Dubbo

If you can’t say anything nice…

This week the Dubbo Athletics Club is joining the state-wide Shoosh for Kids campaign, run by the NSW Office of Sport and supported by state sporting organisations. Its a fantastic thing to be a part of, and the campaign:

• Aligns with the culture of the Club
• Is consistent with our Codes of Conduct and Behaviour
• Is an excellent reminder about having fun and keeping things positive in all things associated with athletics

The messages from Shoosh for Kids are relevant all season long, and its good to get then out out early in the season. One of the key things is that if you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all. Its a message worth remembering.

It’s also worth remembering some of the words from our Code of Conduct:

Australians are justifiably proud of the place sport has in their daily lives.

But what is equally important to us all is the way the “game” is played and the manner in which our sportsmen and sportswomen conduct themselves.

Unfortunately, some people (both participants and spectators) fail to live up to the traditional values of sport. Young people involved in sport have a right to participate in a safe and supportive environment. Overzealous parents and adults, and ill‐tempered, disrespectful athletes, sometimes need to be reminded of appropriate standards of behaviour for Little Athletics.

It would be great to not have Codes of Conduct and Shoosh for Kids, but the reality is that sometimes we need them. There’s no excuse for our athletes, parents, carers, coaches and volunteers to not experience a fun, safe and positive sporting culture, and our Codes of Conduct, and things like Shoosh for Kids help us achieve this.

So this week, we ask everyone involved in the Club to take another look over our Codes of Conduct, participate in Shoosh for Kids and help us make Dubbo Athletics a fun, safe and positive place to be.