Another former San Jose Swim Coach has been accused of molesting and sexually harassing a young swimmer. Earlier this year, 62-year old swim coach Andy King, a coach at San Jose Aquatics, was sentenced to 4 years in prison for molesting at least 4 young female swimmers during his 30 year career.
Now allegations have popped up against Norman Havercroft who is a former coach of the West Valley Swim Club, also in San Jose. The accusations have been made by 28-year old Jancy Thompson, who claims that for 5 years, beginning when she was 15, Havercroft molested her.
Thompson was a high school All-American from 1996-1998 at Archbishop Mitty High, and qualified for the Junior Nationals in 1999. She went on to swim collegiately at Arizona State.
Thompson is the second former swimmer to accuse Havercroft of sexual abuse. She is now suing USA-Swimming and the West Valley Swim Club, alleging they failed to take action against a coach who abused a team. She will be represented by Robert Allard, the same lawyer who successfully had King convicted and put away.
This makes no fewer than 5 outstanding cases against USA-Swimming as a governing body in conjuction with coaches abusing swimmers. If public sentiment, and media reporting, are any indicator, USA-Swimming is going to be in for a long ride through the civil court system. The swimming community is growing increasingly weary of apparent institutional failings at the highest levels of the organization to investigate these accusations. On more than one occasion, USA-Swimming Director Chuck Wielgus appears to have denied knowledge of accusations which later documentation shows he had been notified of.