Coaches Must Avoid Potentially Abusive Situations

PHOENIX, Arizona, July 3. IN the July issue of Swimming World Magazine, CEO Brent Rutemiller addresses some of the changes in coaching styles in light of the sexual abuse claims against the sport in the U.S. in this month's edition of A Voice for the Sport. The column is reprinted in its entirety following our special offer this month.

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There is neither a handbook nor a how-to manual explaining how men should coach women.

There is no formula other than common sense. It is basically teaching and not much more than that. Many of the dos and don'ts of coaching don't differ by gender.

The coaching profession has evolved since Title IX. When men first began coaching female NCAA athletes several decades ago, a lot of mistakes were made along the way.

A coach had to learn not to swat a girl on the backside while saying "good job" as he would with the boys. A male coach who makes that mistake today could lose his job.

What once was thought of as a simple, factual request for a female to "lose 10 pounds," we now know can cause eating disorders in young women. The "lose weight" order has now been replaced with the code phrase: "You need to raise your fitness level. See the team nutritionist."

There once was a time when a coach could personally loosen the tense neck muscles of an athlete before a race. Now the coach tells the athlete to visit the team's massage therapist. Massaging an athlete today could cost a coach his job.

Not too long ago, a coach would tell his athletes to work through the pain. "No Pain, No Gain" was the motto of the day. Now, a coach who does not get advice from the team's trainer is opening himself up for abuse accusations.

A coach was considered thoughtful, considerate and caring when he picked up or drove an athlete home from practice. Now it is recommended that coaches never be alone with an athlete—not even for a private goal-session meeting.

A coach who does not comply with current coaching behaviors is a potential candidate for abuse allegations.

The best approach to dealing with female athletes, male coaches say, is common sense and prudence. But are there different approaches to coaching women versus coaching men? Absolutely!

"Women take things a little more personally," Tom DiCicco, former U.S. Soccer coach once pointed out in an interview with the Boston Globe. He noticed that when he was critiquing a men's team, each male player assumed that the coach was addressing everybody else but him. However, when he talked to the women's squad, he said, each player thought the coach was speaking to her.

Coach Dave Marsh, who won seven men's and five women's NCAA swimming titles at Auburn, once said, "I've always sensed that men want information from a coach. The women want more of an investment of your whole person."

That investment can make for a delicate balancing act.

Whether it's kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school, college or graduate school, the teacher-pupil/coach-athlete relationship can never be violated. That's just a hard and fast fact.

Coaches need to understand that they are in a position of power. They are looked at with a great deal of respect. Coaches need to be aware that there is a line that they do not cross. Coaches cannot go it alone anymore. Relying on your support staff for expert opinion to find and hold the line is the new norm, not the exception.

Coaches need to remain smart and adapt their behaviors!

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July 2010 Issue
Contents of The July issue:


8 STORYLINES AND SUBPLOTS by Jason Marsteller
Everybody already knows what to expect from swimmers such as Michael Phelps, Leisel Jones, Kosuke Kitajima and Brent Hayden, who should be competing at this summer's Pan Pacific Championships. But what can be expected from some of the less well-known names in the sport?
11 4 WORLD RECORDS IN 6-1/2 HOURS! by Jeff Commings
Aug. 20, 1989 marked the first time four different swimmers broke world records in four different events on the same day.
14 THE RIGHT FIT by John Lohn
During the last several years, 24-year-old backstroker Nick Thoman has been looking for the best place for him to train. It appears he found it with Coach David Marsh at SwimMAC Carolina.
16 A NEW QUEEN IS CROWNED by Emily Sampl
UCLA's streak of five straight NCAA women's water polo titles came to an end as crosstown rival USC edged top-seeded Stanford 10-9 in the championship game.

DEPARTMENTS:
6 A VOICE for the SPORT
36 FOR THE RECORD
43 CALENDAR
46 PARTING SHOT

In the Swimming Technique portion of the magazine you will find the following:

22 Q&A WITH COACH BRETT HAWKE, AUBURN UNIVERSITY by Michael J. Stott
24 HOW THEY TRAIN: Bryan Lundquist by Michael J. Stott
25 GOING FOR THE WIN: When Athletes Who Can, Don't…and Why by Michael J. Stott
28 USSSA: The Use of Play in a Swim Lesson by Nikki Miller
Play is the international language of children.

In the SWIM portion of the magazine you will find the following:

19 THE POOL'S EDGE: Rookie Mistakes by Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen
20 DRYSIDE TRAINING: Getting Older and Stronger by J.R. Rosania

In the Junior Swimmer portion of the magazine you will find the following:
30 NATIONAL AGE GROUP RECORD SETTERS: Aquajets (Minn.) 11-12 Girls 200 Yard Free, 200 Medley and 400 Medley Relays and Olivia Anderson
31 AMERICAN RELAY by Judy Jacob
32 TYR AGE GROUP SWIMMER OF THE MONTH: Annie Kyriakidis, Nashville Aquatic Club (Tenn.)
33 GOLDMINDS: Tip-Top Tapering by Wayne Goldsmith
Here are twenty-two tricks, tips and tales toward a terrific taper!

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