Parents Concerned parent

[Gymdad123]

Need advice on how to act on a coach caught on video looking down a gymnasts shorts. Our gym is ran by a board of directors. The situation has already been reported to safesport, but was wondering if the board directors should also be made aware?

 

[amiandjim]

I need more info here: what do you mean looking down her shorts? Did she have on a leo underneath? Was it during practice or another time? Obviously, if it was clearly creepy in nature, the board of directors should be made aware...I’m just unsure exactly what you mean?

 

[Gymdad123]

I need more info here: what do you mean looking down her shorts? Did she have on a leo underneath? Was it during practice or another time? Obviously, if it was clearly creepy in nature, the board of directors should be made aware...I’m just unsure exactly what you mean?

The gymnast is male and the coach pulled the the child’s shorts back from behind and looked in. It happened at the gym during practice.

 

[amiandjim]

So she had a leotard under these shorts? What could he possibly have seen? What would be the benefit? Still confused

 

[Gymdad123]

This is a male gymnast. No leotard underneath. The coach randomly pulled the male gymnast shorts back from behind and looked in. What was the purpose of that action is what I don’t understand.

 

[amiandjim]

Oh goodness I was not understanding!! I would say absolutely report to the board!

 

[Gymdad123]

Oh goodness I was not understanding!! I would say absolutely report to the board!

Thank you!

 

[caligymdad]

Find that child’s parents and let them know.

 

[raenndrops]

Let the board of directors know. Let the parents know. Call the police!

 

[3rd_time_around]

Did the gymnast look stunned or confused? Did anyone ask the gymnast about the incident? Could be he said “somethings itchy, is the tag sticking out?” or something like that. I’m just taking a different perspective that it might Not have been anything out of the ordinary. If no one asked he gymnast if it was random or why it happened, someone could be getting suspended for no reason.

Now if he was just looking for no goud reason, that’s different.

 

[Gymdad123]

Did the gymnast look stunned or confused? Did anyone ask the gymnast about the incident? Could be he said “somethings itchy, is the tag sticking out?” or something like that. I’m just taking a different perspective that it might Not have been anything out of the ordinary. If no one asked he gymnast if it was random or why it happened, someone could be getting suspended for no reason.

Now if he was just looking for no goud reason, that’s different.

The gymnast just looked down. No one asked the gymnast at the time. Personally I don't believe there would be a valid reason for any coach to do that. If something was itchy the coach should have sent the boy to the restroom to check. Nothing gives the coach the right to do this. On the video it clearly looks like it was just done for no reason.

Find that child’s parents and let them know.

The person who shared the video with me doesn't know if the parents would believe what is on the video. Sad it is so clear and the coach even waits for another kid to walk away before doing it.

 

[bogwoppit]

The parents need to be notified, and they need to see the video, cc the owner in any email. This needs reporting to the board and safe sport, and most likely the police.

 

[GymDadWA]

As a sports coach myself (not gymnastics) if I ever had to do anything like that (looking at a hernia or possibly crushed testicle is all that comes to mind) I would have stated why I was doing that to at least another coach or staff member and met with the parents after practice and told them what happened and why. I imagine if it was something embarrassing for the child you don't want to be too vocal about it but the parents need to know what happened for the child's sake and your own. As a parent if something like that happened to my child and I wasn't informed by the coach who did it I would be going to the police.

 

[Gymdad123]

As a sports coach myself (not gymnastics) if I ever had to do anything like that (looking at a hernia or possibly crushed testicle is all that comes to mind) I would have stated why I was doing that to at least another coach or staff member and met with the parents after practice and told them what happened and why. I imagine if it was something embarrassing for the child you don't want to be too vocal about it but the parents need to know what happened for the child's sake and your own. As a parent if something like that happened to my child and I wasn't informed by the coach who did it I would be going to the police.

We are definitely going to be informing the board and parents of the child. There is absolutely no reason why a coach should be looking inside a child's shorts when they are swinging from the rings.

 

[Flipfloppy]

The training run by the Center for SafeSport is very clear: do not attempt to investigate in any way, including attempting to determine the coach's motivation or talking to the child: let people trained in interviewing children talk to the child, and remember that abusers groom the adults and community around the abuser in addition to grooming children. According to the Center's training, your steps are: report to police; report to the Center for SafeSport; tell the parents if you believe that's safe. FWIW, I'd recommend reporting directly to the Center for SafeSport rather than USAG. There's an online form for reporting directly to the Center or you can call them.

One of (many) reasons to report to the police is that you don't know what they know: maybe this is the first time the coach has done something like this or maybe they have other reports on the coach or other suspicions have been reported to them.

Please back-up the video and store a copy in one more than one (secure) place. Both the police and the Center will want a copy.

Thank you for doing this and for protecting the children.

 

[raenndrops]

The training run by the Center for SafeSport is very clear: do not attempt to investigate in any way, including attempting to determine the coach's motivation or talking to the child: let people trained in interviewing children talk to the child, and remember that abusers groom the adults and community around the abuser in addition to grooming children. According to the Center's training, your steps are: report to police; report to the Center for SafeSport; tell the parents if you believe that's safe. FWIW, I'd recommend reporting directly to the Center for SafeSport rather than USAG. There's an online form for reporting directly to the Center or you can call them.

One of (many) reasons to report to the police is that you don't know what they know: maybe this is the first time the coach has done something like this or maybe they have other reports on the coach or other suspicions have been reported to them.

Please back-up the video and store a copy in one more than one (secure) place. Both the police and the Center will want a copy.

Thank you for doing this and for protecting the children.

She said they already reported to SafeSport.
I agree about going to the police... I would go to them WITH a copy of the video.

 

[Flipfloppy]

She said they already reported to SafeSport.
I agree about going to the police... I would go to them WITH a copy of the video.

OP said they reported to "SafeSport." People are using "SafeSport" to refer both to USAG's SafeSport (which seems like a mess at the moment) and to the Center for SafeSport (which is much less of a mess). I was being explicit that I recommended reporting this to the Center for SafeSport rather than USAG's SafeSport.

I know you're a coach: I promise I exercised good listening skills (okay, reading skills!) on the original post and was responding because the difference between the Center for SafeSport and USAG's SafeSport is very important, and it's one that many people seem not to understand.

 

[JumpingQueen]

As a parent, this freaks me out. I’d want to know immediately. Curious why that wasnt the first step.

 

[Flicfliclay]

Sounds very odd! But i think i would for sure have notified the parents first so that they can take action and speak to the coach! Sometimes a video doesn't show what the truth is. Please get back to us and let us know what happened.