Canadian Skaters Group Alleges Abuse, Calls for Inquiry

[On My Own]

My point is that the coaches are not to blame for these issues and clearly that has flown right over your head and into a faraway dumpster from point A to point B

Yes, we should all believe "udontknowmeandthatsok" instead. It makes perfect sense.

I can assure you most will simply be waiting for investigation. You on the other hand just look like an idiot.

 

[Alilou]

My point is that the coaches are not to blame for these issues and clearly that has flown right over your head and into a faraway dumpster from point A to point B

And this kind of comment is why I, and no doubt others, have trouble respecting you and taking you seriously. All you're doing is stamping your foot and saying I'm right I'm right I'm right, and are rude as you go about it.

 

[udontknowmeandthatsok]

.

 

[Trillian]

One of the problems, as far as I can tell, is that the clubs nor rinks are liable for the coaches' behavior since they're, generally, independent contractors. The easiest solution, for the rink and club management is to run a bad coach out of town and not deal with the authorities, and thus open themselves up to any legal culpability for what took place at their rink or happened to their club members.

One of the most high profile cases besides Callaghan from 20ish years ago involved Bob Young, who was actually employed by two different rinks in the Hartford, CT, area.

Young was executive director of the ISCC in Simsbury and was involved with bringing in a lot of the Russian and Ukrainian skaters who moved there after ‘94. There were very brief mentions in the media in February of 2000 that he had been accused of sexual harassment by one of his former students.

A Hartford Courant article from 5/25/2000 (paywalled; unfortunately I don’t have a way to post a link) reported that he had recently stepped down as executive director at the ISCC and was hired as executive director at a facility in Newington later that same month. The article notes that the owner of the new rink was not concerned about “allegations of sexual harassment” that, per the Simsbury police, were still under investigation at that time.

Per U.S. Figure Skating’s website, Young’s lifetime ban became effective in July 2002. Two different articles from the Hartford Courant on 1/17 and 1/19/03 reference him as coaching a top junior pairs team at the facility in Newington, after that lifetime ban went into effect. (There’s no reference to whether he was still an official employee of the rink, though.) He would not have been issued coaching credentials for competitions after the ban, but based on an archived version of the USFSA website from December of 2002, he was still listed as coach in that pair’s national team bio.

Two more skaters went public with accusations in 2007. (It was reported a month later that police dropped their investigation into one of those cases because they couldn’t establish whether the statute of limitations had expired based on the timeline.)

Former coach faces new sexual abuse allegations

A former world-class figure skating coach who was banned from national competitions after settling a sexual abuse lawsuit faces new allegations of abusing skaters.

www.espn.com

All of this was a matter of public record and Young was still coaching at the elite level for years after the original story broke in the media. While some things have changed since then, I still think there’s a lot about this story that illustrates some of the ways the culture of skating tends to protect people who are powerful and well-connected against accusations of wrongdoing.

 

[On My Own]

"I don't care, I just happened to register a username on this website to fight with people and then leave the discussion after people said I'm a bitch" eta: "and then delete my posts thinking no one would remember"

 

[Prancer]

Okay, @udontknowmeandthatsok, I realize that you are new here, but one of our other rules is that you can't come on the board, post a lot of stuff that starts controversy and then delete it all because you don't like the response. That's a banning offense, not to mention rather pointless when most of your posts have been quoted.

 

[Vagabond]

 

[Judy]

I don’t think kids/young adults should ever be abused regardless of the sport

 

[euterpe]

The last semi-successful woman skater McLeod coached was Emily Bausback. Emily won just one title in her career: the 2020 Senior Canadian National Championship. She was 2nd at 2017 Junior Canadian Nationals.
She was 27th at the 2021 World Championship, 15th at 2020 Four Continents, and 11th at her only Grand Prix appearance (SC 2021). Her top placement in three Challenger events was 6th. Her top placement after 5 years on the JGP was 6th.
Emily retired after finishing 9th at 2022 Canadian Nationals.

 

[Sylvia]

Link to Skate Canada's Safe Sport info page: https://skatecanada.ca/portfolio-item/safe-sport/

Misconduct reporting info & FAQ: https://www.integritycounts.ca/org/skatesafe

The Skate-Safe misconduct reporting process is through a hotline (IntegrityCounts) managed by a third-party service provider for the reporting of complaints of misconduct submitted online or by telephone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Reports received through the third-party hotline are submitted to the independent external Case Manager to ensure an independent review, investigation and disposition.

 

[Sylvia]

Emily retired after finishing 9th at 2022 Canadian Nationals.

Posted in the Canadian Women's news thread on May 14, 2022:

Emma Bulawka, 19 (6th in Senior at 2020 Canadians, last competed in the January 2021 Virtual Skate Canada Challenge, placing 13th) launched her "Wide Open Spaces" podcast earlier this year - her first guest was the newly retired Emily Bausback [...]

Bausback (Jan. 26): https://rss.com/podcasts/wide-open-spaces/373115/

 

[karmena]

Thank you, Sylvia for the link to the podcast (and for all the information you ceaselessly are providing here on the forum). I was sort of.... impressed- and little bit surprised- how well spoken is Bausback! To hear that winning Nationals took out all joy of her skating and that she lost love of competing was so enlightening... so many times we do not know anything what happens with the skaters psychologically, and how demanding skating is in all the levels Emily seems to be very outgoing and healthy thinking individual.
She sort of was wishing for coaches to be more educated and prepared of what is going with their athletes mentally.

Normally I do not listen podcasts but now, being bedridden, it was a great way to listen and to learn little bit more about athletes' (unvisible) struggles. A good coach indeed is a real treasure for the sport as such.

 

[4rkidz]

What you said about the difficulty with problem coaches when they are independent contractors is true. But FYI, rinks and clubs do have liability insurance. But they understandably don't want to have to use it, or pay legal expenses for a lawsuit. For that reason, it's pretty rare for a coach to be kicked out of a rink without a lot of evidence, repeated warnings, etc. And coaches generally have no problem moving from rink to rink unless what they've done is so egregious it results in a SafeSport suspension. And as we've heard, that process takes a long time.

ETA: I'm in the U.S., so that's what I'm referencing. Don't know about Canada.

As part of an annual audit at skating clubs, they have to disclose any liability issues or legal issues. The board of directors of said club are liable. Also all of those in authority have an obligation legally to report any abuse of a child. Skip Skate Canada, report to the authorities & safe sport as there is no code of silence, independent contractors makes no difference. You can also take civil action.

 

[nylynnr]

The last semi-successful woman skater McLeod coached was Emily Bausback. Emily won just one title in her career: the 2020 Senior Canadian National Championship. She was 2nd at 2017 Junior Canadian Nationals.
She was 27th at the 2021 World Championship, 15th at 2020 Four Continents, and 11th at her only Grand Prix appearance (SC 2021). Her top placement in three Challenger events was 6th. Her top placement after 5 years on the JGP was 6th.
Emily retired after finishing 9th at 2022 Canadian Nationals.

Not weighing in on the events at Champs Skating Centre, because all I know about it is what I read here, but by any definition a Canadian champion is a successful skater. Getting a skater to U.S. or Canadian nationals is a huge success for a coach; having students compete at sectionals is a success.

 

[puglover]

Not weighing in on the events at Champs Skating Centre, because all I know about it is what I read here, but by any definition a Canadian champion is a successful skater. Getting a skater to U.S. or Canadian nationals is a huge success for a coach; having students compete at sectionals is a success.

As well as Emily winning Canadians, Joanne also coaches Aleksa Rakic who competed well for Canada on the JGP and Beres Clements who landed triple axels in both his short and long at 2023 Nationals for a 4 and 7th place in senior mens. I can't comment on the treatment of skaters but I doubt there are many coaches out there who have had the successful skaters that Joanne and her team have had. Some of it is likely due to their location in B.C. but my experience is that for a skater to even make it to the National level was a huge accomplishment. As the mother of a former young male skater, I always appreciated the fact that somehow she managed to keep a fair number of male skaters in the sport.

 

[overedge]

I can't comment on the treatment of skaters but I doubt there are many coaches out there who have had the successful skaters that Joanne and her team have had.

Success at the cost of what is alleged to have happened at that rink doesn't seem like something to celebrate.

Also, because Champs was originally set up as a regional training centre, it has much better resources (ice time on a rink purpose-built for skating, off-ice facilities, etc) than other clubs in the section.

 

[Vagabond]

I was sort of.... impressed- and little bit surprised- how well spoken is Bausback! To hear that winning Nationals took out all joy of her skating and that she lost love of competing was so enlightening...

Normally I do not listen podcasts but now, being bedridden, it was a great way to listen and to learn little bit more about athletes' (unvisible) struggles.

(((((karmena)))))
(((((Emily Bausback)))))

 

[puglover]

I thought the key word was "alleged".

Success at the cost of what is alleged to have happened at that rink doesn't seem like something to celebrate.

Also, because Champs was originally set up as a regional training centre, it has much better resources (ice time on a rink purpose-built for skating, off-ice facilities, etc) than other clubs in the section.

 

[overedge]

I thought the key word was "alleged".

They're fairly substantive allegations. I see no reason at this point to treat them as baseless.

 

[karmena]

(((((karmena)))))
(((((Emily Bausback)))))

? What do you meant to say, Vagabond? don't you mind to collaborate?
IMHO Emily was...quite limited in her potential as a skater, yes (mediocre), but because and exactly of this her interview surprised me- she sounded well spoken and intelligent, and her love of sport was undeniable.

 

[puglover]

They're fairly substantive allegations. I see no reason at this point to treat them as baseless.

I certainly do not claim to know they are baseless not do I claim I do. I also have gone a number of times on the record at this forum as one who considers any allegation of abuse should be taken seriously, should be carefully investigated, and because it sounds out of character to the person you know, there may be aspects to their interaction with others you may be ignorant of. I guess, for me, I would like to think outsiders would not come to conclusions about my family members and those I care about, especially if it could hurt their profession and livelihood, without either firsthand knowledge or a very good understanding of the facts from reliable sources. Maybe you do have that. I don't know when this is alleged to have happened, who exactly is being accused, and whether the Safesport Canada or whatever it is called, have even been involved. That's it for me.

 

[Vagabond]

? What do you meant to say, Vagabond?

You said you were bedridden, and I sent you hugs.

 

[overedge]

I certainly do not claim to know they are baseless not do I claim I do. I also have gone a number of times on the record at this forum as one who considers any allegation of abuse should be taken seriously, should be carefully investigated, and because it sounds out of character to the person you know, there may be aspects to their interaction with others you may be ignorant of. I guess, for me, I would like to think outsiders would not come to conclusions about my family members and those I care about, especially if it could hurt their profession and livelihood, without either firsthand knowledge or a very good understanding of the facts from reliable sources. Maybe you do have that. I don't know when this is alleged to have happened, who exactly is being accused, and whether the Safesport Canada or whatever it is called, have even been involved. That's it for me.

The letter containing the allegations explains as much detail as the group of skaters feels safe or appropriate to reveal right now. I respect their decision to limit that information, because it's their story and their complaint. The letter also explains why they have not filed a complaint through the formal systems in Canada that are like Safe Sport in the US. I respect that decision too.

And honestly, in most professions involving contact with minors or vulnerable people, an allegation of misbehaviour is usually enough to at least get the alleged perpetrator temporarily removed from the setting where the alleged misbehaviour occurred. Skaters don't even have that kind of minimal protection if they complain that a coach mistreats them. If people in those kinds of positions don't want their livelihood or their profession affected, they can always choose not to act in allegedly inappropriate ways.

 

[sap5]

Success at the cost of what is alleged to have happened at that rink doesn't seem like something to celebrate.

Also, because Champs was originally set up as a regional training centre, it has much better resources (ice time on a rink purpose-built for skating, off-ice facilities, etc) than other clubs in the section.

What is the difference between the set up of a regional training center and regular coaches who are independent contractors with clubs? Also, people mentioned that the ice dance program was a separate sort of thing. How is that? Just trying to get a sense of how these schools are set up and who is responsible for what.

 

[Sylvia]

Jeremy Ten (retired in June 2015) has tweeted: https://twitter.com/j3r3bear

Just wanted to hop on here and say this: I was NEVER abused. I have NEVER been abused. Y’all really think I would subject myself to another season of skating in 2015 after not making 2 Olympic teams if I was being abused? Please.

Being a professional athlete is a combination of blood, sweat, tears, and accountability. Of course it’s important to have fun and to love what you do in the process, but I firmly believe in tough love and that’s what I had.

I’m not discrediting anyone’s claims…But being strict and holding your skaters accountable is not the same thing as abuse and your inability to handle the pressures of what it takes to be an elite athlete is not grounds to blame others or make false accusations #ISaidWhatISaid

With that being said, I do not and will never endorse abuse and I am here if anyone needs someone to talk to or reach out to! If you’ve ever met me in real life, you know that I’m literally just a ball of joy #EmotionalSupportHuman

 

[kwanfan1818]

There were specific types of abuse listed in the letter. They were appalling. The complaint was clear enough to indicate that this wasn't from people who didn't understand the difference between recreational and elite training. If he considers these part of "tough love" and "accountability," that koolaid must be strong.

Nothing in the letter included him among the abused. It's understandable that, because he trained there, people would go through the list of skaters and wonder, and why he might post a "For the record, I neither experienced nor witnessed the abuse described, but I would never condone it, so if it happened to you, and you need a sounding board, I'm here," message. Although it would also be understandable if people passed on the offer.

But how tone deaf must he be to post that condescending series of statements and expect anyone to feel safe around him or show vulnerability to him.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

There were specific types of abuse listed in the letter. They were appalling. The complaint was clear enough to indicate that this wasn't from people who didn't understand the difference between recreational and elite training. If he considers these part of "tough love" and "accountability," that koolaid must be strong.

Nothing in the letter included him among the abused. It's understandable that, because he trained there, people would go through the list of skaters and wonder, and why he might post a "For the record, I neither experienced or witnessed the abuse described, but I would never condone it, so if it happened to you, and you need a sounding board, I'm here," message. Although it would also be understandable if people passed on the offer.

But how tone deaf must he be to post that condescending series of statements and expect anyone to feel safe around him or show vulnerability to him.

it’s possible that some skaters who experienced abuse at that rink may not be conscious that they were abused and therefore be in huge denial and feel the need to double down on the denial. More likely, there were certain skaters who were favourited and treated well and who may never have witnessed the abusive behaviour.

 

[kwanfan1818]

it’s possible that some skaters who experienced abuse at that rink may not be conscious that they were abused and therefore be in huge denial and feel the need to double down on the denial. More likely, there were certain skaters who were favourited and treated well and who may never have witnessed the abusive behaviour.

Absolutely. The latter because abusers often abuse some people, very often behind closed doors, and shame and/or threaten people to keep them from speaking, while others think they're the salt of the Earth.

However, some of the allegations were about public behavior, and something witnessed generally gets around a closed community like wildfire, like the slap in Michigan that made it around the skating world. That's why someone might be wary of an offer to lend an ear, if they think that person was conveniently oblivious, and certainly if they are perceived as someone loyal to the abusers.

And I get the defense/attack mode in either scenario more than the delusion that the offer to confide in him isn't a WTF? moment.

 

[Desperado]

Jeremy Ten (retired in June 2015) has tweeted: https://twitter.com/j3r3bear

Just wanted to hop on here and say this: I was NEVER abused. I have NEVER been abused. Y’all really think I would subject myself to another season of skating in 2015 after not making 2 Olympic teams if I was being abused? Please.

Being a professional athlete is a combination of blood, sweat, tears, and accountability. Of course it’s important to have fun and to love what you do in the process, but I firmly believe in tough love and that’s what I had.

I’m not discrediting anyone’s claims…But being strict and holding your skaters accountable is not the same thing as abuse and your inability to handle the pressures of what it takes to be an elite athlete is not grounds to blame others or make false accusations #ISaidWhatISaid

With that being said, I do not and will never endorse abuse and I am here if anyone needs someone to talk to or reach out to! If you’ve ever met me in real life, you know that I’m literally just a ball of joy #EmotionalSupportHuman

The nicest thing I can say about this post is that it is oblivious with hints of toxic positivity.

 

[karmena]

You said you were bedridden, and I sent you hugs.

Oh, my.... I am so stupid that I didn't get the meaning of parentheses Thank you for the hugs! I even shed a tear now for both my stupidness and the hugs. Thank you.
Yes, I was unfortunate to get spinal injury but it is getting slowly better. At least, being in bed, I can learn the meaning of many parentheses in the text...