What Defines a Safe Sport Community? We Asked Four Athletes.
Building a positive sport community takes all of us working together to prioritize the well-being of athletes at every level, on every stage. Only through teamwork can we cultivate sport environments that are free from abuse.
This International Safe Sport Day, we asked four SafeSport Athlete Advisory Team (SAAT) members to share what ending abuse in sport means to them. While they each voiced a unique perspective, one note rang true throughout each of their responses: that moving the needle to cultivate safer, more positive sport atmospheres translates to happier, healthier, and more successful athletes.
Check out their responses below and watch the videos to hear from each athlete firsthand.
Playlist
4 Videos
We asked:
“What defines a Safe Sport community and what does shifting the culture of sport mean to you?”
“Being in a community where Safe Sport is practiced means prioritizing the athlete. Whether that’s parents putting the needs of their child first or coaches fostering an environment centralized on athlete well-being.”
Lainee Jones
Member, SafeSport Athlete Advisory Team
“At the end of the day, I think that every sport is working to improve their culture and their practices in one way or another. And that the simplest and most impactful thing you can do to improve that culture and community is to read up and advocate for Safe Sport. Safer athletes are more joyful athletes, and everyone deserves joy in sports.”
Cameron Mason
Member, SafeSport Athlete Advisory Team
“What I hope for the future of sport is that SafeSport’s training and Code is viewed collectively as an integral, necessary part of sports participation. I also hope that athletes of all levels have confidence that they will have a positive, protected, and safe environment in sports participation and those who may not have this experience find their voice to report. That’s how, in my opinion, step-by-step, we’re going to change the culture of sport.”
Kaila Kilwein
Member, SafeSport Athlete Advisory Team
“When I think about a community that practices Safe Sport, I think about one that would be very supportive and be valuable to me as an athlete and a person, whose leaders look at me as an important part of that group.”
Lynn Nelson
Member, SafeSport Athlete Advisory Team
“Being in a community where Safe Sport is practiced means prioritizing the athlete. Whether that’s parents putting the needs of their child first or coaches fostering an environment centralized on athlete well-being.”
Lainee Jones
Member, SafeSport Athlete Advisory Team
“At the end of the day, I think that every sport is working to improve their culture and their practices in one way or another. And that the simplest and most impactful thing you can do to improve that culture and community is to read up and advocate for Safe Sport. Safer athletes are more joyful athletes, and everyone deserves joy in sports.”
Cameron Mason
Member, SafeSport Athlete Advisory Team
“When I think about a community that practices Safe Sport, I think about one that would be very supportive and be valuable to me as an athlete and a person, whose leaders look at me as an important part of that group.”
Lynn Nelson
Member, SafeSport Athlete Advisory Team
“What I hope for the future of sport is that SafeSport’s training and Code is viewed collectively as an integral, necessary part of sports participation. I also hope that athletes of all levels have confidence that they will have a positive, protected, and safe environment in sports participation and those who may not have this experience find their voice to report. That’s how, in my opinion, step-by-step, we’re going to change the culture of sport.”
Kaila Kilwein
Member, SafeSport Athlete Advisory Team
“Being in a community where Safe Sport is practiced means prioritizing the athlete. Whether that’s parents putting the needs of their child first or coaches fostering an environment centralized on athlete well-being.”
Lainee Jones
Member, SafeSport Athlete Advisory Team
“At the end of the day, I think that every sport is working to improve their culture and their practices in one way or another. And that the simplest and most impactful thing you can do to improve that culture and community is to read up and advocate for Safe Sport. Safer athletes are more joyful athletes, and everyone deserves joy in sports.”
Cameron Mason
Member, SafeSport Athlete Advisory Team
“What I hope for the future of sport is that SafeSport’s training and Code is viewed collectively as an integral, necessary part of sports participation. I also hope that athletes of all levels have confidence that they will have a positive, protected, and safe environment in sports participation and those who may not have this experience find their voice to report. That’s how, in my opinion, step-by-step, we’re going to change the culture of sport.”
Kaila Kilwein
Member, SafeSport Athlete Advisory Team
“When I think about a community that practices Safe Sport, I think about one that would be very supportive and be valuable to me as an athlete and a person, whose leaders look at me as an important part of that group.”
Lynn Nelson
Member, SafeSport Athlete Advisory Team
Learn more about the U.S. Center for SafeSport and how we support athletes by exploring our abuse prevention resources or following us on Instagram.