Safe Sport: Get To Know The Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies

At USA Water Ski & Wake Sports, we continue to focus on programs to keep our athletes safe. As a part of our continued commitment to safeguarding our athletes, USA Water Ski & Wake Sports has enacted enhancements to our Safe Sport policy and education requirements. These policies, referred to as the Minor Athlete Abuse Protection Policies and Guidelines (MAAPP), are developed from baseline policies created by the U.S. Center for SafeSport (the “Center”). The MAAPP can be found in the USA-WSWS SafeSport Handbook.

The MAAPP aims to help young athletes feel safe, supported, and strengthened by limiting one-on-one interactions between adults and children, requiring abuse prevention training for adults, and promoting environments in which misconduct is less likely to happen. The policy covers the following areas: meetings, individual training sessions, therapeutic modalities, locker room and changing areas, social media, electronic communication, and local and team travel.

Throughout the 11+ million member U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement, all NGBs, affiliated regional and local clubs, and relevant adults must adhere to the MAAPP.  Beyond the Movement, any sport entity can - as many amateur organizations do - adopt or benefit from the MAAPP’s athlete safety guidance, which coaches, administrators and athletes should follow in any sport setting.

USA Water Ski & Wake Sports highly recommends that all members review and be familiar with these policies. USA Water Ski & Wake Sports is committed to working with members and ensuring everyone understands the role they play in creating a safe environment for our competitors. The USA Water Ski & Wake Sports website features resources to help members maintain a culture that does not tolerate abuse. Our membership services team is available to answer questions and clarify misconceptions. Ultimately, we are all on the same team, working to keep our members safe and striving to be part of the solution.

Within 24 hours of learning of suspected or alleged sexual misconduct and/or a MAAPP violation, USA Water Ski & Wake Sports members must make a report to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, and local authorities if a minor is involved. Reports to the Center can be made electronically through the Center’s website at uscenterforsafesport.org/report-a-concernor by calling (833) 5US-SAFE (587-7233).To report a concern to USA Water Ski & Wake Sports, you may contact Executive Director Nate Boudreaux directly at nboudreaux@usawaterski.org. Individuals should not investigate or attempt to evaluate the credibility or validity of allegations involving sexual misconduct; the Center’s response and resolution processes, as well as its FBI-trained investigators, will investigate.