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DEL.ICIO.USWitty will carry flag, message
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
Turin, Italy — For years, she hid. Friday night, she will be out front.
One moment, she hates herself and distrusts others. She can’t bring herself to even get out of bed for a week. The next moment, she is carrying her country’s flag into a stadium and using her platform to speak out against sexual abuse.
We don’t celebrate the Olympics because of athletes who star in burger commercials. We celebrate the Olympics because of people like Chris Witty.
She is a speedskater from Milwaukee. If this were merely about sports priorities, Witty would rank a few steps below Bucknell women’s basketball.
But athletically, this 5-foot-6 30-year-old is in select company. She is one of only nine Olympians to compete in both the Winter and Summer Games (speedskating and cycling). She becomes only the 25th to compete in five Olympics, having already hit the metallic trifecta (gold-silver-bronze).
But Friday night, Witty will carry the U.S. flag and lead Americans into the Opening Ceremony for reasons other than mere longevity and success. She personifies all that we strive for in courage and resilience.
We hear Witty skates around an oval really fast, we yawn. We hear she overcame the pain and humiliation of being abused for seven years, that she achieved athletic greatness and set a world record despite hiding a dark secret for 25 years, we care.
“This is sort of a release for me,” Witty said Thursday.
Witty was 4 years old when she was first abused by a neighbor. Clarence Platteter was in his 60s and a close friend of the Witty family. He had a key to their house. It wasn’t unusual for him to be visiting the day Walter Witty was rushing to take a shower after mowing the lawn because he had to rush to his job as a welder.
Witty remembers it being a sunny day. Her father was in the shower and her mother was on the way home. After a small window of five minutes, her life would never be the same.
“[My father] thought he could trust me with this neighbor, a good friend of his, a nice guy,” she said. “[Platteter] wants you to believe he’s a nice guy and great with kids.”
The abuse lasted until she was 11. Witty remembers the “mind games” Platteter played with her. She would go to his basement and stare in awe at the dollhouse he carved out of wood. “It even had these little rocking chairs,” she said. “I thought it was the greatest thing and I’d love to have it. But he would tell me, ‘I have this other little girlfriend, and she’s so good to me, and you’re not. She’s getting this dollhouse ‘cause she’s a good girl and you’re not.’ “
Witty was 11 when Platteter approached and she finally said, “No!” She had seen a video in school, titled “Good Touch, Bad Touch,” and it gave her the courage to speak up. But she kept the nightmare buried for several years. In 1996, Platteter was convicted of second-degree sexual abuse of another girl. Witty felt tremendous guilt for not speaking out earlier. The girl was 4. Witty was her baby sitter. She sank into deeper depression.
Witty’s turning point came before the 2002 Olympics when Platteter was paroled. She heard from her family that his wife had died and he was moving back into the house next door. Emotions bubbled to the surface. That’s when Witty revealed her story to a few family members and team sports psychologist Keith Henschen. He advised her to see a therapist after the Salt Lake City Games. Witty felt some sense of relief. She set a world record in the 1,000 meters. She went into therapy for three years, then went public with her story in late 2004 in a Salt Lake City newspaper.
She has been overwhelmed by the response. Friends and strangers have opened up about past abuses. Witty has spoken to schools. She is now the national spokesperson for the “Good Touch/Bad Touch” program, which is based in Cartersville, Ga., and designed for children in preschool through sixth grade.
Witty e-mailed Pam Church, the executive director of the program, Wednesday night when she learned she would be the flag-bearer.
“To have Chris speak out like this is huge, not just for us but for the children,” Church said. “We all need heroes. She’s a great example for kids about what you can do and for them to know that if this happens to you, it’s not your fault. There’s a lot of scary stuff that goes on in the world. But Chris obviously has taken that and turned it into something positive.”
Witty will increase her involvement with the program after the Olympics. “Abuse of any kind exists because of secrecy,” she said. “If I use this platform, maybe other people will start talking about it and break the silence.”
She is out front on the issue and will be out front to night, where she belongs.
(More information on the Good Touch/Bad Touch program is available at goodtouchbadtouch.com, or by phone: 770-607-9111; 800-245-1527.)
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By BirdDawg
February 10, 2006 10:34 AM | Link to this
Jeff, an amazing story and an amazing woman. There isn’t much else to say, except have fun in Turin. The Winter Olympics are such an odd thing. The Bi-athalon? Shooting and Skiing? Yeah, I think I won’t mind a bit if I miss out on all that.
By Alan
February 10, 2006 11:03 AM | Link to this
Thank you, thank you, thank you for bringing this forward and continuing to keep this on people’s minds. This article, unfortunately, hits very close to home. Clarence Platteter is a predator, as are all child abusers. Penalties for child abusers need to be much more severe and lengthy. Chris and I are about the same age, the education reveloution regarding sexual abuse came mostly after our time. I’m glad to see it is more prevalent today. I’m not naive enough to think sexual abuse will ever go away, but let’s hope education continues to give children the power and courage to say NO! and tell someone. Bravo Chris! I’m proud to have you carry the U.S. flag and the banner of protection for children.
By Matthew
February 10, 2006 03:41 PM | Link to this
Great story Mr. Shultz. What Chris Witty went through is just terrible. She is a true inspriation to everybody, especially now how she is using her nightmare to help others. The pain in my injured knees pale in comparison to the pain she endured as a child and the mental anguish she still endures to this day.
By geechee
February 10, 2006 04:51 PM | Link to this
Nice story but it is getting a little tiring to read your constant attacks on Bucknell’s women’s basketball team.