Keeping Track of Criminal Cases & SafeSport Suspensions in Skating

[Tinycities]

can you post an article ? it is requeres to pay to read

This person on Twitter has posted screencaps.

https://x.com/heartsdesire456/status/1753521642813211058

 

[AYS]

It's pretty easy to figure out who it is with the available information (age, Olympian, ice rink location the allegations refer to) and Google.

 

[Lara111]

It's pretty easy to figure out who it is with the available information (age, Olympian, ice rink location the allegations refer to) and Google.

So who is it?

 

[Karen-W]

I didn't even know he coached.

Who is it?

It's not hard to figure out. Just go to Wikipedia and look at the list of US Figure Skating Championships medalists.

It's none of the men who were on the 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998 and 2002 teams and anyone on the 2006-2022 teams are too young.

Goebel & Weiss - under 50
Eldredge - based in Los Angeles
Davis - based in Alberta
Boitano - based in San Francisco
Wylie - based in Lake Placid
Bowman - deceased

 

[VALuvsMKwan]

It's not hard to figure out. Just go to Wikipedia and look at the list of US Figure Skating Championships medalists.

It's none of the men who were on the 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998 and 2002 teams and anyone on the 2006-2022 teams are too young.

Goebel & Weiss - under 50
Eldredge - based in Los Angeles
Davis - based in Alberta
Boitano - based in San Francisco
Wylie - based in Lake Placid
Bowman - deceased

Being an Olympian doesn't mean being a medalist, but being a member of the team, right?

 

[bladesofgorey]

Just google the name of the rink and "Olympic" and "Coach" and you'll have your answer.

 

[Aceon6]

Wow, I had forgotten he existed. That’s how much distance there was between his 3rd and the two guys above him.

 

[Karen-W]

Being an Olympian doesn't mean being a medalist, but being a member of the team, right?

Yes. And almost all of the US Olympians have been a medalist at the US Figure Skating Championships that same year (Eldredge being the most notable exception in 1992).

 

[ballettmaus]

Wow, I had forgotten he existed. That’s how much distance there was between his 3rd and the two guys above him.

Well, I don't recall ever hearing of him. Granted, I was still far too young to care back then but I definitely know who the other two guys are.

 

[Vagabond]

Hint:

It's not hard to figure out. Just go to Wikipedia and look at the list of US Figure Skating Championships medalists.

It's none of the men who were on the 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998 and 2002 teams and anyone on the 2006-2022 teams are too young.

Goebel & Weiss - under 50
Eldredge - based in Los Angeles
Davis - based in Alberta
Boitano - based in San Francisco
Wylie - based in Lake Placid
Bowman - deceased

This method, however, would not exclude someone who represented another country at the Olympics.

 

[Karen-W]

Hint:

This method, however, would not exclude someone who represented another country at the Olympics.

True - but (another hint) this person did represent the US.

 

[Trillian]

It's pretty easy to figure out who it is with the available information (age, Olympian, ice rink location the allegations refer to) and Google.

And from there, super easy to find the string of articles about his adventures hopping from one rink to another over the last couple of decades. There was one article where he complained about “gossip” and insisted he didn’t have any skaters living with him, and another article a couple of years (and at least two rinks) later that casually mentioned he had two teenage skaters living with him. (All pre-SafeSport era.) I don’t know who’s going to claim they didn’t know what, but I’m not buying it.

 

[IHH0628]

And from there, super easy to find the string of articles about his adventures hopping from one rink to another over the last couple of decades. There was one article where he complained about “gossip” and insisted he didn’t have any skaters living with him, and another article a couple of years (and at least two rinks) later that casually mentioned he had two teenage skaters living with him. (All pre-SafeSport era.) I don’t know who’s going to claim they didn’t know what, but I’m not buying it.

This industry is sketchy. We've watched coaches literally disappear in the night repeatedly. Sometimes to other countries.

 

[Aceon6]

This industry is sketchy. We've watched coaches literally disappear in the night repeatedly. Sometimes to other countries.

I guess I’ve always been the suspicious type. What the heck is a former Olympian doing in Podunk if they didn’t grow up there? They’re either a really bad coach, really bad money manager, or really sketch. None of the three would inspire me to send my next gens to them.

 

[Karen-W]

I guess I’ve always been the suspicious type. What the heck is a former Olympian doing in Podunk if they didn’t grow up there? They’re either a really bad coach, really bad money manager, or really sketch. None of the three would inspire me to send my next gens to them.

Spouse is from the area? They took a vacation and decided they really like it there? Beyond that, Irmo SC is a suburb of Columbia and while it's not a huge city, it certainly isn't off the beaten path.

 

[Trillian]

I guess I’ve always been the suspicious type. What the heck is a former Olympian doing in Podunk if they didn’t grow up there?

Two different articles I found about the coach in question in this lawsuit (years apart and on opposite sides of the country) both had quotes that were like, “…and HE reached out to US! We have no idea why he wanted to come here! But of course we hired him, he’s an Olympian!” Definitely gave me the impression that, at minimum, he might have been looking for places where his reputation wouldn’t precede him.

 

[Aceon6]

Spouse is from the area? They took a vacation and decided they really like it there? Beyond that, Irmo SC is a suburb of Columbia and while it's not a huge city, it certainly isn't off the beaten path.

I should have worded it as “has ties to Podunk” as one might have before the coaching gig. Coaches don’t drop out of the sky.

 

[made_in_canada]

Two different articles I found about the coach in question in this lawsuit (years apart and on opposite sides of the country) both had quotes that were like, “…and HE reached out to US! We have no idea why he wanted to come here! But of course we hired him, he’s an Olympian!” Definitely gave me the impression that, at minimum, he might have been looking for places where his reputation wouldn’t precede him.

Red flags abound

 

[Karen-W]

Two different articles I found about the coach in question in this lawsuit (years apart and on opposite sides of the country) both had quotes that were like, “…and HE reached out to US! We have no idea why he wanted to come here! But of course we hired him, he’s an Olympian!” Definitely gave me the impression that, at minimum, he might have been looking for places where his reputation wouldn’t precede him.

Why are these people not following basic HR principles and at least asking for references? Yeesh.

 

[Vagabond]

"Has ties to Podunk" could have been a reputation level back in the day.

 

[skategal]

Why are these people not following basic HR principles and at least asking for references? Yeesh.

They are.

Sadly, there are never shortages of people willing to vouch for these guys.

 

[Debbie S]

They are.

Sadly, there are never shortages of people willing to vouch for these guys.

Yes. And many rinks have an open pro policy, which means anyone who has the standard liability insurance and is USFS-compliant (and sometimes not even that) can coach at the rink. And a coach can pass their background check unless they have a formal criminal charge or SafeSport complaint pending (and sometimes even with that, see Dalilah Sappenfield).

The skating world is small but many coaches aren't privy to gossip from rinks across the country, unless they trained there or met skaters/coaches from there at comps. At rinks that don't have high level skaters, coaches or judges, most won't know about a coach's history if they come from another state/across the country, as noted upthread.

 

[Vagabond]

They are.

But do they do that in every instance? And how thoroughly? And how effective would that be? What if the coach in question has a LinkedIn profile and/or a resume that was designed to misinform?

 

[cholla]

Well, I don't recall ever hearing of him. Granted, I was still far too young to care back then but I definitely know who the other two guys are.

I saw him skating live a few times when I was very young if he is the one I think he is. The first time was at the first ever Junior Worlds in France (one more hint...)

 

[skategal]

But do they do that in every instance? And how thoroughly? And how effective would that be? What if the coach in question has a LinkedIn profile and/or a resume that was designed to misinform?

In one of the articles about him joining a new rink one of the quotes from someone who hired him was something like “We hired him right away once we checked his references.”

All glowing no doubt.

 

[Ena Grins]

That's horrifying and like the lawyers said, probably the tip of the iceberg. USFS has a USA Gym-level scandal and meltdown coming at some point.

 

[overedge]

Two different articles I found about the coach in question in this lawsuit (years apart and on opposite sides of the country) both had quotes that were like, “…and HE reached out to US! We have no idea why he wanted to come here! But of course we hired him, he’s an Olympian!” Definitely gave me the impression that, at minimum, he might have been looking for places where his reputation wouldn’t precede him.

In one of those stories he says he left the rink because [paraphrasing] the parents didn't understand what he was trying to do with the skating program, and they gossiped about him. Extra creepy comments, in retrospect.

 

[MacMadame]

In one of those stories he says he left the rink because [paraphrasing] the parents didn't understand what he was trying to do with the skating program, and they gossiped about him. Extra creepy comments, in retrospect.

This reminds me of when I was told how a rink I was skating out pushed out Callaghan. They were so proud of themselves for getting rid of him but all I could think of was "But what about the kids at his new rink"?

 

[MsZem]

Looking at the bio, this person may have edited their own Wikipedia entry (though not recently).

 

[cholla]

Looking at the bio, this person may have edited their own Wikipedia entry (though not recently).

The person who edited the Wiki entry (i.e. who deleted a sexual expletive associated to the skater's name) introduces themselves as autistic with a degree in linguistics, and they have edited more than 7.000 entries within 2 years. I don't think it's the skater himself.