- Dec 14, 2009
- 628
- 1,803
Statement from Owner of ICE.. I don't think it was from this Shannon guy that everyone was talking about, I think the original owner from the IN locations?
"ICE has not responded to the many posts that have been put out to the public, as we wanted to take the time to first tend to our own parents prior to releasing any statement. Our parents and athletes are our first priority. As many of you have heard reports in the news, one of our tumbling coaches had a warrant out for his arrest this week. He has since been apprehended off the premises and is awaiting his trial.
We do criminal background checks on all our employees; however, as this was a first offense and no arrest had been made it had not shown up on the background check. We are looking into opportunities to gather information earlier and more thoroughly so that we can react more quickly to situations should they arise in the future. At no time was there an incident with any athlete in our facility or during gym hours. This was an incident outside of our Facility and during the coach’s personal time, not that it lessens the severity of this situation in any way. We are saddened that this incident happened and the child and family will be in our thoughts and prayers.
We, as a Gym, have always taken the safety of our athletes as our number one priority. We have cameras in place to view the practice area at all times, our parents can view practices on the monitor at any time from the lobby. We have a trainer in the Gym at all week night practices to assist with any injuries that may occur during practices, we also had/have rules in place about coaches being alone in the gym with athletes. We also hold a yearly training seminar for all of our coaches, and have weekly meetings to discuss any issues that may arise in the meantime.
Since this incident we have taken even more precautions. We changed the locks to our building and are in the process of adding even more cameras and have added a monthly update to all employees’ criminal background check. Even if these additional measures would have been in place, they still would not have detected anything questionable and the end result in this situation would have been the same. This is the first incident that has ever been associated with ICE.
What I want to say to everyone is that unfortunately the ones that are also suffering in all of this are the kids in our Program. They are already hearing things said about the Gym they love and have always worn proudly. Parents are hearing from friends and family that they should pull their children from the Gym. Some posting on social media have made comments and accusations that are just not true. The only intent that I can see by posting these false statements is to hurt the Program and the kids that attend.
I have been in this business for over 20 years and I love this Industry. I love the confidence that I see it bring to athletes. I love the work ethic and dedication it teaches our athletes. I love to see an athlete set a goal and achieve it. We will move forward, teach our athletes to hold their heads high and to be proud of their Gym. After all, they did nothing wrong and this should in no way be a reflection on any athlete in our Gym.
Thank you to all the support that our Gym has received from many of you in the industry. I greatly appreciate the time you took to reach out and contact me and support our program during this difficult time. For those who have not been supportive, or did not take time to find out the facts before speculating, I hope that we can come together for the sake of our Industry and support each other when issues like this arise in the future."
"ICE has not responded to the many posts that have been put out to the public, as we wanted to take the time to first tend to our own parents prior to releasing any statement. Our parents and athletes are our first priority. As many of you have heard reports in the news, one of our tumbling coaches had a warrant out for his arrest this week. He has since been apprehended off the premises and is awaiting his trial.
We do criminal background checks on all our employees; however, as this was a first offense and no arrest had been made it had not shown up on the background check. We are looking into opportunities to gather information earlier and more thoroughly so that we can react more quickly to situations should they arise in the future. At no time was there an incident with any athlete in our facility or during gym hours. This was an incident outside of our Facility and during the coach’s personal time, not that it lessens the severity of this situation in any way. We are saddened that this incident happened and the child and family will be in our thoughts and prayers.
We, as a Gym, have always taken the safety of our athletes as our number one priority. We have cameras in place to view the practice area at all times, our parents can view practices on the monitor at any time from the lobby. We have a trainer in the Gym at all week night practices to assist with any injuries that may occur during practices, we also had/have rules in place about coaches being alone in the gym with athletes. We also hold a yearly training seminar for all of our coaches, and have weekly meetings to discuss any issues that may arise in the meantime.
Since this incident we have taken even more precautions. We changed the locks to our building and are in the process of adding even more cameras and have added a monthly update to all employees’ criminal background check. Even if these additional measures would have been in place, they still would not have detected anything questionable and the end result in this situation would have been the same. This is the first incident that has ever been associated with ICE.
What I want to say to everyone is that unfortunately the ones that are also suffering in all of this are the kids in our Program. They are already hearing things said about the Gym they love and have always worn proudly. Parents are hearing from friends and family that they should pull their children from the Gym. Some posting on social media have made comments and accusations that are just not true. The only intent that I can see by posting these false statements is to hurt the Program and the kids that attend.
I have been in this business for over 20 years and I love this Industry. I love the confidence that I see it bring to athletes. I love the work ethic and dedication it teaches our athletes. I love to see an athlete set a goal and achieve it. We will move forward, teach our athletes to hold their heads high and to be proud of their Gym. After all, they did nothing wrong and this should in no way be a reflection on any athlete in our Gym.
Thank you to all the support that our Gym has received from many of you in the industry. I greatly appreciate the time you took to reach out and contact me and support our program during this difficult time. For those who have not been supportive, or did not take time to find out the facts before speculating, I hope that we can come together for the sake of our Industry and support each other when issues like this arise in the future."
