Your team swims at a public pool, and there are often other people using the locker rooms while your team is there. This is something you expect and is usually not a problem, but there’s been an individual who’s been making you and your teammates feel a little uncomfortable. The individual sits in the locker room, sometimes with clothes on and sometimes not, and tries to talk to the swimmers. Something about the situation doesn’t feel right to you.
Discussion Questions:
What’s going on here?
>Safe Sport says: Instead of focusing on how a person looks, focus on their behavior—what they’re doing. If other people are using the locker room to shower and change their clothes, that’s okay. However, if their behavior is different from that or making you or your teammates uncomfortable, it’s time to speak up.
What do you do?
>Safe Sport says: Tell your coach or some other adult in charge right away.
What other behaviors are not okay in the locker room?
>Safe Sport says: Things like fighting, taking someone else’s belongings, making a mess or destroying property, and taking pictures are all examples of things that are not okay in the locker room. If you see someone doing any of these things, tell someone in charge.
How can you help make the locker room a safe place for everyone?
>Safe Sport says: Use the buddy system. If your teammate is the last one in the locker room, wait and walk out with them. Know the rules of what’s okay and what’s not okay in the locker room, and if someone is doing anything that’s not okay, tell your coach or someone in charge.
Wrap It Up:
If someone is ever making you feel uncomfortable at swim practice, a meet, or other team event, who can you tell?
>Safe Sport says: You can tell your coach, a facility employee, or a parent. Rather than say a person “looks creepy,” make sure you tell an adult the specific behaviors that were making you feel uncomfortable so that they can address the situation.
*For Coaches: If you don’t already know, find out what groups or who else has access to the locker rooms when your team is practicing. Review your team’s locker room monitoring policy and talk to the swimmers about what to expect. For more resources, visit www.usaswimming.org/toolkit or contact Safe Sport at (719) 866-4578 or safesport@usaswimming.org.
