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Providing a safe environment for athletes while continuing to promote figure skating in the United States is a big part of figure skating clubs, which is why it is important for club officers to understand risk management.

Risk management not only helps promote a safe environment but also helps strengthen the ability of U.S. Figure Skating to maintain affordable and comprehensive insurance coverage for their clubs, members and events.

As most people are aware, insurance premiums continue to escalate and are a direct reflection on the number and severity (ultimate cost) of claims. It is our intent to make positive improvements to programs in an ongoing effort to maintain the integrity of vital insurance programs for you.

Four-Step Process

The sole purpose of risk management is to safeguard people, assets and the reputation of an organization. It is a continuing four-step process of:

• Analyzing loss exposures by trying to determine what risks a club faces;
• Reviewing and selecting the best techniques to manage loss exposures. This can, and often does, include the purchase of insurance and discontinuance of certain practices that could potentially cause injuries and claims;
• Implementing appropriate techniques by putting certain practices into place to mitigate injuries and claims; and
• Monitoring and evaluating those techniques for effectiveness by reviewing to see if substantial reductions in injuries and claims have occurred as a result of the processes which were implemented.

Why Losses Occur

In order to fully understand the risk management process, you must first understand the elements of financial loss and why they occur. Typically, financial losses facing a business organization arise from one of the following activities.

Inadequate management: This includes poor communication, lack of procedures and policies, and lack of proper training.

Inadequate planning: This includes a lack of a written operating plan and a lack of assigning responsibilities to others in a management capacity.

Unsafe acts of employees or volunteers: This includes failure to wear protective gear and consumption of alcohol or drugs during an activity.

Unsafe conditions: This includes poor housekeeping in the ice arena or at an event and lack of crowd control, including insufficient security.

Out-of-your-control situations: This includes weather incidents such as storms, hurricanes, and earthquakes and non-weather incidents such as riots.

Of the various elements necessary to implement a successful risk management program, some will be easy to begin, while others may be more difficult. The following items are elements of a successful risk management program.

Risk avoidance: This is accomplished by eliminating an activity that causes loss. This is a difficult task considering the nature of the sport being conducted.

Risk prevention: This is accomplished by minimizing, reducing or eliminating the "frequency" of activities that cause injuries or claims (i.e., making sure your athletes are not skating on an ice surface that is not properly maintained).

Risk retention: This is accomplished by retaining a portion of the risk and handling it as a business expense (i.e., a dollar deductible for each and every claim that is submitted).

Risk transfer: This is accomplished by contractually transferring the risk to another entity (i.e., buying insurance, using waiver and release of liability forms to mitigate claims from athletes and contractually transferring the risk of facilities to building owners).

Examples of Claims

In an effort to provide you with the best information to promote risk management within your clubs and Basic Skills organizations, here is information regarding previous injuries that have given rise to claims.

The following are examples of real injuries that have occurred.

Negligent supervision: A skater is on the club ice practicing various moves and during a backward skate, runs into another skater on the ice. Her coach is present, but not wearing skates, and the allegation from the attorney for the injured skater who was hit is that the coach was negligent in not instructing her student to watch where she was skating and who was on the ice.

It is important that all students be instructed in proper etiquette while on the ice, including looking where they are going, knowing who else is around and paying attention to their environment. The coaches and pros need to be cognizant of the surroundings as well.

Conditions of the ice: A Basic Skills program is beginning. The ice arena, which was named as an additional insured under the policy, neglected to send the ice resurfacer out prior to the session. The ice was not in proper condition, and a novice skater fell due to the condition of the ice.

It is important that the ice be inspected prior to anyone skating, either during a club session or a Basic Skills session, to prevent injuries due to ice that is not suitable for skating.

Spectator slips and falls: The mother of a Basic Skills student is sitting in the bleachers watching her child during the lesson. The facility is cold (in an effort to keep the ice in good condition). She attempts to walk down the step (with her hands in her pockets) and slips on a wet step, hitting her head and falling down the remainder of the steps.

While this should be the responsibility of the ice arena, the Basic Skills organization is named as a defendant, and costs to investigate and defend the allegations become the responsibility of the USFSA insurance.

It is important to carefully review any contracts with facilities to ensure that negligence of the facility remains with the facility and is not transferred to the club or Basic Skills organization. (Both ESIX, the USFSA's risk manager, and American Specialty insurance can assist you in contract review prior to the execution of the contract.)

Skaters performing moves above their ability: A Basic Skills student falls during an early lesson, breaking her arm. The allegation is that she should not have been performing the activity she was attempting at the time of the fall because it was too advanced for her limited ability and time on the ice.

Be sure to follow procedures as outlined and described by the USFSA with regard to curriculum.

Use common sense to recognize that not all students progress at the same level and may not be ready for more advanced moves.

Trish Beyer is director of amateur sports for ESIX, the USFSA risk managers. If you have questions or concerns about risk management, contact ESIX at 800.332.3687 or www.esixcorp.com.