Tucson J Stingrays Swim Team Photography Policy 

 

Purpose 

There has been much talk about whether it is safe to have images taken of children participating in sports. While the great majority of images are appropriate and are taken in good faith, it is a fact that images can be misused and children can be put at risk if common‐ sense procedures are not observed. 

 

Policies 

  1. The publishing of a photograph of swimmer under 18 either on a notice board or in a published article or video recording (including video streaming) of swimming competitions and practices (“publication”) should only be done with responsible adults’ written consent. Any photo that may go to press or on a notice board, be it through a member of the Team or official photographer, should receive caregiver consent before publishing/displaying the photo, preferably in writing. 
  2. A responsible adult has a right of refusal to have children photographed. The exercise of this right of refusal cannot be used as grounds for refusing entry into a swimming competition. To exercise this right, the responsible adult must complete the attached form and return it to the Club’s Safe Sport Coordinator.  
  3. In the case of open meets and other competitions where the host club has an official photographer present, all responsible adults attending will be made aware of this in the distributed meet information. If photos are to be published anywhere, the individual responsible adult will be given the opportunity to withhold their consent. Their right to do so will be specifically drawn to their attention. 
  4. All photographs must observe generally accepted standards of decency. In particular: 
  • Action shots should be a celebration of the sporting activity and not a sexualized image in a sporting context. 
  • Action shots should not be taken or retained where the photograph reveals a torn or displaced swimsuit. 
  • Photographs should not be taken from behind swimming blocks at the start of a race or exhibit a child climbing out of the swimming pool. 
  • Photographs should not be taken in locker rooms or bathrooms. 
  • Coaches may, at times, photograph or take video recordings of swimmers to show to them to allow for review of technique or performance. These photographs and videos will not be taken without the swimmer’s prior notification and consent, and they will be shown to the swimmer during or after the practice session during which they were taken. The photograph or video will be preserved in the athlete’s file for viewing by only the athlete, the athlete’s responsible adults or guardians, and the coaching staff. If responsible adults would like to view the photographs or videos, they may request to do so by contacting the athlete’s coach. The coach will then set up a time for the material to be reviewed with the responsible adult and the athlete.  
  • Responsible adults may not take photographs or videos during practice without the athlete’s and coach’s approval.  

 

Photography Consent Form 

The Photography Consent Form is required to be signed and kept on file by the Team. The Form can be found in the Team Handbook.