Athlete Protection should be Common Sense

I have been reading the Chris DeSantis Swim Brief posts about his meeting with Chuck Wielgus with much interest.  In his most recent post, "100 Minutes with Chuck Part 3: Why?", he posited the idea that perhaps there is a generational gap in the issue of dealing with athlete protection.  He points out that nearly all of the USA Swimming leadership, be it the board, or the national team staff, are...shall we say long in the tooth.  It's true, but it really got me to thinking.  Is there a commonality in our leadership that led to the problem in the first place?  I wonder, has our culture made a shift in the last 20 years that has left many of our older and more experienced coaches and leadership behind?

I am 41, and I began coaching in the fall of 1991.  It was a sweet gig, and the only experience I had with teaching swimming, at any level, was as a Red Cross swim lesson instructor.  I never had anyone who explicitly taught me about good or bad touching, but I have always been a pretty empathetic person.  With the Golden Rule in mind, I have always tried to be sensitive to the feelings of those with whom I am interacting.  If I could imagine my actions or behavior making someone uncomfortable, I would not do it.  Have I hurt peoples feelings over the years?  Of course.  However, I let my sensitivity and my common sense guide me.

I was practicing the side-to-side and A-frame hugs from the beginning.  I wouldn't let conversations with swimmers drift toward inappropriate topics in my presence.  I was careful not to "motivate" swimmers by belittling, embarrassing, and verbally abusing them.  It just seemed to be the natural and proper way to behave.

I think that when USA Swimming began it's process of implementing an Athlete Protection Program, I took offense because I have always worked hard to not be one of those problem coaches.  USA Swimming doesn't know me, how dare they treat me like the bad guy.  As it turns out, the mandatory Athlete Protection Training is much better than I anticipated.  While I do worry that it may be training the "bad guys" by showing them the warning signs we will all be looking for, I think it is probably a good thing to have...considering.

I still think that our leadership needs to pay for their cluelessness.  I mean, I had heard snippets of accusations about Andy King (whom I have never seen or met) way back in the early to mid-90's.  If I, the plebe coach that I was back then, was hearing about this guy, USA Swimming had to have heard about him.  When something like this slides by, heads have got to roll.  Not our heads, but the heads of those in charge.  That is the Board and the CEO.

I still think there are ways to prevent abuse and raise awareness without putting our volunteers through the same ringer that we put coaches through.  In Anchorage, officials do not interact with swimmers directly.  If they write up a DQ, it is delivered directly to the athlete's coach.  In this way, the coach can notify and coach the swimmer about the infraction.  It also helps retain officials since they do not have to confront swimmers about these infractions.  Officials do not like being the one who delivers the disappointing news.  This is a win-win for all involved.  Because of this practice, there is never any instance for an official to pull a swimmer aside.  If USA Swimming adopted this methodology, we could probably recruit and retain even more good volunteers, and we would not have to put them through the same rigors coaches.

But I digress.  Perhaps this is a topic for another day.  Perhaps it is an idea for new leadership to pick up and discuss.  Maybe fresh ideas, from fresh faces would be helpful.  It's something to think about anyway.

Swim-Life Resolutions

Like many people, I have been riveted by the writing of Chris DeSantis over at the Swim Brief over the last few days.  He has had a remarkable week, during which he has interviewed the USA Swimming chief, Chuck Wielgus, and revealed some very personal history.  I think he is making a great impact on the future of swimming in our country.

Making a difference is something, in which, we should all endeavor.  I know I have coached thousands of kids over the last 20 years.  I have worked hard to provide more swimming opportunities to kids in my community.  However, I find myself wondering if it is enough.  Perhaps "my community" needs to include more people, or geographical area.

It is the time of year to be making resolutions.  I did  pretty well on last year's (I miss you madly Taco Bell, McDonald's, etc).  This year's resolutions will be with a design to have more of an impact on the world around me.

USA Swimming:

After last summer, I found myself frustrated with USA Swimming's leadership, rules, and decisions.  I vented long and often on this blog.  I vowed to be involved, and I even went to the USA Swimming convention in Jacksonville.  I submitted an application to be even more involved by requesting a committee position.  While the committee appointment was not granted by President Stratton, I vowed to continue my participation.

I will continue to work hard for my LSC as the Admin Vice-Chair, and I plan to attend the convention again.  I will do my best to stay abreast of the work the committees are doing, and I will again attempt to a contributor to the committee process, by throwing my name into the hat next fall.

American Swim Coaches Association:

I am a life+ member of ASCA, and it is probably time for me to become more involved in that organization.  I am not a fan of the leadership of my organization.  I resolve to get more involved in the business of ASCA, and it's influence on USA Swimming.  I must admit that I am very ignorant about "my" organization, but I will try to be more involved.

Blogging:

I resolve to tone down my rhetoric and hot headed postings.  When I read from bloggers like those at the Swim Brief and the SCAQ blog, I am impressed.  I am impressed at the tone they set and influence they have.  We need more of them.

I will continue to write about the things that niggle at me, but I will not allow myself to blog and come off sounding like a member of the fringe of USA Swimming society.  I vow to do more research and come at the topics from a more powerful position.  I know that we need change.  I will be a part of the solution.

I will address issues about USA Swimming, Athlete Protection, ASCA, etc with a constructive tone.  I will avoid the rantings of the previous year.


I am resolved

Athlete Protection Training - a review of the training and test

I just finished the Athlete Protection Training program and test on the USA Swimming website.  To complete the program yourself click here.  In general I rate the program as a 4 out of 5 (they actually have a survey after you complete the program).  It is fairly simple and not too time consuming.

I don't know if I learned anything.  I have had to deal with abuse situations and with sexual predators around 1/2 dozen times in my coaching career.  I suppose this is a good program for those that have not had to deal with this stuff.  It probably would have been helpful back in the day when I was just starting out as a coach.

The only thing that niggled at me was the notice just prior to beginning the training:

Failure to complete the athlete protection training course will result in your membership privileges being suspended.

I just feel like the tone is intensely negative.  A simple "you are required to complete this training-course before your registration will be accepted" would suffice.  Does anyone else agree with me here?  Am I just too sensitive?  Oh well, it is done now.

I hereby officially state that my original fears about this program were off base.  But I think some of my reservation about the program has to do with the tone set by USA Swimming.  After all, we are working together to solve this problem.  Please don't treat me with such a negative tone.  I am not the enemy.  I think the tone set in the actual training itself is perfect.  Let's follow that tone.

Report from USAS Convention - Club Development and Athlete Protection

I got on the plane in Alaska yesterday at 4:30p (EST) and landed this morning in Jacksonville at around 10:30a.  I think I squeezed in an hour of sleep on the flight, but suffice it to say, I am bushed!  I missed out on a couple of meetings that I would like to have attended, but I did get to go to a couple of very interesting committee meetings.

The first meeting was the Club Development Committee, chaired by a coach I respect a ton, Allison Beebe.  We got to see some interesting numbers, presented by Tom Avischious of USA Swimming, concerning membership retention, composition, etc.  My engineering juices go into overdrive whenever I see tables of statistics like that.  The committee then delved into coach's education.  The Online Coach's education webinars that USA Swimming has are very good, and we were let in on some statistics about there use.  The webinars have been seen around 7500 times.  Two thirds of those are watched after they have been archived on the USA Swimming website.

Then the meeting got interesting.  Whether or not coach's education should be mandatory.  The peanut gallery really started to pipe up on this issue.  What do the reader's of this blog think?  Should coaches be required to take ongoing education classes?  Should it be encouraged, but not required...perhaps setting up a recognition system?  Should we leave it alone?  I am against mandating continuing education, but I am for setting up some sort of recognition system.  What do you think?  There are some LSC's that sponsor coaches education.  Many clubs support coaches education.  What situation are you in?

USA Swimming's Deck Pass was unveiled to the committee.  I have already written about how cool I think it will be once the iphone/android apps are up and running.

After the Club Development Committee was done with the room, the Athlete Protection Committee came in.  There are a couple of folks on this committee that I have a lot of respect for as well; Margaret Hoelzer and Mary Liston are both folks I have had the pleasure to work with before.  The Chair, Jim Crampton, also seems like he is a great guy.  The meeting started with a bit of a teaser from Praesidium, the folks who are providing the online Athlete Protection Training.  There will be a full presentation tomorrow, but I have to say, I think this is going to end up being a good program.  I put that last statement in bold, because I have been publicly skeptical, on this blog, since it's announcement.  I think we should have started with this before letting the lawyers get a hold of the whole process.  The only negative thing about the program is that I heard someone say it is free.  That is not true.  Our volunteers and coaches may not be paying Praesidium directly, but I am sure that we (USA Swimming) are paying a pretty penny to Praesidium.

Having said my nice stuff, I have to say I have some reservations about some things that are coming down the pike from the Athlete Protection Committee.  There is going to be a push to require an Athlete Protection Officer and Athlete Protection Committee on every LSC board.  There is going to be a requirement to have all new officials go through the same pre-employment screening that newly hired coaches are now required to have:

• Motor Vehicle Report
• Education Verification 
• Employment History Check/Reference Check

Furthermore, it is going to be recommended (code word for soon to be required) that new officials

• get fingerprinted
• go through a social media check
• go through a Google search check

As painful as this is going to be for small/remote clubs (like the ones on Alaska), I think these are going to become the law of the land.  I predict a major reduction in the number of volunteers coming out to officiate.  This will be devastating for clubs that are so isolated and small, that it takes a majority of their parents just to field an officials crew.  This does not even bring into account the expense of the program.  It looks like we are looking at an increase in splash fees in our LSC.  Someone has to pay for the background checks, pre-volunteer screens, etc.

Tomorrow will be chock full of excitement!  I will be sure to give you all the run down.  Stay tuned.

The Disconnect between USA Swimming's membership and the National House of Delegates

There is clearly a disconnect with USA Swimming's membership and the folks that "represent" them at the National House of Delegates each fall.  I have a hard time believing that the membership has had any idea of the legislative choices that have been made on their behalf the last couple of falls.  With background checks and the new Athlete Protection Training we are doing our best to smother volunteerism as much as we possibly can.

Our delegates have been responding...no, they have been reacting to the bad behavior a couple of evil people.  They have been passing all sorts of legislation:

• Stepped up background checks
• Travel Policy Requirements and Recommendations
• Athlete Protection Training

Let me address these one at a time:

Background Checks -

I am in favor of these...for coaches.  Make them as rigorous as you can.  I want to make sure that each of us coaches deserves to be on deck.  I am against the background checks for volunteers.  Unless we are going to do background checks on every single person stepping into the pool area, then I see no point.  Anyone who steps into that pool could be child predator, but at least some of these people are being scrutinized constantly, officials and meet personel.  There is not an official that talks to one of my swimmers without being seen by me or one of my coaching staff (in fact, in our area, the DQ slips are delivered directly to the coaches).

Travel Policy Requirements and Recommendations -

I have written about these in an earlier post, "USA Swimming Travel Policy - Is it more than about protecting swimmers?".  I am against mandating policy.  USA Swimming knows nothing about the travel issues and costs for the smaller and more remote clubs.  USA Swimming should have issued a pamphlet, brochure, or flyer with a series of recommendations for Coach and Swimmer travel.  Each club/team is faced with unique issues when it comes to traveling.  It is ridiculous to think that an organization as big as USA Swimming could possibly know what is good for every situation and every club/team.

Athlete Protection Training -

This is the latest requirement brought upon us by our leadership.  In my blog post "Athlete Protection Training - the latest USA Swimming non-athlete membership requirement" I write a little about the impending requirement and the company with whom USA Swimming is "partnering",  Praesidium.  Again, I think this new requirement could be dealt with by disseminating the information via online video, printed brochure, etc.  But to make it a tested requirement will not help us in our quest to recruit or retain volunteers.  I suppose making coaches take it and test for it could be a requirement.  I am just not sure it is something that should be required for all non-athlete members.  I think they already have to jump through enough hoops to help our sport.

Now there are lots of ways to volunteer to help in our sport: timing, officiating, running the computer systems, hospitality, etc.  I will pick just one example for the purposes of my argument.  For the typical volunteer stroke and turn official to become certified they must:

• pay a $48 for non-athlete membership registration fee
• undergo about 5 hours of training at a clinic or through a home study program
• pass a stroke and turn officials test
• complete an apprenticeship of 6 sessions at 3 different meets  (about 20 hours)
• submit to a background screening at the cost of $39
• take the new online Athlete Protection Training course (about 1 hour) and test

So for a mere $87, approximately 26 hours of training/courses/etc, a background check, and 2 tests you can begin to volunteer to help your child compete in the great sport of swimming.  Is this what we want to be doing?  I already know that at least two of my club's best officials are considering hanging up the white shirts.

Now, I have been maligned by anonymous commenters who tell me that if I don't like the rules then do something about change them.  Fine, this year I am a delegate, representing Alaska Swimming, for the convention in Jacksonville this fall.  I want to encourage all of you who see things my way to join me there.  We need to make a change in these policies before it is too late, and we alienate so many of our volunteers that we can not operate.

Those of you who are like minded need to get involved in the governance of your LSC.  Become delegates to the National HOD.  Stand up and speak when these ridiculous legislative mandates are brought forward.  Don't be afraid to speak up.  We can't let fear govern our organization.  We have got to bring reason back to USA Swimming.  We can't let lawyers and fear of litigation lead us to making rules that are reactive and short-sided.

Athlete Protection Training - the latest USA Swimming non-athlete membership requirement

USA Swimming is initiating it's Athlete Protection Training this fall.  Before a non-athlete member can register for the 2012 membership year, they must successfully complete an online course.  The following excerpt is from an email from Cathy Durance, USA Swimming's Member Services Coordinator:

TO:  LSC Registrars

As you know, a new membership requirement will be mandatory for all non-athletes effective with the 2012 membership year, which begins 9/1/11. The new requirement is the online Athlete Protection Training (APT). Unfortunately, the APT will not be available until 9/15/11 so there is a two-week period when 2012 non-athlete members will be unable to meet the membership requirements. When you enter a 2012new member or renew an existing member, the SWIMS record will be flagged if the person has not passed the APT and a 2012 card will not be generated. Here’s what you can do during this lag time:

NEW NON-ATHLETE MEMBERSIf you have a brand new non-athlete member who joins during this two week period, you can provide them with a letter that will be valid through 10/15/11, giving them one month to pass the APT. A copy of the letter is attached; you should print it on your LSC letterhead and mail/email/forward it to the new member since you will not be able to print a 2012 membership card.

NON-ATHLETE MEMBER RENEWALSDo not renew the non-athlete until the end of September. These non-athletes have membership cards valid through 12/31/11 (unless a coach cert expires, but you will be able to print an updated 2011 card as long as you don’t renew them for 2012), so there should be no urgency to print a 2012 card for them. If you want to renew them in September, be aware that their SWIMS record will be flagged until they pass the APT. My recommendation would be to hold them until they have had a few weeks to complete the APT, but you can enter them into SWIMS altho they will be flagged until they have completed the APT. No 2012 card will be generated until they pass the APT.

APT QUEUEThe APT requirement will work exactly like the background check. The results will load directly into the same SWIMS queue and auto-match to the member’s record. (There will be a new option in the queue to search for just an APT, just a BGC, or for both; we will demonstrate the new options at the convention SWIMS workshop.) The APT results will work exactly like the BGC but you will be able to tell them apart when you are in the queue.

It will take about one hour to complete the online training course. There is no fee to take it. Once the final exam has been successfully completed, it will appear in the SWIMS queue the following day (never on the same day the test was passed). Members must take the training and they must pass the final exam. If they log out before passing the exam, it will not count and nothing will appear in the queue.

TELLING YOUR MEMBERS ABOUT THIS NEW REQUIREMENTYou will have to post a notification with your 2012 non-athlete membership forms to let people know about this new requirement. You can refer people to this link: www.usaswimming.org/protect. But the link to take the training will not be available until 9/15/11.

About the only truly good thing I can say about the APT is that it won't cost our volunteers any money.

USA Swimming's "partner" for the APT is a company called Praesidium.  Here is an exact quote from their website:

Child molesters love water.

They love bumping into kids in the wave pool. Using goggles to watch kids underwater. Loitering around the changing areas and bathrooms. Taking pictures or videotaping children without permission. Returning day after day to play with unsuspecting toddlers in the kiddie pool.

Your water park faces three dangers: First, that an adult guest will molest a child; second, that an employee or contract vendor will molest a child; and third, that a child will molest another child.

But these dangers can be reduced.

We can identify where in your park molesters will lurk and how to monitor those areas. We can train your managers in careful screening and selection of employees and vendors. And, we can teach your employees how to spot inappropriate or suspicious behavior and interrupt it before an incident happens.

Child molesters love water. Give them one less place to love. Call Praesidium.

Pretty scary...definitely inflammatory....I better get my training right away!!!

To be honest, I have no idea what the training video will entail, nor what the test will be like, but I am beginning to feel a little creeped out by USA Swimming and it's quest to make our sport safe.

So far, we have a background check that is required, at one level or another, for every non-athlete member of USA Swimming.  This is definitely a reasonable requirement for coaches, and maybe even the officials, but I am a little dubious that the computer operator, meet director, etc should have to complete one.  Most of these volunteers have little if any contact with the swimmers.  Timers come closer to the swimmers than most officials, and I don't remember seeing the meet administration checking USA Swimming registration for any timers....ever.  And what about the spectators at meets?  What is keeping them from taking compromising videos or photos of our swimmers?  What are we really doing to protect our swimmers?  To me, it just seems like a big show to prevent litigation, not really a major effort to protect kids.

I am assuming that the APT will give non-athlete members some training on how to recognize potential threats, of a predatory nature, to our athletes.  Spend enough time around a pool, and you will see some creepy characters.  In my 20+ years of coaching, I have had to call the police on 4 separate occasions because of "predatory" or obscene behavior.  I suppose the training may heighten someone's awareness of the behavior of these kinds of animals, but again, I am dubious.

I know that, on my club at least, these background checks and requirements are taking a toll on volunteerism.  I think it is doing more to deter good people from helping than it is to keep the real animals from doing what they do.  We might even be training predators to make their behavior even harder to detect.

Imagine the volunteer/predator who has never been caught.  They come up clean on a background check.  Now they take the APT and realize, "oops, I better change a couple of my methods so as to continue my creepy ways".

The bottom line is that I believe in getting the information out to the volunteer members.  Blanket them with emails, brochures, etc.  But to put them through another training and test; well it borders on the ridiculous.  I really think we are going to lose more good people that we will deter bad people.  And in the end, that may end up hurting the swimmers the most.