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Other News

Code of Conduct for Coaching Coming

Women Taking Action to Prevent
Harassment of Athletes by Coaches

 

by Blaine Leong

Sexualand personal harassment
isa problem thataffects most people.
But mention the concept of
harassment in sports, and most
people draw a blank. Just as an
employercanharass theiremployees,
so can coaches harass their players.
This can range from inappropriate
remarks to sexual assault.

“When's it going ‘to stop?” a
UBC student-athlete, playing on the
Thunderbird’s Women’s volleyball
team, asked of team coach Donna
Baydock.

Baydock, working under the
coaching committee of the
Promotions Plus committee, decided
she wasn’t going to take it anymore
— she has written a code of conduct
for coaches.

Aided by Betty Lou Hayes,
Athletics Directorat College,
Patti Schlafen, head coach of Simon
Fraser University’s Women’s
volleyball team, and other members
working in the committee, the
document hopes to prevent coaches
from abusing their position of power
over athletes.

The Promotion Plus committee
has been promoting the image of
girls and women in BC sports since
1988. They have been raising
awareness for the first two years, and

a cara

(ae

m

consciousness-raising for the past
three years. — e

“There have been cases where
[SFU] athletes had todeal withsexual
advances the coaches,” stated
Schlafen. “It's absolutely seeetng
and absolutely taboo that they should
even have these problems.”

eon eceeerrenoneee
firmly that all behaviour like ae
sexually involved with athletes

smoking, drinking alcoholin frontof
the athletes and patting the players
on the behind is unacceptable.

Coachesaccused ofbreaking the
rules willsitbeforeacommittee which
will hear both sides of the story
Sanctions may be made by the
Committee judge-court.

The B.C. Coaches Association
willbe meeting at theend of Marchin
Kelowna to look at the proposed
document, and accept it or propose

A case of this abuse of power
happened in Douglas College in the
92-93 sports season. A BCIT coach
made an ina iate comment to
a Douglas female student-athlete.

Though the matter was dealt
withquicklyand effectively by Hayes
and Jim Mitchell, BCIT’s Athletic
Director, it was still an issue because
other coaches still didn’t know what
contact (physical or verbal) was
acceptable/ unacceptable.

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the Other Press

anything before, because they have
power over the player,” Hayes said,
“but no longer will this be allowed to
ee

One might think that, in the
Athletics Department, a code of
conduct is not needed. It’s assumed
by most new athletes, yo

athletes (ages 6-12), and lay-people
thatthecoaches would simply behave

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Itcan be quite the con sal
Baydock. or aegis

“Coaches are hired knowing
nothing about what's wrong orright,”
Baydock stated. “If you win, then
your behaviour [whatever it is] is
acceptable.”

Schlafen and Baydock’s lives as

_ athletes and coaches included

experiencing this type of behaviour
from other coaches.

These types of behaviour and
conduct is not favourable or
excusable, yet there is that
said that it was wrong. But do these
coaches consider the athletes’
feelings? How do the athletes feel
about the issue? How do other
coaches feel about the inappropriate
actions made by some coaches?

“There was nothing an
Baydock explained, “that said that
behaviour was inap iate.”

Baydock also stated that
politically, the time is right to bring
this code to B.C. and hopefully to the
rest of Canada as well.

“It’s a hot issue right now,”
Baydock said. We've been w
on this code for eight months,

officially, butit’ sbeenaburningissue
for five years.”

”

Most schools have some sort of
a harassment office. However, most
athletic departments don’t, says
Baydock. Most student-athletes and
coaches walk in the gym/offices not
knowing what harassment is.

Some male high school coaches
have asked if writing the code down
wasreallynecessary. Withcomments
likethis, suspicions usually arise, but
the coach could be simply asking a
question in which he believes that

ing like harassment or “abuse of
power” will ever ha

“It [the code] will make them
aware of what's unacceptable,”
Baydock ed.

“The code is for the ones
[coaches] attracted to coaching for
the wrong reasons, to protect the
good coaches and all the good
athletes,” Schlafen stated.

“There are lots of good people
out there, but it’s time to say what's

iate or not.”

It will also help professionalize
coaches.

rand reas
a certain amount of
becoming a coach, but none roth it
involves rules of conduct. This code
defines the behaviour thatis expected
by their athletes, the parents of the
athlete(s), their coachesand their
opponent coa

Through this code of ethics,
coaches will learn how to be good
role models.

“We need to keep the playing
area safe,” Schlafen noted, “and
appropriate for the conditioning and
age of the player.”

The Promotion Plus

March 31, 1993

 

committee has been discussing the
code with the appropriate groups,
ie. Coaching Association of Canada
for responses, with which they will
revise the code before the Kelowna

Terry

Acoupleofyearsago the Other
Press, your infamous student
newspaper, was told we had to

offices. Atthe time, we had
a complete office and working
darkroom but were told we were
tomake way for the lecture theatres
on the first floor. We were told the
Darkroom wouldbereplaced when
wewere firmly established and we
could once again develop our
pictures.

For the past two years, at
increased expense, we took all of
our pictures to a great black and
white shop in New Westminster,
Darkroom Direct. Near the end of
this past year staffers Nadine
Handley and Darren Smillie
discussed with Terry Leonard,
director of Physical Plant, the
opportunity to build the once-
promised darkroom. Terry
graciously found some money
within a very tight budget to build
it; nowitis finished and working
better than we all dreamed. bs

Leonard madeitpossible
for wo ae our fing needed
darkroom. The Other Press would
like to extend a thank-you for his
help and patience.

 

 

 

 

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