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Breeze · 04-09-2014, 09:08 AM

Gold Team Update

I have some terrible news to report from yesterday. Coach Neil, the head coach for our pool has been suspended by USA Swimming, pending an investigation. Here is the email Chattahoochee Gold sent out…

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Keeping You Safe: A Message from Chattahoochee Gold

The coaching staff of Chattahoochee Gold would like to update its members, customers, and community on its coaching staff and safety policies. We value the trust you have placed in us and hope the following information is helpful to you. Should you have any additional questions, please contact us at the contact information listed below.

1. There has been a change in the Gold coaching staff.
Effective April 8, 2014, Coach Neil Savage is suspended while USA Swimming investigates a personal matter that came to light in the last few days. At this time he is not permitted on deck or at functions. Coach Andy (this is my kids current coach) will assume Neil's practices in the interim. It's important to understand that this process is out of the hands of Chattahoochee Gold and it will take some time to come to resolution.

2. Are there allegations of wrongdoing against Chattahoochee Gold?
No. there is no evidence that the suspended employee’s alleged conduct involved current club members or their families. The allegations against him do not involve any current swimmers, parents, or coaches of Chattahoochee Gold. The team in no way condones the alleged activities. No other coach has been subject to allegations of wrongdoing.

3. What is Chattahoochee Gold doing to keep its members safe?
Chattahoochee Gold goes above and beyond the State’s minimum requirements to provide you the safest and most enjoyable experience possible. Employees of Gold must first undergo two backgroundchecks (one by USA Swimming, and one by a private contractor employed by the team). Coaches must complete and bi-annually update their USA Swimming Athlete Protection Certification, and the team has its own extensive guidelines about coach-swimmer interaction. Chattahoochee Gold strictly observes the guidelines established by USA Swimming in regards to personal coach-swimmer interaction.

4. Is Chattahoochee Gold limiting any of its services?
No. The team continues to offer the same award-winning services and professionalism that it has proudly offered for more than two decades. All other members of the team's coaching staff remain with the team and are more committed than ever to meeting the highest standards of excellence. We look forward to providing your family a great experience this summer.

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After reading the release above, you are probably thinking, like I was…oh my God, what did he do? This release makes is sound like he might be a pedophile or rapist. Unfortunately, it is poorly written, and in my mind not well thought out. I know the company has lawyers advising them of actions that need to be taken in order to avoid potential law suits and increased insurance rates, but this could have been crafted better.

So here is the situation…

Several years ago, when Neil graduated from college he immediately started working for Chattahoochee Gold. This was a big deal to him as he was one of the first 6 members of the team 22 years ago. Being young and stupid, he allowed himself to break a USA Swimming rule and he dated a graduating senior on the team. This wasn’t a hidden relationship or a coerced one. The girl’s parents were aware of it, and they approved.

This probably leads you to ask the same question I asked…”Why did this come up now if it happened several years ago, and the girl and her parents aren’t upset by the relationship in any way?”

Well, from what I understand is a girl’s mother from one of the other pools found out and decided to call USA Swimming directly and report it. Then they called the owner of Chattahoochee Gold and reported to him what they had done, assuring him this wasn’t a vindictive or spiteful action in any way…Which of course in my mind is exactly what this is. If it wasn’t spiteful, then why not work through channels, why go directly to the governing body first (and not even the Georgia Chapter, but the national one).

I’m not sure exactly what is behind this, and maybe it is just a self-righteous parent voicing their concerns, but I find the timing odd. Given that Neil just had a relay team break a national record, had the high point female at Age Group State, who qualified for Jr. Nationals, and had several other event winners and state records set. Not sure if the girl and her parents were upset because the girls from the same age group at the Cumming pool are improving dramatically and leaving them behind, or if another Coach was feeling threatened by the success Neil is having.I’m not normally a conspiracy guy, but this stinks…

The investigation is ongoing…Neil has admitted to the relationship, as has the girl and her parents have admitted knowledge of the two dating. This is clearly against the rules of the organization, as it is basically a potential sexual harassment problem, and combined with all the coaches (any sport) that have gotten in trouble for improper behavior with athletes and this is going to be taken very seriously. Hopefully, the fact the relationship was consentual, it's age (several years old at this point), and the fact there have been no new similar incidents will be strongly considered.

All the kids on the team are upset…Mine included, especially Brett (who has swum more for Neil in practice). They are all talking about writing letters to USA Swimming in support of their coach. Obviously, this illustrates how much the kids respect and want to do well for Neil and the performance of the team at State clearly shows how good a job he does of getting his kids to perform. In fact, Bailey and I just attended the Georgia Swimming All-Star banquet for the 2012-2013 season (I’ll do a small write up on that soon), and the coach of the year was announced. After seeing who won, and what they accomplished during the season, I was convinced, if Gold even had just a solid showing at Long Course State this year, that Neil was the front runner for Coach of the year for 2013-2014. This is a shame for the team, for Neil, and on a personal level for my kids, as they were looking forward to swimming for Neil in the future.

In fact, I have to admit, I’m concerned with how this will impact Brett moving forward. He will potentially be moving up to the point where he’ll be expected to make 2 or 3 morning (read 5:30) practices a week. With Neil, I was confident he would get up to go…with a new coach, I’m not so sure.

I hope this is resolved quickly…and USA Swimming gives him a slap on the wrist and he can return to the team quickly. However, Gold has to make contingency plans, and they are currently looking for a coach to replace Neil in case this drags on.

It is hard to come by information, as team officials are not supposed to talk about it, and Neil isn’t allowed to have contact with any of the swimmers on the team, but I’ll keep you updated as information leaks.

04-09-2014, 09:08 AM	#406
Breeze Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Northern Suburbs of ATL	Gold Team Update I have some terrible news to report from yesterday. Coach Neil, the head coach for our pool has been suspended by USA Swimming, pending an investigation. Here is the email Chattahoochee Gold sent out… -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Keeping You Safe: A Message from Chattahoochee Gold The coaching staff of Chattahoochee Gold would like to update its members, customers, and community on its coaching staff and safety policies. We value the trust you have placed in us and hope the following information is helpful to you. Should you have any additional questions, please contact us at the contact information listed below. 1. There has been a change in the Gold coaching staff. Effective April 8, 2014, Coach Neil Savage is suspended while USA Swimming investigates a personal matter that came to light in the last few days. At this time he is not permitted on deck or at functions. Coach Andy (this is my kids current coach) will assume Neil's practices in the interim. It's important to understand that this process is out of the hands of Chattahoochee Gold and it will take some time to come to resolution. 2. Are there allegations of wrongdoing against Chattahoochee Gold? No. there is no evidence that the suspended employee’s alleged conduct involved current club members or their families. The allegations against him do not involve any current swimmers, parents, or coaches of Chattahoochee Gold. The team in no way condones the alleged activities. No other coach has been subject to allegations of wrongdoing. 3. What is Chattahoochee Gold doing to keep its members safe? Chattahoochee Gold goes above and beyond the State’s minimum requirements to provide you the safest and most enjoyable experience possible. Employees of Gold must first undergo two backgroundchecks (one by USA Swimming, and one by a private contractor employed by the team). Coaches must complete and bi-annually update their USA Swimming Athlete Protection Certification, and the team has its own extensive guidelines about coach-swimmer interaction. Chattahoochee Gold strictly observes the guidelines established by USA Swimming in regards to personal coach-swimmer interaction. 4. Is Chattahoochee Gold limiting any of its services? No. The team continues to offer the same award-winning services and professionalism that it has proudly offered for more than two decades. All other members of the team's coaching staff remain with the team and are more committed than ever to meeting the highest standards of excellence. We look forward to providing your family a great experience this summer. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After reading the release above, you are probably thinking, like I was…oh my God, what did he do? This release makes is sound like he might be a pedophile or rapist. Unfortunately, it is poorly written, and in my mind not well thought out. I know the company has lawyers advising them of actions that need to be taken in order to avoid potential law suits and increased insurance rates, but this could have been crafted better. So here is the situation… Several years ago, when Neil graduated from college he immediately started working for Chattahoochee Gold. This was a big deal to him as he was one of the first 6 members of the team 22 years ago. Being young and stupid, he allowed himself to break a USA Swimming rule and he dated a graduating senior on the team. This wasn’t a hidden relationship or a coerced one. The girl’s parents were aware of it, and they approved. This probably leads you to ask the same question I asked…”Why did this come up now if it happened several years ago, and the girl and her parents aren’t upset by the relationship in any way?” Well, from what I understand is a girl’s mother from one of the other pools found out and decided to call USA Swimming directly and report it. Then they called the owner of Chattahoochee Gold and reported to him what they had done, assuring him this wasn’t a vindictive or spiteful action in any way…Which of course in my mind is exactly what this is. If it wasn’t spiteful, then why not work through channels, why go directly to the governing body first (and not even the Georgia Chapter, but the national one). I’m not sure exactly what is behind this, and maybe it is just a self-righteous parent voicing their concerns, but I find the timing odd. Given that Neil just had a relay team break a national record, had the high point female at Age Group State, who qualified for Jr. Nationals, and had several other event winners and state records set. Not sure if the girl and her parents were upset because the girls from the same age group at the Cumming pool are improving dramatically and leaving them behind, or if another Coach was feeling threatened by the success Neil is having.I’m not normally a conspiracy guy, but this stinks… The investigation is ongoing…Neil has admitted to the relationship, as has the girl and her parents have admitted knowledge of the two dating. This is clearly against the rules of the organization, as it is basically a potential sexual harassment problem, and combined with all the coaches (any sport) that have gotten in trouble for improper behavior with athletes and this is going to be taken very seriously. Hopefully, the fact the relationship was consentual, it's age (several years old at this point), and the fact there have been no new similar incidents will be strongly considered. All the kids on the team are upset…Mine included, especially Brett (who has swum more for Neil in practice). They are all talking about writing letters to USA Swimming in support of their coach. Obviously, this illustrates how much the kids respect and want to do well for Neil and the performance of the team at State clearly shows how good a job he does of getting his kids to perform. In fact, Bailey and I just attended the Georgia Swimming All-Star banquet for the 2012-2013 season (I’ll do a small write up on that soon), and the coach of the year was announced. After seeing who won, and what they accomplished during the season, I was convinced, if Gold even had just a solid showing at Long Course State this year, that Neil was the front runner for Coach of the year for 2013-2014. This is a shame for the team, for Neil, and on a personal level for my kids, as they were looking forward to swimming for Neil in the future. In fact, I have to admit, I’m concerned with how this will impact Brett moving forward. He will potentially be moving up to the point where he’ll be expected to make 2 or 3 morning (read 5:30) practices a week. With Neil, I was confident he would get up to go…with a new coach, I’m not so sure. I hope this is resolved quickly…and USA Swimming gives him a slap on the wrist and he can return to the team quickly. However, Gold has to make contingency plans, and they are currently looking for a coach to replace Neil in case this drags on. It is hard to come by information, as team officials are not supposed to talk about it, and Neil isn’t allowed to have contact with any of the swimmers on the team, but I’ll keep you updated as information leaks.