Letter from Chuck Wielgus to all USA Swimming Coaches

Everyone should have received a copy of this letter from our USA Swimming executive director. Here is another copy in case you did not get yours.
If you haven't already,please take the time to read this letter.

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TO: All USA Swimming Member Coaches
FROM: Chuck Wielgus, Executive Director
DATE: April 11, 2010
SUBJECT: Child Protection Safeguards
In recent days our sport has been portrayed in a very bad light in the media. Sadly, I have also been portrayed as an insensitive, uncaring administrator and spokesperson
for USA Swimming. There are pieces of the recent 20/20 interview that I’d like to have back, there were important things left out, and there were pieces of the report that were untrue.
As a father myself, it breaks my heart to know that there are children out there who
have been taken advantage of by their coaches or others in positions of trust. It
reminded me to sit down with my daughters and have a very frank but very important
discussion about boundaries and appropriate behavior.
I also am extremely sorry if our organization has not done enough to provide the highest level of child protection safeguards and guidelines. We cannot shy away from this issue and we are going to need your help and participation. I want to encourage you to be proactive in addressing this topic with the young athletes, parents and other coaches with whom you work.

As a starting point, here are some very important factors to consider:
 This is a societal issue. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that by
the age of 18, one in four girls and one in six boys have been sexually molested.
This amounts to approximately 39M victims in the U.S. alone.
 Parents have the most important role. Parents need to talk with their children
about what is acceptable and what is not acceptable physical contact between
the child and their coach and other adults. Parents must also stress to their
children the importance of telling them anytime there is inappropriate or
questionable behavior by their coach or other adults.
 Sexual abuse must be reported to the police. It is estimated that 30% of
sexual abuse incidents go unreported. Children and parents need to understand
2that it is not only okay to report these incidents, but that reporting is the only waythat sexual predators can be brought to justice and prevented from harming
others.
 Child protection safeguards are both national and local. USA Swimming
provides a number of safeguards, but the most important application of
safeguards must take place at the club level.

USA Swimming’s current child protection safeguards are:
o Safety Training – all member coaches must be certified in CPR, First Aid
and Safety Training for Swim Coaches.
o Background Screening – all member coaches must clear (prior to joining
and then every two years) a criminal history screening that checks for
charges involving sexual misconduct and illegal drug use, among other
things.
o Education – by the second year of membership a coach must complete
the “Foundations of Coaching” course.
o Code of Conduct – our rulebook outlines a thorough Code of Conduct
that is applied to all members.
o Reporting of Complaints – our rulebook also details the procedures for
reporting any Code of Conduct violations. Complaints involving sexual
misconduct should be sent directly to my attention at USA Swimming HQ:
cwielgus@usaswimming.org. (It is worth noting that anyone can file a
complaint against a member … non-members may file complaints).

In addition to these safeguards, we are continually studying what other youthserving
organizations are doing to determine if there are other safeguards that
could enhance our child protection efforts. Two items that are under immediate
consideration are:
o Hot Line – we are currently working to establish an anonymous reporting
hotline so that victims who may be frightened can report any sexual abuse
and have this information relayed to police.
o Black List – we are studying the feasibility of making available a list of
names of individuals who have been banned for life from USA Swimming
for sexual misconduct, in order to provide a resource for other youthfocused
organizations.

Member clubs, as independent businesses, must also employ responsible hiring
practices. At a minimum we recommend the following:
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o Raise Awareness – by openly talking about the topic of sexual
misconduct you will help young athletes, parents and coaches all become
more comfortable with recognizing what is inappropriate behavior.
o Conduct Thorough Reference Checks – club leaders must take the time
to thoroughly check the personal and professional background and
previous experiences of coaches before they are hired. Do not simply rely
on USA Swimming’s criminal background screening; checking driving
records and other police records are also important. Clubs should not only
check references from prior employers, but should seek input from other
parents whose children previously swam for the coach.
o Stress the Importance of Reporting – Sexual abuse is a criminal act
and must be reported to the police. Reporting to USA Swimming is also
important because we can then take action to expel the offending adult
from our organization, and hopefully keep them from becoming involved
with any other youth organization.

I hope this information is helpful to you as you address this very important issue with the young athletes, coaches and parents with whom you work.
Thank you very much for giving this your most serious consideration and attention.