Jimmie Santee is Over the Edge

It’s not figure skating. It’s not hockey. It’s not gymnastics or swimming, nor football or basketball…it is our children who are under siege. In 2010, a jury awarded a former scout $18.5 million dollars after the Boy Scouts of America was accused of covering up decades of child abuse. The Catholic Church has had to defend accusations from Canada, Ireland, United States, Britain, Mexico, Belgium, France, and Germany. Every year there is a plethora of accusations against school teachers….as recently as yesterday, a university professor was accused of watching child pornography on an airplane! As a father I used to worry about the influence of drinking and drugs to my children…as a culture, we turn to the church, the scouts, school activities, or sports to help keep our children off the streets and away from harm. But that seems not to be the case… and quite honestly, it is very difficult if not impossible to protect our children from the “landmines” that surround them. It’s not these act...

PS Magazine Nov/Dec 2011 Issue "Any problem, big or small, within a family, always seems to start with bad communication. Someone isn't listening " - Emma Thompson I just returned from a business trip to find ten voice messages awaiting my attention. Eight of those messages were from coaches or skating directors seeking my counsel regarding a wide range of topics but all centering on poor ethical behavior. Some were perpetrated by management, some by parents and few; by fellow coaches… this is not an unusual occurrence. Most Mondays I spend the morning talking on the phone. That being said, eight messages are a little more than typical. I have to reason that as the economy continues to sputter, anxiety among the general skating population grows. Honestly, some of the skating community, PSA members AND non-members alike, are doing whatever it takes to stay in business, regardless of ethics. There lies the problem. As we have all heard, "Adversity does not build chara...

I read an interesting article in the Monday, October 24th, USA Today regarding "secondhand" exposure to TV. Intersting in the way that researchers are warning us about the dangers of watching TV when young children are with in eye or earshot. The Americn Academy of Pediatrics says that it hurts their language development....interesting! It also reminded me of an interview I conducted for the soon to be released online course, 2 GRO-W Champions, with Dr. Max Trenerry, a noted consultant in Psychology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and a Sport Psychology Consultant for US Youth Soccer’s Region II Girls Olympic Development Program. The course which explores the topic of abuse, exposes a unique consequence of being a bystander to an abusive relationship. Dr. Trenerry say's, "The issue of secondhand abuse or background anger or unresolved anger in the coaching or training environment is really important, especially for young athletes. ... And we know that when yo...

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author and forum participants on this web site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Professional Skaters Association or official policies of the PSA. ISU Communication No. 1700 just came out and the US has just one judge at this year's ISU World Championships...in pairs no less. Yes you read that right...one judge... although that pair judge gets to judge the preliminary round of ladies as well. Great...in comparison, Turkey has 2 judges, as does Russia, Japan, Italy, Canada, Austria, Denmark, Czechoslovakia and Israel. Belarus, Germany, and Great Britain have 3 each. But the big winner is China with 4! FOUR! How does this happen? This is how that happens ... ISU Rule 582.4 states: Principles of entries and restrictions a) Each ISU Member may enter one Judge by number (not by name) in each discipline in which Judges of this Member are qualified to judge and in which that Member has p...

PS Magazine September October Issue “To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one’s self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived—this is to have succeeded.” While often attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson or Robert Louis Stevenson or Hallmark, it was actually written by Bessie Stanley in 1904…I think. I have the readers digest version painted on walls all over my house, “live well, laugh often, love much.” I’ve even used it as the toast at 5 different marriages. While I would like to know who really wrote it in order to give credit where credit is due, the important part is the words ...

PS Magazine May/Jun 2011 Here’s another one - to skate or not to skate…compete or not to compete. As I write this, a decision was made regarding the staging of the 2011 World Championships … I’m glad I didn’t have to make it…talk to twelve people and get twelve different opinions. From a humanitarian position, this is a tragedy of epic proportions and regardless of the decision to compete or not to compete; someone will be disappointed, if not enraged, and some will be relieved. Some pundits felt that the competition should have been cancelled out of respect for the Japanese people. I can see that point; the precedent was set when the ISU cancelled the 1961 championships in response to the loss of the entire US delegation. The ISU president in 1961 was Dr. James Koch. Even with a request from the US that the championships go on as scheduled, Dr. Koch and the executive committee voted to cancel the competition. The vote of the committee was not unanimous. As reported in various Ame...

PS Magazine, March/April 2011 Recently, I went through the Mayo Clinic Executive Health Program. From head to toe, it was three days of constant probing, groping, and pricking …no love handle left unturned. I saw 16 doctors and countless nurses, technicians, dietitians and trainers. After it was all said and done I received a 38 page report! I was so impressed with the quality of care and the efficiency of the complex scheduling that I purchased the book “Management Lessons from Mayo Clinic”. Published by McGraw-Hill (2008) the book outlines the core values that make Mayo one of the top brands in the world. While I was familiar with mottos, credo’s and mission statements, the books thesis revolves around their “value” statement - “the needs of the patient comes first.” The simple concept derived from a speech that Dr. William J. Mayo delivered to Rush Medical School in 1910. “The best interest of the patient is the only interest to be considered, and in order that the sick may have the...

PS Magazine, January/February 2011 Just as the February 13, 1961 issue of Sports Illustrated was reaching the homes of subscribers, its cover girl, 16 year old newly crowned U.S. Women’s Champion Laurence Owen, was glancing down at the beautiful Brussels countryside from Sabena Flight 548. Laurence and the rest of the U.S. delegation were on their way to the World Championships, hopefully to continue the domination of U.S. skaters as they had for the previous decade. Following the greatness of Tenley Albright, Carol Heiss, Dick Button, Hayes Jenkins, and David Jenkins, Laurence and her teammates looked forward to continuing their success. But in less time than it took to skate a long program, the dream wretchedly turned to nightmare. In one heart wrenching moment, a generation of talented skaters, coaches and judges were gone… "It is often in times of tragedy that the finest and most unselfish aspects of human character become evident,” said USFSA President F. Ritter Shumway, at a...