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THE NEW NORMAL
FOR YOUTH ATHLETICS
SAFE
SPORT
ACT
& ITS BROAD
IMPACT ON
SKI AREAS
BY DAVE BYRD, NSAA DIRECTOR OF RISK & REGULATORY AFFAIRS
The Safe Sport Act recently passed by
Congress is requiring big changes in
protocols for the entire spectrum of youth
amateur athletic programs. From now on,
how ski areas, clubs, teams, and athletic
organizations oversee and interact with
youths and others involved in these
events is no longer business as usual.
32 | NSAA JOURNAL | FALL 2018
n March, a Michigan judge sentenced Larry Nassar,
MD, the national medical coordinator for USA
Gymnastics, to 125 years in state prison for sexually
Iberg. In addition, there were criminal charges against
assaulting minor athletes. This was the tip of the ice­
Dr. Nassar involving more than 265 separate girls, an exposé
on 60 Minutes, and an onslaught of international media
scrutiny, not to mention the resignation of the entire board
of directors for USA Gymnastics along with the resignation
of both the president and athletic director of Michigan State
University, where Dr. Nassar also worked. In a separate federal
criminal case, a federal court sentenced Dr. Nassar to 60 years
of federal prison on separate child pornography charges.
And there are now more than 150 separate state and federal
lawsuits filed against Dr. Nassar, Michigan State University,
USA Gymnastics, and the US Olympic Committee.
While Dr. Nassar’s sexual molestation and abuse of
young gymnasts is an extreme example, it is not an isolated
event. Jerry Sandusky, an assistant football coach under
Joe Paterno at Penn State University, is serving a life sen­
tence in state prison for sexually molesting dozens of boys
involved in youth football events, including nonprofit
organizations he championed to create opportunities for
disadvantaged youth.
The shocking extent of the abuse and molestation of
young victims in amateur sports could have been limited if
those in leadership positions across the spectrum of athlet­
ics—coaches, assistant coaches, trainers, athletic boosters,
medical providers, volunteers, and local and national sport
directors—had reported or encouraged the reporting of
allegations and suspicions about Dr. Nassar and Coach
Sandusky to the authorities.
But they didn’t. And the number of their victims—
and the extent of physical and emotional damage they
inflicted—is staggering.
In response, Congress acted to address this widespread
problem of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse in youth
amateur athletics, passing new federal legislation earlier
this year titled “The Protecting Young Victims from Sexual
Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act” (commonly referred
to as the Safe Sport Act). The impetus for the Safe Sport
Act (SSA) was so compelling, it passed the US House of
Representatives 406 to 3, reflecting the level of outrage over
abuses in youth athletics.
Congress’ passage of the Safe Sport Act will broadly
impact the culture of youth athletics moving forward, and
could dramatically impact how ski areas interact with com­
petitive athletes, day camps, special events, hosting facilities,
school groups, country clubs, and possibly even our relation­
ships with instructors and students in ski and snowboard