We can all attest that a great coach can help change a kid’s life. Beyond the X’s and O’s and the skills of the game, they can teach our children humility in victory, grace in defeat, responsibility, respect, teamwork and so much more.

However, a poor coach can also have a very negative impact. We’re not talking about coaches that may lack in certain areas of hockey knowledge either. It’s coaches who use their position of authority as means of access to kids for abuse and misconduct that we need to be concerned about, and as much as we do to keep these types of coaches out of our sport, they still exist.

St. Michael-Albertville Youth Hockey Association president Josh Opiola believes that’s why we have the USA Hockey SafeSport program.

“Abuse awareness training dispels misconceptions and provides factual material to coaches and parents, allowing them to recognize abuse characteristics and grooming behaviors,” said Opiola, who also deals with a variety of other youth sport organizations as Sport Ngin’s Risk Management Director.  “Education of the parents, coaches and volunteers can greatly reduce the potential risk of harm to a child.”

It’s also extremely important for associations to be diligent in the area of prevention. Each association should have a SafeSport coordinator that ensures everyone is completing their SafeSport training and has the proper policies and procedures in place to provide the safest environment possible.

One area that requires additional attention because of its frequent use is digital communications.

“In many news stories involving cases of abuse, you’ll notice it’s social media or text messaging being used to solicit the minor,” said Opiola. “The prevalence of this common denominator in player solicitation and abuse, by itself, is reason enough to not allow any isolated texting/messaging/social media exchanges between the coaches and the kids/athletes.”

While most parents of young kids agree with this, it does get more difficult as players get older and both coaches and parents look to put more responsibility on the kids themselves. Here are a few tips, from our SafeSport policy, that can help create a positive environment for digital media communication.

1. Create a “Team” Facebook or Twitter account instead of using a personal account. Encourage kids, parents and other association members to follow it. Private direct messages are not allowed.
2. Institute the copy rule. Allow kids to contact the coach directly via e-mail and/or text only if they copy their parents on the message.
3. Coaches should copy all. The majority of communications by coaches should be sent to all parents and if necessary, all of the players. If the coach must speak to a single player because of a unique circumstance, the player’s parents must be included.

“If the coach can’t tell you something directly about your child, it should never be said privately to them,” affirmed Opiola.

These communication rules may seem strict at first, but they are critical to eliminating opportunities for misconduct. Once everyone becomes accustomed to them, they are actually fairly simple to follow. 

For additional insight on how SafeSport policies can assist your association in eliminating risk, visit www.minnesotahockey.org/safesport or contact Scott Gray, Minnesota Hockey SafeSport Coordinator, with any questions and concerns.