News & Notes Policies and Procedures Updates BY ROBERT MITCHELL, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
AT THE BEGINNING OF A NEW QUADRENNIAL, we typically amend a number of our Policies and Procedures that establish operating procedures or select various teams. These documents include the Athlete Code of Con- duct, various team selection pro- cedures and operating policies. All such relevant documents are posted on the USAS website under the “Resources” tab.
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quadrennial. Updates are minor and allow greater fl exibility with team dress. Team selection procedures
for the 2013 World Shotgun Championships were updated for the competition this fall in Lima, Peru. That qualifi cation will be one selection match (May, Fort Benning, Ga.) consisting of two match courses of fi re and a fi nal for the top six scorers. The World Championship Team will consist of three open shooters and three junior shooters in each of the fi ve events. The policy for Other Olympic-
Signifi cant changes have
been made to the selection pro- cedures for the Junior Olympic Shotgun Squad, formerly Junior Olympic Shotgun Team. Changes were made in response to the desire for the selection pro- cess to be objective rather than subjective. The Squad is now determined from results at the National Junior Olympic Shotgun Championship. Team member- ship has changed to the training year rather than calendar year to be the same as our National, Junior and Development Teams. Increased emphasis will be placed on camps conducted by our national coach staff to help develop our shooting talent into podium potential. The Athlete Code of Conduct expires at the end of each
style Competitions has been amended signifi cantly. This policy outlines the procedure for participation at events other than ISSF sanctioned competi- tions, many of which are open to individual entry. If USAS receives an invitation to such an event
The most
signifi cant addition to USAS policies is the addition of a Safe Sport Program which replaces our Child
Molestation Policy.
and the National Coach elects to participate, a team selection pro- cedure will be established and USAS will provide logistical sup- port, coaching and leadership. If USAS declines participation and
the invitation is open to others, individuals may participate but may not represent themselves as the USA Shooting Team. Selection procedures for the
National Team (NT), National Development Team (NDT) and National Junior Team (NJT) have been amended to provide for an increased number of At-Large National Coach appointments. This provides increased oppor- tunity to add those progressing athletes who did not meet the established Team qualifi cation criteria but are now performing at a comparable level with Team members. The most signifi cant addition
to USAS policies is the addition of a Safe Sport Program which replaces our Child Molestation Policy. There is increased aware- ness of harassment, bullying, hazing and sexual abuse in the athletic world today. The USAS Safe Sport Policy is a training program to make coaches, vol- unteers and athletes aware of abuses. The program outlines procedures to follow and those
to avoid in maintaining a safe and enjoyable shooting environ- ment. USAS staff, volunteers, na- tional level coaches and athletes will be required to complete this training. The program is designed in segments using PowerPoint with narrative. It is designed to be informative and interest- ing. Links for the USAS website based Safe Sport program will be provided to those required to complete the training. A number of team selec-
tion procedures are still to be updated. Those include the 2014 Championship of the Americas, 2014 World Shooting Championship, 2015 Pan Ameri- can Games and 2016 Olympic Games selections. Work will be- gin on those procedures shortly with the objective of fi nalizing and publishing later this year.