Two teenage hockey gamers say they noticed manipulation, together with abusive and inappropriate behaviour, throughout a season with Madison Biluk as their head coach on an under-18 group in Alberta.
Biluk, who has coached in each Alberta and Manitoba, has been charged with 15 offences, together with sexual assault, sexual exploitation, sexual interference and luring, Winnipeg police mentioned final week.
They are saying the fees stem from a sexually exploitative relationship that occurred between 2019 and 2021 in Manitoba between Biluk, now 28 years outdated, and a teenage participant.
The investigation began final month, police mentioned, after a social media publish detailed allegations of abuse.
Now, two gamers are detailing what they skilled throughout the 2021-22 season with the U18 AA Rocky Mountain Raiders, based mostly in Okotoks, Alta., when Biluk was the group’s head coach.
CBC has additionally realized dad and mom in Alberta raised considerations with officers in a letter about Biluk throughout her time there, however that didn’t stop her from teaching in Manitoba the subsequent season.
CBC isn’t figuring out the 2 gamers who spoke about their time on the Alberta group.
One mentioned Biluk could be cold and hot with gamers, performed thoughts video games and would twist folks’s phrases if she was challenged.
“It was lots of psychological and emotional abuse,” mentioned the participant. “She created this sense that I at all times wanted to have her validate me in something I did.… It was nearly like she knew the right way to get to me, and she or he would use it to her energy.”
The participant mentioned whereas she didn’t expertise something bodily, she did discover behaviour she thought was inappropriate.
WATCH | A Nov. 10, 2023, story on the fees towards Biluk:
Featured VideoFormer ladies’ hockey coach Madison Biluk, 28, has been charged with greater than 15 offences, together with sexual assault and luring, in a case involving an adolescent she as soon as coached, Winnipeg police mentioned on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023.
Early within the season, at a team-bonding occasion in Banff, Alta., she mentioned Biluk stayed up late, ingesting alcohol round gamers and speaking with them about their intercourse lives.
One other time, on a group bus, the participant mentioned she noticed one in every of her teammates with their legs draped throughout Biluk.
“[Biluk] had been, like, type of caressing … on the teammate’s legs,” mentioned the participant. “I simply was, like … it’s type of bizarre to do together with your coach.”
Behaviour ‘caught … most of us off guard’
One other participant who spoke with CBC mentioned she thought having a feminine head coach was nice at first.
However she discovered Biluk would usually yell and belittle gamers, and had favourites who had been handled in a different way, the participant mentioned.
“They didn’t get in hassle,” she mentioned. “They weren’t held accountable for his or her actions.”
The participant mentioned she’s conscious of occasions when Biluk would hang around or talk with gamers outdoors of observe or video games, together with at a rookie celebration that season.
WATCH | Former gamers, mother or father specific considerations:
Featured VideoTwo former gamers and the mother or father of one other participant inform CBC Information of their considerations in regards to the behaviour of coach Madison Biluk throughout her time behind the bench of an under-18 group in Alberta. Biluk was charged by police final week in relation to fifteen offences, together with sexual assault, they are saying had been dedicated whereas Biluk was teaching in Manitoba.
After Biluk went dwelling, the coach ended up on FaceTime with one of many gamers into the early morning hours, the participant mentioned.
“It positively caught … most of us off guard,” mentioned the participant.
She mentioned she’s talking out to point out gamers that there’s assist for them, and to say what they skilled wasn’t acceptable.
Letter despatched to athletic affiliation
It’s not clear at what level the primary formal criticism was made about Biluk’s behaviour as a coach.
However CBC Information has obtained a letter from six households despatched to the president of the Okotoks Oilers Athletic Affiliation, which is accountable for the Raiders, in March 2022 that lists a variety of complaints relating to the group’s teaching throughout that season.
A few of the complaints outlined Biluk’s relationship with sure gamers.
In a single case, the letter states that “throughout preliminary group in a single day journey, Madi took gamers on quick meals runs at 1:00 AM … after which set her alarm to take different gamers at 5:00 AM.”
The letter additionally refers to Biluk being involved with gamers on FaceTime.
“If she was a person she could be kicked out of teaching and I imagine this positively crossed a boundary,” the letter mentioned.
One mother or father advised CBC they obtained no official response to the letter.
The Okotoks Oilers Athletic Affiliation and the Okotoks Minor Hockey Affiliation haven’t responded to any emails despatched by CBC.
Biluk didn’t coach the Raiders for a second season, however did return to Manitoba to teach the U18 feminine AAA Winnipeg Ice throughout the 2022-23 season.
The group, the league and Hockey Winnipeg wouldn’t say whether or not anybody reached out to Biluk’s earlier groups earlier than hiring her once more in Manitoba.
‘A lot of tears’: mother or father
Stacey Working Rabbit’s daughter performed on the Okotoks group the 12 months Biluk coached, and mentioned she wasn’t comfy with what she noticed throughout that season.
“That was in all probability one in every of my daughter’s hardest years in hockey,” mentioned Working Rabbit.
“It was plenty of tears.… You hear the rumblings of issues that weren’t going properly and didn’t appear proper,” she mentioned.
Listening to that Biluk was allowed to teach once more elsewhere after considerations had been raised following that season makes her query the processes in place for hiring coaches, mentioned Working Rabbit.
“I believe a greater vetting must be happening,” mentioned Working Rabbit.
“I believe there needs to be a willingness from associations to confess generally that perhaps they did make a incorrect rent.”
Working Rabbit additionally desires dad and mom to really feel comfy talking out about considerations they’ve, with out worrying about the way it’s going to have an effect on their baby who’s enjoying the game.
“We’re not scorned folks,” she mentioned.
“We’re not simply looking for the ice time for our children. We’re sitting there as dad and mom going, ‘this doesn’t appear proper. Simply hearken to us. Hearken to what we’ve to say. We all know our children. We all know when issues are off. Please don’t inform us that they simply have to be resilient.’”
Not one of the costs towards Biluk have been confirmed in courtroom. She was launched following her arrest with situations.
Biluk couldn’t be reached for remark.
Hockey Manitoba has declined all interviews about Biluk’s case, and mentioned in a press release final week that an investigation by Hockey Canada’s unbiased third celebration is ongoing.
Help is on the market by means of Winnipeg Police Service sufferer companies at 204-986-6350 and the Klinic Sexual Assault Disaster Line at 204-786-8631.