You already know that bullying is something that should be avoided on cheer teams. Cheerleading is about the experience, first and foremost, and nothing can ruin an athlete’s time on the squad like bullying. There are a few key ways coaches can ban bullying from their teams, and doing so is important. You may think that it’s up to parents to keep their kids from being bullies or even the responsibility of the athletes themselves to treat their teammates well. While those may be true, there are two big reasons why bullying is a coach’s issue. Cheer coaches are responsible for what they allow on their teams. This goes for behaviors and attitudes especially. How your athletes act may be out of your control, but you are in charge of making and enforcing the team rules. The kind of behavior you permit is your responsibility! This means you will have to make your rules and expectations clear, lay out the consequences for breaking them, and then follow through on enforcing them. Cheer coaches impact their cheerleaders’ lives. Coaches are a major influence on young athletes. As a cheer coach, you have the honor and responsibility of impacting these cheerleaders’ lives. Even if you only see your job as making your athletes better cheerleaders, bullying will have a major effect on this. Confidence, trust, and team bonding are huge aspects of being a successful cheerleading squad. Bullying can cause your cheerleaders to lose confidence in themselves and stop trusting their teammates. Banishing bullying from your squad is the best way you can ensure a positive experience and a successful season for your cheerleaders. Do you agree that bullying is a coach’s issue? What are some of the ways you’ve seen coaches successfully banish bullying from their teams?
Two BIG Reasons Bullying Is a Coach’s Issue
