Professional Relationships

BY HEIDI THIBERT MC, MFS, MM, CF AND KELLEY MORRIS ADAIR MDFD, MM, RFF

In any workplace there are bound to be people that you work well with and those that you do not. When working in a field as personal as ice skating can be, interpersonal relationships in the rink can be quite intense. But creating a team environment is imperative for a successful program. Coaching staffs are generally small in comparison to other businesses and tend to know each other quite well. The best staff/team members are those who are able to separate their personal and professional relationships, those who are able to be professional and polite when conflicts arise, and those who genuinely have the best interest of the skater/ rink/club/program in mind at all times.

Coaches should strive to separate their professional and personal differences. Some coaches who find themselves in the same work environment may have competed or trained together in the past. It is important that these coaches are able to work together without carrying old issues into their current workplace. Professional respect is the foundation of all coach-to-coach relationships. The strength of your coaching team is the model for all athletes to emulate.

When teaching, coaches often interact with each other and work with other coaches’ private lessons. In this respect, coaches must maintain professional courtesy at all times. It is never appropriate to criticize teaching styles or techniques when working with another coach’s skater. If a coach has a concern regarding a particular teaching technique that they feel is unsafe or harmful, that coach should bring the concern to the other coach in a manner that is not threatening or judgmental.

When there is a conflict between coaches, the parties involved need to resolve the conflict quickly, without involving other staff members. Within a close-knit group of coaches, it is difficult to resist the urge to call a fellow coach and vent your frustrations. However, a better choice in the work environment is to confide in and seek input from a neutral party who is removed from the situation and who can be objective.

You might consider sitting down and discussing the situation with the skating school director or another member of management or club officer in a timely manner. Waiting too long to bring a conflict to resolution can only breed more ill will and feelings of resentment between those involved.

The relationship between coaches and the skating school director can make or break a figure skating program. The skating school director must maintain an even greater distance between professional and personal relationships within the coaching staff. A skating school director must be discreet, objective and above all have the best interest of the program at the forefront at all times. It is a good idea for a skating school director to stay distant from personal relationships with the coaches who work under him/her. While this separation can be difficult when friendships are involved, it is in the best interest of the program, which is ultimately the skating school director’s main priority. Setting a consistent professional standard for the team of coaches will be the foundation of your program.

All professions have an ethical standard that they are held to abide by. All coaches are expected to engage in and support ethical practices. Coaches understand the importance of ethical behavior, abide by codes of conduct affiliated with their sport, and teach ethical behavior in their program.

To meet this responsibility coaches must:

• Abide by the PSA, U.S. Figure Skating, and SafeSport Codes of Conduct.

• Model, teach, and reinforce ethical behavior with program participants.

Coaches should also develop an ethical decision-making process based on the following ethical standards:

• Coaches treat all skaters with equal consideration within the context of the sport of figure skating regardless of gender, race, and place of origin, athletic potential, sexual orientation, gender identification, faith, or socioeconomic status.

• Coaches do not participate in and will responsibly report any unjust discrimination in the sport, and act to prevent or correct practices that are unjustly discriminatory.

• Coaches treat all skaters in a manner that honors their dignity by providing feedback on the skating performance rather than the skater.

• Coaches treat all officials and fellow coaches in a manner that honors their areas of expertise, experience, and insights by carefully considering their opinion. Coaches are discreet in all statements and conversations, both public and non-public, and avoid demeaning references to others in and outside of skating.

• Coaches recognize the skater’s right to change coaching arrangements or consult with other coaches or advisors.

• Coaches acknowledge and respect the skater’s right to know the rules of the sport and to be kept informed by his/her coach.

• Coaches set reasonable and respectful boundaries with regard to the personal lives of skaters outside the generally accepted jurisdiction of a coach.

• Coaches encourage and facilitate skaters’ abilities to be responsible for their own behavior, performance, and decisions.

• Coaches allow skaters a role in discussion, contribution to, and agreement with training plans and performance standards.

• Coaches provide skaters (and parents) with all pertinent information to make the best decisions possible.

• Coaches will be honest and clear about the scope and content of coaching services are qualified to provide.

• Coaches consult with and determine with skater and his/her parents what information is confidential and keep it so by exercising discretion in recordkeeping and communication of information and restricting access to any confidential records you might keep or have access to.

• Coaches disclose confidential information only when the skater presents a danger to self or others.

• Coaches encourage an atmosphere of mutual support, and mutual respect for all participants; athletes, coaches, officials, and parents

In the end, we must all work together and build a community of trust, respect, and an ethical and professional environment that parents and skaters believe in.