Time is Up
Time is Up
Something smells in Colorado Springs. Earlier today, the news posted on swimmingworldmagazine.com punched USA Swimming members in the gut. Swimming World uncovered documents that "[verify] that USA Swimming did give a positive recommendation for former national team director Everett Uchiyama's employment with the Country Club of Colorado"
Typing it makes me sick. A month ago I wrote a blog criticizing the lack of responsibility taken by Executive Director Chuck Wielgus and USA Swimming as they face lawsuits and criticism for sexual abuse within the sport. Later that day, USA Swimming released a list of 36 coaches that it had banned for life. The most shocking among them was Everett Uchiyama, the former national team director who abruptbly resigned in 2006. Over the next 24 hours, Uchiyama's victim came forward again to express relief that his crime had been publicized. However, it was also revealed that Uchiyama had parachuted directly from USA Swimming into another job where he could have access to children. Still more troubling was the statement by the country club that USA Swimming had given Uchiyama a positive recommendation. Of course, Chuck Wielgus immediately denied it, and the documents reported on Swimming World only refers to effusive praise that Pat Hogan, USA Swimming's Club Development Director, gave.
The time has come. Chuck Wielgus is the most powerful swimming official in the United States. He is also at best so careless that he should resign immediately. Wielgus not only allowed man who had a sexual relationship with a fourteen year old girl to say that he resigned, he also oversaw his organization recommending that man for a job. I've heard the argument that Wielgus somehow was smart not to disclose details about Uchiyama because it could place him in legal liability. To me it doesn't hold water: he had enough evidence to BAN FOR LIFE. Uchiyama avoided likely jail time because the statute of limitations had run out on her accusations. There should be no statute of limitations for our public condemnations of child molestations, and we should that have leadership at the highest level.
Earlier this week, I posted a video of comedian Louis C.K. appearing on the Daily Show. Almost as an aside, he blurted out to John Stewart that "the pope (expletive) boys". His point was simple: there are two types of people in the world when it comes to the sexual abuse of children. There are the people who are completely disgusted and horrified by it, and there are people who perpetrate it. Where does Wielgus stand? What constitutes a cover up? Whether or not the actions of Wielgus, Hogan and other officials at USA Swimming were unlawful is up to our judicial system- but we as members of USA Swimming can make our own judgment. The current leadership MUST GO and be replaced by honest people who want what's best for the most important members of our entire organization: our children.
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Comments
Thanks, Chris for putting
Thanks, Chris for putting yourself out there. I have been so frustrated at the lack of outrage from the "official swim community." I've had comments containing constructive criticism literally deleted. When I approached a high-profile person in the swimming world I was told he, "just wanted to keep it positive" but "thank you very much." When I expressed my frustration in the blogosphere I was contacted by a few women who were sexually abused by their coaches as teenagers and had the courage to come forward to USA Swimming but were either brushed-off or put through what one woman called a "trial." I don't know what the answer is, I don't know if there's a "cure" but we don't have a cure for cancer either, does that mean we don't try? It's a systemic problem. Mr. Wieglus and those surrounding him need to stop minimizing and personalizing the outrage, put on their big-boy pants and do what they can (from at least an organizational standpoint) to help protect our children or pass the torch to those that will.
Thank you
Thank you for your comment. I agree that there is no "cure" here. We will never be able to find measure that keeps 100% of our children safe from child molesters. But we can make it considerably harder and scrub out the culture in our sport that does tolerate innapropriate sexual behavior to a degree.I write because unlike Wielgus I do feel some responsibility. I could make a lot of excuses for not doing more up to now- I was young, I didn't know, etc. But the truth is, I have come to be an activist about this too late. I have heard from victims since writing my first blog. I can't imagine their pain- and these are the people who are truly keeping the pressure on. They are reliving probably the worst thing that has ever happened to them in order to help others. These people motivate me more than anything else.
Hi Chris-It's not too late.
Hi Chris-It's not too late. There are thousands of kids going to swim practice today. There are abuse survivors who are still trying to get justice within the swimming community with very little success so far. As a therapist who has worked with many sexual abuse survivors the one thing I know they want more than anything is to be validated; to be heard. By writing about this issue in a public forum as you've done a few times helps stop the cycle of abuse. It stops the cycle of silence, the cycle of excuses and the cycle of revictimization these women feel by being ignored, brushed off or blamed for what happened to them. Okay, so USA Swimming can't attend every swim meet and swim practice guaranteeing every coach is behaving themselves but do they have to write letters of recommendation for coaches they KNOW have abused children? Is that so unreasonable? Changing the culture in swimming is a herculean task and it's going to take time but because of people like you there WILL be progress.
going where no one goes
Chris,Thanks for putting yourself out there and going where a lot of outraged coaches and parents are not willing to go due their to fear of ramifications with USA Swimming. You are on the right side of this issue. The personal risk you are taking is statement to your integrity . Keep it up. Don't give up until we see some real change!
Be the change you want to see in the world
Chris,Thanks for your persistence in advocating a safer environment for swimmers. Change is USA Swimming culture can not come from the top the sport and organization is too vast, too parochial, and too personal for institutional policies to create cultural change. The reponsibility lies as it always has with individual coaches, parents, volunteers and even athletes to been vigilant and courageous. I do not think you need to fear organizational retribution for your stance but I do think you need to fear collective complacency and individual nearsightedness. The kind of thinking that says "This could never happen at my club" or "Background checks are a great idea for all those other folks, as long as it doesn't cost too much and I (or my club) doesn't have to pay for it." "Coaching certification is great ...for all htose other guys." "Coaches should have bakcground checks but it isn't reallly necessary for officials or other volunteers" or "Yes, this has been a dirty little secret for years, I have known about Coach X since whenever but I never thoguht to do anything about it, his swimmers sure do swim fast."Unfortunately coaches in our sport (and probably other sports as well) have created a culture through arrogance and intimidation that it is my way or the highway and personal allegiance of the swimmer is necessary for success.You blog elsewhere about Nassim Taleb and The Black Swan.His main point about the financial markets is the fragility of the system and of the forecasting models. This is why the cult of personality is so prevalent in our sport. Where coaches demand the unwavering fealty (and sometimes more) from their athletes. The reality is that swim coaches must trust their athletes to perform in practice and in meets and we have very little control over that performance so we install parmeters in practice and escalate both the physical and temporal demnds on the athletes to reduce the margin for error.Teaching the athletes personal responsibility and the process of self-discovery are the keys to true leaps in performance. Ultimate control always rests with the athlete. Coach's attempts to coerce or entice the swimmer to cede them perceived control can be damaging to the young ahtletes overall development although it may result in improved performance for a time.Psychologiacl, emational and physical intimdiation are much more rooted in our sport and probably the fertilizer for the sexual abuse.Coaches are the ones that can change this, one practice and one club at a time until we reach the tipping point which will result in a cultural shift. The policies and procedures that will be put in place by USA Swimming will help to accelerate the shift but it is up to each of us individually to do their part.