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Coaching Tips – Managing Safe and


Transparent Communications When coaches are engaged and proactive, athletes and teams


perform at higher levels. The bonds you form with your athletes can have a tremendous impact: athletes view the relationship with their coach as the top factor in their success. Since sport helps athletes gain important life skills, this influence often extends far beyond the field of play. Coaches also have a critical role to play in addressing miscon-


duct in sport: your unique vantage point enables you to set a tone of respect and trust, monitor interactions and activities and create a culture of openness and disclosure. If misconduct does occur, you are in a great position to take action and support your ath- letes. Read below for some coaching tips on how to enforce safety in sport!


Electronic and Mobile Communication


Between Coach and Athlete • Make sure your sports organization has a policy on electronic and mobile communications, and that it’s shared with all par- ents and athletes.


• If an athlete is under age 18, ask his or her parents to talk with the athlete about the importance of transparent communica- tions between you, the parent, and the athlete.


• When the athlete is under the age of 14, make sure you send all electronic and mobile communications to the parent directly, and copy the athlete. There is nothing you should say to an ath- lete that a parent should not be aware of.


• When the athlete is in middle to late adolescence (14-18 yrs), you can send electronic and mobile communications to athlete, as long as a parent is copied on those communications and the parent agrees to this arrangement beforehand. This approach respects the athlete’s growing independence, but maintains transparency and responsible awareness.


• Although many parents use text messaging, studies show the majority will rely on e-mail. Ask your administrator to set-up e-mail groups to ease broadcasts to parents – and make this group communication a norm for your organization.


• Because younger athletes tend to rely more on text messaging as a communications medium, ask your administrator to set-up a texting group to ease broadcasts to athletes. Include parents on all text messaging groups or convert those text messages to e-mail format for parents.


• Should you inadvertently send an athlete an electronic or mo- 14 >> USAWEIGHTLIFTING.ORG


bile communication without including the parent, speak with the parent as soon as you can and let him or her know your over- sight and how important you feel it is to include the parent in all future communications.


• Do not hesitate to speak with a parent and your administrator if you have any concerns about communications coming from athletes that make you uncomfortable.


• If you receive an electronic or mobile communication directed only to you as a coach, and the athlete is under age 18, include others in your response along with the original e-mail or text. Even if it is a minor issue in the e-mail, this response reinforces the importance of communications transparency and multiple views.


Parent Communications with Traveling


Athletes • Make sure parents have the cell numbers for all of the adults on the trip for emergency contact.


• Make sure parents have contact information for all hotels and venues.


• Allow athletes to maintain cell phone access and encourage athletes to send information to their parents during the trip.


• Ask parents to provide athletes a cell phone if possible, and dedicate times for the athletes to contact their parents. Estab- lish a team cell phone for parents who cannot provide their ath- letes a cell phone during travel.


• Encourage parents to occasionally contact their child outside scheduled communication time, but without disrupting training or competition to do so.


• Provide an itinerary that details expected travel times and prog- ress (e.g., reaching the airport/hotel, etc.), as well as blocked times of practice and competition.


• Establish an e-mail and text group for broadcasting information to parents as a group.


• Create a social media platform (Google+, Skype, Facebook, etc.) group for parents. This will enable video and on-line com- munications at the team hotel.


We all have a role to play in creating a healthy setting for sport. SafeSport helps raise awareness about misconduct in sport, pro- mote open dialogue, and provide training and resources. When we work as a team, we can build a game plan to make sport safe for everyone.


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