I am a male coach that has been coaching high school girls for 15 years. I have seen poor examples of coaching athletes from both genders. There are also numerous accusations of assault with male coaches and male athletes which are more likely to go unreported. Should men not coach male athletes either?
I have witnessed plenty of verbal abuse from female coaches to their athletes at meets. I can't even imagine what they must be like out of the public eye.
Almost all accusations of abuse are true. It is not the coaches that need protection, it is the athletes. It is very difficult for victims to come forward. It's not like you did not name them varsity and then they jump to accusations of sexual assault. Not in your wildest imagination does it happen like that.
I get really annoyed at the consensus on these boards that Safesport is something to avoid. It is a certification that all coaches working with athletes should be required to take. Review and take the certification before you have a strong opinion, otherwise, you simply don't know what you are talking about.
It's not sad that we are not hugging athletes or having private conversations which is completely unnecessary. It is by far not a sterile environment at our practices. We have the largest team in our state because the team works hard, and it is fun to be there. I don't need to touch my athletes to feel connected to them.
If you want to discuss an athlete's goals, have an assistant coach present. If you can't do that, have their parents there. If not that, find another plan. It is not a "hassle" at all. It's actually pretty easy.
If an athlete needs to be picked up on a run, bring their teammate back with them. There have been changes in Safesport lately to deal with emergency situations when you might have to be alone with an athlete. This is a rare circumstance in which you might find yourself alone with an athlete.
If you create a safe environment at practice your athletes will enjoy it more and know you care about their well-being. It's all about having respect and empathy for your athletes.
To the OP, it's a good subject but my radar goes up when someone says, "I like seeing women run well as much as anyone." If that is how you view your athletes, you have no business coaching them. It should feel like they are your daughters, if not, coaching is not for you.