Minnesota State University (Moorhead)

Coed Swimming & DivingCharlie King

Coed Swimming & Diving Head Coach

Minnesota State University (Moorhead)

ACHA M2 • NULL

1.2

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Would Recommend

To begin, I have always been told that I am a blunt, head strong girl. I have been a captain on multiple teams because of this. I am not saying that I am a flawless person, however I know that I have never had malicious intentions toward another person when in a position of required bluntness. Due to the on-going never ending power trip and self placed pedestal that Charlie puts himself on, this creates a huge one sided issue between the two of us. I will never forget the complete 180 in personality from recruitment to coaching. now, I know this is something I should have anticipated, but the difference is VAST. I will never forget my first end of season meeting with him where he told me I was one of the biggest disappointments in regards to recruiting. there was a time he had pulled me out of the pool in the middle of a practice where he told me "you've been having great meets and great times only because you are self tapering yourself and not trying during practice. the girl you will race this weekend is going to go a 57 and you are going to get beaten because your meet luck has run out. you cannot handle being the top backstroker on this team" this was the first time I truly considered quitting this sport. I told my mother about scary thoughts I was having that were directly related to him. I told her that if something were to happen to me because of my own doing it would be directly linked to him. to add, the blatant favoritism on this team is disgusting. we currently have a captain who had BULLIED another swimmer to quitting the team last year. he was made aware of this by another captain, his explanation for having her as a captain was "I could not have (insert another swimmers name) be a captain and not her". as referenced before, I know I have been a captain to many teams, however I was not expecting nor am I upset about not being a captain, I knew I wouldn't be. but to take that position from a more deserving teammate (which we have ample of) is very disappointing. every year he picks a new person to pick on and tell they are not good enough. the first year he decided to bully someone who could not afford the OPTIONAL training trip, last year it was me because I was going through a breakup, this year it was someone who I became close with over the summer (common denominator? hmm) when confronted about this he denied everything and brought one of our captains to nearly quit due to how he treated her for being my friend. to add to the breakup mentioned above, my sophomore year of college I was broken up with by my long term high school sweetheart boyfriend, instead of asking how I was when I was clearly having a breakdown, he asked everyone else on the team, and then called my parents. let me repeat that, he called my parents. I am a grown adult who was going through something similar to a death and he called my parents about how disappointed/worried he was about me without ever speaking to me first. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after my sophomore year of college, this was a hard time of my life because I was scared of who I would become because of it. I notified my coaches, and my employers because I felt that it was their right to know. this was the first time I have ever felt support from him. until I was having a depressive episode and he told me it was something I needed to take care of and get over. if his favorite captain tells him she isn't feeling well he sends her home and coddles her. I wasn't expecting much, but a little empathy wouldn't kill him. next, something that the ENTIRE team has discussed feeling uncomfortable about is the fact that he tells each and every one of us that he "loves us". the amount of times he has said "I love you" to WOMEN on this team as a MALE coach is gross. I personally have told him how uncomfortable this makes me feel along with other teammates on my team. the way he says it is not right, there's a casual way to say you love someone, and then there is the way he says it. it has never sat well with me in my heart and it makes me uncomfortable. another question multiple people have brought up is, why can MSUM not keep an assistant coach? I'm sensing a common theme. him. I have had years of therapy as a result of him. I have been SCARED of my own coach for YEARS. why did you stay? my teammates. I love my teammates and wanted to compete for them. this is something that will take me years to recover from. the amount of insecurities that have surfaced because of this boy is disgusting.

Coed Swimming & DivingCharlie King

Coed Swimming & Diving Head Coach

Minnesota State University (Moorhead)

ACHA M2 • NULL

1.4

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Would Recommend

Let’s start with the basic. MSUM IS AN AMAZING SCHOOL. I have always felt safe being on campus, and my professors have always been supportive and good. When it comes to the athletic side though, there is a struggle with feeling welcomed and loved. Charlie, makes u feel so loved and welcomed during recruitment. He craves about the amazing experience on the team is and how there is nothing better than Moorhead. I 99% disagree him. I think the MSUM swim team could be everything and the best and so amazing to be on if Charlie wasn’t the coach. He makes u hate going to the pool and swimming. He gets up set if he doesn’t know everything that is going on, but at the same time tells u he doesn’t want to know everything on your life. He is controlling beyond words. It’s his way or the high way and he doesn’t make any expectations, until you mentally break down and can’t be a human anymore. He plays favorites like no other, he went almost the first week of the swim season not saying a word to me because I wasn’t the fastest… he is like a child when it comes to what is going on. It isn’t his team it should have been our team. If u are an incoming freshman or someone on the team looking at Moorhead or debating leaving DO IT. DONT JOIN THIS TEAM. Take into consideration how the whole team quits or transfers after the first year!

Coed Swimming & DivingCharlie King

Coed Swimming & Diving Head Coach

Minnesota State University (Moorhead)

ACHA M2 • NULL

1.0

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Would Recommend

Charlie overall is a horrible coach. He does not care about you at all. His lack of communication is impossible to plan around. You were expected to not have any mental health issues and any you did were used against you. He would scream at the team before practice but except to have a strong team bond. He would pull you aside after and during practice and yell at you. Every year over half of the class quits do not swim for him.

Coed Swimming & DivingCharlie King

Coed Swimming & Diving Head Coach

Minnesota State University (Moorhead)

ACHA M2 • NULL

1.4

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Would Recommend

Charlie is a very emotionally abusive coach. He’s very good at recruiting but it’s all talk. He doesn’t care about his athletes mental health and plays favorites. It is very clear who he likes and who he doesn’t. Every thing depends on his mood and his communication skills are terrible. He will call you aside after practice and absolutely destroy you mentally saying a bunch of things that aren’t true just to make you look like you’re in the wrong. Every year half or even more than half of the team quits because of his mental abuse and because he also does not care if you have injuries what so ever.

Coed Swimming & DivingCharlie King

Coed Swimming & Diving Head Coach

Minnesota State University (Moorhead)

ACHA M2 • NULL

1.0

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Would Recommend

As the only black girl on the team, I was treated completely different. Charlie is racist and sexist. He creates a culture in which people of color aren’t safe. I was called a “Ni**er” and a teammate spit water in my face and he said, “Well they are from a small town. I also grew up in a small town but I can’t be racist because my middle name is Grant, after US Grant who led the North again the South to end slavery.” Charlie took it a step further saying he knows what it’s like to be discriminated against. I was not safe on the team. He didn’t see me as human. One day I asked him, “why do you talk to me the way that you do? You don’t treat anyone else on the team this way.” I was being cussed out in front of my teammates, he would scream at me in practice if someone messed up, and even act like I didn’t exist to him. He responded, “You are the only person on the team that can handle it and when I get mad I have to unleash it.” I was his daily punching bag. In terms on mental health, he doesn’t care. I started to suffer panic attacks and had to get on antidepressants and anxiety medication due to his actions towards me. One day, the team has a talk with him about how he treats us and how we are suffering mentally he said, “That’s not my problem.” In my opinion, he should not be allowed to coach.