Abuse Victim Katherine Starr Launches Safe4Athletes

Paul Steinbach Headshot

She still holds Wisconsin swimming records for 13- and 14-year-old girls 30 years after setting them, but Katherine Starr has surrendered much in her life - innocence, Olympic dreams, even the name she was born with.

She still holds Wisconsin swimming records for 13- and 14-year-old girls 30 years after setting them, but Katherine Starr has surrendered much in her life - innocence, Olympic dreams, even the name she was born with. The daughter of English emigrants, Annabelle Cripps was raped by her head coach at age 14, two years before competing for Great Britain in the first of two Olympic Games. Sacrificing her training regimen to avoid further contact with Paul Hickson, who would serve 17 years in prison after abusing several girls and women he coached, Cripps turned in what she describes as "horrible" Olympic performances in both 1984 and '88. Six years ago, with life as Annabelle Cripps getting harder to live, she changed her name and her outlook. This past January, Starr launched Safe4Athletes, an organization that sets policies and procedures for sports administrators to implement at the local level. Safe4Athletes (www.safe4athletes.org) will then investigate reports of policy violations and post online the names of violators, with the goal of eventually weeding from the coaching ranks those who engage in questionable - if not criminal - behavior. Paul Steinbach asked Starr to bring us up to speed.

Log in to view the full article
Sponsored
DynaDome Transforms Outdoor Pool Into Year-Round Paradise
DynaDome Retractable Enclosures
DynaDome Transforms Outdoor Pool Into Year-Round Paradise
Page 1 of 273
Next Page
Buyer's Guide
Information on more than 3,000 companies, sorted by category. Listings are updated daily.
Learn More
Buyer's Guide
AB Show 2025 in San Diego
AB Show is a solution-focused event for athletics, fitness, recreation and military professionals.
Nov. 5-8, 2025
Learn More
AB Show 2025