Program against bullying earns praise

Dare to Care works with U of C’s Swim Club athletes

They ’re behaviours that can often be misinterpreted as fiery or competitive among their athletic peers.

But a new anti-bullying pilot that just wrapped up in partnership with the University of Calgary Swim Club was so well received that the athletes who took part are unanimous in calling for the program to be offered annually.

Lisa Dixon-Wells, founder and executive director of Dare to Care, a Calgary-based bully prevention program, said the organization has been working with schools for the entirety of its 18 years but was eager to extend it from the classroom to the locker room.

“Obviously, bullying is a big problem in schools, but it’s a societal problem as well,” she said.

“In a sporting environment, where clearly competitiveness is important, and striving to be the best is important, a lot of time bullying behaviour is disguised as team building or striving for excellence.”

Launched last September, the program offered comprehensive training for youth athletes, their coaches, officials and even parents in hopes of identifying and curbing bullying behaviours that can fester and even push some out of the sport.

While not mandatory, 99 per cent of the team and its adult supporters participated in the program and the result was an immediate 75 per cent reduction in written complaints of bullying compared to the previous year, and those grievances were quickly resolved without the need for a formal investigation.

Dixon-Wells noted while there had been a bit of pushback from parents prior to the program launching, the vast majority found it valuable, while fully 100 per cent of athletes in the 16-24 age group who participated said they think the program should be offered every year.

Double gold medal-winning Olympian Catriona Le May Doan, senior director of community and sport engagement with Sport Calgary, said the spectre of bullying is everywhere, even at the highest echelons of competition.

“It happens when people feel threatened, when people are unhappy, when they ’re envious,” said the former champion speedskater, who noted she, like countless others, was personally impacted by bullying in sports during her career.

“What we need to do is to make sports healthier and better.”

According to Dare to Care, some 70 per cent of amateur athletes in North America quit organized sport by the time they’re 13, with bullying considered one of the key factors contributing to the dropout rate.

The results from the pilot come just as federal Sport Minister Kirsty Duncan on Tuesday introduced tougher measures to eliminate harassment in Canadian sports, requiring several new measures for federally funded athletic organizations.

Dixon-Wells said with the success of the pilot, she’s hoping other Calgary sports organizations will look at the program as well, with several groups already talking about adopting it for their own athletes, coaches and parents.

“There is still that old school mentality, that if you create a respectful team environment, you’re losing that competitive edge,” she said.

“But what we’re finding now is that teams that respect one another outperform other teams.

“You can be the best without hurting others.”