Profiles
Editor's Note: You can view a photo gallery of Margaret in action at Olympic Trials here.
By Erin Greene // USA Swimming Communications Coordinator
It happens at 50 times the rate of childhood cancer, but nobody wants to talk about it. It doesn’t discriminate by gender, race, or social class, but nobody wants to talk about it. Nearly 39 million Americans have survived it, but nobody wants to talk about it.
Nobody, that is, but Margaret Hoelzer.
Following her second trip to the Olympics this summer, Hoelzer made one of the most difficult decisions of her life – to talk about being sexually abused. For Hoelzer, it began when she was just five years old. The offender was her friend’s father, a man that both she and her family trusted.
"I was going to their house on a regular basis," Hoelzer told the Associated Press. "I would spend the night at their house from time to time. It was definitely a situation where I was taught to trust that person."
The two-time Olympian also explained to the AP that the abuse didn’t end until the family moved away. Too young to comprehend what happened to her was wrong, Hoelzer didn’t report the abuse until she was 11 years old.
Hoelzer’s story is not uncommon. According to the sex abuse prevention Web site Darkness to Light, more than 20% of children are abused before the age of 8, with the median age for sex abuse being 9. The site also states that nearly 80% of abuse victims deny they were ever abused, and of those who do disclose the abuse, approximately 75% do so accidentally.
Perhaps even more shocking is the lifelong consequences of sexual abuse. A study published in 2003 entitled Child Abuse & Neglect reported that more than 70% of male survivors seek psychological treatment for issues such as substance abuse, suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide. The same study revealed that 70-80% of all victims engage in excessive drug or alcohol abuse.
Hoelzer, however, managed to refrain from becoming one of those statistics. With the support of her family behind her, the two-time world record-holder turned to swimming to rebuild her self confidence.
“Swimming absolutely helped me,” Hoelzer said. “Abuse is not the kind of thing you ever truly overcome. There are things you have to deal with your whole life on an emotional level. Swimming 100% helped me deal with that. Athletics teaches you to believe in yourself.”
Believing in herself is exactly what propelled Hoelzer to both the Athens and Beijing Olympic Games. After enjoying a successful career that includes three Olympic medals, two national titles and an individual World Championship gold medal, Hoelzer is taking a short time away from the pool to fight sexual abuse.
“This is something I’ve known I wanted to do since I was 10 or 11,” Hoezler said. “For a long time I didn’t know what I wanted to do to help, but I knew always wanted to. With it being an Olympic year, going public was best way to reach people. I have the opportunity to really impact a lot of people.”
Hoelzer’s efforts began last week when she spoke at a fundraiser for the National Children’s Advocacy Center. She also received the support of her hometown when a local restaurant named a hamburger after her. A portion of the burger’s proceeds will go towards the NCAC. Hoelzer is also scheduled to speak at a rape awareness clinic in April, and is considering starting her own foundation to help prevent sex abuse.
“I want to create awareness,” Hoelzer said. “I want to let people know it is a problem you can overcome and still go to the Olympics, or reach whatever higher goal you have. This doesn’t have to define you even though it is a part of you. People need to be more aware of the problem. Not talking about it doesn’t help.”
For more information on sexual abuse, visit the National Children’s Advocacy Center at nationalcac.org.
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