Editor:
Re: Course promotes respect, fun, Sept. 13.
Many thanks to Peace Arch News for updating the readers about Semiahmoo Minor Hockey’s recently launched Respect in Sport program.
The opening comments about the program perhaps were misleading, as these comments portrayed the program as something we were launching for problematic parents.
The intent of the program is, in fact, quite the opposite. The Respect in Sport program is committed to creating a positive hockey experience for all parents and players.
We are very proud to be the first minor sport association in B.C. to adopt the program. In the coming years, all parents of players in their final year of initiation hockey will be required to complete the course.
Respect in Sport is designed to:
• Reinforce a parent’s role in a child’s activities by encouraging positive sport behaviours,
• Empower parents to ensure the safety of their children,
• Encourage positive and effective communication; and
• Enhance a child’s fun and camaraderie of the activity.
Semiahmoo Minor Hockey believes the hockey experience should be built on a foundation of respect for all involved. Respect in Sport helps us promote these values through a simple online tool.
What are the benefits for a parent? It will make you more confident in identifying if your child has been involved in any way with abuse, neglect, bullying and harassment. It will help you identify if your own behaviour is potentially inhibiting your child’s development. It will give you a framework of acceptable communication with children, parents, coaches and officials.
Respect in Sport for Parents is transferable to all youth sports and programs, not just ice hockey
We appreciate PAN providing the visibility to this program and are grateful to our partners at Canadian Tire who are picking up costs associated with this program.
Ian Maguire, Semiahmoo Minor Hockey Association