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Athlete Safety

Athlete safety is and has always been our priority. As we reviewed our Team Travel Policy, our process included consulting our governing body, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, as well as independent, local organizations outside of sport that specialize in mental health and child safety. Those organizations included:

Although the policies Team Summit already had in place comply with the requirements established by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, we have adopted additional requirements as part of our official Team Travel Policy.

Team Travel Policy Additions

  • The minimum age for team travel is 12 years old
  • When team travel is required, there must be two adults per accommodation
  • At least one adult of each athlete’s gender must be represented
  • In addition to continuing to sign the season-long Team Travel Waiver required by SafeSport, parents are required to review and sign the Trip Details document shared by the team’s Director/Head Coach for each specific event, prior to their athlete’s travel.

Trip Details include all logistics for each specific travel event, including a complete list of coaches, participants, and authorized parent chaperones attending.

In the event Team Summit may rely on parent chaperones to meet its travel policy requirements, authorized parent chaperones must first:

  • Complete a volunteer chaperone application
  • Have a current volunteer membership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, including completion of a federal background check and SafeSport training
  • Complete Team Summit training in Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy and athlete safety policies
  • If applicable, parent chaperones must also be added to Team Summit’s vehicle insurance. 

All Team Summit coaches continue to undergo thorough background checks as a condition of their employment and take mandatory SafeSport training before working with athletes. In addition, bi-annual background checks are performed on each coach, and they are required to participate in an annual SafeSport refresher course.

Policy Implementation

To ensure the updated policy requirements are met:

  • Team Summit’s updated travel policy is reviewed with all coaches during mandatory annual employee orientation events.
  • The Director/Head Coach of each program communicates directly with families regarding the logistics of each trip, including the coaches, participants, and authorized parent chaperones who will be attending.
  • The Director of each program is responsible for ensuring each trip is properly staffed, and that mandatory Team Travel Waivers and specific Trip Details documentation have been completed for each athlete participant prior to travel.

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