A former Olympic figure skater is accused of sexually abusing students he coached at a skating rink in Irmo.
One young woman says she was raped. The other was a minor when she says she “had a complete mental breakdown” and was forced to leave the sport because of the coach’s “wandering hands”.
And now a third student has come forward accusing the coach, Mark Cockerell, of groping her. She says she was 14 years-old when the abuse began.
Cockerell, now 61-years-old, competed in the 1984 Olympics where he placed 13th. He won the World Junior Title in 1976.
The Lawsuit
The students’ allegations are part of federal lawsuits filed by Strom Law Firm and McGowan, Hood, Fleder & Phillips. The attorneys say they got a call from a victim about a month ago and learned the abuse had gone on for several years.
They say Cockerell should not have been allowed to work with minors. The lawsuit alleges previous complaints against him.
The suit also names as defendants the rink where Cockerell worked, Flight Fit N Fun, and the United States Figure Skating Association in Colorado. Both are accused of failing to ensure the safety of students.
Allegations of abuse
According to the lawsuit, the first plaintiff began taking classes at the Irmo rink at the beginning of 2020. There she saw the coach almost every day. He frequently told her she was “beautiful” and “special” and convinced her to have meals with him at his home.
Plaintiff one says that’s when the demands for sex began. She told him she was a virgin but says he responded by telling her "He could penetrate her and still leave her a virgin”. Three years later, she says, the coach raped her.
The second plaintiff says she was a teenager in 2018 when she started taking lessons from the coach. She says he was known for “lingering side hugs” and frequently groped her waist, legs and butt. And, she says, he regularly showed up for lessons drunk which signaled she “was about to get touched a lot more than usual.”
Plaintiff two says she developed an eating disorder because the coach put her on a strict diet and shamed her if “she didn’t look skinny enough on any given day.” Three years later, she left figure skating altogether after becoming “reclusive and moody.”
The third plaintiff says she too was body shamed and developed and eating disorder. She says Cockerell told her she wasn't allowed to have a boyfriend because it would take away from his time with her.
The defendants' response
South Carolina Public Radio reached out to Cockerell by phone. He said he had no comment before hanging up.
We also spoke with an attorney for Flight Fit N Fun where Cockerell taught. Adam Bunge of Chicago said he had no comment.
And we reached out to the U.S. Figure Skating’s national headquarters in Colorado Springs, Co. but we have not heard back.
This is a developing story.
