Parents and Players

RMHA - Parents and Players Code of Conduct

All players and parents will be aware of abuse and harassment and will understand the consequences by not abiding to Redwater Minor Hockey Association’s bylaw.Abuse is any form of physical or emotional mistreatment or lack of care which causes physical injury or emotional damage to a player, coach, referee or spectator. Harassment is defined as conduct, gestures or comments which are insulting, intimidating, humiliating, hurtful, malicious, degrading or otherwise offensive to an individual or group of individuals, and which create a hostile or intimidating environment for sport activities. Those involved with Hockey Canada in providing hockey opportunities or participants understand and agree that abuse or neglect, as defined above, may be the subject of a criminal investigation and/or disciplinary procedures. Failure to report an offence and thereby, failure to provide safety for the participants may render the adult who keeps silent liable.

Developing Physical Literacy in Children

Check out the wonderful site for a guide for parents and coaches to assist in developing and understanding the development of children in their different stages in life.
http://www.canadiansportforlife.ca/default.aspx?PageID=1108&LangID=en

Why Your Child Plays Sports

Children have their own reasons for participating in sports and physical activities but coaches and parents are not always in harmony with their motives. Children commonly play sports:

to have fun
to experience thrills
to be with friends or make new friends
to do something they are good at
to feel good about themselves
to feel accepted
to improve and learn new skills.

Before you sign up or involve your child in a sport or activity, take time to talk to your child about his or her interests. Children are far more likely to continue in the activity if they are satisfying their own motives and have the support of their parents. They are also more likely to want to achieve excellence in competition for the same reasons.

Why Parents Encourage Sport Parents often have their own reasons for seeing their children in sports, and problems arise when their motives conflict with those of their son or daughter. The result can be a very negative sporting experience for the child.

Some of the most common problems arise when parents:

place too much emphasis on winning
push their children to specialize in one sport too early
live their own dreams through their children

The ideal situation is when your child finds intrinsic reward in participating in the activity – otherwise known as FUN! When the emphasis shifts towards external rewards from parents (extrinsic motives) or being “pushed” to participate, children are far less likely to enjoy and continue in the activity and they become more susceptible to burnout and dropout.

Figure 2 shows how children respond to their parents’ level of involvement in their sport or activity. In the optimal zone of parent involvement, parents are reactive, active and proactive in their children’s activity. By contrast, “inactive” parents (those who make no effort to be involved) and hyperactive parents tend to reduce their children’s enthusiasm.