The head coach of two youth swimming clubs has been banned from Springfield Park District property, quit his job at Southeast High School and is being investigated by a national watchdog group dedicated to ending abuse in athletics.
The actions took place after a Sangamon County man on July 19 requested and received a civil order of protection from a judge that prohibited Robert “Bobby” Allison from having contact with the man’s 17-year-old daughter because of an alleged “inappropriate sexual relationship” with her.
Illinois Times traditionally doesn’t name juveniles in legal cases involving sexual activity. To protect the teen’s identity, the Sangamon County man isn’t being named, either.
No criminal charges have been filed against Allison, 42, a Springfield resident and former standout swimmer at Southeast, from which he graduated in 1999.
Springfield Deputy Police Chief Sara Pickford said Allison is the subject of a criminal investigation begun by the police department in July involving “alleged inappropriate contact with a minor.” The investigation is ongoing, she said.
Pickford wouldn’t comment further. Sangamon County State’s Attorney Dan Wright declined comment.
Allison is the owner and head coach of the competitive Bearsharktopus Aquatics Swim Club, according to Allison’s online LinkedIn profile. In addition, he is listed as head instructor on the website for Bearshark Swim School, which provides swimming lessons to children.
He also is head coach of the CASC Seacats, a Springfield youth summer league swimming program that competes in the Midstate Conference, according to the Seacats website.
Allison didn’t respond to phone and email messages from Illinois Times. His attorney, Greg Sronce, declined comment on the order of protection, the park district’s ban and what IT discovered to be an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Center for SafeSport.
The Sangamon County father said in his petition for a temporary order of protection that a diary he discovered in his daughter’s room “described an inappropriate sexual relationship” between the teen “and her 42-year-old employer/swim coach.
“The diary describes numerous physical touching, intimacy, kissing and other inappropriate behaviors initiated by Robert,” the petition said. “There is also emotional manipulation going on for several years.”
The petition made reference to Allison’s coaching of youth swimming teams and said Allison “also teaches private swim lessons to children of all ages.”
The petition said Allison “teaches at multiple different locations and also has a private office location where children are frequently present.”
Judges who grant an initial order of protection typically hold a hearing about two weeks later, listen to both sides and decide whether to issue a longer-term order, sometimes lasting two years.
Because of scheduling issues, both sides agreed to extend the conditions of the initial order until an Aug. 24 hearing. Orders of protection can lead to criminal charges if the orders are violated.
It’s unclear why Denver-based Center for SafeSport temporarily suspended Allison’s status as a member of USA Swimming, other than the nonspecific “allegations of misconduct” listed on its website.
The suspension began July 31, and no ending date is listed. The suspension’s status as temporary indicates SafeSport continues to look into Allison’s alleged misconduct.
SafeSport spokesperson Hilary Nemchik wouldn’t comment on Allison’s case. But she said suspended members of USA Swimming and other sports in the U.S. Olympic Paralympic Movements are prohibited from coaching and otherwise taking part in competitions and practices related to those organizations.
Discipline imposed by the Center for SafeSport applies to people in programs serving athletes at various levels of skill and not just Olympic athletes, Nemchik said.
Discipline of coaches doesn’t prevent athletes and teams from practicing and competing, she said.
The Bearsharktopus Aquatics Swim Club, based in Springfield, lists USA Swimming in the “Sponsors & Partners” section of the club’s website. Documents filed with the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office indicate the club formed as a limited liability corporation in 2016.
Nonprofit SafeSport was created by Congress in the wake of Dr. Larry Nassar’s abuse of females in the USA Gymnastics program. The group is tasked with investigating allegations of sexual, physical and emotional abuse among sports in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movements.
Allison resigned July 25 from his $15,000-a-year job as head coach for Southeast’s boys and girls swimming teams after 10 years, Springfield District 186 spokesperson Rachel Dyas said.
She wouldn’t say why Allison resigned, whether he gave an explanation to the district for his resignation or whether Allison had been disciplined in the past.
Because of concerns tied to allegations in the order of protection petition, the Springfield Park District prohibited Allison from being on park district property, effective July 20 and beyond, according to Rob Cross of the Brown, Hay & Stephens law firm. The firm represents the district.
The ban includes the Eisenhower Aquatic Center, 2351 E. Cornell Ave., one of the practice locations for the Bearsharktopus team, Cross said.
The team is allowed to practice at the Eisenhower pool without Allison present and has continued to do so, according to Jason Graham, the district’s director of parks and planning.
The Bearsharktopus website indicates the team also uses facilities at FitClub South in Springfield and Fusion Fitness & Aquatics in Hillsboro.
The Seacats team practices at the outdoor Columbian Aquatic Center, 2200 S. Meadowbrook Road, Springfield, and at the Eisenhower pool, the Seacats website said.
Allison wrote on his LinkedIn page that he began swimming as an 8-year-old at the Springfield YMCA’s SPY Swim Team and later swam for a Springfield Park District team before attending Southeast.
“After graduating, my swimming earned me a scholarship to the University of Illinois at Chicago,” Allison wrote.
Dean Olsen is a senior staff writer at Illinois Times. He can be reached at dolsen@illinoistimes.com, 217-836-1068 or twitter.com/DeanOlsenIT.
This article appears in Fair music.
