Skate Kingston aims to promote a safe, supportive environment for the skating community that equally respects our common interests and our differences for all skaters to enjoy the sport and fulfill their individual goals within a team spirit.
POLICY STATEMENT
Skate Kingston, throughSkate Canada is committed to ensuring that all skaters have the opportunity to participate in a safe and welcoming environment that is encouraging and promotes their overall development. Parents have an enormous influence on skaters’ experiences in the sport. The quality of a skater’s experience is determined by their relationships with parents and the manner in which parents conduct themselves in the Skate Canada environment.
In this code “parents” shall refer to “parents and guardians”. This code applies to all parents who are members of Skate Canada or have children who are members of Skate Canada. Parents shall abide by this code at all times while participating in any Skate Canada club or school, competition, or activity.
CONDUCT
- All parents are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the values of fair play, integrity, open communication, and mutual respect.
- Parents shall always model positive and responsible behaviour and communicate with their child that they expect them to do the same. Parents will assume the major responsibility for their child’s on ice conduct and attitude.
- Parents shall at all times treat all individuals and property with dignity, courtesy, and respect, including but not limited to skaters, coaches, officials, volunteers, other parents, and all other individuals that are part of the club, skating school, Section or Skate Canada.
- Parents shall refrain from any behaviour, or comments, which are profane, insulting, harassing, sexist, racist, abusive, disrespectful, or otherwise offensive. This includes refraining from speaking negatively about any other skaters in the club.
- Parents shall emphasize the importance of values like sportsmanship, respect, cooperation, competition, and teamwork to their child.
- Parents shall model and encourage their child to maintain a healthy balance between skating and life. (i.e., school, other activities, social life, etc.)
- Parents shall model and encourage balanced, healthy food choices and subscribing to an active and healthy lifestyle.
- Parents shall set high, but reasonable expectations for their child’s participation in skating.
- Parents shall instil confidence in their child’s ability and skill development, always avoiding comparisons with other skaters.
- Parents shall celebrate the acquisition of skills and goals achieved by their child.
- Parents, along with the professional coach and the athlete, shall be considered members of a team whose main concern is the child’s overall progress and development. Parents shall respect that the professional coach is responsible for the on-ice and off-ice development of the athlete. A parent’s role shall be to take a healthy interest in their child’s progress and development and be responsible for the child’s nutrition, rest, adherence to off-ice training regimen set by the coach or other fitness professional, overall health, life-balance, and moral support.
- Parents shall ensure their child wears proper skating clothing and equipment.
- Parents shall never provide alcohol or drugs to minors in a Skate Canada environment.
- Parents shall never provide or advocate the use of performance enhancing drugs or substances.
- Parents shall avoid any conduct, which brings their club, skating school, Section or Skate Canada, into disrepute, including but not limited to abusive use of alcohol, non-medical use of drugs and gambling.
- Parents shall openly support and uphold this code of conduct policy and take action and steps to ensure other parents follow and uphold this code of conduct policy.
- Parents shall adhere to the policies, procedures, rules, standards, and ethics of Skate Canada at all times.
- Parents shall ensure their child reviews, signs and follows both the Skate Kingston Skaters Code of Conduct, and the Skate Kingston Skaters Ice Etiquette.