Coaches and Chaperone Contact with Athletes

Appropriate physical contact between athletes and coaches, staff members, contractors or volunteers is a productive and inevitable part of sport. Athletes are more likely to acquire advanced physical skills and enjoy their sport participation through appropriate physical

contact. However, guidelines for appropriate physical contact reduce the potential for misconduct in sport.

APPROPRIATE PHYSICAL CONTACT

USRowing adheres to the following principles and guidelines in regards to physical contact with our athletes.

COMMON CRITERIA FOR APPROPRIATE PHYSICAL CONTACT

Physical contact with athletes – for safety, consolation and celebration – has multiple criteria in common which make them both safe and appropriate. These include:

• the physical contact takes place in public;

• there is no potential for, or actual, physical or sexual intimacies during the physical contact; and

• the physical contact is for the benefit of the athlete, not to meet an emotional or other need of an adult.

 SAFETY

The safety of our athletes is paramount, and in many instances, we make the athletic space safer through appropriate physical contact. 

Examples include:

• spotting an athlete so that they will not be injured by a fall or piece of equipment;

• positioning an athlete’s body so that they more quickly acquire an athletic skill, get a better sense of where their body is in space, or improve their balance and coordination;

• making athletes aware that they might be in harm’s way because of other athletes practicing around them or because of equipment in use; and

• releasing muscle cramps.

CELEBRATION

Sports are physical by definition, and we recognize participants often

express their joy of participation, competition, achievement and victory through physical acts. We encourage these public expressions of celebration, which include:

• greeting gestures such as high-fives, fist bumps, and brief hugs

• congratulatory gestures such as celebratory hugs, “jump-arounds” and pats on the back for any form of athletic or personal accomplishment.

CONSOLATION

It may be appropriate to console an emotionally distressed athlete (e.g., an athlete who has been injured or has just lost a competition). Appropriate consolation includes publicly:

· embracing a crying athlete

· putting an arm around an athlete while verbally engaging them in an effort to          calm them down (“side hugs”)

· lifting a fallen athlete off the playing surface and “dusting them off” to encourage them to continue competition

PROHIBITED PHYSICAL CONTACT

Prohibited forms of physical contact, which shall be reported immediately under our Reporting Policy include, without limitation:

·  asking or having an athlete sit in the lap of a coach, administrator, staff member or volunteer

· lingering or repeated embraces of athletes that go beyond the criteria set forth for acceptable physical contact

· slapping, hitting, punching, kicking or any other physical contact meant to discipline, punish or achieve compliance from an athlete

· “cuddling” or maintaining prolonged physical contact during any aspect of training, travel or overnight stay

·  playful, yet inappropriate contact that is not a part of regular training, (e.g., tickling or “horseplay” wrestling)

·  continued physical contact that makes an athlete obviously uncomfortable, whether expressed or not

·  any contact that is contrary to a previously expressed personal desire for decreased or no physical contact, where such decreased contact is feasible in a competitive training environment.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS AND SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

As part of Charleston City Rowing Club's emphasis on athlete safety, all electronic communications between a coach and athlete must be professional in nature and for the purpose of communicating information about team activities.

 As with any communication, the content of any electronic communication should be readily available to share with the athlete’s family.  At the request of a parent or guardian, any email, electronic text, social media or similar communication will copy or include the athlete’s parents or guardians. 

FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTANT MESSAGING AND SIMILAR MEDIA

Coaches may not have athletes of Charleston City Rowing Club Team join a personal social media page. Athlete members and parents can friend the official Charleston City Rowing Club Team page and coaches can communicate to athlete members though the site. All posts, messages, text, or

media of any kind between coach and athlete must be professional in nature and for the purpose of communicating information about team activities or for team-oriented motivational purposes.

EMAIL AND SIMILAR ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

Athletes and coaches may use email to communicate. All email content between coach and athlete must be professional in nature and for the purpose of communicating information about team activities. Where the coach is a staff member and/or volunteer, email from a coach to any athlete should come from the club website email center (the coach’s return email address will be sent from charlestonrows@gmail.com)

TEXTING AND SIMILAR ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

Texting is allowed between coaches and athletes. All texts between coach and athlete must be professional and for the purpose of communicating information about team activities.

ELECTRONIC IMAGERY

From time to time, digital photos, videos of practice or competition, and other publicly obtainable images of the athlete – individually or in groups – may be taken. These photos and/or videos may be submitted to local, state or national publications, used in club videos, posted on club or club associated websites, or offered to the club families seasonally on disc or other electronic form. It is the default policy of Charleston City Rowing Club to allow such practices as long as the athlete or athletes are in public view and such imagery is both appropriate and in the best interest of the athlete and the club. 

REQUEST TO DISCONTINUE ALL ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS OR IMAGERY

The parents or guardians of an athlete may request in writing that their child not be contacted by any form of electronic communication by coaches (photography or videography).

MISCONDUCT

Social media and electronic communications can also be used to commit misconduct (e.g., emotional, sexual, bullying, harassment, and hazing). Such communications by coaches, staff, volunteers, administrators, officials, parents or athletes will not be tolerated and are considered violations. 

VIOLATIONS

Violations of Charleston City Rowing Club Electronic Communications and Social Media Policy should be reported to your immediate supervisor, a Charleston City Rowing Club administrator. 

TRAVEL

Team travel is overnight travel that occurs when CLUB sponsors, coordinates or arranges for travel so that our teams can compete locally, regionally, nationally or internationally. Because of the greater distances, coaches, staff, volunteers and chaperones will often travel with the athletes. However, no coach, staff member, or volunteer will engage in team travel without the proper safety requirements in place, including valid drivers’ licenses, proper insurance, well-maintained vehicles and compliance with all state laws.

COACH AND STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES

During team travel, coaches and staff members will help athletes, fellow coaches and staff members adhere to policy guidelines, including, without limitation, the Travel Policy, Locker Rooms and Changing Areas Policy and Reporting Policy.

 If a coach or staff member transports an athlete or other organization member in their private car for team travel, a copy of the coach’s or staff member’s valid driver’s license is required.

 When not practicing, training, competing, or preparing for competition, coaches and staff will monitor the activities of athletes, fellow coaches and staff during team travel. Coaches and staff will:

a.       prepare athletes for team travel and make athletes aware of all expectations. Supplemental information will be given to parents/guardians of athletes who are considered inexperienced travelers, new or relatively new to team travel, or who are under the age of 14

b.      familiarize themselves with all travel itineraries and schedules before the initiation of team travel

c.       support chaperones and/or participate in the monitoring of athletes for adherence to curfew restrictions set based on age and competition schedule as listed in travel itinerary

d.      ensure athletes are complying with hotel room restrictions based on gender or age bracket requirements

e.       make certain that athletes are not alone in a hotel room with any adult apart from a family member; this includes coaches, staff and chaperones

f.      not use drugs or alcohol in the presence of minors or be under the influence of alcohol or drugs while performing their coaching duties

g.       immediately report any concerns about physical or sexual abuse, misconduct, or policy violations

h.        notify parents before taking any disciplinary action against a minor athlete if the athlete is traveling without his or her parents.

CHAPERONE RESPONSIBILITIES

Chaperones accompany team travel to ensure that the athletes, coaches, staff, and volunteers adhere to the CLUB’s policy guidelines. The chaperone will not be permitted to have any one-on-one interactions with athletes or other youth participants other than their own child.

If a chaperone will be operating a private car for team travel, a copy of the chaperone’s valid driver’s license is required.

 Chaperones will monitor the activities of all coaches, staff members, volunteers and athletes during team travel. Specifically, chaperones will:

  a. familiarize themselves with all travel itineraries and schedules before team travel

b.  monitor for adherences to club policies during team travel

c.  help athletes be on time for all team commitments (as possible)

d.  assist coaches, staff and other volunteers with team travel logistical needs (as possible)

e   monitor athletes for adherence to curfew restrictions set based on age and competition schedule as listed in travel itinerary

f.  ensure athletes comply with hotel room restrictions based on gender or age bracket requirements

g. not use drugs or alcohol in the presence of minors or be under the influence of alcohol or drugs while performing their chaperone duties

h.  make certain that athletes are not alone in a hotel room with any adult apart from a family member; this includes coaches, staff and chaperones

1. immediately report any concerns about sexual and physical abuse, misconduct or policy violations to a CLUB administrator or a member of CLUB’s Participant Safety Committee. each coach and athlete, but it is nevertheless important for everyone involved in sport to support the use of motivational and training methods that avoid misconduct.