What is your gym doing to support Safe Sport?

[skschlag]

This might be better suited for a new thread, but how are your gyms addressing the safe sport rules? Are they addressing them at all? Have any changes been made? Have they even been mentioned?
I appreciate the effort, but the rules aren't going to do any good unless clubs are actually implementing them and I know the club where I work is not. They haven't been mentioned at all, not sure if the owner even knows they exist. She just tells us "Never be alone with a student." I've seen posts from others on here who have indicated their clubs have really gone ahead full force with enforcing the policies which is great, I'm just skeptical about how many gyms are doing anything with them.

Our gym has many rules along with Safe Sport. I think I have detailed them in multiple locations. No private 1:1 contact is the main thing. So last night, D was the only one there from 8:30-9. He was conditioning. I had to go to the bathroom, and that left him alone in the gym with his coach. Coach came over to the parent side while I was gone, back into the gym when I was back. No babysitting, no tutoring.
No private texting, emails, social media between coach and gymnast.
No travel alone with coach.

That may be what coaches have to do to protect themselves in the future, sadly. In the past, Dominique Dawes lived with her coach. Growing up I stayed at my coach's house when my parents went out of town, and her kids stayed with me and my parents when she and her fam went on vacay. We were like a blended fam. It's sad that this aspect of gymnastics has to die because of a few predatory people that want to ruin it for everyone.

This should probably have not been a 'part of gymnastics.' I think the sad part is that USAG was not on top of this already, having seen what other organizations have had to do. Predators LOVE secrecy and lax rules. As a scout mom for years, I have been following the 2 deep leadership rule since 2006. 11 years ago. I have been at 3 gyms, and all 3 had that rule. Why didn't USAG make it a requirement?

I mean central as far as part of the country. Someone suggested moving it to California which makes no sense. The Karolyis hosted a rec gymnastics camp as well. Most gym camps, and camps in general are in wooded, rural areas.

Yes, but they have those rules already in place. USAG, the sponsor of this camp, had none of this in place, or if they did, it was in name only. My ds goes to camp in the middle of a city, on a campus, with strict rules in place. They do not need to be isolated, or keep parents out the way they do. I would challenge that even the commercial camps might look at changing some of their policies during this time. rather than wait to see what happens, they can lead the way.

 

[rosiekat]

One new thing I'm aware of is the change in communication to coaches if a boy will be late or out. It used to be that by L6, the boy was expected to contact the coach as a way of maturing and becoming responsible. Now they request texts or emails either from the parent, or that the parent be a 3rd party to the conversation. I believe phone calls are supposed to go to the front desk only. (I'm not 100% clear on all the details of the changes, as DS only just turned 9 and texting or email is NOT a part of his life yet!)