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Post by sk8er on Sept 16, 2012 19:27:35 GMT -8
I think it is being taken seriously. I know someone on the coaching committee whose integrity I do not question. Stephen Gough is also on the coaching committee and I have a lot of confidence in him too. My contacts think a lot of Greenwald, but....the question is what did he know and when. My advice was to get an interim coach ASAP and get a World Cup team choosen and on the ice.
SusanG
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Sept 16, 2012 19:33:27 GMT -8
STATEMENT FROM US SPEEDSKATING REGARDING JAE SU CHUN
Kearns, UT (16 September 2012). In light of a statement released today by Jae Su Chun—along with the on-going investigation—the US Speedskating Board of Directors has voted today to place Mr. Chun on administrative leave. Mr. Chun will be on leave until the outcome of this investigation is complete. ... Until further notice, the practice sessions for all US Speedskating athletes will be closed. We request that the media respect the privacy of our athletes as they prepare for the start of the upcoming season.
US Speedskating will be holding a media conference call on Monday, 17 September 2012 at 2:00 pm MST / 4:00 pm EST. To participate, please call 805.399.1000; participant code is 103225
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Sept 16, 2012 19:48:50 GMT -8
"Obviously, we take this very seriously," said Tamara Castellano, a spokeswoman for U.S. Speedskating. "Our product is our athletes. If we don’t have them, we don’t have anything." This whole situation is quite troublesome. The statement above is troubling as a stand alone. Last time I looked "their product", was flesh and blood athletes giving their heart and soul to a program in which they believe! Touche, gasp. I'm sure it was just an unfortunate choice of words, but it does reflect our own greatest concerns about how the athletes are treated - both physically and financially.
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Post by mtnme on Sept 16, 2012 20:50:54 GMT -8
I think it is being taken seriously. I know someone on the coaching committee whose integrity I do not question. Stephen Gough is also on the coaching committee and I have a lot of confidence in him too. My contacts think a lot of Greenwald, but....the question is what did he know and when. My advice was to get an interim coach ASAP and get a World Cup team choosen and on the ice. SusanG OK, I'll rephrase that. It's being taken seriously. And then they're going to sweep it right under the rug like they always do. Or see how much they can get away with on the down low so there's no public outcry. It will be the same old sh*t, different day. As J said upthread, if USS had taken the athletes seriously last spring when the issues originally arose instead of blowing them off (like they always do), they wouldn't be where they are now. As for Mark Greenwald, according to the allegations, it sure sounds like he was throwing around quite a bit of 'abuse of power' of his own. ...and please explain to me how he does his job 'commuting' from Canada every day? (Geez, and I thought commuting mucho hours on the L.A. freeways per day was bad...) *heavy sarcasm intended* This is the full list of grievances. And that list is Looooooonnng.www.chicagotribune.com/media/acrobat/2012-09/133629640-14134437.pdf
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Post by mtnme on Sept 16, 2012 21:14:00 GMT -8
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Sept 17, 2012 3:56:00 GMT -8
...and please explain to me how he (Mark Greenwald) does his job 'commuting' from Canada every day? In addition to the time issues, is he doing all this travel on his own dime? If USS is footing the bill for this, it's unconscionable when they have skaters who are struggling so badly to make ends meet.
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Post by mtnme on Sept 17, 2012 6:30:09 GMT -8
...and please explain to me how he (Mark Greenwald) does his job 'commuting' from Canada every day? In addition to the time issues, is he doing all this travel on his own dime? If USS is footing the bill for this, it's unconscionable when they have skaters who are struggling so badly to make ends meet. Especially given that when skaters make the international teams that they are then told they must fund their own way to the competitions as has happened to many a skater. That's the ONE thing above all others that USS SHOULD be paying for. The expenses for Worlds and World Cups. And how many times have the ST team have to opt to miss a World Cup entirely because there was no money to send them. When Apolo was still skating, he often had to step in and find a sponsor for the team to pay for them getting there. This is the biggest issue with 'non profits'. The majority of the money that comes into the system goes to supporting the system itself, (or what I call 'feeding the beast') and very little of that money ever trickles it's way down to the causes which were the reason for creating the non profit to begin with. It always comes out that their is a lot of 'the beast' living high off the hog flying around in private jets and 5 star restaurants/accommodations.
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Post by sk8er on Sept 17, 2012 8:03:43 GMT -8
I doubt there's a Lear jet out there, I don't know. What we do know is that USS has been a small sport run by the same group of people for years, although some have retired The issues are always the same...the IOC wants medals. The elite side of USS is focused on getting those medals. Without medals they can't raise money to support the athletes and continue and grow the sport. Without sponsorship money there is no money to support the athletes in any capacity. It's a chicken and egg issue. I don't think we are going to have Stephen Colbert bail us out just before the next Olympics. I see the problem as one of ignoring a crucial part of the team....well, uhhh...The Team. I recall years ago when I was a new attorney we were told that the best way to prevent a malpractice lawsuit was to call the client regularly and let them know we were looking after their interests. That seems to be the problem here. I don't know Mark Greenwald. But recall the sign on Harry Truman's desk..."The buck stops here."
SusanG
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2012 8:27:06 GMT -8
"Edward Williams, an attorney for the athletes, said after attending the meeting that the board devoted “about 20 seconds” to discussing the complaint..." Gee, THAT LONG???!!! Yes, I can see just how seriously USS is taking this. S.O.S.D.D. Mtnme: They may be very busy "lawyering" up, OR, the board members may have tabled the matter pending legal review, representation and response. You know how it is, set up your line of defense, and let them be the mouth piece! To quote Elton John: "it's a sad, sad situation, and it's getting more and more absurd...."
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Post by jreutter on Sept 17, 2012 9:19:10 GMT -8
I think much of your skepticism about management and funding is spot on. Their total budget is around 3.5 million. They spend almost 1 million on travel; not sure who's travel. They spend 1 million on staff. Jae Su got a contract this Spring for $150,000+ to "create champions" and run short track. They turn over staff so fast that no one knows what they did right or wrong 4 years ago. I think the most powerful movement afoot right now is to let USS manage the youth program and return the elite program back to be managed by USOC; folks that have hopefully done their job for more than one Olympic cycle. The program used to be in Colorado Springs with room and board, bonuses, and the development team in Marquette; room, board, and education. Katherine went to SLC with the promise of a $700/Mo. stipent that didn't cover her food and rent. That lasted about 2 years and now USS provides nothing but bonus money for placements at World Championships. For most kids you have to make the World Team and if your relay team gets DQ'ed; well, in a year you can take another shot at earning an income.
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Post by osaycanusoc on Sept 17, 2012 12:19:49 GMT -8
"I think the most powerful movement afoot right now is to let USS manage the youth program and return the elite program back to be managed by USOC" -
It is difficult enough for a young adult to navigate the issues and environment of USS. While it may seem like a good idea to turn USS and its staff and culture loose on the youths in the junior program, I think in reality the younger, more immature (in all ways - physically, emotionally, mentally) juniors would be even less equipped to deal with the problems of this program, and, even more susceptible to harm.
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Sept 17, 2012 13:18:39 GMT -8
Welcome to the board, osaycanusoc! (Love the name, btw) You have a point about the younger skaters - but where would they go now that Marquette is no longer an option? (I don't have enough room in my house, hehe!) ---------------------------------- More breaking news following today's conference call with the media (BTW, did anyone try to join in on that call?): Speedskaters Will Seek Arbitration for Dismissal of CoachesBy Philip Hersh, Tribune / Chicago Tribune / Sept 17, 2012 ...the athletes are concerned USS may reinstate Chun after the World Cup team is named, forcing them to put their careers in jeopardy by resigning from the team or subject themselves to continued relationship with the current coaching staff.Read the whole story: Speedskaters Will Seek Arbitration for Dismissal of Coaches
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Post by sk8er on Sept 17, 2012 13:50:17 GMT -8
Put 'em all under oath....though I personally think a member of the current Supreme Court lied under oath during his confirmation hearings, but ya gotta go through the steps.....perjury is a crime...ask Bill....
SusanG
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Sept 17, 2012 17:47:31 GMT -8
Because news has been coming so quickly over the past few days, I haven't been able to comment on the articles much - I've just been posting the links for y'all to read. However, there is something very important that needs to be clarified with regard to the allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct and providing alcohol to athletes under 21:
At least 2 articles state that these particular charges are not attributed to Coaches Chun, Yeo or Jang:
Chun also addressed an issue of inappropriate sexual conduct and providing alcohol to athletes under 21 contained in the grievance, even though the grievance had no statement that those allegations applied to him.
“A serious allegation in the main complaint against the US Speedskating organization is that of sexual misconduct,” Chun wrote. “I and my fellow coaches have never behaved or said anything inappropriate in this regard.”
“As for the grievance directed to USS as an organization, the allegations relating to sexual discrimination, misconduct and alcohol do not pertain specifically to the three coaches but pertain to employees of U.S. Speedskating, including other coaches,” Williams said.---------------------------- In other news, USS has released info from this afternoon's media Q & A: www.usspeedskating.org/node/974NOTE: The link immediately above no longer works, and no replacement has been found.And here are 2 media sources who turned the info obtained in that conference call into articles: ------------------------------- Speedskating vows thorough probeAssociated Press / September 17, 2012, 8:47 PM ET U.S. Speedskating promised a thorough investigation Monday into allegations of abuse against the head coach of the national short track team, even while promoting an assistant also accused of wrongdoing. An attorney for athletes who made the charges vowed they would never again compete for any of the coaches who allegedly who mistreated them. Read the entire article: Speedskating vows thorough probe+++ ------------------------------- U.S. Speedskating coach put on leave amid allegations of abuseBy James Christie / The Globe and Mail / Published Monday, Sep. 17 2012, 7:30 PM EDT “The athletes we represent have made known that they will not represent the United States in the upcoming World Cup international competitions if made to participate on a team on which coach [Chun] and/or his two assistant coaches are members, as coaches or in any other capacity,” said Edward Williams, a lawyer for some of the skaters. Read the entire article: U.S. Speedskating coach put on leave amid allegations of abuse
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Post by mtnme on Sept 17, 2012 18:24:21 GMT -8
Since Eva Rodansky is one of the complainants, it is no doubt the sexual misconduct she talked about in her book. The sexual relationship between a skater and coach who allegedly gave favoritism to that skater to be put on the Olympic team while discriminating against others who were equally qualified. Allegations are that USS not only knew about the relationship, but allowed it to continue, even though it proved greatly unfair to the other female skaters in the program who inevitably were left off the team even though the US hadn't filled their full roster of female skaters for the Torino Olympics. To add insult to injury, that skater who was put on the team elected not to skate when the other skaters in that event turned up injured. So here were two skaters sitting at home watching the Olympics who were qualified to race and be on the Olympic team, sitting there aghast when the USA team didn't skate the full compliment of skaters at the event, all because the favored skater who WAS put on the team didn't feel like skating the event. Instead she went out for a romantic Birthday dinner with her coach. If you read the full complaint, it isn't just the coaches the skaters have issues with, it's the entire organization. Remember, the complaint says 5 former competitors. Eva Rodansky is one of them. (She's a long tracker) I'll also be willing to bet Eva is the skater USS was looking into suing for defamation. (No doubt because of her book, "Winter of Discontent'. She also had a blog 'the protocol that pulled no punches when giving the smackdown on USS) The blog is still up if you want to read some of what she went through with USS. (And you guys think I can dish out the snark. LOL. I bow to the master...) evarodansky.blogspot.com/From what I've read, it sounds like USS is being taken to task for MANY, MANY years of 'business as usual'- not just recently. www.chicagotribune.com/media/acrobat/2012-09/133629640-14134437.pdfI've done a quick google search and it looks like the book has been pulled from every retailer. A month or two ago it was on B & N, Amazon and Vervante. It really goes into detail as to the alleged abuses of USS. Wow, it looks like I have a rare and endangered species!
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