“I was a little kid,” Anne Kursinski said in an interview with the New York Times. “And he was God.”
In this case, God was a legendary riding coach at the exclusive and tony Flintridge Riding Club in California. His name was Jimmy Williams. For decades Williams turned young, eager riders into top competitors and world-renowned Olympians like Kursinski. Along the way, according to an explosive report in The Chronicle of the Horse, he raped and sexually abused young hopeful equestrians for decades. Kursinski was one of his victims. She told the New York Times that he raped and abused her for six years, beginning when she was 11.
Today there is virtually no physical trace of Williams at Flintridge. His trophies have been removed. The Oval that was named for him is now simply called “Ring 1.” Even though he died 25 years ago, the accolades that showered him during his career have been revoked, his name has been removed from the celebrated inductees at the Show Jumping Hall of Fame. In short, Williams is now a non-person, insofar as the equestrian world is concerned.
Case closed?
Renewing a Promise
At their mid-year meeting in June, US Equestrian’s Board of Directors acknowledged that critical boundaries had been breached, and they needed to do something beyond erasing Williams’ history from the sport. They emphasized the need to protect and educate athletes as well as coaches and others involved in equestrian sports. They focused on ways to enhance an initiative called Safe Sport, which was introduced in 2013, and to which US Equestrian has been committed.
The nationwide Safe Sport program’s mission is to “make athlete well-being the centerpiece of our nation’s sports culture.” The organization’s protocols involve reporting sexual misconduct, reporting misconduct to local authorities and maintenance of a 24-hour helpline for crisis intervention. They also provide training programs for people involved in youth sports.
Kursinski’s and other equestrians’ revelations about their gut-wrenching history with Williams were at the core of US Equestrian’s new emphasis on protecting young athletes. US Equestrian President Murray Kessler affirmed that the organization is prioritizing the safety of children involved in equestrian sport. In a shout-out to Kursinski, who appeared in a video urging the organization and all US Equestrian members to embrace the program, the US Equestrian Board announced a rule change set to be unveiled at the August meeting.
The rule change will require Safe Sport training for coaches, trainers, instructors and those who “have regular contact with minors as defined in the Safe Sport Code.” The Safe Sport training program includes modules for parents, to ensure their children have safe, positive experiences.
US Equestrian requires awareness training and criminal background checks every two years for everyone from the organization’s board members and staff, to United States team coaches, Chef d’Equipes, veterinarians, human physio-therapists, etc.
US Equestrian also maintains a list of all individuals permanently banned for violations of the Safe Sport rules. The Board continues to review all policies and procedures, to identify ways to strengthen programs that ensure the safety of all participants. “Protecting our athletes is the responsibility of all of us,” the Board announced. “US Equestrian wants every athlete, parent, coach, groom, support staff and trainer to know: if you are a victim of abuse or suspect abuse of any kind, there are resources and people to help.”
An Appalling Litany of Abuse
The gymnasts treated by the United States Olympic Committee’s team doctor endured years of appalling abuse. They endured this silently. They competed and won and were abused again.
Young athletes—whether they’re football players, gymnasts, figure skaters or equestrians—are vulnerable to forces that have virtually nothing to do with the sport in which they excel. Physical prowess notwithstanding, these young people aspiring to be Olympians or professional athletes, are plunged into situations fraught with conflicting tides.
Coaches want to coach champions. Parents want their kids to be part of exceptional programs that will lead to scholarships and other prizes. There are issues of status and ego that can become a toxic brew. In the middle of this are young people who often don’t understand the boundaries that should be immutable and unbreachable. Or they are afraid of losing access to their sport, their horse, their dream of competing if they speak up. Or they believe that they are somehow responsible for the actions of the adult molesting them. Or they actually report the abuse to disbelieving adults who are somehow able to pretend that what they’ve been told can’t possibly be true.
Well-intentioned regulations and protocols meant to protect young people from abuse don’t address the central, vexing question: Why? Why do priests, teachers, coaches, and others who are presumed to be working in the best interests of young people wind up molesting, abusing and raping them? What makes a Jimmy Williams decide to rape a talented 11-year-old equestrian? What makes a parent ignore the whispers about a Jimmy Williams inappropriately touching and kissing his young students?
What perverse rationale can persuade any otherwise sane adult that raping a child entrusted to his care is neither criminal nor profoundly evil? These questions are begging for answers as more and more accounts of rape and abuse of children emerge.