USA Swimming CEO Tim Hinchey has agreed to sit down with Sarah Ehekircher in Denver. Ehekircher requested the meeting after Hinchey and USA Swimming president Jim Sheehan put out an open letter to its membership 10 days ago saying that they wanted to hear from victims of sexual abuse by USA Swimming members.
Ehekircher (read more here) has accused current USA Swimming coach Scott MacFarland of abusing her while he was her swim coach and while she was a minor in the late 1980s. MacFarland admits to having a sexual relationship with Ehekircher, but says that it didn’t begin until she was 18 and was no longer her coach.
Ehekircher disputes that timeline, and says that the relationship turned sexual when she was 17 during a trip to a meet in California.
A 2010 SafeSport investigation into the events did not find any violations of USA Swimming’s Code of Conduct. The US Center for Safe Sport, a newly-created unit designed to investigation accusations of child abuse across youth sports in the United States, has reopened that investigation.
Ehekircher tells SwimSwam that she has some ‘tough questions’ that she wants to ask Hinchey and USA Swimming Safe Sport Coordinator Liz Hahn when they meet. We asked USA Swimming for a comment on what Hinchey hopes to learn and what he might share with Ehekircher, and they have not responded as of posting.
Those scheduled to attend besides Hinchey, Hahn, and Ehekircher are two USA Swimming coaches, Mike Stromberg and Dirk Marshall, at Ehekircher’s request.
Is this the same Coach MacFarland that married one of his swimmers?
If he married one of his swimmers I’m unaware of that. It doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, I’ve just not heard that accusation.
Braden- any word on why these particular coaches are included? Maybe I didn’t catch the entire account as to why they are attending. Curious because I know one from my age group days in the upper Midwest.
AZswummer – Ms. Ehekircher invited them. I believe they’re just sort of “allies” for her, given that USA Swimming will have 2 in attendance. Coaches she trusts and wants to have in her corner. That’s the impression I get.
Is the dispute over the actual start of the relationship the only thing saving MacFarland? If that’s the case I don’t think a discussion with Hinchey will go anywhere unless there is new evidence.
Sccoach – according to the NBOR hearing in 2010, it is. But, that’s one of the big questions that needs to be answered – USA Swimming says that coach-athlete relationships are banned at any age where there’s an imbalance of poweer, as was the case here. So, her age shouldn’t have mattered.
In your other article that you linked in this article you mentioned that USA swimming didn’t outlaw coach-athlete relationships until 2013 so I’m assuming that’s another issue
is there an equivalent to the stat rape “Romeo and Juliet Rule” for that?
Can see how it would seem unjust if a Grad Assistant got into trouble for dating a college senior.
Presumably her age might matter as well for breach of any USA Swimming rule to the effect of “comply with all applicable laws”, as it would have been stat rape in Cal.
He’s 17 years older- I am baffled how you guys continue to make up excuses for him!