Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Swim Torrance Continues in Ranks of USA Swimming Safe Sport Recognized Clubs
Photo courtesy of Swim Torrance
When the Safe Sport Recognition program was first implemented by USA Swimming in 2019, Swim Torrance in Torrance, Calif. was one of the first 50 teams to receive the recognition. Now, two years later, the club has renewed its commitment to athlete safety and is again among the clubs to achieve Safe Sport Recognition this year.
Head coach Kimi Davidson, who is also a member of USA Swimming’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion council, has made it a priority for her team to be Safe Sport Recognized and offers her thoughts on how the team implements the program in this month’s Safe Sport feature.
What are three ways your team implements Safe Sport policies for your swimmers, parents and coaches?
We implement Safe Sport in many ways throughout the year with our swimmers, parents and coaches. On our website we have a tab that features over 25 links to help with information and reporting needs. At the beginning of each swim year, we have all athletes and parents go over M.A.A.P.P. (Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy) and sign an acknowledgment form as a reminder. Our lead coaches send their groups weekly emails with updates, and we always include parent education. At least once a season, we specifically talk about Safe Sport and its purpose. For our youngest members, they've enjoyed the Safe Sport Activity Books provided online. This past weekend, our older athletes used our Safe Sport branded pop-up tents to change, which continues to reinforce Safe Sport not only at practices, but also at meets. Our coaches also have monthly meetings with a coaching education piece (book, presentation, articles, etc.) and once a year it's about Safe Sport.
How effective do you feel these policies are in shaping your team’s culture?
We like that Safe Sport supports the boundaries we already created regarding parent/swimmer/coach relationships throughout athletes' progressions within our program. We openly speak about it with our membership and embrace the topic to make it common knowledge in our program. We have strong communication skills, with athletes knowing when and how to talk to coaches properly in person and electronically. When parents have questions, they too feel comfortable knowing they can always reach out to their athletes' lead coach.
When it came time to re-new our Safe Sport Recognition, parents and athletes were extremely on board to go through the online training again to support the program, members and Safe Sport. It's something we talk about often without stigma because we want everyone to feel comfortable bringing it up if they need to. We also hope it's something our athletes carry with them beyond our team and when they move onto college. Learning boundaries, knowing how to report if there is an issue, and feeling comfortable speaking to someone about an issue are important life skills for young people and adults.
What advice would you give other teams in integrating Safe Sport procedures into their team operations?
Leadership comes from the top, so the coaching staff (and board of directors, if parent run) needs to be versed in it first by utilizing resources from Safe Sport and USA Swimming. They can reach out to their LSC's Safe Sport Chair for more direct information within their area. To make it seem less taboo, it ultimately comes down to creating healthy boundaries. It helps teams harbor a secure environment where everyone involved can focus on the sport and feel protected. Talk about it often with membership, learn together and don't be afraid to discuss it with other teams, officials and LSC members.
When the Safe Sport Recognition program was first implemented by USA Swimming in 2019, Swim Torrance in Torrance, Calif. was one of the first 50 teams to receive the recognition. Now, two years later, the club has renewed its commitment to athlete safety and is again among the clubs to achieve Safe Sport Recognition this year.
Head coach Kimi Davidson, who is also a member of USA Swimming’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion council, has made it a priority for her team to be Safe Sport Recognized and offers her thoughts on how the team implements the program in this month’s Safe Sport feature.
What are three ways your team implements Safe Sport policies for your swimmers, parents and coaches?
We implement Safe Sport in many ways throughout the year with our swimmers, parents and coaches. On our website we have a tab that features over 25 links to help with information and reporting needs. At the beginning of each swim year, we have all athletes and parents go over M.A.A.P.P. (Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy) and sign an acknowledgment form as a reminder. Our lead coaches send their groups weekly emails with updates, and we always include parent education. At least once a season, we specifically talk about Safe Sport and its purpose. For our youngest members, they've enjoyed the Safe Sport Activity Books provided online. This past weekend, our older athletes used our Safe Sport branded pop-up tents to change, which continues to reinforce Safe Sport not only at practices, but also at meets. Our coaches also have monthly meetings with a coaching education piece (book, presentation, articles, etc.) and once a year it's about Safe Sport.
How effective do you feel these policies are in shaping your team’s culture?
We like that Safe Sport supports the boundaries we already created regarding parent/swimmer/coach relationships throughout athletes' progressions within our program. We openly speak about it with our membership and embrace the topic to make it common knowledge in our program. We have strong communication skills, with athletes knowing when and how to talk to coaches properly in person and electronically. When parents have questions, they too feel comfortable knowing they can always reach out to their athletes' lead coach.
When it came time to re-new our Safe Sport Recognition, parents and athletes were extremely on board to go through the online training again to support the program, members and Safe Sport. It's something we talk about often without stigma because we want everyone to feel comfortable bringing it up if they need to. We also hope it's something our athletes carry with them beyond our team and when they move onto college. Learning boundaries, knowing how to report if there is an issue, and feeling comfortable speaking to someone about an issue are important life skills for young people and adults.
What advice would you give other teams in integrating Safe Sport procedures into their team operations?
Leadership comes from the top, so the coaching staff (and board of directors, if parent run) needs to be versed in it first by utilizing resources from Safe Sport and USA Swimming. They can reach out to their LSC's Safe Sport Chair for more direct information within their area. To make it seem less taboo, it ultimately comes down to creating healthy boundaries. It helps teams harbor a secure environment where everyone involved can focus on the sport and feel protected. Talk about it often with membership, learn together and don't be afraid to discuss it with other teams, officials and LSC members.