USA Swim Team coaches molest teen girls

Over the last ten years at least 36 USA Team swimming coaches have been banned for life from the USA swimming organization ^[1]. Not, to the best of my knowledge, convicted in the court of law — and not doing hard time for their crimes — just simply banned for life from coaching the USA Swim Team. Their crime? Allegedly molesting and secretly taping teen girls ^[2] in locker rooms while the girls changed and showered.

Swimming is near and dear to my heart. No, I was never close to making an Olympic Swim Team, but I did swim three mornings a week before school and fives afternoons a week after school for my high school swim team. That equaled a whole lot of time with my coach. He was a tough coach too… wouldn’t stand for any bullshit. He made a couple of girls cry. But that was part of being on a team and working your ass off to be the best you can be. The thing that never happened, not even once, I never felt threatened in any way.

I am so disgusted by this story for so many reasons. Here I am trying to raise two little kids to be productive, healthy big kids. And such a big part of that for them will be sports. I will have to trust their coaches. I will have to give my kids the space to become individuals. But that natural instinct to protect and throw my body in front of a train kicks in when you hear a story like this. I don’t want to be that overbearing parent who stifles her child — while really just trying to protect them. But how do you really know who you can trust?

My heart goes out to the women affected by these men.

The full report will air tonight on ABC’s 20/20 at 8pm.