This site was originally supposed to be about Texas swimming (club, high school, college), Title IX reform, and a few other odds and ends.
I hadn't planned to post about the topic that's resulted in the greatest number of readers, comments, and news tips - that of swimmer abuse at the hands of a coach.
A few posts on Don King and his history of abuse can be read here, here, here, and here.
This sort of story needs to be told - I'm just not sure I'm the one to tell it. As y'all know, I really love our sport. It pains me to delve into ugly stories like King's.
If someone out there has the desire to tell these stories, it might be time for you to start a site.
On that note, here's the latest on the subject. A San Jose attorney is going after USA Swimming. B. Robert Allard represented one of the girls Andrew King was found guilty of abusing at SJA. He's alleging widespread abuse within USA Swimming. Read more here.
According to the complaint, gold medal winner Schmidt was continuously and repeatedly molested by a former swimming coach, who is not named but is described as a "legendary USA swimming coach."
When she tried to complain about the abuse in the 1980s, Schmidt said she was told she'd have to have another coach file the complaint for her, to "vouch" for her, which she was unable to do, the lawsuit says. Years later, Schmidt said she was contacted by a top official at USA Swimming about her former swim coach being considered for the International Swimming Hall of Fame. At that time, Schmidt reiterated her allegations of sexual abuse against the coach, according to the lawsuit. Even so he was elected to the Hall of Fame.
That's about it for me, folks. That's all I can stands...I can't stands no more!!
So, how does it feel to be discriminated against, boys?
Ummmm...not so good. Is your desire for revenge the real issue here?
FYI:
This generation hasn't lived in the pre-Title IX world. They're going off to college thinking they'll have equal opportunities in life. Young women find that to be the case, while young men are getting a rude wake-up call.
Girls on my teams have always had the same opportunities as the boys. Same pool, same equipment, same budget, same travel, same coaching...same everything! If you look around, this is not the exception, but the rule. Our sport is one of the most gender-equitable around.
Two wonderful nuggets:
Title IX is not to blame. America's obsession and priority for football, basketball, and baseball is the reason boys in other sports don't get the funding they want/need.
and
Instead of harping on Title IX, take off the gloves and go after the real culprit...men's football. They have scarfed away scholarships from men's 'minor' sports for decades. No rocket science needed to figure that one out.
Sounds like someone needs to enroll in Logic 101.
Anonymous, where do you think the money to pay for pseudo-sports like sand volleyball comes from? Do you think it's from all that equestrian revenue?
In case you're wondering, I didn't plant these comments. It might be useful to post highly illogical and vengeful comments to make Title IX activists look bad, but there's no need to go to all that trouble. I simply post a piece on the facts of the matter, and they come in with their tirades that help make the case for me.
The Title IX quota crowd is hoping to have it both ways. They demand proportionality based on undergrad population numbers, not on undergrad population interests. As undergrad numbers start to even out, they'll go berserk if women's sports are cut to maintain the quota system they themselves have set up.
The budget crunch group says it's just an insurmountable budget problem when men's sports are cut, but can't wait to line up the lawyers when money troubles mean a women's sport feels the budget ax.
Finally, the revenge folks say it's only fair that today's young males should feel the pain yesterday's young females felt. They don't want equality, they want "justice".
These groups seem to have no problem with universities fielding half a swim team, half a lacrosse team, half a tennis team, etc.
It's supposed to be all about equality, right?
What a bunch of hypocrites!
Today's young women aren't buying into the revenge thing. They understand what a joke the quota system is. They know what's really happening when men's swimming gets cut and administrators cite money problems.
They're doubting the garbage Title IX extremists have been spouting. They're standing up to the radicals that are intent on turning college swimming into a "ladies only" club.
Welcome to the wacky world of D-I athletics, where despite a national explosion of youth and high school lacrosse participation only 60 teams compete at the men’s level.
"It is really frustrating to see the tremendous growth at the high school level," Urick said. "We’re seeing kids from Minnesota, Texas, California and Colorado playing our sport at the highest level, yet the growth has been painstakingly slow at the college level."
The reason is Title IX, or gender-equity ammendment mandating that if a college wants to maintain its federal funding it must offer athletic scholarships based on the proportion of male and female students enrolled. It is basically impossible for a college that fields a Division I-A football team and its 85 scholarships to be in compliance.
p.s. That's lax All-American Jim Brown. He didn't just carry the football for Syracuse...
But let me tell you, this gender thing is history. You're looking at a guy who sat down with Margaret Thatcher across the table and talked about serious issues. George Herbert Walker Bush
Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only the truth, but supreme beauty - a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture. Bertrand Arthur William Russell
Aggie diver suspended! No, it's not what you think. Funny, actually. Ever see a diver hoisted up in the harness, only to have the rope tied to the rail? They let her down a few minutes later.
Speaking of Aggie diving, the timing of this next item is pretty danged suspect if you asked me. You did ask, didn't you?
Last week, The Battalion posted an update on former A&M diving coach Kevin Wright's lawsuit. Read it here.
Regardless (or "irregardless" if you want to irritate your English-teacher friends) of the case Wright may (or may not) have, it's the timing that bothers me most.
The Aggie women are coming off a great Big XII meet and are prepping for the NCAA's. They don't need this sort of distraction and it's surprising that this kind of thing would come from their own campus newspaper.
Kind of reminds me of the way they timed the campaign against Skip Kenney out in Stanford a few years back - just in time for NCAA's. Steve Bultman's done a fantastic job in College Station and this certainly can wait until the season's completed.
After he fed The Battalion just what he wanted to see printed, you know what Wright's lawyer followed up with, right?
Joe Crews, Wright’s attorney, said only that Wright would not be “litigating this case publicly.”
Back to the Big XII meet for a second. Ask one of the Longhorn gals how that return bus trip went. Sounded memorable!
High school coaches should check the All State lists Ron's posted on the TISCA site. Please get him corrections right away. The lists will become official on April 1. 4A, 5A, and Private School lists are here.
Also on the TISCA site is info on the Theron L. Pickle Memorial Scholarship. View it here. Get your applications to Toni Schramme by April 1.
Wondering about the latest on the Bay City pool renovation? You've just been on pins-n-needles, haven't you? Latest promise to Coach Terri (she was Junior's 6 & under coach a few years - make that a lot of years - back) is that they'll be under a roof by the time the season starts this fall. Start holding your breath..............now! Seriously, they need to follow through with those promises they made...five years ago!
Did you read about Matt Biondi's pool record?
If you asked "Matt who?", you're too danged young to be up this late, bambino!!
Now, where was I? Oh yeah, Biondi. Read the Austin American-Statesman article (via GWG) about the 100 free pool record here.
Toyota speeding out of control? Turn the danged key to "off"!!! I gotta do all the thinkin' 'round here???
'66 Chevy's had motor mount issues. Okay, it wasn't just an "issue" - the motor mounts broke easily, giving your V-8 free rein to jump up into the hood! Got recalled after all was said and done. Unfortunately, many people didn't bother to take them in and get the extra safety cables installed.
Seems when you put your foot into that four barrel carb, the whole engine would rotate (if motor mounts had finally failed) and linkage would then be stuck - wide open! Had an exciting little ride in my old Impala (327) back in '77. No, that's not what scarred me for life. Leon took a screamin' trip in his Bel Air (283) a few years back. You'll have to ask him if he has nightmares...
Ready for a surprise? Don't look here, then. You didn't have to be NostraButton to predict the gals at Delaware State would sue when equestrian was dropped...
Eric McErlain over at Saving Sports looked into the Point Loma situation and has a great post here. Softball players led a protest. The field they use is being dismantled in a "back-to-nature" move by the city.
Some carried signs that said “Title IX sucks” and “Save our sports.” Others said federal gender equity regulations “backfired” on them and called it “reverse discrimination” against male sports."
So, the Point Loma Nazarene University softball team - an NAIA powerhouse - is being dropped because of the environmental-wacko-Title IX-radical crowd. Nice going, folks...
Congrats to 500 free 3A state champ Grant Koudelka of Gilmer. Okay, he was second at the 4A meet. Grant swims for Clark Wilson at Champion. Read more here.
Tis easy enough to be pleasant, when life flows along like a song, but the person worth while is the one who will smile when everything goes dead wrong. Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Junior had some excellent short course swims last year. He went :21.30/:46.64 at the high school state meet and 1:45.13 at sectionals. Those were swum in the BlueSeventy.
Fast-forward through a year of tough training, but take away the tech suit. :46.05/1:39.81 at this year's state meet. Both swims are below.
Earlier this year, Leon took his second trip to Costa Rica and it was fantastic. Check out Costa Rica Sailfish Adventure at The Waterman's Journalhere. His buddy put together highlights of the trip. Very well done!
The most difficult thing for individuals to do when they become part of a team is to sacrifice - it is much easier to be selfish. Patrick James "Pat" Riley
That was some build-up, wasn't it? Talk about pressure - never should have added that "duper"...
The pen may be mightier than the sword, but it's no match for a 300 pound lineman. Read more here.
This part's priceless:
According to Bone’s police report, Athletic Director Carlton Cooper said the football team could not have stolen the papers without the aid of outside help.
“I don’t think they are smart enough to do this on their own,” he said.
Kevin Murphy makes some good points on the subject of relays on the state meet results post here. I wasn't at the 5A meet, so I didn't see the swim in question. I'll post a link to the video once I get it.
See the latest CSCAA D-I polls at College Swimminghere.
We know the 2012 Olympic Trials will be held in Omaha. Guess who wants to host the 2016 Trials? Hint: He's at home in the Death Star and his name isn't Darth Vader. Read more here.
...so I fixed up the basement...
Okay, you knew it was coming. Here's a video Don S. shot at this year's state meet. 1:39.81 in the 200 free for a new 4A record. This was such a tough field, it was going to take a state record to win this year. Junior was 5th at the 50, but managed to storm back for the win. Credit a very tough, hard-working swimmer and a very tough, hard-working club coach in Cody Huckabay.
Bobby was later named the Lanny Landtroop 4A Swimmer of the Year.
Another athletic department is in Title IX trouble and male athletes are being sent packing. At Point Loma, track/cross country took a big hit. Read more here.
This one has a couple of twists to it.
Vice President for Student Development Caye Smith and Athletic Director Ethan Hamilton called the meeting to inform the team, along with the women’s softball and men’s golf teams, that their programs will be cut after this year, and a women’s golf team will be added due to Title IX compliance issues.
Athlete gender ratios were cited as the main reason for cutting the programs. The issue began when the softball team lost use of the field in Sunset Cliffs Natural Park last May. Because the team doesn’t have an on-campus facility, the program, one of PLNU’s most successful, is being cut, which upsets the male-female ratio.
According to Smith and Hamilton, the male-female athlete ratio must reflect the male-female ratio of the student body, resulting in men’s programs needing to be cut in order to meet Title IX.
Title IX was passed in 1972 to ensure gender and racial equality in all areas of education, including college athletics. While the federal act covers only schools that receive government funding, California has since passed a similar law, which applies to both public and private institutions, regardless of funding.
The law requires institutions to provide equal opportunities, scholarships, funding and facilities for men’s and women’s sports.
But in recent years, controversy has sparked as to whether the requirements help or hinder college athletic programs.
The issue is not isolated to PLNU. Schools across the nation have made similar program-cutting decisions.
He who postpones the hour of living rightly is like the rustic who waits for the river to run out before he crosses. Quintus Horatius Flaccus (a.k.a. Horace)
The "what should be" never did exist, but people keep trying to live up to it. There is no "what should be" - there is only what is. Leonard Alfred Schneider (a.k.a. Lenny Bruce)
Just got a link to an old article on CBSSports by Dennis Dodd. Read his take on Title IX and college athletics here. Too bad more folks didn't follow his advice back in 2002.
Here's how he starts it off:
Football needs to start making Title IX sacrifices.
Title IX has been a mess since the day it was born.
Hold onto your political correctness -- this is not a condemnation of equal opportunity. This is a well-rationalized 30-year view of the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education.
More highlights from the piece:
The easy way out is still to ax a couple of men's minor sports. They don't produce money anyway. Taken to its extreme, then, Title IX compliance should mean cutting virtually all the minor sports. Athletic departments could succeed sponsoring only football and men's and women's basketball. Throw in a couple of rowing teams, some equestrian, and it's all equal Title IX-wise.
There is a solution, or progress toward a solution. It will require some hard swallowing, but here goes:
Cut 20 football scholarships and two assistant coaches across the board in I-A. Redistribute the money to minor sports overall and women's opportunities in particular.
Another true story: A couple of years ago, a former Oklahoma male swimmer confronted a Big 12 athletic director from another school at the conference's basketball tournament. The AD had cut men's swimming to save a sinking athletic department. The swimmer had seen enough slashing from his sport.
It has all become too much. The wrestling coaches' suit has opened up a rattlesnake's den of controversy. Women's groups are defending their turf. Men's minor sports are defending their programs.
Football is sitting there, fat and on its throne like Jabba the Hutt. To the satisfaction of all parties, might we recommend a quick weight-loss program?
This site was originally supposed to be about Texas swimming (club, high school, college), Title IX reform, and a few other odds and ends.
