Posted by (+6139) one year ago
This is a letter to the Miles City Star I submitted on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022 in response to the front page tribute for the deceased former CCDHS teacher and wrestling coach Jack Raymond that ran on the preceding Friday:
“Remember Raymond for everything he was”
This in response to the tribute for former CCDHS teacher and wrestling coach Jack Raymond that was printed in the Friday, Jan. 7, 2022 edition of the Star.
Raymond may be, in fact, the most accomplished and credentialed wrestling coach Miles City has ever had. Indeed, he may be “remembered as a great mentor, friend, father and husband.” He very well may have “touched a lot of people’s hearts with everything he did,” or “got the most out of you” by showing “tough love,” as was stated in the well-written story about him on Friday.
As accurate as those very positive things may be, here’s what else Raymond was: a child-rape enabler, a sadist, and ultimately, a coward. All of these are equally true and just as worthy of inclusion in the remembrance of that man’s life, if not more so.
By the early 1990s, Raymond was a person obsessed with beating Sidney, which had ascended to the top of Class A wrestling in Montana, a height from which Cowboy Wrestling had fallen since the mid-1980s. To that end, Raymond had “Sidney Scares Me” t-shirts printed for his team, seemingly as a way of using shame as a motivational tool. If that was the extent of his competitive drive, it could be dismissed as funny. If only that were the case.
Ostensibly to be more competitive with Sidney, Raymond had (now-deceased) team physician Dr. Lew Vadheim certify wrestlers well under – sometimes two or three weight classes below – the legal limit. This effectively forced countless wrestlers into bulimia. The extent to which children were made to savage themselves to be able to make an impossible weight and compete was grotesque and permanently damaging to some – who were then mocked at the end of each season with what Raymond called the “Fat Pig Banquet.”
Even worse, Raymond required his wrestlers to get treatment from James “Doc” Jensen after every practice, every match, and every meet. These “rub-downs,” as they were commonly called, were mandatory. He made sure his assistant coach, Kevin McAuliffe, enforced this policy, which effectively fed children to a child rapist.
Raymond and McAuliffe both knew Jensen wasn’t conducting himself appropriately. They simply chose not to care. Raymond disregarded the complaints they received from the wrestlers who didn’t want to be subjected to Jensen’s “treatment,” in or out of “The Program.” Jensen was allowed to prey upon his victims unchecked – directly in front of them.
Quite simply, the sustained abuse that Jensen inflicted on dozens – if not hundreds – of boys during his years as the unqualified and unvetted “athletic trainer” at CCDHS – would not have been possible to the extent that they were if not for the complicity of Raymond (and McAuliffe, who is still coaching and counseling at CCDHS).
Raymond never apologized to the countless then-children, now-men he hurt and allowed to be hurt. He was never made to. He got off easy. He was largely forgiven, due to his inability – and unwillingness – to remember. But there can be no true forgiveness without real accountability, say nothing of actual contrition. At a minimum, he should be recalled for all of who and what he was: a teacher, a coach, a mentor … and a child rape-enabler, a sadist, and a coward.
There will never be – and there must never be – another Jack Raymond.
Brian Reed
Billings, MT
Note: Brian Reed is a 1995 graduate of CCDHS and a former sports editor of the Star. He is also one of the plaintiffs in the successful 2018 lawsuit against James ‘Doc’ Jensen and the Miles City Unified School District.
...
My intention was for the letter to be run in the Star on Thursday or Friday so that the people visiting Miles City for the Cowboy Invitational would be able to read it and discuss its contents amongst themselves.
This did not happen.
I was told yesterday by the publisher of the Star, Andy Prutsok, that the letter, as written, would require changes in order to be run in the paper. He stated that he had consulted with the Star's legal counsel and asked that references to Kevin McAuliffe be removed from the letter. Prutsok also intimated that the tone of my letter be softened since Raymond was a "well-liked person in town."
I complied with his request to omit McAuliffe's name, but I did not tone down the letter, as I felt I was already holding back considerably. I did not hear back from Prutsok after I made the changes and only found out second-hand that the letter would not run this week after it was too late to make the Friday paper. I had already felt that Prutsok was intentionally stalling, and this all but confirmed it.
I read somewhere that "when good community journalism dwindles, so does government accountability," and I truly believe that applies to responsibility in all venues, including schools, municipalities, and the newspapers that cover them.
Unfortunately, the person who wrote that three years ago for The Daily Yonder doesn't really seem to believe his own words, at least when it comes to weighing his publication's duty to the people of the community against any imagined legal troubles that might arise from actually doing the right thing.
...
Adding insult to injury was the discovery today that current CCDHS wrestling coach Mike Etchemendy will be renaming the Cowboy Invitational's Outstanding Wrestler Award after Raymond.
Either he has a very selective memory, or Etchemendy is even more dedicated to emulating Raymond than anyone should choose to be.
The last person anything should be named after is Jack Raymond. The last person anyone should aspire to be is Jack Raymond. And yet, here's Mike Etchemendy arrogantly following in his hero's footsteps.
Will he have the same philosophy - and utter lack of morality - when it comes to things like weight certification as his role model did? It's a question worth asking, especially if you're entrusting your child's health and safety to him.
At any rate, he should be fully aware of why Raymond was fired 20 years ago and steer clear of any emulation of that man. Alas.
So, Mike, I have to ask you this: If someone proposed awarding the "Kills On Top Trophy" to the outstanding athlete of a tournament, how would YOU feel? If someone wanted you to observe a moment of silence for Diane Bull Coming, would you remain quiet? Your hero was no better of a person than they were, but least they were held accountable for their terrible actions.
“Remember Raymond for everything he was”
This in response to the tribute for former CCDHS teacher and wrestling coach Jack Raymond that was printed in the Friday, Jan. 7, 2022 edition of the Star.
Raymond may be, in fact, the most accomplished and credentialed wrestling coach Miles City has ever had. Indeed, he may be “remembered as a great mentor, friend, father and husband.” He very well may have “touched a lot of people’s hearts with everything he did,” or “got the most out of you” by showing “tough love,” as was stated in the well-written story about him on Friday.
As accurate as those very positive things may be, here’s what else Raymond was: a child-rape enabler, a sadist, and ultimately, a coward. All of these are equally true and just as worthy of inclusion in the remembrance of that man’s life, if not more so.
By the early 1990s, Raymond was a person obsessed with beating Sidney, which had ascended to the top of Class A wrestling in Montana, a height from which Cowboy Wrestling had fallen since the mid-1980s. To that end, Raymond had “Sidney Scares Me” t-shirts printed for his team, seemingly as a way of using shame as a motivational tool. If that was the extent of his competitive drive, it could be dismissed as funny. If only that were the case.
Ostensibly to be more competitive with Sidney, Raymond had (now-deceased) team physician Dr. Lew Vadheim certify wrestlers well under – sometimes two or three weight classes below – the legal limit. This effectively forced countless wrestlers into bulimia. The extent to which children were made to savage themselves to be able to make an impossible weight and compete was grotesque and permanently damaging to some – who were then mocked at the end of each season with what Raymond called the “Fat Pig Banquet.”
Even worse, Raymond required his wrestlers to get treatment from James “Doc” Jensen after every practice, every match, and every meet. These “rub-downs,” as they were commonly called, were mandatory. He made sure his assistant coach, Kevin McAuliffe, enforced this policy, which effectively fed children to a child rapist.
Raymond and McAuliffe both knew Jensen wasn’t conducting himself appropriately. They simply chose not to care. Raymond disregarded the complaints they received from the wrestlers who didn’t want to be subjected to Jensen’s “treatment,” in or out of “The Program.” Jensen was allowed to prey upon his victims unchecked – directly in front of them.
Quite simply, the sustained abuse that Jensen inflicted on dozens – if not hundreds – of boys during his years as the unqualified and unvetted “athletic trainer” at CCDHS – would not have been possible to the extent that they were if not for the complicity of Raymond (and McAuliffe, who is still coaching and counseling at CCDHS).
Raymond never apologized to the countless then-children, now-men he hurt and allowed to be hurt. He was never made to. He got off easy. He was largely forgiven, due to his inability – and unwillingness – to remember. But there can be no true forgiveness without real accountability, say nothing of actual contrition. At a minimum, he should be recalled for all of who and what he was: a teacher, a coach, a mentor … and a child rape-enabler, a sadist, and a coward.
There will never be – and there must never be – another Jack Raymond.
Brian Reed
Billings, MT
Note: Brian Reed is a 1995 graduate of CCDHS and a former sports editor of the Star. He is also one of the plaintiffs in the successful 2018 lawsuit against James ‘Doc’ Jensen and the Miles City Unified School District.
...
My intention was for the letter to be run in the Star on Thursday or Friday so that the people visiting Miles City for the Cowboy Invitational would be able to read it and discuss its contents amongst themselves.
This did not happen.
I was told yesterday by the publisher of the Star, Andy Prutsok, that the letter, as written, would require changes in order to be run in the paper. He stated that he had consulted with the Star's legal counsel and asked that references to Kevin McAuliffe be removed from the letter. Prutsok also intimated that the tone of my letter be softened since Raymond was a "well-liked person in town."
I complied with his request to omit McAuliffe's name, but I did not tone down the letter, as I felt I was already holding back considerably. I did not hear back from Prutsok after I made the changes and only found out second-hand that the letter would not run this week after it was too late to make the Friday paper. I had already felt that Prutsok was intentionally stalling, and this all but confirmed it.
I read somewhere that "when good community journalism dwindles, so does government accountability," and I truly believe that applies to responsibility in all venues, including schools, municipalities, and the newspapers that cover them.
Unfortunately, the person who wrote that three years ago for The Daily Yonder doesn't really seem to believe his own words, at least when it comes to weighing his publication's duty to the people of the community against any imagined legal troubles that might arise from actually doing the right thing.
...
Adding insult to injury was the discovery today that current CCDHS wrestling coach Mike Etchemendy will be renaming the Cowboy Invitational's Outstanding Wrestler Award after Raymond.
Either he has a very selective memory, or Etchemendy is even more dedicated to emulating Raymond than anyone should choose to be.
The last person anything should be named after is Jack Raymond. The last person anyone should aspire to be is Jack Raymond. And yet, here's Mike Etchemendy arrogantly following in his hero's footsteps.
Will he have the same philosophy - and utter lack of morality - when it comes to things like weight certification as his role model did? It's a question worth asking, especially if you're entrusting your child's health and safety to him.
At any rate, he should be fully aware of why Raymond was fired 20 years ago and steer clear of any emulation of that man. Alas.
So, Mike, I have to ask you this: If someone proposed awarding the "Kills On Top Trophy" to the outstanding athlete of a tournament, how would YOU feel? If someone wanted you to observe a moment of silence for Diane Bull Coming, would you remain quiet? Your hero was no better of a person than they were, but least they were held accountable for their terrible actions.