Outside magazine to publish story on sex abuse within USA Swimming in next issue

Outside magazine will run a story about the history of sexual abuse within USA Swimming in its December 2014 issue.

The magazine already has a brief preview on its website teasing the stories included within its next issue, which should hit newsstands next week. One of those is a story called “Unprotected” by Rachel Sturtz with the following description:

Unprotected
There’s a dark secret beneath the waters of USA Swimming: a history of sex abuse that has devastated scores of young swimmers. As those girls come forward, the ripples are extending beyond the pool.

USA Swimming president Jim Sheehan sent out a letter to swim clubs this week ahead of the article, detailing USA Swimming’s SafeSport program and the progress the national swimming federation says it has made over the past few years.

The tone of the letter suggests that USA Swimming does not expect the Outside story to portray the national swimming federation in a positive light.

We’ve republished the full letter below. The major point USA Swimming seems to make, though, is that it expects the Outside article to focus on past events and not the progress the organization feels it has made in the years since 2010. The letter mentions Anna Strzempko, a victim of sexual abuse who appears to be one of the main characters of the Outside piece.

“Anna Strzempko’s story reveals the dynamics by which child sexual abuse in sport can occur and the devastation it can cause. One child hurt is one too many,” Sheehan writes. “We now understand those issues much clearer and have learned to better address the problem of abuse. We have come a long way since 2010.”

The full letter from Sheehan and USA Swimming:

To all USA Swimming Clubs:
Sent on Behalf of Jim Sheehan, USA Swimming President

The December issue of Outside magazine features a 13-page story titled “Unprotected,” describing USA Swimming’s handling of abuse cases. USA Swimming officials and Safe Sport facts were represented in the article, but the focus has a decidedly negative slant as the main sources are an abuse victim and her attorney.

We expect the story to reach subscribers this week and the issue will be on newsstands starting November 11, for one month. Outside has a subscriber base of approximately 690,000.

Anna Strzempko’s story reveals the dynamics by which child sexual abuse in sport can occur and the devastation it can cause. One child hurt is one too many.

We now understand those issues much clearer and have learned to better address the problem of abuse. We have come a long way since 2010.

Despite the length of the in-depth article, the full story of USA Swimming and its Safe Sport program was not told. With a heavy concentration on the past, readers were not given an accurate picture of the organization’s current state.

This was a missed opportunity to share how USA Swimming members and their parents now have more resources than ever to prevent or stop an abusive situation.

We started a new chapter in 2010 with the creation of Safe Sport and have worked tirelessly to minimize the risk that any child could be victimized. Safe Sport is now an essential part of our responsibility to our 400,000 members, with the continued introduction of new programming, educational tools and outreach efforts. USA Swimming has extended protections for reporters of abuse and formed a victim’s assistance fund.

The process works successfully to address and sanction violations consistently. Survivors not included in the story can share how our organization played a key role in helping them through a difficult time in their lives.

We are proud of our Safe Sport program and are committed to safety of our membership. The ‘bad guys’ are those who gain the trust of our children and manipulate relationships to abuse them. We must work collectively to keep our children safe from harm.

There was a mention late in the Outside article of an FBI meeting with USA Swimming. When representatives met informally during an industry conference late this summer, it was to discuss how the two organizations can collaborate to develop educational and other programming to prevent child exploitation. The conversation was unequivocally unrelated to the handling of abuse cases and that topic was not mentioned in the meeting.

Attached is information for your use regarding the Outside story, USA Swimming’s Safe Sport program, a December 2013 memo about USA Swimming’s insurance program and a planned letter to the editor of Outside. For more, visit www.usaswimming.org/protect/

I wanted you have this in advance of the article becoming public and I hope that you find it helpful. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Jim