Coaching Standards and Reforms

[yuumagical]

So I was watching Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski get interviewed in a special just before the primetime Beijing closing ceremony broadcast. I was eager to see if they had any meaningful insights as to how figure skating could move forward from the current doping scandal.

Unfortunately, they didn't present a whole lot of meaningful insights other than the need to investigate Kamila's coaches (and they didn't even call out Tutberidze by name! ).

When asked about the possibility of a higher age limit, they seemed somewhat resistant to it. However, Tara mentioned that she was able to become an Olympic champion at 15 because she had supportive adults around her.

This got me to thinking: what kinds of standards exist for coaches in figure skating today? Are they national standards, international standards, or both? Are organizations like SafeSport doing enough to weed out coaches that physically or mentally damage their skaters? Can coaches be banned for life? Although I am from the US, I am curious about the rules and regulations in other countries as well.

Furthermore, how could figure skating foster a culture of compassion and respect among adults towards their skaters, similar to how the skaters respect one another? I know compassion isn't a thing that can be easily measured, but how can compassionate coaching behavior be increased?

Last but not least, is there a need for an international coaches' association to promote appropriate coaching standards and codes of conduct?

I am eager to hear your insights and am hoping this discussion can provide a meaningful catalyst for change.

 

[el henry]

These are the requirements for USFS:

Coach Compliance | U.S. Figure Skating

www.usfigureskating.org

These are the requirements for PSA (Professional Skaters Association). A coach must be a member of PSA to enter skaters into US comps:

Compliance — Professional Skaters Association

Coach Compliance

skatepsa.com

They both mention SafeSport as a means of compliance, and indeed, SafeSport was meant to be an independent investigator.

SafeSport is underfunded and overworked. To operate more effectively, it needs more funds. In part from taxpayers, in part from non-profit organizations. "More money" from those places is a real problem, and one not easily solved.

 

[silver.blades]

Skate Canada requires all coaches to undergo yearly ethics training and respect in sport training (essentially how not to be an abusive coach and how to spot abuse). There are mechanisms in place to report abusive coaches, but I also know that abusive coaches slip through the cracks if they're successful and there aren't parents/skaters who are willing to pursue legal action.

There does seem to be a culture shift happening though. Skate Canada has put a lot of resources the last couple of years into promoting nurturing environments, diversity and inclusion, so I'm cautiously optimistic that things are starting to be taken more seriously.

For me personally, I've found that the club administration makes a huge difference in this regard. I've worked at clubs where as long as the coaches get results, they don't care. I've also worked at clubs where the administration actively promotes positivity and personally handles bad situations. In these clubs, there are not a lot of issues because the administration makes it clear these things are not tolerated and as a result, the coaches follow suit.