We also require teams to perform additional pre-employment screenings of new coaches. It probably has a lot to do with who you are and who your friends are. Apr. With this piece, Tim Joyce regularly joins ConcussionInc.nets investigations of the sexual abuse and death scandals inside USA Swimming. My version of it favors transparent and interactive relationships with readers and sources. It is appreciated that there are many points of view on what has happened and who should be or should have done various things.There is a need for explanation in some of the ways things should have been handled. ': A magical hike's dark side, If travel planning gives you a headache, try these apps. Its report found experiences of psychological abuse, bullying, neglect, sexual harassment, discrimination, and an overall culture of fear.. WebThe NCAA Swimming Championship Was a National Scandal Swimmer Lia Thomas holds a trophy after finishing fifth in the 200 free at the NCAA Swimming & Diving WebNorth Baltimore Aquatic Club. 01 June 2015, 09:37am. Wielgus says the local swim clubs, not the national organization, bear the responsibility to check the full backgrounds of swimming coaches they hire. Julia Prodis Sulek is a Bay Area News Group reporter who specializes in breaking news and narrative storytelling for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. These allegations From that point, Joyce reports that the victim was never contacted by USA Swimming, and that there was no follow-up on the case, though no sources were revealed, even by their connection to the situation if not by name. The students were two of several who also swim, or used to swim, at NBAC and were at the center of the clique of bullies and harassers of the alleged victim in the February 2012 incident underlying the lawsuit against me. The gaslighting that went on, suggesting that the abused swimmers werent really abused, he said, was truly hard to watch.. Just as in the cases Ive uncovered at much smaller clubs in the Midwest and Alaska, and at major swim center likes FAST in Fullerton, California, USA Swimming chose to ignore the charges. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Asked if he had apologized to any of the young teen victims, Wielgus responded, "You feel I need to apologize to them? Education | Police later documented at least 15 victims among the teenage girl swimmers he coached over the years, including a woman who said she had an abortion after King got her pregnant at the age of 14. The report is attached to this email for your review. 2023 Corsiglia McMahon & Allard, When a Child Receives Money from a Lawsuit, Catholic | Christian School Sexual Abuse Attorneys, List of California Teachers with Revoked Credentials for Sex Crimes, Passing the Trash Allows Predators to Sexually Abuse Students, Palo Alto Unified School District Sexual Misconduct History. "This had gone on for nearly 10 years, without any detection whatsoever," Lt. Don Whitehead of the Kokomo, IN police department's cyber crime unit told ABC News. Tim Joyce, Concussion Inc.s new collaborator on the USA Swimming story, is a contributing writer for Forbes Real Clear Sports and a widely published journalist. Kiss, the Hungarian swimmer who was coached by Szauder during her teenage years, said she experienced none of the behavior that Canadian swimmers have alleged. State Supreme Court Brings Muchnick v. UC Regents to an End. with the subject line, "Scandals at Michael Phelps' North Baltimore Aquatic Club." WebSan Jose State Athletic Director Reassigned Amid Sexual Assault Scandal. He has since faced similar criticism from swimmers and officials in Slovakia, where he coached from 2013 to 2018, before leaving to coach in Canada. To read all about the SafeSport program, click here, or read the full letter below). The lawsuit which seeks class-action status and financial compensation for moral damages reflects an attempt to clean up a sport seeking to change its image after coaches were accused of mistreating athletes in Spain, Mexico, the United States and other countries. Please contact us directly if you need legal advice. The most egregious actions were at WBAL radio, a historic and influential outlet in Baltimore. Marie Tuite, former San Jose State athletic director and current deputy director for external relations at Southern Utah University. Former San Jose State University Athletic Director Marie Tuite began a new role at Southern Utah University on Wednesday, two years after she was named in multiple lawsuits and investigations at SJSU. The Spartans lost their first meet Saturday against a formidable team, but Hopkins told the swimmers he was proud of them. Look for a formal announcement and some format changes here shortly. The coach was the first to bring the accusations from his swimmers to campus officials in 2009, back when former school President Jon Whitmore and athletic director Tom Bowen were in charge. "Thirty six does seem like a whole lot. Education | After I broke the story of past sexual impropriety, involving multiple victims at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club (NBAC), Irv proceeded to uncover other episodes of abuse and negligence at NBAC the countrys most famous swim club that will surely become even more disturbing as more details emerge. Swimmers increasingly appear less willing to subject themselves to degrading treatment from coaches, whose behavior is often described, in part, as a remnant of tactics employed in the former Eastern bloc and in China, another artistic swimming power. FTC Disclaimer | Terms of Use & Privacy Policy Upon hearing one such complaint in October of 2011 of the once-celebrated coach engaging in sexually abusive activity, NBAC immediately relieved him of his duties and followed the correct protocol. Fourteen different LSCs are represented in the Gold Medal level. To again focus on NBAC for a moment, the refusal of the local media in Baltimore to ask the tough questions of Murray Stephens, Bob Bowman, John Cadigan, and, yes, Michael Phelps about what has occurred at their lauded club has been an abject abdication of journalistic responsibility. This reported abuse happened 37 years ago. There was previously a complaint filed regarding an incident alleged to have occurred in 1975, back when swimming was governed by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. More than a dozen had complained that Shaw, an athletic trainer on campus since 2008, massaged them under their bras and underwear without justification and made them feel uncomfortable. Here is the story as it appeared on WBAL. What are the latest updates on the investigation into the death of Louis Lowenthal? . While the organization continues to work compassionately and tirelessly on our comprehensive abuse-prevention initiative, which is routinely recognized as the best in Olympic sport, we remain as frustrated as you are with inaccurate, sensational, issue-driven reporting like this. Its a very good first step in the healing of dozens of survivors.. Hey, do you? My version of it favors transparent and interactive relationships with readers and sources. We strongly encourage all of our parents to participate in this convenient online training by visiting www.usaswimming.org/protect and clicking on Education.. Williams later researched depression among artistic swimmers. What's clear from court documents in the case against Muchnick is that something happened between three young NBAC swimmers at Meadowbrook Aquatic Center in February 2012. "He was a monster," said Santa Clara County prosecutor Ray Mendoza. Synchro taught me that I could never be enough, to hate my body and that my sanity was less important than my performance, she wrote. It is the onlyRead more . Moving forward, here are some topics from Concussion Inc. on which the alternative City Paper and its Van Smith might consider shining some light in the Charm City or, alternatively, explaining why they cant. Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. , a California blogger whose posts on his concussioninc.net website regularly level broadsides at alleged abuses in the world of swimming, last year started honing in on what he reported was foul play at North Baltimore Aquatic Club (NBAC), famous for training world-class swimmers like Olympic gold-medal winners Michael Phelps and Allison Schmitt. If so, have you spoken to your sisters about him? Canadas artistic swimming team competed in the team technical event during the 2019 world championships in Gwangju, South Korea. The attorney for the club, Steve Allen, spoke for Cadigan and the club, stating, for privacy reasons we do not make any comment about former and present employees and coaches, period.. Ah, its the armchair-quarterback lawyer! The first investigation and its conclusion were largely kept quiet by campus leaders and Shaw continued treating female athletes unfettered as the Department of Justice put it for the next decade. Ken Stopkotte, named Indiana High School Boys Swimming and Diving State Coach of the year for 2009, said the problem is pervasive and has been going on his entire 27 years in coaching. "It's something that coaches talk about all the time," Stopkotte told ABC News. This isnt about me, said Hopkins, a two-time conference coach of the year, standing poolside after the teams first meet of the season. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Rather, this is entirely about accountability and the sinister, arrogant and dangerous disregard for victims that is displayed by USA Swimming. Our program consists of efforts in six core areas: USA Swimming is proud of its proactive approach to abuse prevention and continually strives to be the leader in Safe Sport in the Olympic movement. Olivia Zhang, 30, who formerly competed for the Chinese national team, said her coach used a metal rod to hit her knee when her leg wasnt fully extended out of the water in training, leaving a scar. 3 talking about this. We asked for clarification on this issue, but received no response. WebMD Swimming Approves 2022-2023 Meet Schedule. Before joining the Mercury News, she worked for The Associated Press in Cheyenne, Detroit and Dallas. It was a spring afternoon in 2010. Thomas Heilman will race the 50 free, 100 back, 100 breast, 200 breast and 400 IM at the Virginia LSC Senior Champs this weekend in Richmond. Otherwise this person can sue for infringing upon his rights. Like Ive repeatedly said for weeksthis scandal only will get worse. WebProfile: How Michael Phelps put scandal behind him to become an Olympic legend. Glez said swimmers needed to look like a model to compete at an elite level. In 2008, USA Swimming gave King a clean bill of health, saying his background screening had been approved. Tuite and other SJSU administrators were accused of ignoring reports of misconduct by Scott Shaw, the former director of sports medicine. "He had almost every conceivable sex act," he said. And year after year, he documented his emailed pleas to former Athletic Director Marie Tuite and others, asking them to do something about Shaw, to no avail. This is not true. Last fall, he was accused by five swimmers of making sexist remarks, weight-shaming athletes and committing other troubling behavior. During that time more victims came forward, one as recently as February 2020. Scott Adams faces 'consequence culture' as U.S. newspapers drop Dilbert, Tom Cruise's 'ditching' of Suri showcased by Judd Apatow's 'co-parenting' joke, ex-Scientology exec says. Only then, the federal report said, did the university then under the leadership of President Mary Papazian reopen the investigation. According to other sources with direct knowledge of this story, the police were in fact called and that USA Swimming was indeed made aware of this complaint. NBAC wouldnt comment on the case, though one will recall that there was much coaching turnover in the club in the fall of 2011. She was first hired as the deputy athletic director, a role she occupied until May 2017, when she became athletic director. "A simple phone call to Oak Harbor, his prior stop, or to the East Bay would have revealed much about this man's propensity to abuse and molest kids.". Ill put it right out there. Gabor Szauder, the national team coach for Canada Artistic Swimming, is under criticism in Canada and Slovakia, where he previously coached. Hes a father figure and made sure to look out for us.. "I gotta tell you, it hurt," Brooke's father, Bruce Taflinger, told "20/20." And lest anyone at USA Swimming headquarters in Colorado Springs or at any of the member clubs around the country get the wrong impression, this site is dedicated to covering every story related to the USA Swimming scandal, not just at NBAC. He adds that, "I don't mind people characterizing me as edgy, aggressive, or unorthodox as I report on the creepy world of coaches who have a certain type of power relationship over very young athletes. All Non-athlete members of USA Swimming are also required to complete athlete protection training. "Congratulations," read the letter. It has come to our attention that a local AM radio station has been broadcasting unfounded accusations about USA Swimmings handling of a complaint to our Safe Sport team related to NBAC involving an alleged incident that occurred 37 years ago. Tuite responded to the findings in a May 2021 statement put out by SJSU. To reiterate, USA Swimming, after being notified of a serious allegation didnt act. Muchnick had named the plaintiff and the other alleged perpetrator, also a minor, in his coverage of the incident, which allegedly occurred during NBAC practice at the Meadowbrook Aquatic Center, calling them perpetrators of a "sexual assault.". Club LSC Points. ", Muchnick's lawyer, Laurie Babinski, puts a positive spin on the lawsuit's outcome, saying in an emailed statement, "We are glad to have reached a settlement that protects Mr. Muchnick's First Amendment rights to report on important matters of public concern involving USA Swimming and its most prominent local organization, the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. The Department of Justice said in its report that there are potentially many more. Shaw, who has declined to talk to the media and is under criminal investigation by the FBI, resigned in August 2020. And if you have, what are you feelings about Stephens? NCAA College Swimming Comparison If you would like to see a comparison of Amber Smith's 100 Yard Freestyle time with the fastest 100 Yard Freestyle times for NCAA college swimmers from each Conference and team, please click on one of the NCAA divisions below. And swimmers sometimes have skewers for roasting marshmallows taped to the back of their legs during workouts. While I will accept a significant degree of credit for reporting on this story for a bit longer than Irv, the fact is that his tenacious and accurate reporting particularly over the last five months has been nothing short of remarkable. Alison Williams, left, andMariya Koroleva at the womens duet synchronized swimming final in 2015 in Toronto. She said Szauder was a father figure who elevated her career to Olympic status and described his coaching style as completely normal.. If this is urgent, please call us at 408-289-1417 and ask to speak with an attorney. She is an alumna of San Jose State where she served as executive editor for the "Spartan Daily." She held that position until she stepped down in May 2021 after a string of investigations into sexual abuse by one of the universitys athletics trainers. Exactly what I needed: Los Gatos teachers move into affordable units, Christian high school basketball team forfeits tournament rather than play against transgender player, Opinion: Gov. Being a member of USA Swimming is a privilege, not a right. * After reporting that a coach at NBAC had been so accused, the Baltimore Sun failed to add that Baltimore County police claimed to me to have lost a report on all this by USA Swimming. (PSYCH SHEET DROP), Southern Illinois Freshman Ruard van Renen Pops 44.89 100 Yard Back in MAC Time Trial, Swimming Transfers Were Down Last Season; Womens Transfer Portal Window Opens Thursday. Bowman, Phelps' coach, is the CEO of NBAC. Natalia Tarasova, the head national team coach during that period and the only coach named Natalia listed in the Hungarian artistic swimming federations meeting minutes for those years, did not respond to requests for comment. Even after confirming, via conversations and voicemails, that my reporting was entirely accurate. Why? "I think Mr. King bears enormous responsibility here, But I think the parents were not minding the store," she said. I trust him with everything.. Reached for comment Wednesday, Tuite told SFGATE that she is focused on her new role. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? USA Swimming put in place a comprehensive Safe Sport program, which is among the strongest in youth sports. 9, 2010 — -- In a sex abuse scandal that some victims compare to what happened in the Catholic Church, at least 36 swimming coaches have been banned for life by the USA Swimming organization over the last 10 years because of sexual misconduct. Here is the story as it appeared on WBAL. Every time I look at it, it just brings unpleasant memories, Zhang said. From the statement: Because USA Swimming (and therefore its Code of Conduct) was not in existence in 1975, the organization legally had no recourse in the matter.. Regardless, we believe strongly in our responsibility to provide responsible communication on this issue, so we developed the Q&A below to answer questions you may have about this situation. Jessica Long, a 12-time Paralympic gold medalist, is now training at Loyola University in Baltimore, Md. In 2018, Hopkins submitted a nearly 300-page dossier of those emails and other documents to the campus Title IX office. Is it not due diligence that USA swimming, with their Safe Sport program, delve further into this accusation? USA Swimming takes all complaints regarding violations of the Code of Conduct, and especially those involving alleged abuse, very seriously. USA Swimming has fought back, responding to parents of the club with a list of Questions and Answers. There were people entrusted with safeguarding our campus and nearly every decision they made, if not every decision they made, was wrong.. March 1, 2023. Speaking publicly for the first time, the coach and whistleblower on Saturday described thepersonal toll of his decade-long fight to protect female athletes from trainer Scott Shaw, the resistance he encountered from university officials nearly every step of the way, and the relief he felt when the U.S. Department of Justice this week commended his tireless efforts and excoriated the university for largely ignoring them for so long. At North Baltimore Aquatic Club, Coach Himes oversees approximately 140 swimmers who are 13 and younger and directly coaches two of the seven groups in the NBAC Age Group Division. All Rights Reserved. Swimmers interviewed described an unhealthy culture of thinness and disordered eating in an event that inevitably foments tension between art and sport. Meadowbrooks incident report to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene first released in redacted form before I pursued a state public information act appeal was filed late and included questionable representations. "I'd really like to know how he did it and where the videos have ended up, if they're on the internet or if he put them through Limewire or if they were just sitting around for his personal use," Rutkowski, who is believed to have been 12 or 13 when she was taped, told ABC News. The coach, Kiss said, separated some members of her training group into what she called the Chubby Team, sometimes withheld dinner from them and told them, You disgust me, and Im nauseous looking at you, when the swimmers exited the pool after workouts. One swimmer who spoke to the CBC, Sion Ormond, 21, is a plaintiff in the lawsuit against Canada Artistic Swimming. When a complaint is received, USA Swimming initiates an investigation through a third-party investigator. Here are just a few questions the beholden media should ask Mr. Phelps, who also happens to be the co-owner of NBAC: Are you aware of why founder Murray Stephens resigned form NBAC? How could something be gotten so wrong? Hopkins said the young athletes asked him. The only thing USA Swimming has a legal right to do is not allow this person to be a USA Swimming member if and only if he is convicted. He always has your best interests at heart, she said. About a month later, he was sued for defamation in Maryland federal court in Baltimore for some of what he'd been publishing and pushing other media to cover-allegations that a February 2012 incident involving NBAC team members amounted to a "sexual assault," even though a law-enforcement investigation concluded without charges. Is an alumna of San Jose State where she served as executive editor the..., that my reporting was entirely accurate an investigation through a third-party investigator comprehensive Safe Sport,! 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