Topic: USAW requires criminal background checks to keep coaching certifications

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

A friend sent this to me, which he got from the USAW in his email:

Criminal Record Screening Program.  Effective July 5, 2010, all USAW members with the following participation designations, currently described as membership categories, will be required to comply with a comprehensive criminal record screening program within 90 days or upon renewal of membership, whichever comes first:  Club Coach, Advanced Level Coach, Dual-Certified Coach, Weightlifting Coach, Non-Certified Coach, Official, Referee, Volunteer and Medical.  Screening will be required every two years. 

National Center for Safety Initiatives (NCSI) will conduct the screening at a base cost to the member of $20 (price may vary depending on state of residency) and will report to USAW convictions of any felony, any crime against a child, any crime of a sexual nature (including pornography), any crime involving threat or force of threat against a person, any crime involving controlled substances or alcohol, and any crime involving cruelty to animals.  Be advised that the NCSI screening is a criminal record screening conducted for the purpose of determining eligibility for membership in USAW.  It is not a reference check or a pre-employment screening.  Anyone seeking to employ a USAW coach is responsible for conducting an appropriate pre-employment check for that person.   Please see the attached letter for self-registration instructions and additional information.

Because successful completion of the background screening program is required for the above membership categories, failure to self-register for the criminal background screening through NCSI will result in automatic forfeiture of USAW membership on October 1, 2010 and disclaimers of membership will be posted on the USAW website.   Refer to the USAW judicial committee procedures for instructions regarding appeal from denial of membership.

Thank you for your cooperation.

This is wrong on several points. First of all, when the people who got those coaching certifications took and paid for the courses, they were not informed of these new demands. This is the alteration of a contract after its signed and in effect and should be unlawful for that reason. Second, I see nothing in this statement even claiming the USAW will keep the information confidential and the USAW has a long history of leaking private information, including resident athletes at the OTC entering the USAW offices with full access to files and such. We had a key when I lived there. Also, this would apparently not allow a kid who got in a street fight when they were 19 to coach when he is 40, or could ban a 15 year old kid who got in trouble for exchanging nude photos of himself/herself with their boyfriend/girlfriend of 17 and thus labeled a sexual offender, apparently ban Cheryl Haworth (DUI conviction), etc. Also, the entire purpose of our "criminal justice system" is supposedly to correct and rehabilitate people, not give them a Scarlet Letter for the rest of their life preventing them from contributing to society and maybe even help kids. It looks like this would strip me of my coaching certificate for the charge of 'possession of alcohol' I got when 21 for accidentally stepping outside a bar onto 'public area', where I was ticketed.

I suggest everyone who can see how absurd and unjust this is write the USAW to object.

[Dave Chiu]

Like I just said on the other board, I have been bkgr chkd

a half-dozen times in my life, but THIS just takes it too far

for me in realizing what a tyranny we have become comfortable

just accepting.


Chris' analysis of some readily observable holes in the system

makes clear how we have become so used to trusting

"gun-free zones" that prove to be

VICTIM-RICH ENVIRONMENTS.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

I'd be more upset about it if it wasn't just typical of the USAW. If you expect an idiot to act like a genius....

[Dave Chiu]

The immediate result will be a drastic revenue drop

in the categories subject to the added hassel,

whether there's an added fee or not.

This is why all the added layers of testing/pre-Oly pipeline

conditions/time-line extension show that USAW is

JUST NOT SERIOUS ABOUT WINNING MEDALS AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL.


The lifts are awesome, but there's no living to be made

here in America, lots of other options, and stacking up

artificial obstacles that other competitors don't have to

worry about... our national ldrship is just not serious.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

The immediate result will be a drastic revenue drop

That would be awesome! I favor starving the USAW of money just as I favor starving our national government of money! Both are completely out of control! It almost seems in parallel, a pack of morons took over the US at the same time a pack of morons took over the USAW. Honestly, I don't see much change in this fact, just more of the same!

[Andy Dick]

Don't forget we have to pay $20 to get our rights infringed upon also.  For me its no big deal I have no marks on my record except for a speeding ticket, I was like run your foul background check.  Then I see you have to pay 20 bucks for a background check they are running or you lose your membership as a coach!  If they have this huge hard on for background checking coaches then they should fit the bill not us.  The high school I work at made me take a background check but they told me before taking the job and they at least paid to have it done.  Its almost funny, I want to let my coaching membership go now.  I will still pay the membership fee to compete as an athlete but I already learned all I needed to from the club coach course and can't learn anything new from the USAW unless I get the senior coach (but to get that you need to have 2 athletes claiming you as a coach and qualifying for a major comp anyway).

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Well, I am gladdened and surprised I am not the only one against this crap. But, I don't expect the bureaucrats to change their plans much. This is a power grab and thats all it is. Typical.

[Ryan Wilkinson]

This is flaming BS. There is zero need to run background checks at a cost to USAW members to stamp out the assumed virulent criminal element in coaching. The Scarlet Letter analogy is spot on. Next, they will extend it to regular lifters too. Instead of finding increased money for athletes, instead of better PR for the sport, instead of getting regular mainstream media (ESPN) attention for meets, instead of actually doing something for the sport, they do this.