Uchiyama Scandal, Part 3: In 2007-10, Dozens Attended USA Swimming Board Meetings at Country Club of Colorado — Where Secretly Dismissed National Coach Was Now Aquatics Director

* “Uchiyama Scandal, Part 1: In 2006, National Team Director Resigned in Return for USA Swimming’s Promise Not to ‘Move Forward With Any Further Investigation,'” October 7,https://concussioninc.net/?p=8223

* “Uchiyama Scandal, Part 2: In 2007, USA Swimming Executive Pat Hogan Recommended Dismissed National Team Director to Country Club of Colorado,” October 8, https://concussioninc.net/?p=8228

 

by Irvin Muchnick and Tim Joyce

 

During Everett Uchiyama’s tenure as aquatics director at the Country Club of Colorado, the USA Swimming board of directors met several times at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado, site of the country club’s swim complex. According to some sources, the windows of the resort business center and conference room literally looked out on the pool.

Many business and organizational boards are incurious, deferring to the executive leadership on both policy and detail. That seems to be the case for USA Swimming. Executive director Chuck Wielgus informed no one — not even his own directors — that national team director Uchiyama resigned in January 2006 in the face of unrefuted allegations of sexual abuse of a minor, and in return for the organization’s promise not to “move forward with further investigation.”

As explained in the previous installment in this series, Country Club of Colorado aquatics director Rose Snyder interviewed USA Swimming executive Pat Hogan in December 2006 in connection with Uchiyama’s job application at the country club. Hogan heartily endorsed Uchiyama. “Great people person,” Snyder’s interview notes read.

The interview form indicates that Uchiyama was applying for a desk attendant job. Though the exact chronology is not yet known, shortly thereafter Snyder left her position as aquatics director and Uchiyama replaced her.

On January 20, 2007, the USA Swimming board met at the Country Club of Colorado swim complex at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort. The minutes show that the following board members were in attendance:

Wayne Burrow

Peter Carney

Ed Dellert

Duffy Dillon

Pete Gannon

Ted Haartz

Larry Johnson

Bryan Jones

Michael Lawrence

Pat Lunsford

Vicki Marsh

Bill Maxson

Arlene McDonald

Eric Nelson

Dale Neuburger

Wells O’Brien

Rich Pockat

Jamie Rauch

Linda Riker

Trent Staley

Tyler Storie

Mary Jo Swalley

Alison Terry

Ron Van Pool

John Wilson

Jim Wood

Carol Zaleski

These member of the USA Swimming staff were also there:

Brenda Adams

Tom Avischious

Manny Banks

Peter Clark

Matt Farrell

Jim Harvey

Larry Herr

Pat Hogan

Randy Julian

Ira Klein

John McIlhargy

Lindsay Mintenko

Mick Nelson

Sue Nelson

Kathy Parker

Mark Schubert

Dom Testa

Dave Thomas

Mike Unger

Chuck Wielgus

Guests in attendance were:

Sandi Blumit (from USA Swimming’s reinsurance subsidiary, the United States Sports Insurance Company [USSIC])

Rod Davis (a marketing consultant)

Jeff Gudman (a task force leader)

John Leonard (executive director of the American Swimming Coaches Association)

Eric Peterson (also representing USSIC)

John Peterson (USSIC)

Rich Young (legal counsel)

On January 23, 2010, the USA Swimming board again met at the pool where its disgraced former national team coach was aquatics director. The directors in attendance were:

Robert Broyles

Marci Callan

Maddy Crippen

Brandon Drawz

JoAnn Faucett

Shannon Gillespy

Ted Haartz

Tom Hasz

Kalyn Keller

Michael Lawrence

Pat Lunsford

Bill Maxson

Dale Neuburger

Maisha Palmer

Rich Pockat

Linda Riker

Jim Ryan

Bill Schalz

Trent Staley

Tyler Storie

Mary Jo Swalley

Paul Thompson

Ron Van Pool

John Wilson

Jim Wood

Carol Zaleski

Rich Young (legal counsel)

GUESTS:

Melanie Herman

John Leonard

Tim Liebhold

Bruce Stratton

STAFF:

Brenda Adams

Tom Avischious

Matt Farrell

Jim Harvey

Pat Hogan

Chris LaBianco

Lindsay Mintenko

Mick Nelson

Kathy Parker

Mark Schubert

Mike Unger

Chuck Wielgus

 

On May 1, 2010, the USA Swimming board met at Cheyenne Mountain Resort / Country Club of Colorado a third time during Uchiyama’s tenure there. Directors in attendance:

George Block

Robert Broyles

Marci Callan

Maddy Crippen,

Brandon Drawz

JoAnn Faucett

Shannon Gillespy

Ted Haartz

Tom Hasz

Michael Lawrence

Pat Lunsford

Bill Maxson

Blake McKay

Dale Neuburger

Wells O’Brien

Linda Riker

Jim Ryan

Bill Schalz

Trent Staley

Tyler Storie

Mary Jo Swalley

Alison Terry

Paul Thompson

Ron Van Pool

Tim Welsh

John Wilson

Jim Wood

Carol Zaleski

Rich Young (legal counsel)

GUESTS:

Sandi Blumit

Eric Peterson

John Peterson

Bruce Stratton

STAFF:

Tom Avischious

Matt Farrell

Jim Harvey

Pat Hogan

Chris LaBianco

John McIlhargy

Lindsay Mintenko

Kathy Parker

Mark Schubert

Mike Unger

Chuck Wielgus

 

In late May 2010, Uchiyama resigned from the Country Club of Colorado as the Colorado Springs Gazette closed in on a story about the allegations against him, which was inspired by ABC’s 20/20 investigation that spring. That was also the season in which USA Swimming chief executive Wielgus, in the face of blistering criticism of his unsympathetic and disastrous television interviews for 20/20 and ESPN’s Outside the Lines, began posting the list of permanently banned coaches, which included Uchiyama.

As Congressman George Miller and his staff at the House Committee on Education and the Workforce crank up their investigation of how little has changed in the intervening three years, talking to all the people listed above will go a long way toward exposing USA Swimming’s cover-ups and imposition on its board, its 300,000-plus members, and the American public of willful ignorance of the widespread youth coach sexual abuse in this sport.