- Oct 28, 2013
- 14
- 43
My Take on Bullying,
Over the years, I have witnessed harsh words being said between athletes and coaches (athletes who are still minors minds you and in some cases as young as 7 years old), which is 100% NOT ACCEPTABLE in any circumstance. Sometimes it is a dual clash of personalities or frustration, while other times it appeared to be more. No one has the right victimize someone else and it does not matter what the reason is! If it has something to do with how a performance went, cheer practices, or anything team related, it should be up to the coaches to to handle whatever the situation correctly. I understand owners of the gyms are not babysitters and may not be aware of everything going on with their coaches and athletes. For this reason, I do not see anything wrong with an athlete asking to speak to a coach in private to discuss a potential problem and for the coach to speak with an athlete in PRIVATE instead of calling them out in front of everyone to belittle them and bully them into performing a certain stunt or pass the Coach expects from them.
Unfortunately, bully in the gym is not limited to athletes bullying each other or coaches bullying athletes. Sometimes the parents are worse then the children. We all know not everyone is going to get along or be lifetime friends, and that is ok. However, the gossip, nasty comments, and all out lies are sometimes so severe it can cause athletes to be pulled from the program by their parents. I do not understand why adults cannot be kind and civil towards each other when in the cheer environment? We have to remember that the kids are watching how the coaches and adults act and tend to feed off of it. I feel if they see how the coaches act in a positive manner, they will as well.
Only we have the power to stop the bullying between children and adults. Too many children have ended their lives because of this and it is up to us to set a positive example and also step up if we know a child is being bullied. Even if our own child is being the bully. Please make the right choices with how you act towards and talk to others. Together we can make a difference.
Over the years, I have witnessed harsh words being said between athletes and coaches (athletes who are still minors minds you and in some cases as young as 7 years old), which is 100% NOT ACCEPTABLE in any circumstance. Sometimes it is a dual clash of personalities or frustration, while other times it appeared to be more. No one has the right victimize someone else and it does not matter what the reason is! If it has something to do with how a performance went, cheer practices, or anything team related, it should be up to the coaches to to handle whatever the situation correctly. I understand owners of the gyms are not babysitters and may not be aware of everything going on with their coaches and athletes. For this reason, I do not see anything wrong with an athlete asking to speak to a coach in private to discuss a potential problem and for the coach to speak with an athlete in PRIVATE instead of calling them out in front of everyone to belittle them and bully them into performing a certain stunt or pass the Coach expects from them.
Unfortunately, bully in the gym is not limited to athletes bullying each other or coaches bullying athletes. Sometimes the parents are worse then the children. We all know not everyone is going to get along or be lifetime friends, and that is ok. However, the gossip, nasty comments, and all out lies are sometimes so severe it can cause athletes to be pulled from the program by their parents. I do not understand why adults cannot be kind and civil towards each other when in the cheer environment? We have to remember that the kids are watching how the coaches and adults act and tend to feed off of it. I feel if they see how the coaches act in a positive manner, they will as well.
Only we have the power to stop the bullying between children and adults. Too many children have ended their lives because of this and it is up to us to set a positive example and also step up if we know a child is being bullied. Even if our own child is being the bully. Please make the right choices with how you act towards and talk to others. Together we can make a difference.
