Coaching & RVP
All certified USBC youth leagues require adult leaders (whether as a coach or league official) to be an active Registered Volunteer (RVP) at the minimum; Coaches are not required to obtain training designations. Any adult that is not an active RVP is prohibited from interacting with non-related youth bowlers during league play.
Coaching:
A vital component to the success of our youth bowlers is the dedicated service of trained & qualified coaches. These volunteers work with bowlers to improve their fundamental skills and knowledge of the sport of bowling. USBC Coaching works to develop the skills of coaches by providing clinics and training programs. Coaching designations identify the level of training a coach has achieved:
Level I – fundamentals of coaching, designed for those working with entry-level bowlers
Bronze – intermediate level of training, recommended for high school coaches
Silver – advanced level of training, recommended for collegiate coaches
Gold – elite level of demonstrated training. Only about 30 individuals world-wide are active “Gold Coaches”
Coaches at all training levels must maintain “green light” status in the RVP program (see below) in order to be listed as an active coach with USBC. When working with youth bowlers, coaches are required to prominently wear their Registered Volunteer badge.
RVP Program:
The safety of USBC Youth is an issue of critical importance to USBC and our association. USBC developed the Registered Volunteer Program (RVP) to ensure that volunteers who have regular contact with USBC youth bowlers are qualified to do so. It includes a mandatory, continual criminal background screening designed to remove and/or discourage those who might harm our youth.
Child abuse, sexual misconduct and domestic violence are insidious crimes committed by people who often look and act “normal.” The only practical way to make youth bowling safe is to identify those who refuse to abide by acceptable standards of behavior and conduct, remove them from contact with our young people and establish barriers to prevent other predators from gaining access to children who bowl. Effective 1/1/2019, mandatory SafeSport Training is a requirement for existing and future RVP’s, with annual refresher training required to maintain active status.
RVP-approved individuals are provided a USBC Registered Volunteer badge to wear while working with youth and their status is shown under “Find A” Volunteer on BOWL.com. They should also be abiding by the RVP Code of Conduct. You can also find participating centers under “Find A” Center.
All manuals and documents can be found on www.bowl.com/rvp