Safe4Athletes a response to unspeakable pain
Just about every high school girls swimming record in the state of Wisconsin belongs to Katherine Starr.
Her name can’t be found anywhere in the record books, though.
Back then, the 44-year-old Starr used to be known as Annabelle Cripps, a prodigy from Madison who wound up swimming in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics for the British national team. She changed her name about six years ago because as good as it once was to be known as Annabelle Cripps, Starr got to the point where she could no longer stomach even the sound of that name.
After all, it was Annabelle Cripps who was raped and repeatedly sexually abused by her Olympic swim coach.
“The pain was so strong that I couldn’t wake up in the morning and be that person anymore,” said Starr, who was able to swim for Britain because both of her parents are from Britain and she has dual citizenship. “Having a different name gives me the strength to do what I need to do.”
And Starr is doing what she wishes had been done for athletes a long time ago.
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