All-Star New Usasf Warmup Room Requirements

[SL&AM]

This is a very good first step and one that definitely protects the child and the EP (liability) from a sexual assault occurring while at a competition...BUT...the reality is that a sexual predator will groom and assault a victim by building trust with their coaching position. The majority of sexual assaults in youth sports (at least those reported) that forced governing bodies to restructure their policies were not single attacks in high profile places but ongoing assaults. If a predator fails the background check to get in a warm up room than why would they get hired where time spent with kids at practice is exponentially greater? And if you think about it, it is a very wise move from USASF. Doesn't is basically say, We aren't letting them in the warm up room as a layer of protection...so why have you HIRED them?

I agree with you on this; however, I have seen cases where people, who have otherwise kept up their normal lie, have snapped and the end is disasterous. Springfield, Missouri had such an incident not that long ago and the man worked at the schools. Of course, this won't help with a background check, but it can/does happen. Also, high profile events with a lot of people can be a good time to catch these types of incidents.

I agree with the hiring part---if you can't pass a background check because of a sex assault/rape, you have no business being in the gym to begin with. Some of the other crimes; DUIs and Vehicular Homicides come to mind, are going to become trickier because they may not be able to get a green light yet aren't a sexual predator/sex offender so are they a danger to children? My guess is that is going to be very individualized on how people feel.

 

[coachrah]

I agree with you on this; however, I have seen cases where people, who have otherwise kept up their normal lie, have snapped and the end is disasterous. Springfield, Missouri had such an incident not that long ago and the man worked at the schools. Of course, this won't help with a background check, but it can/does happen. Also, high profile events with a lot of people can be a good time to catch these types of incidents.

I agree with the hiring part---if you can't pass a background check because of a sex assault/rape, you have no business being in the gym to begin with. Some of the other crimes; DUIs and Vehicular Homicides come to mind, are going to become trickier because they may not be able to get a green light yet aren't a sexual predator/sex offender so are they a danger to children? My guess is that is going to be very individualized on how people feel.

I stated that this does protect the competition venue in my opening comment and that is a very good policy. Let's paint a scenario...Gym Owner decides to go to 4 USASF sanctioned events. The background check for a coach in their gym fails which does not allow him/her in the warm up room and therefore coach does not travel to the competition. Curious parent wants to know why said coach never travels. Does gym owner lie to their parents? 2nd scenario...Coach travels with the team but does not go in warm up room but takes the front of the stage. Convicted coach assaults someone in hotel room. Bottom line gym owner knows the deal and assumes the risk.

 

[kristenthegreat]

It also keeps random strangers from snatching kids when they're away from their parents and might be more easily led off.

Didn't we have a situation last year where some cheerlebrity kid got accosted in warmups or just outside of warmups or something? Or two years ago? Not sure- but this could help that too. A step in the right direction, but I was really hoping for actual warm up regulations..

 

[AScheer]

Man... I thought it meant warmup rooms now had requirements themselves. At least 15 minutes... 9 mats... some have to be spring...

This is what I thought and was hoping for! I hate that you never know what you're going to get. Even when I am pro-active and ask in advance it does no good. They'll tell me one thing and we'll show up to something completely different!

 

[AScheer]

Well convicted probably. If you're a registered sex offender and it shows up on the background check and you're not cleared, then you won't be allowed in.

That awkward moment when a teams coach can't get it and no one knew it. Hypothetically if that happened, and that person were the only coach with them, what would the team do?

Overall this seems like a good idea. I can see it working at Worlds. It's hard to imagine it anywhere else. Like was mentioned before, warm-up rooms are often ran by college kids or volunteers. I've worked a warm-up room before. Some teams will take 30 extra people in that aren't tied to the current team. My previous gym took all coaches through for every team (when there weren't team overlaps.) We also had some athletes or old kids that just came through when it wasn't their team.

 

[SL&AM]

That awkward moment when a teams coach can't get it and no one knew it. Hypothetically if that happened, and that person were the only coach with them, what would the team do?

Overall this seems like a good idea. I can see it working at Worlds. It's hard to imagine it anywhere else. Like was mentioned before, warm-up rooms are often ran by college kids or volunteers. I've worked a warm-up room before. Some teams will take 30 extra people in that aren't tied to the current team. My previous gym took all coaches through for every team (when there weren't team overlaps.) We also had some athletes or old kids that just came through when it wasn't their team.

If coaches and gyms are walking all over whoever is in charge of the warm-up area, then the EP needs to handle that. Just because someone is a volunteer doesn't mean they can't utter the word no.

As for only have one coach who is denied access; that coach is gonna know long in advance and if that person is willing to jeopardize their team/gym by not bringing someone who can go back there than would you want anyone on that coaches team to begin with?

I think there will ultimately be a learning curve and people hate change; but they'll deal with it.

 

[Lisa Seye]

Hoping that the fact that a coach can't get into the warm-up room leads to that coach can't work for that gym with those kids.......... By requiring these background checks, then owners cannot say they had no idea this coach was a sex offender etc. So maybe this is the first step and more rules will come up later.

 

[FTSP]

The owner of Virginia Wild, Rick DeSpain. He was also mentioned in the latest Varsity article we were all talking about recently.

Thank you

 

[King]

What's interesting about all these articles and dramatic online stories and social media posts.... Is they work.

That article comes out and look at the changes its bringing up. Basically do some research, get something published, make change.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mom2Cheergirls]

I think every single staff member working for the EP should be required with a back ground check. We had an incident at a comp were a contracted worker purposely touched one of our moms in a way that was not appropriate and charges were filed and it went to court. This same staff member was seen intensely watching groups of young girls and was back in warm ups several times. The EP basically said oh he was contracted for this event so nothing we could do. But this guy had more access than parents and was using it. Yes gyms need to be doing this but then USASF MUST put the same requirements on EP staff and contracted workers if they want to truly keep our kids safe!

I trust our coaches a hell of a lot more than random EP staff any day.

 

[uhhlyssa01]

The only thing I can see getting in the way of EP's doing background checks on their staff is most of the time their staff is college students. Back when I was on my open team, I remember being asked to help out a competition at Thursday night practice before the competition because other people dropped out. I imagine that happens often, so idk how EP's would be able to get all their staff information and get background checks done in time if they're still picking up help the day before the event.

 

[Ashley]

I think every single staff member working for the EP should be required with a back ground check. We had an incident at a comp were a contracted worker purposely touched one of our moms in a way that was not appropriate and charges were filed and it went to court. This same staff member was seen intensely watching groups of young girls and was back in warm ups several times. The EP basically said oh he was contracted for this event so nothing we could do. But this guy had more access than parents and was using it. Yes gyms need to be doing this but then USASF MUST put the same requirements on EP staff and contracted workers if they want to truly keep our kids safe!

I trust our coaches a hell of a lot more than random EP staff any day.

Most people working at an event work for the convention center, not the EP. And some of them are locals recruited to man the warmup room or the backstage area just for the weekend. There was a Jamfest comp at my school my freshman year and we worked at it. I can't remember what I did. EPs don't have enough employees to staff every position at an event.

There's just no way to enforce background checks for all of those people.

 

[uhhlyssa01]

Most people working at an event work for the convention center, not the EP. And some of them are locals recruited to man the warmup room or the backstage area just for the weekend. There was a Jamfest comp at my school my freshman year and we worked at it. I can't remember what I did. EPs don't have enough employees to staff every position at an event.

There's just no way to enforce background checks for all of those people.

Not to mention their local help is different for every single event. For people like Varsity or Jamfest that can be hundreds or event thousands of background checks for the whole year. Can you imagine how much comp fees would go up to cover the cost of all those background checks?

 

[Ashley]

Not to mention their local help is different for every single event. For people like Varsity or Jamfest that can be hundreds or event thousands of background checks for the whole year. Can you imagine how much comp fees would go up to cover the cost of all those background checks?

Right, exactly. It doesn't make sense to pay for airfare/hotel/per diem food for a ton of employees to tell teams to switch mats in the warmup room when they can hire someone local for the weekend for $9/hr to do it. And you're not going to pay for all of them to get background checks, it's not practical and it takes too long.

Of course if they're going to declare the warmup room is some special place that no gym staff without a brackground check is allowed into, then they better be using their own staff in there who have also had background checks.

This is all the more reason why I think this is an empty promise, something made to sound like they're taking action, but doesn't actually do or protect anyone. Unless you keep all temp works/convention center staff out and make sure that all adults on your open teams have background checks too, this does nothing.

 

[Mom2Cheergirls]

Most people working at an event work for the convention center, not the EP. And some of them are locals recruited to man the warmup room or the backstage area just for the weekend. There was a Jamfest comp at my school my freshman year and we worked at it. I can't remember what I did. EPs don't have enough employees to staff every position at an event.

There's just no way to enforce background checks for all of those people.

I am aware but that is a FAR bigger worry than someone in our gym being background check to be with kids they know to go to the warmup room. These are people who we know and where to find them if something goes down. I know a lot of the employees are contracted by the convention center. BUT the contracted EP employees who work the warm up room etc pose a far greater risk and potential because they can hide behind the fact it is just a weekend. To me this plan of USASF if anything brings a false sense of security. Is it a step yes. But time and time again I see EPs making choices putting cost and extras on gyms and families and I would like them to step up and do something like say - "we get parents concerns and we will make sure our staff who work warm up rooms as well are only background checked staff." Otherwise what is the point.