WAG Background checks

[bookworm]

What is that list they publish in the gymnastics magazine the girls get a few times a year? With names of people who can't be employed at gyms??

Most of the names on the list from our region are convicted sex offenders....some had sex with underage gymnasts, some had child porn on their computers....henceforth, "not employable" at any gym, thank God.....not sure about other regions, but the beauts from our region are of this ilk...

 

[Deleted member D3987]

NCIS is National. if you have a record they see it. if it is a crime that could put you on the banned list, that can be seen also.

next, a gym can employ a coach with no USAG credentials. this is actually quite common and these coaches only coach in the gym and do not attend meets. but nowadays, gyms are using NCIS to background check them for obvious reasons.

finally, a USA Gymnastics Member Club, which now you must be if your kids are going to compete in the USAG system, can NOT employ anyone from that banned list.

every now and then a coach will hide in the cracks...sans Ray Adams who is now on the list. i can't go in to the details as to how he did it.

eta: we have reciprocation with Canada and England. and we have "word of mouth" both national and international. we are a small profession...

 

[skschlag]

All gyms shoudl do it, if nothing else, to CYA. If something were to happen, and the employee wasn't checked, it doesn't help with any court proceedings....

 

[strawberries]

And it is apparently very easy. One has only to glance at this thread to get a pop-up ad offering a criminal background check.

 

[coachmolly]

I worked at one gym for several years that did not do background checks unless you would be on the floor with the team at USAG sanctioned meets, this club was in a town where someone on the USAG banned list had coached, so one would think they would be ultra cautious. They did take other measures to ensure safety, but nothing formal.
The gym I'm at now only background checks those who need USAG membership to be on the floor at meets as well, so multiple rec. coaches (mostly high schoolers but a few adults) have not had one done. Though coaches are never alone with a gymnast and lots of rules are in place to prevent any questionable situations, but still some level of liability. So I think it's much more common than some might think to have coaches that are not background checked.

 

[Aussie_coach]

Where I live it is illegal to work with or even volunteer with children in any capacity without a background check, unless it's through your own child.

 

[GymCMLA]

My boys basketball league and baseball league have all coaches, asst coaches and team mom/team admins NCIS background checked. It's built into their registration fee (it ends up being <4$ per kid for baseball)
All of the schools, sunday school/CCD, girl scouts, special olympics etc all do background checks to volunteer.
Baseball, baseketball and special olympics use the same criteria that our regional schools use to "decide" what to do with a "red light"

 

[bogwoppit]

My oldest DD will work at a summer camp for 8 weeks this year and she has to get a background check. Honestly anyone who employs people to work with kids should insist on it. Though we all know that lots of creeps are never caught or charged, so a background check does nothing to protect kids from those types of scum.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

yep, its just stops the ones who have been caught already.

Its one of the sensible precautions that a business should put in place. I remember when I was at the old gym, the old head coach, who was a man, would sometimes ask me to sit in the room as chaperone if he was working without another coach in there, there were coaches in the other room, and the connecting door was always open, but he was just concious of operating correctly.

A no adult alone policy is a great deterrent.