Physical Contact Policy: Adult Male Coach and Female Youth Athlete

Wrestling Club Policy on ADult Male Coaches Physical Contact with Minor Female Athletes

Policy Effective April 20^th, 2023.

Situation:

The current boom and rapid growth of women’s wrestling has caused an exponential increase in numbers. This is due NC and other states across the country sanctioning All-Female teams at the HS and College level. Some programs are fortunate enough to have adult female coaches with wrestling experience that can work with young lady wrestlers. But currently, most programs do not. Due to this, a policy that outlines appropriate behavior between adult male coaches and minor female wrestlers needs to be established. Rules established in this policy will also apply to adult female coaches and minor male athletes. Rules regarding adult coaches and minors of the same gender will be adhered to in accordance with USAW Safe Sport policies.

All Carolina Elite Wrestling Club (CEWC) coaches are required to sign and adhere to this policy. No adult shall be permitted to coach CEWC wrestlers unless this policy is fully understood and agreed to with a signature and date. Failure to adhere to the rules set forth in this policy will result in immediate review and investigation by our board members, which may result in dismissal from the club and/or legal action.

Adult Male Coaches are not permitted to:

Utilize a female athlete to demonstrate moves from the top/bottom or referee’s position. Including moves that start neutral and end top/bottom.
Wrestle with female athletes where there is a high probability of incidental or accidental contact that may be perceived as inappropriate.
Be alone at any time with any athlete. If this is unavoidable, the coach and athlete must remain in a public and well-lit area. Example: Outside of the wrestling room on the sidewalk.
Hold private wrestling lessons, before/after practice training or any extra instruction where just the male coach and female wrestler are training together. This applies whether the parent is present or not. An appropriate wrestling teammate must be used.

Adult Male Coaches Shall:

Use male wrestlers to demo moves. If only females are present, a female coach will demo the move with a female wrestler -or- two experienced wrestlers will demo the move under the direction of the coach.
Report any violations of this policy to the board of directors.
Be open and honest about our policy with the athletes.
Drill moves such as hand fighting, head positioning or other neutral positions that have a low probability of incidental or accidental contact that may be perceived as inappropriate.
Adjust all wrestlers into their proper positions, in an appropriate manner, when practicing moves.

If you have any questions regarding this policy, please email info@carolinaelitewrestling.com