Bullying in Skating

Ann LeClair/Global News

I've seen a lot of bad behavior on the ice in my day, but I've never seen outright bullying among skaters. Maybe I grew up in a sheltered skating community full of reasonably well adjusted skaters and coaches, but I was appalled by this story about a 12-year-old in Quebec who was expelled from her figure skating school after reporting bullying by an older student.

Bullying is a big enough problem outside of the rink for many kids. I was horribly bullied in the sixth grade—a fellow 11-year-old (non-skating) student threatened to "cut and shave me with my skate blades." Fortunately, that threat was never acted on, and I soldiered on until things got remarkably better in seventh grade. But I know how it can sap your will to keep on keeping on toward your goals.

It makes no sense that a young student with considerable talent is punished because she was bullied, in a very dangerous way, I might add. We don't know the whole story, so it's too early to come down too hard on the coach or the offending skater, who is identified as being male and 15 with clinical "anger management" problems. The coach who expelled her is not talking. But Skate Canada is investigating the incident, and I suspect more will come to light.

Regardless of the findings, I hope that this young girl keeps skating, and finds a place to skate where she feels comfortable and confident.