal reassurance, and also to give my child the support that a parent should be there to provide.
I am interested if your feelings would be different if the coach were female? I remember when I started swimming there were a series of Jr. Olympic meets with qualification for each successive meet up to the National Jr. Olympics. I qualified for the regional meet and my parents really didn't have the money to go and neither could take off work to go, so I went with my coach and the other flyer (from another team) who qualified to go. I think I was 13 or 14 at the time and neither at the time nor now do I think there was anything wrong with it.
I am blessed to not have the financial worries that my parents did while I was growing up and either my wife or I can usually go to any of our kids events. I don't know that I would have a problem with them traveling to a meet with their coaches (both female). I don't know about a week long stay, but I don't think I would have a problem with a weekend meet.
When my youngest daughter was in the 7th grade she participated in an exchange program with a school in Mexico where she stayed for a week at a child's home in Mexico and the girl from Mexico later stayed in our home for a week. We believed that she had the maturity to avoid inappropriate situations and to tell us if she ever felt uncomfortable.
I do worry that we may sometimes be overprotective of our children. I know when we grew up, we roamed the neighborhood with the instruction to be home when the street lights came on. We rarely let our kids out of our sight when they were young.
Also, any parent that agrees to let their child go on a week long stay in another state with their coach, alone, for a swim meet...well, they're either too trusting, or they're oblivious.
Or in denial? About ten years ago a friend of one of my kids stepped in front of a car when they were both high or drunk. This friend broke his femur in the accident. We had been dealing with drug and alcohol problems with our own son for awhile and thought we should say something to the friend's mom. She, even though a recovering alcoholic herself, refused to believe that her son was abusing drugs and alcohol.
As the Rockman said (YouTube- The Point), "You see what you want to see and hear what you want to hear."
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