Skaters report abusive training environments

[synchrogirl17]

I am sorry, I should not have said that. But as they mentioned in the news it was going on a long time. The coach in question is still denying she did anything wrong and has a lawyer to defend herself. IMO such sports were there are not measurable selection criteria (and even where there are) who gets to the team and who is reserve there are people using their power.

Thank you, I really appreciate the apology. Yes, it was going on for an awfully long time But I myself have met the coach and watched her coach and she hid it very well in front of foreign teams. This has greatly upset the whole synchro community.

 

[nimi]

The accused coach Mirjami Penttinen has provided a public statement to media. Basically it's the usual stuff you'd expect: She says she's shocked and sorry, she never wanted to hurt anybody and she never humiliated anybody etc. Her lawyer says she's the victim of a "witch-hunt".

Nyt puhuu hyllytetty luisteluvalmentaja: ”Olen äärimmäisen järkyttynyt ja pahoillani tilanteesta”

Team Uniquen päävalmentaja Mirjami Penttinen sanoo STT:lle, ettei ole koskaan halunnut loukata tai satuttaa yhtään urheilijaa.

www.is.fi

HS published a story about how back in October, when first (vague) news about SynchroCoachGate were being reported but the club hadn't yet informed the skaters' parents about the case, Penttinen sent a long WhatsApp message to the families. She was asking them to participate in an address in support of her and to assure that they haven't witnessed any inappropriate coaching methods and that their children have been growing up in a psychologically healthy hobby atmosphere. One confused parent contacted the club management and asked about Penttinen's message and its implications, expressing concern about possible negative consequences for those families who opted out; the club denied knowing about the message. Penttinen was asked to comment on the story: she obliged and basically says that she was just doing the parents a favor by kindly providing them an opportunity to show support.

Hyllytetty luisteluvalmentaja Mirjami Penttinen pyysi vanhempia allekirjoittamaan tukiadressin itselleen – HS:n haastattelussa hän kiistää lähes kaiken

Team Uniquen päävalmentaja Mirjami Penttinen vetosi valmentamiensa lasten vanhempiin, että nämä allekirjoittaisivat tukiadressin, jossa he todistavat, ”että lapsenne on kasvanut psykologisesti turvallisessa harrastusilmapiirissä ja ettei perheellä ole kokemusta epäasiallisten valmennusmetodien...

www.hs.fi

In an IL article, a mother of one of Penttinen's former students (who was one of the skaters labelled as "bad" and "tainted" by the coach and who ended up with mental heath problems) claims that the club has been aware of Penttinen's behavior for years; whereas the club has claimed they were "shocked" when they heard about the accusations for the first time last spring. There were emails exchanged between the mom & the club staff discussing Penttinen's treatment of the skater and IL has seen those emails. The mom also tells IL that she sent a detailed complaint about the coah to the club few years ago. She also says that after the club did nothing (because they saw her daughter's case as an isolated case), she let the Fed know about the complaint.
ETA: I just checked the link and the article has been removed? Huh

Also today, a former synchro skater from another club spoke about her experiences in an IS article. She says she never experienced as extreme things as what have been reported in the Penttinen case, but describes a similar pattern of a coach picking favorites and scapegoats and unfair treatment of some skaters. She and her mom (who was involved in the club's activities as a team leader etc. and tried to talk to the coach, but to no avail) say that they want the discussion to address wider cultural/systemic issues. The mom also points out that synchro coaches have a lot on their shoulders and they need support too, and that parents need to be involved and take responsibility.

 

[Tinami Amori]

In english..

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www.time24.news

 

[Doggygirl]

I didn't see this posted yet, and not sure if a new thread is warranted. New Brennan article in USA Today about the Zimmerman/Fontana/Cipres/Safesport situation:

Coach accused of sex abuse coverup allowed to work figure skating nationals

John Zimmerman is a credentialed coach at the U.S. nationals who has been accused of covering up alleged sexual abuse of 13-year-old female skater.

www.usatoday.com

New info that I was not previously aware of (but it's highly possible I could have missed it):

* Cipres was allowed by Zimmerman to coach the 13 year-old girl daily for a week immediately following the day where her parents showed Zimmerman the penis pictures sent by Cipres.

* Rink owner accused the 13 year-old girl of somehow being out of control and needing supervision.... (are you KIDDING ME????)

 

[puglover]

"Attack the victim" is an old and effective way of shifting the blame in many things, especially sexual accusations. I just do not think it works as well anymore - at least I hope not. The "evil 13 year old girl defense" is just ludicrous. Give your head a shake!!

 

[Bigbird]

"Attack the victim" is an old and effective way of shifting the blame in many things, especially sexual accusations. I just do not think it works as well anymore - at least I hope not. The "evil 13 year old girl defense" is just ludicrous. Give your head a shake!!

We do more of the same whether they are 13, 16 or 33, so most crimes go unreported. OTOH, James was almost always uncomfortable with him though, I often wonder if he's just another stupid perv.

 

[Japanfan]

I didn't see this posted yet, and not sure if a new thread is warranted. New Brennan article in USA Today about the * Rink owner accused the 13 year-old girl of somehow being out of control and needing supervision.... (are you KIDDING ME????)

Even if this is true, it doesn't mitigate the seriousness of Cipres' actions.

 

[barbarafan]

Even if this is true, it doesn't mitigate the seriousness of Cipres' actions.

no.. however I would like someone to get to the bottom of the coach who thought it would be a fun lark to dare the 13yr old girls to text Cipres asking him to send them the pictures in order to get the free pizza. It was really a dumb totally immature idea for Cipres to oblige and one he will prob. pay for by losing his career. The coach who started the whole thing obviously is a few bricks short a load and does not have the maturity to coach (and maybe never will). If I ever had participated in any kind of a joke that involved nude pics I would have been grounded until I rec'd my old age pension and it would have not mattered how innocently it happened. I am sure if Cipres really was sexually interested in the girls he would have figured out a much better plan.

 

[kwanfan1818]

* Cipres was allowed by Zimmerman to coach the 13 year-old girl daily for a week immediately following the day where her parents showed Zimmerman the penis pictures sent by Cipres.

The article said,

In another development, the lawyer for the girl and her family said that after Zimmerman was told about the alleged incident involving Cipres and the girl, he decided to allow Cipres to coach the girl one-on-one the following morning in a regularly scheduled training session. Those training sessions at the rink in Wesley Chapel, Florida went on for a week.

The article did not say that the parents were the ones who showed him the photos, and at least one other article states that it was Dispenza who disclosed the pics' existence to Zimmerman and Fontana.

 

[Doggygirl]

The article said,

The article did not say that the parents were the ones who showed him the photos, and at least one other article states that it was Dispenza who disclosed the pics' existence to Zimmerman and Fontana.

Thanks for the clarification. I still find it disturbing if indeed Zimmerman/Fontana knew about the pictures (from whoever) and still put Cipres and this girl together in a training environment.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Definitely.

 

[barbarafan]

Thanks for the clarification. I still find it disturbing if indeed Zimmerman/Fontana knew about the pictures (from whoever) and still put Cipres and this girl together in a training environment.

It seems it was this Dispenza person who started everything . Did he have some kind of a motive or is he just deranged?

 

[Lizziebeth]

Zimmerman should have just reported this situation right away instead of trying to cover it up. He will probably be in more trouble than Cipres over it, especially if Cipres stays in France. What a stupid move on his part.

 

[barbarafan]

Zimmerman should have just reported this situation right away instead of trying to cover it up. He will probably be in more trouble than Cipres over it, especially if Cipres stays in France. What a stupid move on his part.

Cipres should have just told the girls he would buy them the pizza .

 

[nimi]

ICYMI, there are two threads on GSD where the Ciprès/Zimmerman case is being discussed:

New Brennan Article re: Zimmerman/Fontana & the Rink in USA Today

Cipres/FFSG Press Release on the situation 12-16-2019


Meanwhile in Finland, the discussion around SynchroGate continues. I haven't really kept up with everything because there has been so much media coverage, but I think it's noteworthy that the Ministry of Culture and Education (incl. sports) has plans to impose stricter demands for various sports federations (e.g. STLL) re: handling and preventing abuse cases etc. Basically, the idea is that if your policies are deemed lacking or you don't follow the policies that you have in place, you get less government money.

Urheilun lajiliittoja uhkaa merkittävän rahasumman menetys, jos vakavia väärinkäytöksiä ilmenee jatkossa â tätä uudistus tarkoittaa käytännössä

Lajiliittojen valtionapua voidaan leikata jopa 15 prosentilla, jos liiton alaisuudessa ilmenee vakavia väärinkäytöksiä.

yle.fi

There's also news re: the #metoo case involving a different skating coach. He's now coaching in a different club and apparently STLL can't do anything about it. His victims don't want to pursue police investigation (because they are aware that the statute of limitations has run out) and his current employer is not a member organization and therefore not subject to Fed's internal disciplinary proceedings.

Suomen Taitoluisteluliitto ei pysty puuttumaan epäilyyn valmentajan seksuaalisesta häirinnästä – Uhri: ”Olisimme toivoneet ratkaisua heti”

Epäilty on eri kuin viikko sitten epäasiallisesta käytöksestä kilpailukiellon saanut muodostelmaluisteluvalmentaja.

www.is.fi

 

[kwanfan1818]

Penttinen has been reinstated by her club after seven weeks of the year-long suspension imposed by the Finnish Figure Skating Association, according to this article tweeted by IFS Magazine:

Synchronised figure skating coach suspended for abuse back at work

The skating association suspended the coach for a year for treating skaters badly, but the club reinstated her seven weeks later.

yle.fi

In the coach's defence, the club characterised the public backlash which she had endured during her suspension as inhumane, and also referred to a section in the Olympic Committee's 'Fair play' (Reilu peli) brochure about giving people a second chance.

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

Her suspension was inhumane? What about how she treated her skaters? Seven weeks is already a slap in the face and then they top it off with their reason for the decision.

 

[Finnice]

There is quite a mess during the Synchro Gate here in Finland. Penttinen's junior Team Mystique is already on their way to Nottingham for the Junior Synchro Worlds, without her, I would guess. And there is a media and social media war between Penttinen's supporters and her critiques.
FFSA's government has their meeting March 24th, and they can expel the whole club (HSK) if they want. Most of the single skaters have left anyway to merge with another club, and also some of the synchro skaters are searching new clubs.

 

[nimi]

Her suspension was inhumane? What about how she treated her skaters? Seven weeks is already a slap in the face and then they top it off with their reason for the decision.

The new club president also straight up admitted that their decision to reinstate Penttinen was basically based on media reports and the announcement/decision published by the Fed. They haven't seen the (confidential) report that led to Penttinen's suspension, and they didn't hear out the skaters who had complained about her behavior.

HSK:n puheenjohtaja: Mirjami Penttinen ei lähde MM-kisoihin joukkueen kanssa â päätös työvelvoitteen palauttamisesta tehtiin pääosin julkisuudessa olevien tietojen perusteella

Helsingfors Skridskoklubbin (HSK) puheenjohtaja Mikael Nyberg myöntää, että seura ei ole kuullut epäasiallista käytöstä kokeneita luistelijoita tai nähnyt valmentaja Mirjami Penttisen kilpailukieltoon vaikuttanutta SUEKin raporttia.

yle.fi

Most of the single skaters have left anyway to merge with another club, and also some of the synchro skaters are searching new clubs.

Yeah, according to this article the HSK singles skaters have left the club and formed a new one on Monday, and tens of younger synchro skaters are leaving and trying to get into the other synchro teams.

Uusi käänne: Mirjami Penttisen kohuseurasta lähdössä lukuisia luistelijoita – ”Ystäväpiiristäni kaikki ovat lähdössä”

Ovi käy Helsingin Luistinklubissa. Moni vanhempi on eri mieltä seuran hallituksen kanssa.

www.is.fi

 

[nimi]

FFSA's government has their meeting March 24th, and they can expel the whole club (HSK) if they want.

Unfortunately, according to a couple of experts in sports and employment law, HSK was fully within its legal rights to reinstate Penttinen and FFSA cannot force HSK to act differently. And yes, there is a precedent from the 90s where the courts sided with a football coach who was fired because of similar accusations.

Mirjami Penttisen seura uhattiin erottaa Taitoluisteluliitosta â asiantuntijat tyrmäävät ajatuksen: "Satavarmaa, että siihen ei ole mitään oikeutta"

Urheiluoikeuden ja työoikeuden asiantuntijat pitävät epäasiallisesta käytöksestä 12 kuukauden kilpailukiellon saaneen muodostelmaluisteluvalmentaja Mirjami Penttisen paluuta HSK:n valmentajaksi lain mukaisena.

yle.fi

FFSA has announced that it will hold a hearing on March 28th.

Taitoluisteluliitto toimitti HSK:n hallitukselle selityspyynnön; asiaa käsitellään 28. maaliskuuta - Suomen Taitoluisteluliitto ry

Seura on anonut liitolta määräajalle pidennystä ja ilmaissut lisäksi toiveensa tulla kuulluksi suullisesti. Suomen Taitoluisteluliitto on suostunut esitettyyn pyyntöön ja antaa seuralle mahdollisuuden myös suulliseen kuulemistilaisuuteen, joka järjestetään lauantaina 28. maaliskuuta...

www.stll.fi

 

[Tinami Amori]

Clam Reports

Clam Reports is a dedicated team of international reporters, journalists, and developers. We translate and compile local news sources from various languages into comprehensive English reports, delivering accurate and swift information to our users.

www.tellerreport.com

"Later, some of the skaters' parents appealed for Penttinen and demanded that the club restore the head coach's job. The open letter was signed by 72 parents."

 

[Aceon6]

Clam Reports

Clam Reports is a dedicated team of international reporters, journalists, and developers. We translate and compile local news sources from various languages into comprehensive English reports, delivering accurate and swift information to our users.

www.tellerreport.com

"Later, some of the skaters' parents appealed for Penttinen and demanded that the club restore the head coach's job. The open letter was signed by 72 parents."

Geez.

 

[Elka]

Clam Reports

Clam Reports is a dedicated team of international reporters, journalists, and developers. We translate and compile local news sources from various languages into comprehensive English reports, delivering accurate and swift information to our users.

www.tellerreport.com

"Later, some of the skaters' parents appealed for Penttinen and demanded that the club restore the head coach's job. The open letter was signed by 72 parents."

The club has 10 synchro teams, adult teams included. The elite Senior and Junior teams, those who take part in WCs and international competitions, are 19+22 skaters, which means about 82 parents. (I doubt there are single parents who can afford skating of their children, but there might be some siblings). So what looks like a big number is actually not even all the parents of the elite teams' skaters. Those parents had not much choice. A lot invested in skating and need to keep the place in the team.

The single skaters, about 80, meaning about 160 parents, are all leaving, including the youngest. Additionally some synchro skaters, number unknown.

 

[kwanfan1818]

If the club didn't read the confidential report, I doubt the parents have access to it. Some wouldn't care, but some most likely would.

 

[Elka]

AFAIK a lot of people did know what had been going on for a long time without any reports.

 

[kwanfan1818]

AFAIK a lot of people did know what had been going on for a long time without any reports.

That's not surprising, but knowing what was going on and seeing it in print and the number of people confirming allegations can be two different things. It's easy to hear something and dismiss it or the specific person it's coming from.

I'm sure reading Ashley Wagner's graphic description of Coughlin assaulting her made more of an impression than a general accusation, at least for some, for example.

 

[Elka]

Agree. My initial point was that the number of parents signing the letter was not big, but small, under the circumstances.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Agree. My initial point was that the number of parents signing the letter was not big, but small, under the circumstances.

Oh, definitely. And also your explanation of why some parents would have been supportive of staying/signing is spot on.

 

[nimi]

If the club didn't read the confidential report, I doubt the parents have access to it.

Well somebody who does have access to the confidential report has now leaked it to the press...

Salattu raportti paljastaa: Mirjami Penttinen haukkui luistelijan ”kusiseksi lahnaksi” – piti tutkintaa ”kiusaamiskampanjana”

Ilta-Sanomat sai haltuunsa Suomen taitoluisteluliiton kurinpitolautakunnan salatun päätöksen Mirjami Penttisen tapauksesta.

www.is.fi

 

[MacMadame]

The Google Translation of that was a bit hard to follow especially as pieces of the report were pictures and so not translated. So I have a few questions.

Did the coach actually tell a skater it would be easier if they killed themselves? Or was she telling one coach that it would be easier to kill another skater (easier than what? easier than getting them to improve?)?