anti-bullying policies at gym

[emorymom]

My daughter has dealt with ongoing bullying this year at gym.

If your team has an anti-bullying policy in place, can you share it, and share what has worked and what hasn't?

 

[lifesentencegymmie]

That's awful! I know that in our gym's mission statement there is something like, "all athletes must respect all other athletes, coaches, staff, judges, and officials." But that is the extent of it. I know a girl at my gym this year who got bullied by her teammates, and when they told the head coach, she was moved to another group. However, nothing was done to the girls who bullied her.

 

[CoachTodd]

I'm not sure we do anything special. If we find someone being a bully, we tell them to cut it out and they do. If they ignore me (I've not had this happen in the past 9 years), the gym owner gets involved and they've always listened.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

warned one time only. if they don't comply you throwem out. plain and simple.

 

[MdGymMom01]

We had some bullying at dd's gym last year (dd was the target) and as soon as I heard about it from my dd I spoke to the coach and she had a SERIOUS talk with the team at the next practice basically stating that bullying behavior/nasty comments and blatent rudeness are UNACCEPTABLE and WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. That pretty much did it. The zero tolerance rule is the best way to go and nipping it in the bud is also the best solution as well. The "bully" ended up going to a new gym this year which was good for us but who knows if she is doing the same thing at her new gym.

Good luck and let us know how things work out.

 

[starmaker]

DD had experience with being the target of teasing and bullying when she first started at her new gym. Some of the older/better girls would purposely exclude dd from conversations/jokes etc. DD handled it well. She never cried or showed she was upset. So apparently it went on for longer than I had known. I did speak with her coach and she spoke to the whole group. It continued and I spoke to gym owner. SHe spoke with the girls again. Now almost a year later, they are best friends. The "ring leader" has even invited dd to playdates etc. I think they (older girls) had a hard time accepting Liv as an equal and she bascially had to earn her spot on the team. Or they felt threaten by her for some reason. Either way it was handled immediately and now 9 months later they are good friends.

 

[CoachGoofy]

I was a bullied kid, so I just flat out don't tolerate it. All the girls know this & we had a Talk before it ever came up, since I'd Heard Things.

It basically consisted of:
Look around you. These are your teammates. Together you are going to do some of the most awesome things kids can do. If you stay in gymnastics, you are going to spend a lot of time together. The girls next to you may be your best friends. Even if you aren't friends, you are teammates. So let's be teammates. Teammates don't push each other. Teammates don't exclude each other. Teammates don't hurt each other's bodies or emotions. You are all awesome gymnasts, awesome people, and I know you can be awesome teammates too.

If any kid feels targeted, they are free to come to me and tell me what happened (and this has happened), & the whole group gets a reminder of what a team is. We've only had to go past this once, to where any girl I'm getting constant "she did this" about has to sit and reflect on what being a team member means. If it were to go past that, we'd have a parent-gymnast-coach discussion. If a girl were being targetted by multiple gymnasts, I'd split up the wolfpack before moving their victim, because moving a kid seems like punishment.

Team is a privilege, not a right, & if you just can't help yourself, we have rec classes. I don't care how good you are or could be, you don't pick on your teammates.

*really really cannot STAND bullying, especially in an environment that's supposed to be empowering*