Team Travel Policy for ELITE Otters Swim Team
Purpose: Athletes are most vulnerable to misconduct during travel, particularly overnight stays. This includes a high risk of athlete-to-athlete misconduct. During travel, athletes are often away from their families and support networks, and the setting – new changing areas, locker rooms, workout facilities, automobiles and hotel rooms – is less structured and less familiar.
Team Travel is defined as overnight travel to a swim meet or other team activity that is planned and supervised by the club or LSC.
USA Swimming Required Policies
- Club travel policies must be signed and agreed to by all athletes, parents, coaches and other adults traveling with the club.
- Team managers and chaperones must be members of USA Swimming and have successfully passed a USA Swimming-administered criminal background check.
- Regardless of gender, a coach shall not share a hotel room or other sleeping arrangement with an athlete (unless the coach is the parent, guardian, sibling, or spouse of that particular athlete).
- When only one athlete and one coach travel to a competition, the athlete must have his/her parents’ (or legal guardian’s) written permission in advance to travel alone with the coach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can Applicable Adults ride alone in a vehicle with a minor athlete?
A: Applicable Adults must not ride in a vehicle alone with an unrelated minor athlete, absent emergency circumstances, and must always have at least two minor athletes or another adult in the vehicle, unless agreed to in writing by the minor athlete’s legal guardian.
Q: How is “overnight lodging location” in Section II(b) defined?
A: Overnight lodging location refers to a non-traditional lodging situation that teams might use. This includes, but is not limited to, non-traditional arrangements such as VRBO rentals, Air BNBs, campers, trailers, etc. All the travel rules apply to these locations as well.
Q: Can an adult athlete share a hotel or sleeping arrangement with a minor athlete?
A: Yes, an adult athlete can share a hotel room, other sleeping arrangement or overnight lodging location with a minor athlete only if the minor athlete’s legal guardian provides written permission in advance and for each instance for the minor to share a hotel room, other sleeping arrangement or overnight lodging location with said adult athlete. No other Applicable Adult can share a hotel or sleeping arrangement with a minor athlete.
UPDATED QUESTIONS (June 13, 2019)
Q: Can families traveling to a competition share an Air BNB or VRBO?
A: Yes. If the travel is not “organized or supervised by the team” then families can make their own arrangements for accommodations. Under no circumstance can a coach share a hotel room, other sleeping arrangement or overnight lodging location with an athlete.
Q: What is different between a VRBO or Air BNB and a hotel? Especially if everyone has their own rooms, and bathroom.
A: A temporary residence rental such an a VRBO or an AirBNB provides opportunity for more personal and casual encounters between Applicable Adults and minor athletes than a hotel. This sort of casual setting provides an environment where boundaries can be crossed.
