Everyone celebrates the moment an athlete is crowned on the podium with gold, silver,
or bronze. But at the U.S. Center for SafeSport, we celebrate the practice, dedication,
resilience, and passion it took to reach that point. We believe athletes are defined by
their journey—not the medals they win.

Recognizing the importance of abuse-free sport settings, the U.S. Center for SafeSport
helps create safe, positive environments where athletes at every level can thrive and
win. By educating and informing athletes, coaches, parents, and others about abuse
and misconduct in sport, our resources set the stage for safer competition.

From the playing fields in your community to the elite podium in France, the U.S. Center
for SafeSport supports athletes of all abilities during the Paris Games and beyond them.

Read the full article at U.S. Center for SafeSport.

A Swimmer’s Journey: Coaching the Next Generation

Is it possible to have a winning team and a positive sport culture? Dave Denniston,
head coach of the University of Wyoming Swimming and Diving teams, believes the
answer is yes.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport provides diverse training, tools, and resources with the
goal of creating sport settings free of abuse and misconduct.

“The training provided by the U.S. Center for SafeSport has really allowed me to
understand the importance of building trust with the athletes,” says Denniston.

By advocating for a sport environment built on trust and respect, Denniston and the
University of Wyoming swim and dive program have created a place where athletes
thrive and win. Leaders like these who are SafeSport® Trained understand prioritizing
and celebrating athlete well-being translates to happier, healthier athletes who are
driven and excited to compete.

This short video shares the story of one swimmer turned coach who believes the
athlete’s positive experience is first and foremost.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport offers more than a dozen online abuse awareness and
prevention courses. Help us create a safer sport culture— get SafeSport® Trained!

Learn more at the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

Awareness Is Key to Recognizing Signs of Grooming in Sport

Is it okay for a coach to repeatedly work one-on-one with a child after practice? What if an assistant coach or older volunteer develops a pattern of secretly texting a teen athlete?

Do these actions constitute grooming?

Sport is a valuable opportunity for kids to build self-esteem and grow in meaningful ways. But when grooming occurs, it can have serious, long-lasting consequences, causing the athlete being targeted to feel uncomfortable or put them at risk of being abused.

Parents and guardians can help by being aware of and responding to inappropriate behavior early. But when it comes to grooming, how do you tell the difference between a caring adult and one grooming your child for abuse?

Read the full article at U.S. Center for Safesport

The Powerful Impact of Positive Coaching Techniques

As a coach, you want your athletes to learn, improve, and succeed. But for this to happen, they need to feel supported and encouraged. Whether your team wins the game or not, your athletes need to know that you’ll be there waiting for them with a high five on the sidelines.

Incorporating positive techniques into coaching is a well-documented way of building self-esteem and self-confidence in athletes while also increasing their love of the sport. Yet, many coaches don’t realize the power that positive coaching techniques can have on an individual athlete or a team.

Instead, unfavorable coaching habits—such as the overuse of negative criticism or placing a significant amount of pressure on a team or athlete to win—create an
environment where athletes struggle to succeed or have fun. Because of this, many kids choose to walk away, leaving the game they once loved because it’s no longer supportive or enjoyable.

In fact, research shows the result of these negative sport environments is an estimated 70%-80% of youth exiting sport by age 15.

But as a coach, you can help change this statistic. By adding a few simple methods to your coaching toolkit, you can create a sport setting that builds your athletes up, so they feel valued and respected—and enjoy the game longer.

Here are five positive coaching techniques you can use:

1) Promote having fun over winning.

While winning can be exciting, it’s important to encourage a love of the playing process by promoting a sport environment built on friendship, support, and team camaraderie.

2) Always give praise before criticism.

When giving feedback to an athlete or team, always start by saying something they’re doing well. Then, offer a gentle critique of what they could improve on. Finish with another positive piece of feedback.

3) Model appropriate and respectful behavior.

No matter who you’re interacting with—athlete, parent, official, or another coach—always treat them with respect and kindness. Modeling appropriate behavior shows your athletes how to engage with those around them in a respectful way.

4) Be consistent.

Remain consistent in how you communicate with athletes and how you hold everyone accountable to team values, expectations, and policies.

5) Pay close attention to marginalized groups.

Be aware that athletes in marginalized groups—such as athletes with disabilities or athletes of color—may be at a higher risk of experiencing bullying or harassment.

Resources for Coaches

Coaches lead athletes, which is why it’s important to lead with positivity and kindness. Offering constructive feedback, reminding athletes of how far they’ve come, and pointing out positive plays or improvements even after a losing game or a missed shot go a long way in building a supportive team culture that makes athletes feel like they belong.

For more tips on how you can create a thriving sport environment for your athletes, explore the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s Ways to Create a Positive Sport Environment handout. To learn more about how you can help create abuse-free sport settings for all participants, visit uscenterforsafesport.org.

3 Things to Do When You Notice Bullying

Playing sports and being part of a team is a valuable childhood experience. However, negative behaviors like bullying can shift the team dynamic and have serious, long-lasting consequences for the athlete being targeted.

By understanding what bullying is—and what you can do when you notice it occur—you can help make sport settings more inclusive, supportive, and safe for everyone.

What is bullying?

Bullying can take many forms from verbal name-calling to physical hitting, and sometimes it can be hard to identify. Social bullying, such as spreading rumors or lies about a teammate, can occur in person or online through text messages, email, and social media sites, while sexual bullying involves targeting an athlete’s gender identity, expression, or orientation.

Mean or rude behavior may occur from time to time in the form of fights or conflict on the playing field. Bullying behavior, however, is repeated or severe aggressive behavior directed at a minor.

It’s a fact that kids being bullied are less likely to tell an adult when they’re being harmed. This is why it’s essential for parents and coaches to recognize and respond to inappropriate behavior—and stop it before it escalates into something more.

If you observe bullying, the first step is to intervene immediately. Separate everyone involved and make sure everyone is safe. Then, follow these steps:

Parents:

1. Remain calm and respectful. Controlling your emotions teaches athletes to do the same.
2. Create a plan. Work with the coaches to come up with a plan on how to address bullying behavior—and reinforce acceptable behavior.
3. Keep communication open. Check in regularly with your child to find out if anything has happened to make them feel uncomfortable.

Coaches:

1. Understand what happened. Talk with each person separately—those who bullied, the targets, and any witnesses. Make sure you speak in an area where you can be observed and interrupted by others.
2. Praise positive behavior. Acknowledge and praise the team members who stand up to bullying behavior and report it to you.
3. Reinforce expectations for appropriate behavior. Together as a team, go over acceptable and unacceptable behaviors.

Bullying behavior happens more often than we think, but caring and engaged parents and coaches can help safeguard sport by speaking up when they see or hear inappropriate behaviors or actions. If you witness bullying in action, you should always follow your organization’s reporting policies and submit a report.

Learn more about how you can recognize, prevent, and respond to abuse and misconduct in sport by visiting our Prevent Bullying in Sport landing page. To help create the most enriching sport experience possible for athletes, visit our website for more tips, tactics, and tools on abuse prevention at uscenterforsafesport.org.

As athletes, sport builds us up. It challenges us and helps us grow. But in order to do this, sport
settings should be free of misconduct and abuse. And, ideally, they should be safe, supportive,
and respectful so participants can thrive as athletes and in life.

Many athletes want sport to be safer for all participants, but they don’t know how they can
help make this a reality. At the U.S. Center for SafeSport, we believe your voice and your
experience as an athlete count, which is why we’re inviting athletes to take the 2024 Athlete
Culture & Climate Survey.

Designed to empower athlete voices and assess athlete experiences across the world of sport,
this critical survey will help shed needed light on our nation’s sport culture. If you have an
athlete experience to share – be it positive or negative – your survey response will help the U.S.
Center for SafeSport inform the wider sports sector about athlete needs, leading to needed
awareness and culture change in sport environments across the United States.

The survey is open to athletes 18 and over who have participated in any sport, at any age or
level, in the United States. And, as a token of appreciation, all athletes who complete the
survey will be entered to win one of two-hundred $20 Amazon gift cards, or one of four $100
Amazon gift cards, all of which will be randomly selected and sent out after the survey closes.

As athletes, we all know that the environments we find ourselves in can mean the difference
between loving the game and walking away. With your voice, you can change the sport you
love for the better – and help make future experiences for athletes more positive.
Exercise your voice today and take the survey by Friday, February 9.

Take the survey here – 2024 Athlete Culture and Climate Survey

To learn more about the U.S. Center for SafeSport, visit uscenterforsafesport.org.

From pee-wee leagues to the most competitive levels of athletics, sport feeds a critical need in us: to play, to compete, to learn, and to grow.

We all know the benefits of sport. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says youth physical activity can have lifelong positive mental and physical impacts. Regular physical activity can help children and adolescents improve fitness, control weight, and reduce the risk of disease later in life.¹ Participation reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression and builds confidence and self-esteem.

Beyond that, the U.S. Center for SafeSport believes that sport environments should be positive, respectful places where we can thrive, both physically and emotionally. Sport should be safe and free of abuse and other misconduct that can rob us of the joys of play. READ MORE

Read the full article at uscenterforsafesport.org.

It can be confusing. You lean toward a more no-nonsense approach as a coach and want to
hold your athletes and others around your team accountable for their effort and performance.

But when does “stern” cross the line into “punitive”—or even harmful—coaching?

The U.S. Center for SafeSport offers resources, including the Emotional & Physical Abuse
Misconduct Toolkit, to help coaches adhere to coaching strategies that engender effort and
focus but don’t create environments of fear and intimidation.

Coach-athlete relationship

The coach-athlete relationship, when developed and nurtured correctly, can be a powerful one.
It can create lifelong lessons, memories, and bonds for both parties.

“My favorite part about coaching is what the kids learn off the mat, through the sport of
wrestling,” says Nate Becker, head coach of Chaparral Wrestling Club in Parker, Colo. “The
discipline, the accountability, the teamwork, watching them mature and turn into young men and
young women and reach their goals … that to me is really what this about and why we do this.”

But coaches also need to recognize the differences in power between themselves and their
athletes. Coaches are the authority figures and run practices, determine roster spots, and
allocate playing time.

This difference in power can cause problems, such as when coaches wield their influence with
negative techniques. In fact, some behaviors that were commonly accepted years ago, such as
denying water breaks and using belittling language, are now understood to be misconduct.

Effective coaches use their skills and knowledge to help athletes stay safe, develop skills, and
improve performance. They use respect, positive discipline, and motivation to encourage
performance, focus, and sportsmanship.

Trauma-sensitive coaching

Everyone brings different experiences to their day-to-day interactions, and that’s no different for athletes. Some have experienced trauma in their lives, which influences how they react to
certain situations.

Trauma such as Adverse Childhood Experiences, including neglect, loss of a parent (as through divorce), household challenges, community violence, and racism can impact children’s brain development, causing them to act in ways you might not understand.

Trauma-sensitive coaching means being sensitive to—and understanding of—the needs of
athletes who have experienced trauma. When coaches prioritize relationship-building, have a
consistent structure, and care about athletes’ well-being, the entire team will feel safe and
supported, and will likely perform at a higher level.

Creating a positive sport environment

A winning atmosphere is one in which athletes, coaches, officials and families can take
advantage of the benefits of sport and want to keep coming back, season after season.

Creating a positive sport environment is worth striving for. Principles such as setting consistent behavioral expectations and modeling appropriate and respectful behavior create a solid
foundation for an atmosphere that prioritizes the growth and well-being of all participants.

Also, you should recognize that athletes from marginalized groups—like athletes with disabilities, athletes of color, and LGBTQ+ athletes—experience higher rates of abuse, bullying,
and harassment.

Bystander intervention

An important principle you can talk to your team about—and act on yourself—is bystander
intervention. Bystander intervention can stop inappropriate behaviors from escalating or occurring in the first place. It also reinforces what behaviors are acceptable around the team.

Tips for responding to misconduct:
– If an incident is in progress, separate everyone involved and make sure they are safe.
– Remain calm and do not raise your voice in anger.
– Talk with the initiator, target, and witnesses separately.
– Follow your organization’s policies to report what happened.
– Make separate follow-up plans with everyone involved.
– Revisit behavior expectations and your organization’s policies with the team, but do not
talk about any specific incident.

Bystander intervention can be particularly powerful when friends intervene with friends who are doing harm. Empower your participants to make the same proactive decisions. Give them the
confidence and skills they need to step in and stop misconduct among peers.

The bottom line: Respond to misconduct immediately and consistently.

Visit uscenterforsafesport.org to learn more.

Wherever adolescents gather—in school, sports, or other settings—bullying is common.

Bullying once was thought of as “just part of growing up.” It is now seen, rightfully, as harmful
misconduct that can have long-lasting negative impacts on everyone involved.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport’s new “Prevent Bullying in Sport” webpage includes our “Bullying
101” toolkit, downloadable flyers, and more resources for parents, coaches, and others who
work with young people.

What is Bullying?

We may think we have an idea of what bullying is: the one-time shove in the hallway or “all-in-
good-fun” teasing at practice. It’s more than that.

“Bullying is hurt or harm that is unwanted and usually repeated,” says Judy French, coordinator
of the National Bullying Prevention Center. “The target of this hurt or harm usually can’t stop it
because they don’t have the same amount of (social or physical) power as the person or group
doing the bullying.”

• Here’s what bullying can look like:
  Repeatedly and intentionally ignoring and socially excluding someone
• Spreading emotionally damaging rumors about someone online
• Threatening violence or physically intimidating someone until they quit the team
• Consistently hitting someone and then ridiculing them in front of their teammates

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers bullying a form of youth violence and
an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE).

A Widespread Issue

According to the CDC, about 1 in 5 high school students reported being bullied at school in the
last year. That number nearly doubles for LGBTQ+ students. One in 6 students have been
cyberbullied.

Youth who experience bullying are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties,
lower academic achievement, and other harmful effects.

Youth who bully have higher incidences of substance abuse, academic problems, and
experiences of violence later in life. Those who witness bullying behavior as a bystander also
can have negative outcomes.

What to Look For

Because bullying usually involves a social or physical power difference, it’s difficult to stop
without adult or peer intervention. And kids may not own up to being bullied due to feelings of
shame. Parents and other adults can look for red flags and engage when a child:

• Shows signs of depression
• Stops wanting to do things they enjoy
• Experiences a sudden drop in grades
• Loses their desire to go to school

How to Respond

Bullying is preventable. Adults who work in youth sport settings can establish a positive
environment, practice bystander intervention, and lay out clear behavioral expectations. Here’s
how to respond if you witness bullying:

• If an incident is in progress, separate everyone involved and make sure they are safe.
• Remain calm and do not raise your voice in anger.
• Talk with the initiator, target, and witnesses separately.
• Follow your organization’s policies to report what happened.
• Make separate follow-up plans with everyone involved.
• Revisit behavior expectations and your organization’s Bullying Behavior policy with the
  team, but do not talk about any specific incident.

Youth sports should be fun and rewarding. Visit the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s new Bullying
prevention webpage, and uscenterforsafesport.org for more information and resources.

For more articles from the U.S. Center for Safesports, CLICK HERE. Or for HERE for more articles on bullying.