A Time For Action

PHOENIX, Arizona, May 3. THE latest Voice for the Sport calls upon the United States swimming community to take action to protect its children from abuse. This article, written by Swimming World CEO Brent Rutemiller, is found in the May issue of Swimming World Magazine, and is also printed below our Limited Time Offer.

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I winced at the parallel that was made between USA Swimming and the Catholic Church in overlooking sexual abuse reports during Chuck Wielgus' interview on ABC's "20/20" last month.

I felt great sympathy for those abused athletes whose stories are now coming to light. The pain and anger that they carried and the courage it took for them to come forward cannot be diminished, rationalized or overlooked.

Chuck Wielgus, the executive director of USA Swimming, was adamant when he said that USA Swimming takes sexual abuse reports very seriously. How USA Swimming goes about processing those reports is often a private matter with a very public face. In the USA, a person is innocent until proven guilty. This reason alone warrants caution and the need to move quietly.

However, whenever a public organization moves quietly on delicate matters, it runs the risk of appearing to cover up issues or of creating a culture of arrogance. I was glad to hear that the abuse report sent to Wielgus by Lori Sharp was acted upon through legal procedures, but was very disappointed that it took a "20/20" interview to speed up the response process. The best counter to these impressions is for an organization to maintain a public, action-oriented, education campaign.

At the time of the "20/20" interview, USA Swimming was already five months into a task force evaluating sexual abuse policy and procedures. A final report is expected soon and may appear before this article is published. When the task force releases its report, I look forward to a more aggressive stand vs. the defensive posture forced upon USA Swimming by "20/20."

However, USA Swimming cannot simply shift the responsibility down to the local level of its organization. They need to provide leadership in providing materials, guidelines and the mechanism for reporting to the local committees. I was glad to see that one of Wielgus' first acts after the interview was to look into setting up an anonymous abuse report hotline.

The extended family of swimming also needs to take action. Coaches will look to the American Swim Coaches Association to show some leadership in this area. ASCA is the heart and soul of American swim coaches. Currently, ASCA has a certification program that could easily assist USA Swimming and other governing bodies in education on sexual abuse and background checks as part of its certification process.

USA Swimming's first challenge in rebuilding its image is to bring its policies to the forefront and repeatedly educate its members on how to recognize, avoid and report sexual abuse.

The only USA Swimming policy mention of sexual abuse is in its "Code of Conduct." Every athlete, coach, volunteer and administrator agrees to abide by the Code of Conduct—whether they have read it or not—by simply signing their annual registration form. The current national standard of agreeing to a code of conduct as part of a registration process is a bureaucratic shortcut and the least effective means of education.

If there is one lesson to be learned from the "20/20" interview is that USA Swimming needs to be proactive in educating its members on its sexual abuse policies, procedures and actions. In the short run, more abuses will be reported. In the long run, the sport will foster a safer and healthier environment for its youth.

During the time prior to the publication of this Voice for the Sport, USA Swimming released a 7-Point Action Plan and implemented four measures related to this plan over the weekend.

ASCA also went on record with the following statement:

The ASCA and our 6700 members stand in full support of USA Swimming and its 7 point action plan. There's nothing more important to all of us, than ensuring that the athletes who participate in our sport are safe, secure and healthy.

This is an important moment for the sport of swimming. ASCA's membership is comprised of coaches who share an unwavering commitment to uphold the positive values derived from participation in swimming. We applaud USA Swimming's leadership for its meaningful action, particularly in seeking the expertise of individuals both within our community.

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May 2010 Issue
Contents of The May issue:

8 OH, SO CLOSE! by Jason Marsteller
Stanford and Georgia were the pre-meet favorites to win this year's women's NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships, but Florida had other ideas and captured its second-ever team title by a mere two-and-a-half points.
12 NO. 10 IN '10 by John Lohn
The university of Texas had won its ninth men's team trophy back in 2002, after several close finishes, the Longhorns finally achieved their historic double-digit crown, moving them within one championship for the most all-time in men's NCAA Division I action.
17 BUCKEYE BLISS by Emily Sampl
The Ohio State University Buckeyes captured their second straight and 26th team title overall at the U.S. Collegiate Synchronized Swimming Championships.

DEPARTMENTS:
6 A VOICE for the SPORT
43 FOR THE RECORD
50 CALENDAR
54 PARTING SHOT

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

24 Q&A WITH COACH DAN FLACK, THE BAYLOR SCHOOL by Michael J. Stott
27 HOW THEY TRAIN: Spencer Rowe by Michael J. Stott
28 SO YOU WANT TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP? by Michael J. Stott
Bottom line: be prepared, understand what winning means and swim fast!

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

19 THE POOL'S EDGE: Are You Self-Aware? by Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen
Self-awareness is a process of seeing, comparing, feeling differences and then coming to a new understanding.
20 DRYSIDE TRAINING: Exercises for Better Backstroke by J.R. Rosania
22 WORKOUT CARD: Training with Gator Swim Club Masters by Nancy Hennessy

In the Junior Swimmer portion of the magazine you will find the following:
30 NATIONAL AGE GROUP RECORD SETTERS: Eagle Swimming Association
(Texas) 11-12 Boys 200 Yard Freestyle Relay
31 AMERICAN RELAY by Judy Jacob
32 SPEEDO CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES SECTIONALS by Judy Jacob
36 HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: More Records Take a Tumble by Sarah Eckersley
38 SUPERNOVA II by Jason Marsteller
Led by seven-gold-medal winner Rachel Naurath, Nova of Virginia repeated as combined team champions and won its third straight women's title at the NCSA Junior Nationals.
40 GOLDMINDS: The "W" Word by Wayne Goldsmith
The word is "winning" and it's time to start thinking, talking and doing the things necessary to prepare yourself for that ultimate achievement.

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