KIRKLAND, Wash. — Two former employees of Sno-King Ice Arenas claim they faced retaliation after reporting a coach for sexual abuse.
One skating coach said her termination was unjust, because the coach she reported for sexual abuse was arrested and remains banned from being part of any skating event.
For former skating coaches Tina McPherson and Heather Van Hulle, the loss of a job is also the loss of mentorship for dozens of kids.
“These are just little children that had no idea where I went or why,” said McPherson.
Van Hulle and McPherson said they uncovered evidence that a youth coach had been sexually assaulted by one of the main coaches at Sno-King, which is one of Western Washington’s most popular teen skating organizations.
They say they reported the incident to Safe Sport, which is a group that advocates for sexual abuse victims in youth sports, but they feel the response from their own company was disappointing.
“It’s my direct feeling that they just don’t want to deal with this. I never really felt like I was supported,” said McPherson.
Three months later, McPherson said she was fired without notice. That’s when she filed a lawsuit against Sno-King Ice Arenas.
“I believe my cooperation with U.S. Figure Skating, with the U.S. Center for Safe Sport, led to my termination. They were fearful for the business,” said McPherson.
In the aftermath of McPherson’s firing, Van Hulle said her co-workers then turned against her.
“These are people I was friends with. That I saw every single day at work, and the work environment became unbearable,” said Van Hulle, who ended up quitting in protest.
Now, both women are part of the lawsuit. They said they hope to simply get their jobs back and to see the skating students they love to teach.
KIRO 7 called Sno-King Ice Arenas about the lawsuit Monday and left a message, but has not heard back.
Meanwhile, the coach at the center of the sexual abuse allegations was banned from participating in all skating events and activities by the U.S. Figure Skating Organization last October. The ban remains in place.
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