The toll, however, has been profound, Hopkins said Saturday, on myself, on my family, on many others. He said he had not yet received the written apology from SJSU that was mandated as part of the settlement. 01 June 2015, 09:37am. "Your background screening has been thoroughly reviewed and meets the qualification standards set by USA Swimming.". WebNorth Baltimore Aquatic Club. USA Swimming said they had no ability to investigate a former NBAC coach for allegations of sexual abuse, because the offense happened in 1975. 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. Muchnick's initial coverage of the incident began on Dec. 21, 2012, with a post headlined: "Teen was sexually assaulted by teammates at Michael Phelps' North Baltimore Aquatic Club." Greensboro YMCAsReina Liu stole the show by resetting three LSC records and launching up the all-time rankings in the girls 11-12 age group. 24 April 2015, 10:00am. Really? Reached for comment Wednesday, Tuite told SFGATE that she is focused on her new role. | Privacy Settings | Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Katie Grimes Swims 15:56.27 LCM 1500 Free, #5 for 17-18 Age Group All-Time, Weekend Windup: Age Group Stars Head To Sectionals, VA Senior Champs & Southern Premier, SPIRE Academy Swim Team Makes Huge Impact at the 36th Annual Black History Invitational, Boulder Swim Team Hires Jordan Brown as New Head Coach, Reina Liu, New WAVE Boys Lower LSC Records At North Carolina Age Group Championships, LIACs Gormsen, Howley & Baldwin Shine At 2023 Senior Mets Championships, Do You Love Swimming? ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. In a series of jarring allegations from several sources, it has been discovered that a former high-level coach with close ties to the North Baltimore Aquatic Club (NBAC)home to Michael Phelps and other Olympianswas accused of molestation and other inappropriate behavior towards some of his female swimmers while he was coaching elite athletes over a period of decades. Still, another one of Hindson's victims, Sarah Rutkowski, now 21, said there are many questions left unanswered. Before being hired to coach Canadas national team in November 2018, Szauder coached Slovakias national artistic swimming team for five years. WebNBAC sent just one swimmer to the U.S. Olympic trials this year, and the clubs athletes no longer train at the Meadowbrook Swim Club in Mount Washington, where Phelps and all WebBig Sky school hires former SJSU official involved in sex abuse scandal. Year after year, Hopkins admonished his swimmers to avoid Shaw. Actually, NBAC is the one who did everything right, not USA Swimming. FBI agents became aware of the pictures after a North Carolina woman bought the coach's computer on E-Bay and discovered a video clip of a young girl in a locker room appearing to be taped without her knowledge. They did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the lawsuit. Meadowbrook is best All Rights Reserved. Research published as a graduate thesis at U.C.L.A. WebProfile: How Michael Phelps put scandal behind him to become an Olympic legend. 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. I applaud the fact that USA Swimming is now out in the open about it.Read more , 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.. When I embarked on these investigations 15 months ago, beginning with the tragic suicidal death of Sarah Burt, I never thought Id stumble into such a morass of institutional failure; from the cover-ups in Colorado Springs to the abuse history of legendary coach Rick Curl; from USA Swimmings retaliation against whistle blowers to new cases of coach abuse in Alaska, Missouri, and elsewhere. She wrote an award-winning six-part narrative series Hanging: the mysterious case of the boy in the barn, and narrated a companion podcast. 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WebMeadowbrook Aquatic Center, one of three facilities NBAC uses. Tuite was demoted from her athletic director role amid widespread criticism and reassigned to a newly created fundraising position in May 2021. She was first hired as the deputy athletic director, a role she occupied until May 2017, when she became athletic director. Within 24 hours of this story breaking, Joyce and all of his stories were removed from WBAL with no explanation. Tuite herself was directly named in three wrongful termination and retaliation lawsuits, including one filed by Hopkins in April 2021, in which she was accused of ignoring reports of continued sexual misconduct in the athletic department and retaliating against whistleblowers, the Mercury News reported. Canadas artistic swimming team competed in the team technical event during the 2019 world championships in Gwangju, South Korea. Congress is looking into more alleged sexual assault of Olympic athletes beyond gymnastics this time involving USA Swimming and other sports. Although this crop of swimmers had never been treated by Shaw the swim coach wouldnt allow that they understood the magnitude of what Hopkins had done for the athletes that came before them. They ascend to the elite level as teenagers and say they often feel powerless approaching officials, who can seem more concerned with results than with protecting athletes. 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. I am moving ahead with a new opportunity, and that is where my focus is., Big Sky school hires former SJSU official involved in sex abuse scandal, Madilynne Medina is a news reporter for SFGATE. An investigation conducted by a human resources officer on campus cleared Shaw, saying that his pressure point therapy was legitimate a finding that led to the emotional poolside meeting. Harriette Cole: I don't want the neighbor's kids at my house, Dear Abby: My wife said she doesn't like it, but it's part of my life, Ask Amy: I feel guilty for not speaking up about my co-worker's activities, Ask Amy: I'm your cabin housekeeper, and you apparently have no idea what I do. Only then, the federal report said, did the university then under the leadership of President Mary Papazian reopen the investigation. Hey big guy, do you know how those work? Ask Rick Curl for starters. We also require teams to perform additional pre-employment screenings of new coaches. But one does have to wonderif NBAC, arguably the most respected swim club in the world, contacts the national organization to tell them of a former coachs actions and doesnt get a response, then what would incite Colorado Springs into action? After complaints by the mother of the swimmer who'd been bumped, the two other swimmers wrote "apology notes" that were "accepted," and "at no time" did anyone involved say there had been "any conduct of a sexual nature"-until 10 months later, after Muchnick started writing about the incident. Next, USA Swimming sends off details about the complaint, beginning with stating that there is not a current investigation involving any coach from NBAC. In his lawsuit, Hopkins alleged that Tuite had discredited his concerns about Shaw and retaliated against him and other employees. Spada, of the United States, said that at age 13, she was once pushed down so hard by a coach that she needed hip surgery. I know of at least two people on the list who were not convicted by law. Canadian artistic swimmers have made it clear that abusive behavior by coaches and body-shaming began before Szauder became head coach of the national team. Glez said swimmers needed to look like a model to compete at an elite level. 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. I also recognize that backstories and their interpretation are organic; I strive for what is, at best, the second draft of history. "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.". Swimmers interviewed described an unhealthy culture of thinness and disordered eating in an event that inevitably foments tension between art and sport. Anyone can read what you share. 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. ", NBAC's attorney, Frank Morgan, declined to comment for this article or about Muchnick's allegations of unaddressed problems at NBAC. King previously worked as a swim coach in the San Francisco Bay area and in Oak Harbor, WA, where he was regarded as an excellent coach for aspiring Olympic team swimmers. ': A magical hike's dark side, If travel planning gives you a headache, try these apps. Taflinger's parents later identified Brooke for the FBI as one of the girls who was taped naked in the locker and shower area. Additionally, this same victim approached USA Swimming months prior but was told nothing could be done because she wished to remain anonymous (USA Swimming has apparently changed that policy and now accepts anonymous reporting). This website may constitute Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. On Tuesday, a lawsuit was filed in Montreal by five former elite swimmers, accusing Canada Artistic Swimming, the national governing body, of failing to provide a safe environment and of neglecting abusive behavior by Szauder and previous coaches. In what has tragically been the standard operating procedure of USA Swimming, there was no follow-up investigation from Colorado Springs. But even that investigation was pilloried by the Department of Justice, especially when it was revealed that Shaw continued to treat female athletes while the second investigation was underway, despite yet another admonition not to do so. Canadian artistic swimmer Gabriella Brisson, center, said a coach suggested she move to Africa to lose weight. The gaslighting that went on, suggesting that the abused swimmers werent really abused, he said, was truly hard to watch.. This is a mandatory report under Article 306.1 and Article 306.4 states Neither civil nor criminal statutes of limitation apply to reports of cases of sexual abuse.. No one at McDonogh will comment on why Stephens, who is unofficially banned from being seen on the deck at his own aquatic center, has been allowed on the deck at the McDonogh natatorium to coach his son. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! But Muchnick and I are determined to see the task through on the ugly stories behind the successes of our national swimming program. Denver gang member gave 14-year-old permission to open fire on woman with AR-15 after fender-bender, DA alleges, In 4 years, Lori Lightfoot went from breakout political star to divisive mayor of a Chicago beset by pandemic and crime, Florida lawmakers to consider expansion of so-called dont say gay law, Drone crashes at Disneyland after hovering over visitors heads See video, Rapper Travis Scott wanted for assaulting Manhattan club sound engineer, destroying $12K in equipment, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Im glad were not afraid to talk about problems like this in sports anymore, Siekel wrote. As a parent, what can I do about Safe Sport? Complaints of Emotional Abuse Roil Synchronized Swimming, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/09/sports/olympics/synchronized-swimmers-abuse.html. USA Swimming states: Because USA Swimming (and therefore its Code of Conduct) was not in existence in 1975, the organization legally had no recourse in the matter. Thankfully, people such as the DOJ, the FBI and some other investigative agencies jumped into the matter and properly looked into it, Hopkins said. Photo Courtesy: Griffin Scott. "It's something that coaches talk about all the time," Stopkotte told ABC News. WebDear parents and friends of NBAC, It has come to our attention that a local AM radio station has been broadcasting unfounded accusations about USA Swimmings handling of a He was one of the only adults who stood up for us when there were a lot of other adults that should have been standing up as well, but were not and enabled this to happen, said Shelby Mullendore, a 21-year-old senior swimmer. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The North Baltimore Aquatic Club (NBAC) is a swim club based in and around Baltimore, Maryland. WebOn Thursday, the North Baltimore Aquatic Club swam their last practice at Meadowbrook Swim Club, ending a relationship that dates back to the mid-80s. Wielgus says the local swim clubs, not the national organization, bear the responsibility to check the full backgrounds of swimming coaches they hire. All Non-athlete members of USA Swimming are also required to complete athlete protection training. He always has your best interests at heart, she said. Food | This restaurant is one of the hardest reservations to get in HawaiiNews | Wealthy Bay Area town grapples with 'attack on whiteness' controversyLocal | How Red Rock became the only privately owned island in SF BayTahoe| 'Are we going to love it to death? Summer McIntosh is the defending World Champion in the 200 fly, but hasnt swum the race in long course since winning that title last summer. WebIn a series of jarring allegations from several sources, it has been discovered that a former high-level coach with close ties to the North Baltimore Aquatic Club (NBAC) - home to Michael Phelps and other Olympians - was accused of molestation and other inappropriate behavior towards some of his female swimmers while he was coaching elite But this case was so horrible, what was happening to this family at the hands of this internet bully." ", "I teach media law," McKenna continues, "I get it-the internet, the First Amendment, I wrote the book on wiretapping and electronic privacy-so it's unusual that I come out ever wanting to limit speech. In response to the news of Tuites new role, Hopkins told SFGATE in an emailed statement that hearing this news and reading SUUs comments only makes me more grateful for the competence and professionalism of our current leadership at SJSU. Michelle Smith McDonald, SJSUs senior director of media relations, told SFGATE that the school does not have a statement regarding Tuites new job. Such remarks felt very inappropriate and yet were just normalized at practice, Spada said. This is a strange story because of the fact that it is not USA Swimmings jurisdiction to get involved other than to pass it on to the police. USA Swimming takes all complaints regarding violations of the Code of Conduct, and especially those involving alleged abuse, very seriously. Marie Tuite, former San Jose State athletic director and current deputy director for external relations at Southern Utah University. The fear shared by many in our community is that if this were to happen today and was brought to USA Swimmings attention they wouldnt bring it to the police. He can be reached at [emailprotected]. Have you spoken to the members of NBAC about why hes no longer at the club? On Saturday, just days after the federal report was released, Hopkins agreed to speak about the abuse and the investigation. After personally interviewing unimpeachable sources who corroborated the information Tim wrote, the decision was made to return the story to the web with absolutely no changes. Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. Get more information about Safe Sport here (http://www.usaswimming.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=1955&Alias=rainbow&Lang=en). 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. All rights reserved. Michael Phelps is the face of the sport and in addition, several other Olympic medalists have trained at the club, among themTheresa Andrews, Anita Nall, Beth Botsford, Katie Hoff and Allison Schmitt. Many times then, I could have collapsed, but I could tell from the look on her face that it didnt matter to her at all, Alonso Garca said of her coach. 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. Her mother, who is from Moscow, coached her and their relationship remained strong. Now that this cancer-like scandal has spread to the most important swim club in the country, will there be calls for the entire leadership of Colorado Springs to step down? * WBAL Radio last year disappeared its own series on sex abuse in swimming by my colleague Tim Joyce, after Joyce started zeroing in on allegations against Murray Stephens, founder of Michael Phelps and Bob Bowmans North Baltimore Aquatic Club. Tuite responded to the findings in a May 2021 statement put out by SJSU. Asked if he had apologized to any of the young teen victims, Wielgus responded, "You feel I need to apologize to them? ", He added, "I think it's unfair for you to ask me whether individually or me as the representative of an organization to apologize for something when all we are trying to do is everything we possibly can to create a safe and healthy environment for kids who are participating in our particular activity. Days after the interview, on July 28, Muchnick resumed his reporting on the incident with a post entitled "February 2012 incident at Bob Bowman and Michael Phelps' North Baltimore Aquatic Club remains under investigation by USA Swimming," the country's national governing body for competitive swimming. With this piece, Tim Joyce regularly joins ConcussionInc.nets investigations of the sexual abuse and death scandals inside USA Swimming. 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.. At least NBAC handled their business. Here is the story as it appeared on WBAL. In 2018, Hopkins submitted a nearly 300-page dossier of those emails and other documents to the campus Title IX office. Though the alleged crime was never prosecuted, it was investigated, according to court documents-but only after Muchnick's reporting apparently had stirred the alleged victim's family to file complaints with the police and the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services. CONTACT THE ABC NEWS INVESTIGATIVE TEAM IF YOU HAVE A STORY TO ADD TO THIS INVESTIGATION. Although the trainer had been told to stay away from the swim team, as Hopkins had demanded, he treated some of the athletes, along with the womens golf team and others. 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. USA Swimming put in place a comprehensive Safe Sport program, which is among the strongest in youth sports. But that reluctance to speak out has begun morphing into a bold awakening. Tess Howley was among the standouts for the Long Island Aquatic Club (LIAC) earlier this month in East Meadow. Gabor Szauder, the national team coach for Canada Artistic Swimming, is under criticism in Canada and Slovakia, where he previously coached. Indeed, as my queries into the history of past and present abuse continued, I realized that this story is perhaps too big for just one concerned journalist to investigate. "I certainly violated common corporate journalistic convention by deciding to publish names of minors," Muchnick says in an interview after the settlement, "and I have dialed that back" since he was ordered to do so by the court. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); What is most concerning is the accused coach of alleged sexual abuse did not leave NBAC until 2011. Many top coaches are from countries that were once in the Soviet sphere of influence. That last prohibition targets Muchnick's references in his posts to juvenile-agency and police records about the incident, to which he should not have had access since they involved minors. WebOn Tuesday, a lawsuit was filed in Montreal by five former elite swimmers, accusing Canada Artistic Swimming, the national governing body, of failing to provide a safe environment Williams later researched depression among artistic swimmers. 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. Due to the pasage of time less than two years. USA Swimming publishes a public listing of individuals suspended from the organization for life. * Last year two students at the McDonogh School in Owings Mills were quietly expelled on computer theft charges. Anton Siekel, president of the Slovak Olympic Committee, said in an email to The Times that complaints about Szauders behavior and strange attitude toward training had been lodged by multiple parents and swimmers there, helping to prompt an initiative for providing safe sport. SPIRE Academy swim athletes recently competed in Washington, DC at The Black History Invitational Swim Meet, which took place February 1719. 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. USA Swimming has fought back, responding to parents of the club with a list of Questions and Answers. SUU is aware of the situation at San Jose State and based on a thorough review, reference checks and standard hiring protocols, the university is confident in welcoming Marie to Thunderbird Athletics, he said in an emailed statement. According to the lawsuit, what actually happened was that, during a swimming practice, the two swimmers who Muchnick accused of assault "accidentally bumped or contacted" a third swimmer who "was stopped purposefully and was blocking the wall" of the pool. Hindson was sentenced in 2008 to 33 years in federal prison. Olympic body under fire; 36 coaches banned for sexual misconduct with teens. Grimes has a best time of 15:44.89 which is #2 in the 15-16 age group and now sits at #5 all-time in the 17-18 age group. For an annual fee he could come right back and no one could stop him. Like Ive repeatedly said for weeksthis scandal only will get worse. The abuse was alleged to have taken place in 1975, when swimming was governed by the AAU. Founded in 1967, Incorporated in 1968, America's #1 Age Group Team 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. Until recently, artistic swimmers superb athletes able to hold their breath for more than a minute while performing routines tended to keep quiet about abusive treatment from coaches. WebNorth Baltimore Aquatic Club: MA YY 2021 YORK-NBAC Spring SC Challenge Meet: 200 IM: 2:00.77: Dec. 15, 2018: Maggie Belbot: North Baltimore Aquatic Club: MD NBAC 44th Annual Christmas invitational: 400 IM: 4:18.90: March 1, 2019: Maggie Belbot: North Baltimore Aquatic Club: Maryland Swimming 14 & Under Championships: The coach resigned his position at the club and his USA Swimming membership in 2011 (as compared to WBAL, who claims the coach was removed from his duties by the club). She is also a Bay Area native. "We have a system that does not encourage the reporting," said Bob Allard, a San Jose, CA lawyer representing sex abuse victims suing USA Swimming. An argument could be made that the rape and escape dodge should not work. Is it not due diligence that USA swimming, with their Safe Sport program, delve further into this accusation? Ah, its the armchair-quarterback lawyer! Susan Beachy contributed research. If you are going to start using legal terms, at least have the brains to be able to follow a premise to its conclusion. 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. Competitive swimming in the U.S. has been scandal-ridden in recent years, with sexual-abuse prosecutions of coaches and civil lawsuits against USA Swimming prompting widespread media coverage, including of the recent Maryland conviction of well-known coach Rick Curl, who pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse suffered by one of his swimmers 30 years ago. Michael Phelps swam his final race at his longtime Baltimore pool, Meadowbrook Aquatic Center, winning a 100m freestyle at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club Mid-Summer Classic on Monday. Viktoria Reichova, 19, a swimmer who clashed publicly with Szauder after being suspended, told one newspaper that he sometimes referred to the Slovak athletes as little pigs. The parent of another swimmer said that some athletes essentially ate nothing but nuts for days at a time, fearing being called fat during weigh-ins. Five hundred is even more," he told correspondent Brian Ross. Please contact us directly if you need legal advice. North Baltimore Aquatic Club head coach Paul Yetter, coach of one of the best 400 IMers in history, runs the math on his rule of thumb for event potential. And like all of the other columns in this series of stories about USA Swimming, the important point is not to out an abusive coach. "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. That external investigation found that the allegations of Shaws sexual misconduct were substantiated according to the investigation summary. All Rights Reserved. "He was a monster," said Santa Clara County prosecutor Ray Mendoza. Five former swimmers have suedCanada Artistic Swimming, saying it failed to provide a safe environment and neglected abusive behavior by coaches. The operative question when is enough enough? All of us at USA Swimming are committed to fostering that experience for all our members in a safe environment. Additionally, when the complaint involves abuse of a minor, USA Swimming reports that information to the appropriate law enforcement authorities. Aug 15, 2022. According to USA Swimming, that they had no legal recourse because they didnt exist in 1975. You dont want to give up on this golden dream, Gloushkov Leventhal said, but at what cost?. Katie Spada, 28, of the United States said that she was sometimes called a dying whale by a former coach and, at 13, was told I had boobs like Marilyn Monroe and they were getting in the way.. An initial investigation conducted by SJSU, which began in December 2009 and concluded in May 2010, cleared Shaw of any wrongdoing and deemed his therapy method as a bona fide, per the university fact page. Today, as government investigators circle the sports many WebNot everyone at last weekend's NCAA women's swimming championship raced against Lia Thomas -- but they were all overshadowed by him. But McKenna, the plaintiff's lawyer, says Muchnick was "really using his website as an internet bully pulpit" and that "his goal was increasing his search-engine optimization" by using terms such as "sexual assault" together with famous names, like "Michael Phelps," "Bob Bowman," and "North Baltimore Aquatic Club.

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