MAAPP - Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy
USA Swimming has implemented a new Safe Sport Initiative. USA Swimming’s top priority continues to be keeping our athletes safe. No form of abuse, including child sexual abuse, has a place in our sport.USA Swimming member clubs and LSCs are required to implement this Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy in full.
The Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy must be reviewed and agreed to in writing by all athletes, parents, coaches and other non-athlete members of member clubs on an annual basis with such written agreement to be retained by the club.
Full Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy - HERE.
MAAPP ACKNOWLEDGMENT FORM - HERE
18-Year-Old Athletes
Athletes will be required to complete USA Swimming Athlete Protection Courses prior to their 18th birthday. The Athlete Protection Courses will be required to be completed annually. USA Swimming Athlete Protection Courses – HERE.
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Anti-Bullying Policy
Bullying of any kind is unacceptable at Swiminc and will not be tolerated. Bullying is counterproductive in all situations and can be devastating to a victim. Swiminc is committed to providing a safe, caring and friendly environment for all of our members. If bullying does occur, everyone should know that incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively. Anyone who knows that bullying is happening is expected to tell a coach, other employee of Swiminc, a Swiminc Board member or other appropriate adult.
Objectives of Swiminc’s Bullying Policy and Action Plan:
1. To make it clear that Swiminc will not tolerate bullying in any form.
2. To define bullying and give all Swiminc employees, Swiminc Board members, coaches, parents and participants in Swiminc activities a good understanding of what bullying is.
3. To make it known to all parents, members, athletes, and coaching staff that there is a policy and protocol should any bullying issues arise.
4. To make how to report bullying clear and understandable.
5. To spread the word that (Name of Club) takes bullying seriously and that all swimmers and parents can be assured that they will be supported when bullying is reported.
WHAT IS BULLYING?
Generally, bullying is the use of aggression, whether intentional or not, which hurts another person. Bullying results in pain and distress. Source: www.stopbullying.gov – a federal government website managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Bullying is the severe or repeated use of oral, written, electronic or other technological expression, image, sound, data or intelligence of any nature (regardless of the method of transmission), or a physical act or gesture, or any combination thereof, directed at any other person that to a reasonably objective person has the effect of:
i. causing physical or emotional harm to the other member or damage to the other member’s property;
ii. placing the other member in reasonable fear of harm to himself/herself or of damage to his/her property;
iii. creating a hostile environment;
iv. infringing on the rights of others; or
v. materially and substantially disrupting the training process or the orderly operation of any Swiminc activity.
REPORTING PROCEDURE
Any person who feels that he or she has been bullied while at any Swiminc activity or on Swiminc property is asked to do one or more of the following things:
· Talk to your parents;
· Talk to a Club Coach, Board Member, or other designated individual; or
· Write a letter or email to the Club Coach, Board Member, or other designated individual.
There is no express time limit for initiating a complaint under this procedure, but every effort should be made to bring the complaint to the attention of the appropriate club leadership as soon as possible to make sure that memories are fresh and behavior can be accurately recalled and the bullying behavior can be stopped as soon as possible.
HOW SWIMINC WILL HANDLE BULLYING:
If bullying is observed at any Swiminc activity or on Swiminc property , Swiminc employees are required to make their best efforts to STOP BULLYING ON THE SPOT using the following steps:
1. Intervene immediately. It is ok to get help.
2. Separate the kids involved.
3. Make sure everyone is safe.
4. Meet any immediate medical or mental health needs.
5. Stay calm. Reassure the kids involved, including bystanders. 6. Model respectful behavior when you intervene.
If bullying is occurring at Swiminc events or activities, or it is reported to be occurring at Swiminc events or activities, Swiminc employees shall address the bullying by FINDING OUT WHAT HAPPENED and SUPPORTING THE KIDS INVOLVED using the following approach:
FINDING OUT WHAT HAPPENED
1. First, we get the facts.
a. Keep all the involved children separate.
b. Get the story from several sources, both adults and kids.
c. Listen without blaming.
d. Don’t call the act “bullying” while you are trying to understand what happened.
e. It may be difficult to get the whole story, especially if multiple athletes are involved or the bullying involves social bullying or cyber bullying. Collect all available information.
2. Then, we determine if it's bullying. There are many behaviors that look like bullying but require different approaches. It is important to determine whether the situation is bullying or something else.
a. To determine if the behavior is bullying or something else, consider the following questions:
- What is the history between the kids involved?
- Have there been past conflicts?
- Is there a power imbalance? Remember that a power imbalance is not limited to physical strength. It is sometimes not easily recognized. If the targeted child feels like there is a power imbalance, there probably is.
- Has this happened before? Is the child worried it will happen again?
b. Remember that it may not matter “who started it.” Some kids who are bullied may be seen as annoying or provoking, but this does not excuse the bullying behavior.
c. Once you have determined if the situation is bullying, support all of the kids involved.
SUPPORTING THE KIDS INVOLVED
3. Support the kids who are being bullied
a. Listen and focus on the child. Learn what’s been going on and show you want to help. Assure the child that bullying is not their fault.
b. Work together to resolve the situation and protect the bullied child. The child, parents, and other adults may all have valuable input. It may help to:
i. Ask the child being bullied what can be done to make him or her feel safe. Remember that changes to routine should be minimized. He or she is not at fault and should not be singled out. For example, consider rearranging lane assignments for everyone. If bigger moves are necessary, such as switching practice groups, the child who is bullied should not be forced to change.
ii. Develop a game plan. Maintain open communication between the Club and parents. Discuss the steps that will be taken and how bullying will be addressed going forward.
c. Be persistent. Bullying may not end overnight. Commit to making it stop and consistently support the bullied child.
4. Address bullying behavior
a. Make sure the child knows what the problem behavior is. Young people who bully must learn their behavior is wrong and harms others.
b. Show kids that bullying is taken seriously. Calmly tell the child that bullying will not be tolerated. Model respectful behavior when addressing the problem.
c. Work with the child to understand some of the reasons he or she bullied. For example:
i. Sometimes children bully to fit in or just to make fun of someone is a little different from them. In other words, there may be some insecurity involved.
ii. Other times kids act out because something else—issues at home, abuse, stress—is going on in their lives. They also may have been bullied. These kids may be in need of additional support.
d. Involve the kid who bullied in making amends or repairing the situation. The goal is to help them see how their actions affect others. For example, the child can:
i. Write a letter apologizing to the athlete who was bullied.
ii. Do a good deed for the person who was bullied, for the Club, or for others in your community.
iii. Clean up, repair, or pay for any property they damaged.
e. Avoid strategies that don’t work or have negative consequences:
i. Zero tolerance or “three strikes, you’re out” strategies don’t work. Suspending or removing people who bully does not reduce bullying behavior. People may be less likely to report and address bullying if suspension or getting kicked outis the consequence.
ii. Conflict resolution and peer mediation don’t work for bullying. Bullying is not a conflict between people of equal power who share equal blame. Facing those who have bullied may further upset kids who have been bullied.
f. Follow-up. After the bullying issue is resolved, continue finding ways to help the child who bullied to understand how what they do affects other people. For example, praise acts of kindness or talk about what it means to be a good teammate.
5. Support bystanders who witness bullying. Every day, kids witness bullying. They want to help, but don’t know how. Fortunately, there are a few simple, safe ways that athletes can help stop bullying when they see it happening.
a. Be a friend to the person being bullied;
b. Tell a trusted adult – your parent, coach, other Swiminc employee or board member;
c. Help the kid being bullied get away from the situation. Create a distraction, focus the attention on something else, or offer a way for the target to get out of the situation. “Let’s go, practice is about to start.”
d. Set a good example by not bullying others.
e. Don’t give the bully an audience. Bullies are encouraged by the attention they get from bystanders. If you do nothing else, just walk away.
ANTI-BULLYING POLICY ACKNOWLEDGMENT FORM - HERE
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Lindsay’s Law
Lindsay’s Law is about Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) in youth athletes. It covers all athletes 19 years or younger who practice for or compete in athletic activities. Per the requirements established by Lindsay's Law, participation with WSC requires both the youth athlete and parent/guardian to review information about Lindsay's Law and Sudden Cardiac Arrest, watch the Ohio Department of Health video about Sudden Cardiac Arrest, and acknowledge receipt of information about Sudden Cardiac Arrest by signing a form.
Here are links to the video, handout and signature form. We will have paper copies of the form at the parents meeting and first practice.
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Concussion
Ohio law requires youth sports organizations to provide you with this Concussion Information Sheet. Please review the information prior to the start of the season.
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Locker Rooms
Please remind your children that the use of audio or visual recording devices, including a cell phone camera, is not allowed in changing areas, rest rooms or locker rooms.
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Clean Sport - United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA)
USADA is here to help you compete clean! Check out the Athlete Handbook, Pocket Guide, and Wallet Card for anti-doping info you need for clean sport.
Learn about the journey a sample takes from collection to storage. Because all samples have an anonymous code number, there is no way for the lab to identify which athlete provided it.
Athletes, does your doctor know you are subject to anti-doping rules? If they do and aren't discussing anti-doping obligations with you, or the risks of dietary supplements, that's a clean sport red flag.
We have some great resources on prescription medications and supplements. You can check your medications for prohibited substances on GlobalDRO and minimize your risk of supplement contamination by visiting our Supplement411 and look at the High Risk List.
There are some popular over-the-counter products used for everyday ailments can cause a positive test if used in-competition. Here's how athletes subject to antidoping rules can safely use products to treat a common cold.
Supplements:
More parents give dietary supplements to kids. But experts warn about their potential danger via @washingtonpost
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Eating Disorder
According to the National Eating Disorders Association, among female high school athletes in aesthetic sports, 41.5 percent reported disordered eating. A study on female Division II college athletes showed that 25 percent had disordered eating, and the numbers were similar for their male counterparts.
As a coach or a parent of a competitive young athlete, these statistics are scary — and eye-opening. Armed with this knowledge, though, there are a lot of things that we can do to help athletes navigate the tricky issues of eating to fuel their sport performance while developing a healthy relationship with food.
Here is a link to important information regarding eating disorder.
