Keeping Track of Criminal Cases & SafeSport Suspensions in Skating

I really hope the parents who sent their skaters to Dalilah even after her behaviors became widely known (post-Coughlin death) take some introspection time.

I'm happy that she's banned, but disappointed that she needed to be. In an ideal world, she'd have been shunned. No one with any sense should have sent their kids to her.
 
So, what does this mean for the teams who have been training with her in Monument - Digerness/Sadusky and Hanns/Neudecker (moved there sometime last winter)?
 
Karen-W said:
So, what does this mean for the teams who have been training with her in Monument - Digerness/Sadusky and Hanns/Neudecker (moved there sometime last winter)?
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When she was temporarily suspended Larry Ibarra traveled with her pairs. I wonder if they're going to stay with the team without Dalilah or find new coaches.
 
Amy L said:
When she was temporarily suspended Larry Ibarra traveled with her pairs. I wonder if they're going to stay with the team without Dalilah or find new coaches.
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Yeah, I don't know what sort of options they have if they want to remain in the Colorado Springs area. Hanns/Neudecker left WASA for Monument sometime last fall/winter so you'd have to think there are reasons why they wouldn't want to go back there. Digerness/Sadusky have always been at Monument so I'd guess WASA is a possibility though I kind of wouldn't mind seeing them give a look to some of the Midwest coaches (Oakton Edge, Brubaker, the Lunins, Trudy Oltmanns) - but I suppose that's a discussion for the US Pairs thread. ;)
 
Trillian said:
ETA: I guess it’s too much to hope that anyone who was complicit in protecting her will face any consequences, but I’m going to take a few minutes to daydream about the dominos falling anyway.
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Everyone at USFS who looked the other way when they received the first complaints about her, and everyone at USFS who did nothing about incidents like the red hats at Nationals, should be held accountable IMO.

The owners and managers of the rink(s) where she coached also need to be held accountable.
 
overedge said:
Everyone at USFS who looked the other way when they received the first complaints about her, and everyone at USFS who did nothing about incidents like the red hats at Nationals, should be held accountable IMO.

The owners and managers of the rink(s) where she coached also need to be held accountable.
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I would have thought the rink managers would actually be the first ones to be held accountable. They engage the coaches or let them work there and subsequently have the greatest control over whether the coaches have direct contact with skaters.
 
Aussie Willy said:
I would have thought the rink managers would actually be the first ones to be held accountable. They engage the coaches or let them work there and subsequently have the greatest control over whether the coaches have direct contact with skaters.
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Where she coached is a rotten arena, and us effectively the home arena of USFS. You don't coach there if USFS doesn't want you there. Tom Z was the one who more officially decided yes or no for a number of years.

But that's also why you want to coach/train there: if USFS likes you enough for you to coach there, you also get the opportunity to cozy up to them and befriend them even more. I've heard from a few skaters that the environment there is really bad, but you also know that you get lots of favors from USFS if you train there.

Certainly monument's management should be held more directly responsible.

So yes, while I think we should hold the rink responsible, we also need to hold USFS responsible for how World Arena handled things. I do think, though, that it's important to note that USFS seemingly dropped both Dalilah and Tom Z once the interim measures were put in place. While they didn't do the right thing for a very long time, the fact that they're no longer just propping up problematic World Arena coaches is a good thing.
 
Willin said:
Where she coached is a rotten arena, and us effectively the home arena of USFS. You don't coach there if USFS doesn't want you there. Tom Z was the one who more officially decided yes or no for a number of years.

But that's also why you want to coach/train there: if USFS likes you enough for you to coach there, you also get the opportunity to cozy up to them and befriend them even more. I've heard from a few skaters that the environment there is really bad, but you also know that you get lots of favors from USFS if you train there.

Certainly monument's management should be held more directly responsible.

So yes, while I think we should hold the rink responsible, we also need to hold USFS responsible for how World Arena handled things. I do think, though, that it's important to note that USFS seemingly dropped both Dalilah and Tom Z once the interim measures were put in place. While they didn't do the right thing for a very long time, the fact that they're no longer just propping up problematic World Arena coaches is a good thing.
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Thanks for the clarification.
 
In case helpful to those outside the U.S.:

The rink in Monument, Colorado -- where Sappenfield has been coaching in recent years -- is a completely separate facility from World Arena Ice Hall in Colorado Springs.

WAIH is an official U.S. Olympic Training Site. https://www.usopc.org/training-sites
Going further back (to when the Knierims trained in Colorado, for example), Sappenfield used to be based at WAIH.​
 
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Colonel Green said:
Sappenfield was abusive and enabled and defended even worse people. And that’s without even getting into the stuff she did that wasn’t against the rules but furthered the tendency in pairs to devalue pair girls.

Goodbye and good riddance.
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And the programs she gave her pairs were boring and stale. It just shows what a good politicker she was that USFS gave her and her pairs the big push nonetheless.
 
Amy L said:
For people who don't have or won't go to X, it's a post from Christine Brennan announcing that Dalilah Sappenfield just received a lifetime ban from SafeSport. (yay)
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Might be too little too late for the sport of figure skating.
 
Amy L said:
Her misconduct is list as: Physical & Emotional Misconduct; Retaliation; Proactive Policy Violation; Abuse of Process; Failure to Report

Centralized Disciplinary Database | U.S. Center for SafeSport

This public database lists adults in the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Movement whose sport participation is restricted based on SafeSport Code violation.
uscenterforsafesport.org uscenterforsafesport.org
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Copying out for posterity (since I was away from FSU most of yesterday):
Dalilah SappenfieldColorado SpringsCOU.S. Figure SkatingPhysical & Emotional Misconduct; Retaliation; Proactive Policy Violation; Abuse of Process; Failure to Report; (Subject to appeal / not yet final)Permanent IneligibilityNo Contact Directive(s)05/29/2024U.S. Center for SafeSport

ETA that Sappenfield was initially given "temporary restriction(s)" by the the U.S. Center for SafeSport on September 3, 2021.
 
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