威望背后的惡行：美國“馬術之神”性侵往事曝光
加州拉肯亞達-弗林楚奇市——在吉米·A·威廉姆斯(Jimmy A. Williams)執(zhí)教了將近四十年的馬術俱樂部里，找不到這位馬術障礙賽名人堂教練的一絲痕跡。他在此培養(yǎng)年輕的騎手，其中一些達到了奧運賽手的高度。
The pictures and paintings of Williams, who died in 1993, and the sterling trophies he won all vanished without a word recently from the clubhouse where he had spent many afternoons tipping back Champagne with some of Los Angeles County’s biggest and richest names: the parents of his young charges. Last month, the club removed his name from the grand show jumping stadium at the heart of the sprawling property at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, once the Jimmy A. Williams Oval. Today it is just Ring 1.
威廉姆斯于1993年去世。最近，有關他的照片和畫作，以及他贏得的優(yōu)秀獎杯，卻全都從這個俱樂部中銷聲匿跡。他在這里度過了許多個下午，與洛杉磯名頭最響亮、最富有的一些名流共飲香檳：他們的孩子在跟著他學習。上個月，這個坐落在圣加百利山腳的巨大俱樂部，把他的名字從俱樂部中心那座曾被命名為“吉米·A·威廉姆斯橢圓運動場”的馬術障礙賽場館中剔除。現(xiàn)在它就叫做“一號賽場”。
But his former riders cannot forget Williams. Across the country, in her New Jersey barn adorned with her Olympic medals, Anne Kursinski, one of the country’s most decorated show jumpers, remembered her former coach.
但曾經(jīng)他手下的騎手可忘不了威廉姆斯。在這個國家的另一頭，新澤西州一個裝點著奧運獎牌的馬廄內，美國戰(zhàn)績最為彪炳的馬術障礙賽騎手安妮·庫爾辛斯基(Anne Kursinski)記得他。
How he tasted of alcohol whenever he pinned her in a horse stall and crammed his tongue into her mouth. And far more. “He penetrated me when I was 11,” Kursinski said, revealing publicly for the first time the details of what she said became six years of continual rape and molestation. “I was a little kid,” she said. “And he was God.”
她記得他是如何把自己困在了一個馬廄內，把他的舌頭塞進自己的嘴里，他總是一股酒味。還有許多。“他在我11歲時強奸了我，”首次公開揭露這些細節(jié)的庫爾辛斯基說，她說這后來變成了六年不斷的強奸和性騷擾。“我當時是個小孩，”她說。“而他是神。”
The equestrian community has been rocked by the revelations of abuse made by Kursinski and four other students, the broad strokes of which were first reported last month by The Chronicle of the Horse, an industry publication. It has shaken an insular universe in which Williams, in life and after, was a mythic figure, revered for his knack with difficult horses and for churning out top-flight riders.
庫爾辛斯基和其他四名學生揭發(fā)的虐待事件震驚了馬術界，大致內容在上個月由業(yè)內出版物《賽馬紀事》(The Chronicle of the Horse)首先報道，撼動了這個不論威廉姆斯生前還是死后都是神一般存在的封閉領域。在這個領域里，他因善馭難以馴服的馬匹，訓練出了一批頂級騎手而備受尊敬。
But few have been surprised.
但大家都不感到意外。
Interviews with 38 former students, trainers, grooms, equestrian officials and members of the Flintridge Riding Club reveal a rarefied social scene in which Williams groped and kissed young girls publicly and with impunity — though few knew the true extent of the abuse.
對38名曾經(jīng)的學生、教練、馬夫、馬術官員和弗林楚奇馬術俱樂部成員的采訪揭示了這樣一個外人難以理解的社交場景：威廉姆斯有恃無恐地公開親吻年輕女孩，對其上下其手——盡管真實的虐待程度鮮有人知。
They describe a toxic brew of prestige and ambition that led parents bent on their child’s success in the show ring to ignore his near daily predations and children too afraid of losing beloved horses not to tell. What emerged was a world where, for adults, entree to cocktail hour in the Spanish Colonial-style clubhouse and access to a man with movie-star good looks and a legendary way with horses seemed to eclipse whatever it was rumored to have happened back at the barn.
他們描述了一種威望和野心的惡性交融，使得父母一心想看孩子在賽馬場上取得成功，而忽略了他幾乎每天都在進行的掠食;孩子們則害怕失去他們心愛的馬匹，不敢聲張。在這個世界里，成年人為了能到這西班牙殖民地風格的俱樂部里參加雞尾酒會，接觸一個有著電影明星的美貌和傳奇馴馬手段的男人，會不惜去無視所有來自馬廄的傳聞。
“The unspoken rule was of not saying anything, not divulging anything,” said Karen Herald, 58, who rode there from age 16 to 20, during which time she said Williams continually molested her. Williams wielded carrot and stick to ensure silence, she and others said: better horses to ride for those who were compliant, and threats they’d fail in the sport without him as coach.
“潛規(guī)則是什么都不說，什么都不泄露出去，”現(xiàn)年58歲的凱倫·赫勒爾德(Karen Herald)說。她說自己從16歲到20歲一直在那里騎馬，在那期間，威廉姆斯不斷騷擾她。她和另外一些人說，為了確保她們保持沉默，威廉姆斯胡蘿卜和大棒并舉：讓順從的人騎好馬，并威脅稱如果沒有他當教練，她們在這項運動里會一事無成。
“For the riders, it was, ‘Oh my God, I want to be the best rider,'” said Herald, who now works in breast cancer research. But for the parents, she said, “It was, ‘Oh my God, I want to be a part of this.'”
“對騎手來說，是‘天啊，我想成為最好的騎手，’”現(xiàn)在從事乳腺癌研究的赫勒爾德說。但她說，對父母來說，“就是‘天啊，我想進入這個圈子’”。
Williams, who died at age 76, zipped around horse shows in a cowboy hat and a cloud of cologne in a customized golf cart emblazoned with the phrase, “Jimmy Williams is a clean old man, amen.” He was a World War II veteran who learned classical riding when stationed in Italy, according to multiple biographies. He left military service with a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star with valor to return to California, where he starred in several movies as an equestrian stunt double.
威廉姆斯已經(jīng)去世，終年76歲。生前，他會戴著牛仔帽，噴上濃烈的古龍水，坐在一輛定制高爾夫球車里，在馬術表演場地周圍轉悠。那輛高爾夫球車上醒目地寫著“吉米·威廉姆斯是個好干凈的老頭，阿門”。多本傳記顯示，他是二戰(zhàn)老兵，在意大利服役時學過古典騎術。后來，他戴著一枚紫心勛章和一枚銅英勇勛章退伍，回到加利福尼亞，并以馬術特技替身演員的身份參演多部電影。
Handsome and spouting aphorisms, he was known as a ladies’ man; an obituary in The Los Angeles Times said he was married six times. He began riding at 8 years old, with stints in almost every discipline, from racehorses to Western horses, according to the National Reined Cow Horse Association, where he is in the association’s hall of fame. He began working at Flintridge in 1956, and remained employed there until his death.
他相貌英俊，妙語連珠，很討女性喜歡?！堵迳即墪r報》(The Los Angeles Times)刊登的訃告稱他結過六次婚。據(jù)將威廉姆斯選入名人堂的全國馴服牛馬協(xié)會(National Reined Cow Horse Association)稱，他八歲開始騎馬，幾乎所有項目都接觸過，從賽馬到西部馬。他從1956年開始在弗林楚奇工作，一直到去世。
As Williams climbed in prestige, netting accolades and even the establishment in 1988 of a lifetime achievement trophy in his name by the sport’s top governing body — his trademark cowboy hat in silver by Tiffany — the whispers that escaped the paddocks of Flintridge were ignored.
隨著聲望的提升，威廉姆斯收獲了多項榮譽。1988年，馬術運動的最高管理機構甚至還用他的名字設立了一項終身成就獎——由蒂芙尼(Tiffany)設計的一頂銀質牛仔帽。牛仔帽是威廉姆斯的標志。在此期間，人們忽略了來自弗林楚奇馬場的傳言。
Two years ago, the organization caved to backroom pressure exerted by Kursinski and other victims to remove Williams’ name from the lifetime achievement trophy. But at the time, Chrystine Tauber, then the president of the U.S. Equestrian Federation, did not disclose the reason. In a 2016 statement, Tauber said it was a purely bureaucratic decision.
兩年前，屈于庫爾辛斯基和其他受害者施加的壓力，該協(xié)會將威廉姆斯的名字從那項終身成就獎中去掉。但當時，時任美國馬術聯(lián)合會(U.S. Equestrian Federation)會長克里斯汀·陶貝爾(Chrystine Tauber)沒有透露原因。陶貝爾在2016年的一份聲明中說，那純粹是一個行政決定。
Only last month did the federation reveal the truth, after being pressed by a reporter from The Chronicle of the Horse. When asked by The New York Times why Tauber had obfuscated in 2016, the federation issued a statement correcting the record:
直到上月，美國馬術聯(lián)合會才在《賽馬紀事》一名記者的追問下披露了真相。在《紐約時報》問到陶貝爾在2016年為什么混淆視聽時，馬術聯(lián)合會發(fā)表了一份聲明，進行了更正：
“We did what we believed was responsible at the time to protect any potential victims, as we did not have a substantiated claim of sexual abuse,” Bill Moroney, the chief executive of the federation, wrote in an email. “Our public statement has changed and the Jimmy Williams trophy has been retired due to the substantiated allegations from a victim with whom Jimmy Williams engaged in sexual misconduct during his role as her trainer.”
“當時，我們做了我們認為有助于保護潛在受害者的負責任的事，因為我們當時沒有得到性虐待的實質性證據(jù)，”該聯(lián)合會的首席執(zhí)行官比爾·莫羅尼(Bill Moroney)在接受電子郵件采訪時寫道，“后來，一名受害者指控吉米·威廉姆斯在擔任她的教練期間對她有過不當性行為，她的指控已被證實，所以我們更改了公開聲明，撤銷了吉米·威廉姆斯獎。”
Why it took decades for the allegations to surface is something that the victims struggle to understand. Many themselves said nothing.
受害者們無法理解的是，為什么過了幾十年，那些指控才被曝光。她們中的很多人什么也沒說。
“I think it must have been because he was Jimmy Williams,” said Susan Lomenzo Langer, who rode there when she was 15. “For Jimmy Williams to invite you to his house even if it was to chase after you and corner you and molest you. He was a magician with horses; we were so in awe of him.
“我想，應該是因為他是吉米·威廉姆斯，”蘇珊·洛門佐·蘭格(Susan Lomenzo Langer)說。她15歲時在那個俱樂部騎過馬。“那可是吉米·威廉斯邀請你去他家，盡管是追逐你，把你逼到墻角，性騷擾你。他對馬是有魔力的，我們當時非常敬畏他。”
“He was so famous, he was a movie star,” Lomenzo Langer said, her voice rising with emotion: “I was a kid!”
“當時他太出名了，像個電影明星，”洛門佐·蘭格說。由于情緒激動，她提高了嗓音：“當時我還是個孩子!”
Some dispute the allegations against Williams. Susan M. Hutchison, a professional grand prix rider, began riding at Flintridge Riding Club when she was 5. When she was 18, she began living with Williams, who was then 55. The long-term partnership continued to his death, according to his obituary in The New York Times.
有些人對威廉姆斯的指控表示質疑。蘇珊·M·哈奇森(Susan M. Hutchison)是一名大獎賽職業(yè)騎手，從5歲起開始在弗林楚奇馬術俱樂部騎馬。18歲時，她開始與當時55歲的威廉姆斯同居。據(jù)《紐約時報》的訃告稱，他們的長期伴侶關系一直持續(xù)到他去世。
Hutchison has vehemently denied any abuse, and denounced the accusations in published reports. She declined a request to comment for this article.
哈奇森強烈否認威廉姆斯有過任何虐待行為，曾在公開報道中譴責這些指控。她拒絕就本文置評。
Even for the few children who spoke up about the misconduct as it happened, Williams’ status as an equestrian giant served as a de facto silencer.
盡管有幾個孩子公開講述了威廉姆斯的不當行為，但他馬術巨人的地位實際上起到了消音器的作用。
Ringside at the Indio National Horse Show in Indio, California, in 1968, Williams scouted 14-year-old Melissa Cardenas, now Mihalevich, a high-jump prodigy, pitching to her mother that Melissa should train with him. After the adults struck a deal, Williams followed her to where she was grooming her horse, High Barbaree, Mihalevich said, threw his arm over her in an avuncular way and then shoved his tongue down her throat.
1968年，威廉姆斯在加州印第奧的印第奧美國馬術表演賽(Indio National Horse Show)場邊發(fā)現(xiàn)了14歲的高跳奇才梅莉莎·卡德納斯(Melissa Cardenas)——她現(xiàn)在隨夫姓米哈列維奇(Mihalevich)——他向她的母親提出愿意做她的教練。米哈列維奇稱，在大人們達成協(xié)議后，威廉姆斯跟著她去了她刷洗她的馬高巴巴里(High Barbaree)的地方，慈愛地用胳膊摟住她，然后把舌頭伸進了她的喉嚨。
She ran and told her mother. “She just could not believe that,” Mihalevich said. “It was Jimmy Williams.” The plan to train with Williams went forward, and lasted three years, she said. So too did the abuse.
她跑去告訴了母親。“她就是不信，”米哈列維奇說。“因為他是吉米·威廉姆斯。”她說，跟著威廉姆斯訓練的計劃繼續(xù)執(zhí)行，持續(xù)了三年。對她的性侵也持續(xù)了三年。
For Kursinski, who for decades after the abuse ended continued to champion his horsemanship in interviews, her silence stemmed in part from a sense of gratitude for his role in helping her toward equestrian superstardom, she said, a duality she has tackled through therapy and spiritual work.
庫爾辛斯基在性侵結束后的數(shù)十年里繼續(xù)在采訪中稱贊威廉姆斯的馬術技藝，她的沉默部分源于對他的感激之情，因為是他幫助她變成了馬術界的超級巨星。她說，她通過心理治療和精神修養(yǎng)應對這兩種對立的情緒。
“At one point I felt there were almost two of me,” she said. “There’s this little thing over here, and there is this other part of me that rides. To survive.”
“我一度覺得自己幾乎是兩個人，”她說。“里面有個小東西，還有另一半想要騎馬，想要生存下去。”
She added: “I still have to say he is a genius. But he was sick.”
她還說：“我還是得說，他是個天才。但他有病。”
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