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Adam: Okay, Maddie, I just wanted to give you some feedback on the meeting I had with Kate.
And I also spoke with Bill, the other coach, and with Rebecca, your team captain.
And I thought that was necessary to do in order for me to get a full picture of the situation.
But I want you to know that I only told those people enough information in order
for them to be able to help me with the inquiries that I'm making.
Firstly, I want to go through Kate's responses to your allegations.
Maddie: Well, she denies it all, hasn't she?
Adam: Well, I would like to go through each of the points that were raised,
and I want you to know that I'm not disputing anything that you say occurred.
I'm merely reporting back.
Maddie: Okay. I know what I heard. It's going to be difficult for me to prove that,
she saying that, because I don't think anyone around overheard what she's saying at the time.
Adam: Well, it's the case that Kate denies the comments that you say
she made directly to you. Maddie: Well, again, I know what I heard
and even though it's not specifically directly to me, saying it in front of me.
But if you heard your coach saying something like that, it's upsetting and of course,
you take it personally.
Adam: Look, I certainly appreciate that this is difficult for you, but can you
think of anyone else who might have witnessed that conversation?
Anyone else who I could speak to?
Maddie: No. It's just a waste of time. Adam: Okay, all right.
Why don't we discuss the third issue of your complaint,
and that concerns the amount of on-field time that you get?
When I spoke with Kate, she said that it is the case that you don't get
as much on-field time, but she disputes the reason for this.
Kate says it's because of your attitude and that you're often late to practice.
What are your views there? Maddie: My attitude?
If you felt that you're not being wanted by your coach and she makes all sort of
racist comments, of course it will change your attitude.
But I know that I've been late a few times and that's due to my Mom's
not feeling well and I have to help her out and I have to go straight from work
to go and help her before I go to the training session.
Adam: Okay. Have you explained this to Kate?
Is she aware that your mother is ill?
Maddie: No, I didn't see the point. It's clear that she doesn't like talking to me.
Adam: Okay, all right.
Well, as I mentioned earlier, I also spoke with the team captain, Rebecca,
and she said that she wasn't aware that there are any problems between you and Kate.
She says that she knows that you don't get as much game time as some
of the other girls, but she didn't know what the reason could be for that.
She says that she really likes having you in the team and enjoys having you there.
Maddie: Yes. It's not Rebecca or any of the girls.
They're all really nice people and I love playing with them.
Adam: Okay.
Well, why don't we talk a bit about where we might go from here?
There is a few things that I think I should touch on.
If you would like to take the matter further, I could present your complaint to the committee.
The committee would need to decide what happened and what action to take in response.
At the moment, it may be difficult for the committee to make that decision
because at this stage, it appears to be your word against Kate's.
But do you have any views about that?
Maddie: Well, I don't want her to get away with it and I just want to get the thing sorted
so that I can play. But I also want my complaint to be presented
to the committee so that they know what's going on.
And also, I would like somebody to talk to Kate, that her comment has been
very upsetting and very hurtful.
And if this problem cannot be sorted, I would like to play with a different coach.
Adam: Okay. Look, I have a suggestion.
I think that it might be useful to have a meeting between you and Kate
and possibly Rebecca. At that meeting, we could talk about the issues you've raised
and talk about how we can move on from here, how we might resolve this issue.
You mentioned having a different coach. Unfortunately, the club only has so many
coaches and it might be difficult to find a different coach.
But we may be able to look at maybe transferring you to a different team
or sort things out that way.
How would you feel about that?
Maddie: Okay. I'm happy with that.
Thank you. Adam: All right.
Well, I will now speak to the committee and get back to you when I've done that.
Maddie: Okay. Thank you. Adam: Okay, thanks.