By Shelba Waldron - Director of Club Education and Outreach, USA Gymnastics

When a coach is close in age to their athletes, it may be difficult for them to maintain professional boundaries as a staff member. New staff members may encounter several scenarios in which they might not know how to respond. It is important for club owners or supervisors to discuss the following situations:

• Assisting a young child in the bathroom
• When a parent asks them to babysit over the weekend
• An athlete they coach wants to friend them on social media
• A child they coach wants to disclose something of a personal nature that may or may not need to be reported to authorities
• How to respond if asked about personal information such as relationship status, political points of view or life experiences

To better help new and inexperienced staff identify and work through potential scenarios, USA Gymnastics has created the "Setting Healthy Boundaries Online Course U111" and "Creating Healthy Boundaries with Athletes Webinar."

USA Gymnastics has also created this important webinar on supervising staff who are under the age of 18.