Sports

 

   

 

   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

by John Morash

magine a 14-year-old boy
away from home for the first

time, with his parents’ bless-
ings, pursing his dream of becom-
ing an NHL star. The future looks
bright; the boy has talent and
believes nothing’tan stop him.
Now imagine that same boy
sexually assaulted over 300 times,
by his adult hockey coach. That is
exactly what happened, to
Sheldon Kennedy. Sheldon is not
alone in his nightmare; many
young men have been sexually
assaulted in the great Canadian

their fault. On behalf of our young
and defenseless children, the
hockey community must publicly
rout out sexual abusers.

Recently, Boston Bruins winger
Sheldon Kennedy has charged his
former junior hockey coach
Graham James with over 300
counts of sexual abuse. James has
since been convicted, and sen-
tenced to three and a half years in
prison. Since Kennedy went

sport of hockey, and it hasn’t been ©

 

   
 
 
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    
  

by Holly Keyes

ot sure if you need a self-
defense course? Think
about other life-skills you

have, like First Aid, that might
come in handy some day. Then
compare them to your ability.to get
out of a potentially dangerous
situation right away. There is no
such thing as a “good”
neighborhood or a
“safe” profession.

Anyone breathing can
take and use a self-
defense course like
Wenlido, no matter what
age or ability. Some
groups are more vulner-
able, such as the elderly,
but no one group is
immune to verbal,
physical or sexual
assault.

Wenlido is a self-
defense course taught by
women, for women and
their children, and is
available at Douglas
College. The basic
course is 12 hours over 6
weeks and it teaches the
five A’s of self-defense:
awareness, avoidance,
assertiveness, assess-
ment, action and how to
deal with assaults
through a combination
of theory and practice.

Wenlido combines
Eastern philosophies of
martial arts and Western
concepts of self-defense with a
range of strategies so you'll be
prepared to protect yourself—and,
if possible, avoid potentially
dangerous situations.

The program is effective with
very little training, unlike martial
arts which can take years to master.
Wenlido will help make you aware
of your options when faced with

Courage against evil

Sexual abuse in hockey must be stopped

public with his case, sexual abuse
crisis agencies across Canada have
been flooded with calls, and most
of the calls are from men. The
Junior Hockey League (JHL) has
said that it wishes to get all sexual
abuse cases out in the open.
Subsequently, more coaches have
been charged. And now even
some top league officials have

how safe are our
children in the hands of
strangers?

been implicated for having prior
knowledge of sexual abuse in the
league. At the expense of many
young men these officials chose
not to investigate. This begs the
question: how safe are our
children in the hands of strangers?
Susan Butt, a sports psycholo-
gist, explains that the offenders
are usually in a position of power
over the athletes, and the victims
are ashamed and scared to come

The deadly women’s

an attack and it will arm you with
the skills to survive. You are taught
to be aware of your situation and
how to get out of an uncomfortable
environment before an attack can

occur.
The decision to use physical
resistance is a personal one but
statistics show that more than 50%
of Canadian women will experi-
ence at least one act of violence.

 

Douglas College’s Safer Campus
Committee is sponsoring Wenlido
at both New West and David Lam
campuses. The course will be
offered during all three semesters,
at all three campuses, sometime
during the year.

Women Educating in Self-
defense Training (WEST) is the not-
for-profit group doing the training.

forward. Younger kids are more
vulnerable to the advances of
authority figures. Susan says
“Maybe people will finally face
up to the fact that this stuff
happens in sport.” It is time for
hockey to acknowledge this, and
implement some effective ways to
report sexual abusers. In addition,
when hiring coaches and staff, the
JHL and parents alike must now
take a cautious and defensive
approach, on behalf of the
young men in hockey.

Brian Shaw is another sexual
abuser of boys who was un-
veiled as a result of the James
conviction. Former owner of the

Portland Winter Hawks, Shaw
propositioned and seduced boys
with promises to help their
hockey careers. Shaw would take
the boys on trips to Las Vegas as a
friend and then sexually force
himself on them. Shaw died of
AIDS-related cancer in 1993.
Although he was never charged,
two league executives reported to
former commissioner Ed
Chynoweth that they were

art

They offer courses in many areas of
BC and Alberta, in colleges,
universities and community
centres. Further training, in an
advanced course, is offered at the
Trout Lake Community Centre in
East Vancouver. And if demand is
high enough the advanced course
may be offered at Douglas as well.

The classes usually start in the
second month of each semester at
varying times and
locations so it is
available to more
students.

At Douglas
College the Wenlido
classes are only for
women but WEST
will gladly teach any
group that organizes
at least ten people
and a location for
the class.

There is a fee of
about $20 for the
campus-based six
week course, but
financial assistance
is available to
anyone who needs
it. WEST will do two
hour workshops for
free if you contact
them and set up a
time and place. @

To find out more
about WEST or
Wenlido at Douglas College
call WEST at 876-6390, the
Women’s Centre at New West
(527-5148) or David Lam (527-
5884), or contact Jennifer
Kirkey at 527-5236, or attend
the one hour introductory
course on International Wom-
en’s Day.

 

concerned with Shaw’s interac-
tions with the boys. Chynoweth
maintained that he could not act
without proof. He did not investi-
gate the matter, thus leaving the
predator Shaw to continue
molesting adolescent hockey
players.

More recently, Maple Leaf
Gardens equipment manager
Gordon Stuckless was arrested for
molesting two young boys at the
Gardens from 1970 to 1980. Maple
Leaf Gardens settled the case out
of court for $60 000.

It is not the fault of these young
boys that they were abused. It is
the sick individuals that per-

formed these sex crimes who

should suffer. If the true criminals
are to be held accountable, they
must be reported to the police and
charged publicly. This is clearly
the only way to protect our
children from these monsters.
Sheldon Kennedy’s courage to
speak out has opened our eyes ,
and now we have to do something
about sexual abuse in hockey.
Charge the sons-of-bitches. »

 

Age: 21

Profile: Nicole Devooght

 

F
sO
Bo
a
£
3
=
5
a

Program: General Studies
Why did you want to play floor hockey?
For the fun and the exercise.

studies?

 

What are you going to do in the future with your

I want to become an elementary school teacher.
What is your favourite type of athletic drink?

Milk with Kaluha

What is your favorite colour of smartie? Blue,
because it is the newest one.

 

 

Paper Route, college style

The Other Press needs a distribution

coordinator.

Must have access to a car.

Must be reliable.

Must care about success of paper.
Weekly stipend and gas.
Interested? Come to room 1020, New West.

 

 

 

The Other Press March 4,1997 11