WYH Travel Policy
Waltham Youth Hockey encourages all of its teams to take advantage of travel tournament opportunities. We believe that this provides our players with a competitive, bonding experience that is not replicated in regular league play. Waltham Youth Hockey has established policies to guide travel tournament participation in order to minimize one-on-one interactions between players and adults to reduce the risk of abuse or potential misconduct. Adherence to these travel guidelines will increase player safety and improve the player’s experience while keeping travel a fun and enjoyable experience.
We distinguish between travel to off-ice training, practice and local games as (“local travel”), and team travel that involves a coordinated overnight stay as (“team travel”).
Local Travel
Local travel occurs when Waltham Youth Hockey or one of its teams does not sponsor, coordinate, or arrange for travel.
- Players and/or their parents/guardians are responsible for making all arrangements for local travel. The team and its coaches, managers or administrators should avoid responsibility for arranging or coordinating local travel. It is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to ensure the person transporting the minor player maintains the proper safety and legal requirements, including, but not limited to, a valid driver’s license, automobile liability insurance, a vehicle in safe working order, and compliance with applicable state laws. The employees, coaches, and/or volunteers of Waltham Youth Hockey or one of its teams, who are not also acting as a parent, should not drive alone with an unrelated minor player and should only drive with at least two players or another adult at all times, unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the minor player’s parent.
- Where an employee, coach and/or volunteer is involved in an unrelated minor player’s local travel, efforts should be made to ensure that the adult personnel are not alone with the unrelated player, by, e.g., picking up or dropping off the players in groups. In any case where an employee, coach and/or volunteer is involved in the player’s local travel, a parental release should be obtained in advance.
- Employees, coaches, and volunteers who are also a player’s parent or guardian may provide shared transportation for any player(s) if they pick up their player first and drop off their player last in any shared or carpool travel arrangement.
- It is recognized that in some limited instances it will be unavoidable for an employee, coach or volunteer of Waltham Youth Hockey or one of its teams to drive alone with an unrelated minor player. However, efforts should be made to minimize these occurrences and to mitigate any circumstances that could lead to allegations of abuse or misconduct.
Team Travel
Team travel is overnight travel that occurs when Waltham Youth Hockey or one of its teams sponsors, coordinates or arranges for travel so that our teams can compete locally, regionally, nationally or internationally.
- When possible, Waltham Youth Hockey will provide reasonable advance notice before team travel. Travel notice will also include designated team hotels for overnight stays as well as a contact person within WYH or the team. This individual will be the point of contact to confirm your intention to travel and to help with travel details.
- The Waltham Youth Hockey Team will post specific travel itineraries when they become available. These will include a more detailed schedule as well as contact information for team travel chaperones. All players must have a parent or designated guardian (with written consent of parents) attend the tournament and all of its activities.
- Regardless of gender, a coach shall not share a hotel room or other sleeping arrangement with a minor player (unless the coach is the parent, guardian or sibling of the player).
- The coach may establish a curfew by when all players must be in their hotel rooms or in a supervised location.
- The team personnel may ask hotels to block adult pay per view channels.
- Individual meetings between a player and coach may not occur in hotel sleeping rooms and must be held in public settings or with additional adults present.
- Meetings do not occur in hotel rooms, but the team may reserve a separate space for adults and athletes to socialize.
- If disciplinary action against a player is required while the player is traveling without his/her parents, then except where immediate action is necessary, parents will be notified before any action is taken or immediately after the action.
- No coach or adult chaperone shall at any time be under the influence of alcohol or drugs while performing their coaching and/or chaperoning duties.
- Adults/Parents are encouraged to behave responsibly with alcohol on hotel property.
- Adult/Parents should adhere to the USA Hockey Parent Code of Conduct Policy while attending games.
- During team travel, coaches, team personnel and chaperones will help players, fellow coaches and team personnel adhere to policy guidelines, including, without limitation, the Travel Policy, Locker Room Policy and Reporting Policy.
- Prior to any travel, coaches will endeavor to make players and parents aware of all expectations and rules.
Prohibited Conduct and Reporting
Waltham Youth Hockey prohibits all types of physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, bullying, threats, harassment and hazing, all as described in the USA Hockey SafeSport Handbook. Participants, employees or volunteers in Waltham Youth Hockey may be subject to disciplinary action for violation of the Travel Policies or for engaging in any misconduct or abuse or that violates the USA Hockey SafeSport Policies.
To report any actual or suspected violations, you may email Lisa Marie Wise at lisamariewise@walthamyouthhockey.org or Shawn Keefe at shawnkeefe@walthamyouthhockey.org