This fall two of my sons joined the ranks of sixty five 7th grade boys out for football at their junior high school. A few weeks into the season a friend asked me whether the boys owned their own football helmets or if they were using school-issued ones. As a mom who would rather my child walk than be double-buckled in carpool, I was appalled that it had never occurred to me that purchasing helmets for them might be a good idea. When I asked my children if other boys owned their own helmets, they said that several did. Are helmets sold at sporting goods stores better than standard issue at their junior high? I’m not really sure, but as parent I try to protect my kids as best as I can, so the boys are now playing in airbag-like shock absorbing helmets.
The National Athletic Trainers Association indicates that between 43,000 and 67,000 concussions are reported each year for high school football players. These numbers are suspected to be much higher due to the fact that many concussions go unreported. Contrary to formerly commonly held beliefs, concussions are not limited to high school boys’ football. Although the concussion rate is higher among high-school athletes, researchers indicate that the rate for younger athletes- both girls and boys- continues to rise significantly. In fact, recent studies have confirmed that female athletes have a higher rate of concussions than boys who play similar sports.
Football and ice hockey have traditionally been considered the two organized sports with the most concussion injuries. However, according to research by Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, girls’ basketball now follows football as the sport with the highest rate of brain injuries. Although in 2007 Texas was the first state to pass a bill which requires every UIL school employee involved in athletics to take an annual safety training program including head injury treatment information (“Will’s Bill”), Texas’ University Interscholastic League has been criticized by concussion experts for not having strict enough rules to protect student athletes. Currently, UIL rules permit athletes to return to play on the same day if consciousness is not lost and if concussion symptoms are resolved within 15 minutes. Although many school districts in the area have adopted additional measures to protect and support student athletes, consistency varies greatly throughout the state, most often as a result of funding issues.
Nationwide standards would force school districts to adopt minimum criteria for the identification and care of students suspected of suffering from concussions. This past Thursday the House Committee on Energy and Commerce prepared the final version of the Concussion Treatment and Care Tools Act (H.R. 1347) for a vote on the House floor. Just down the hall, the House Education and Labor Committee held its’ second hearing on the newer Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act (H.R. 6172), which would require public schools districts to have concussion management plans that educate stakeholders about appropriate recognition and response to concussions. In addition, the bill mandates the removal from play of any athlete suspected of concussion until cleared by an appropriate health-care professional, and requires special scholastic services for athletes recovering from head injuries.
Although at the elementary level our children are too young to be playing the public school sponsored sports which will be directly affected if the proposed bills are adopted, many of our children have, for many years already, been playing youth sports ran by various local agencies. Considering the ever increasing numbers of younger children in sports and the seemingly correlating increase in numbers of young athletes being treated in emergency rooms for concussions, it seems that the time has come for even parents of young children to arm themselves with information on the prevention, identification and treatment of concussions.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Youth Sports and the Parents we Hate
Autumn in Texas brings not only the promise of crisp cool mornings, but the chance to wear sweaters and sit in sideline bleachers watching our children and their friends play youth sports.
Sadly, often games are ruined by spectator parents who, for whatever reason- frustration in their own lives, a longing to live out their own unfulfilled sports dreams through their children, come to the games seemingly not to support their children, but rather to pace the sidelines screaming at them, the coaches, or the referees. Fred Engh, head of the National Alliance for Youth Sports, refers to this behavior as “sideline rage.”
Incidents involving sideline rage often appear in headline news. You may recall the youth baseball coach a few years back who, following his 8-year-old team’s loss of 1st place in the finals, physically attacked the opposing coach in clear view of all the spectators and children. Watching the video, one can hear the 8-year-old boys screaming in the background (click link to view video).
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2009/08/brawling_slidell_coach_is_foun.html
You might tell yourself that such violent incidents are rare, but Engh explains: ``It used to be maybe 5 percent of the people stepped over the line. It's grown now to about 15 percent.''
And, let’s not fool ourselves, this violent behavior is certainly not confined to other neighborhoods and parents. I recently received an email from my son’s soccer team. In it, the parents were informed that the child of any parent ejected from a game would not be permitted to play the following week until the parent had paid for, and participated in, an interactive online sports parenting course where they would learn how to best talk with their children on game day, develop a productive parent–coach relationship, and become effective and positive supporters in the stands.
This may sound extreme but, in fact, many sports programs around the country are requiring parents to attend such courses as a prerequisite to enrolling their child in the youth sport. Others programs are having parents sign pledges that they will not only support their children and coaches in a positive manner, but that they will also not cause problems on the sidelines. Even celebrities are getting involved. Hollywood actor Ray Winstone stars in a short, humrous online film that aims to improve parental behavior on the sidelines (click link to view).
http://www.thefa.com/respect
Chances are good, you are not the type of parent Winstone is targeting. Regardless, all parents could probably use a few reminders on how they might best support youth athletics. Here are a few suggestions:
1)Tell your child before the game that you are proud of him or her, regardless of whether the team loses or wins.
2)Fill your child's "emotional tank” with truthful and specific praise.
3)Refrain from coaching from the sidelines; let the coach correct player mistakes.
4)Cheer good plays by both teams.
5)Say nothing if an official makes a "bad" call against your team.
6)After the game, be sure to thank the officials and coaches.
7)After the game ask your child what he or she thought about the game and then LISTEN.
8)Whether your child’s team won or lost, reinforce again to your child that you are proud of him or her.
In a 3,000 participant survey conducted by Sports Illustrated for Kids , 74% of children responded that they had seen out-of-control adults at their youth sport games. As parents we spend much of our lives trying to ensure that our kids have the best possible childhood experience. Just imagine how much more pleasant youth sporting events could be for our children if they could claim that they never see out-of-control adults at their games.
So, grab a cup of steaming hot coffee this Saturday morning and join me in cheering on our kids running bases, scoring goals, bumping volleyballs and chasing flags with the sheer energy and joy only kids can exhibit.
Sadly, often games are ruined by spectator parents who, for whatever reason- frustration in their own lives, a longing to live out their own unfulfilled sports dreams through their children, come to the games seemingly not to support their children, but rather to pace the sidelines screaming at them, the coaches, or the referees. Fred Engh, head of the National Alliance for Youth Sports, refers to this behavior as “sideline rage.”
Incidents involving sideline rage often appear in headline news. You may recall the youth baseball coach a few years back who, following his 8-year-old team’s loss of 1st place in the finals, physically attacked the opposing coach in clear view of all the spectators and children. Watching the video, one can hear the 8-year-old boys screaming in the background (click link to view video).
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2009/08/brawling_slidell_coach_is_foun.html
You might tell yourself that such violent incidents are rare, but Engh explains: ``It used to be maybe 5 percent of the people stepped over the line. It's grown now to about 15 percent.''
And, let’s not fool ourselves, this violent behavior is certainly not confined to other neighborhoods and parents. I recently received an email from my son’s soccer team. In it, the parents were informed that the child of any parent ejected from a game would not be permitted to play the following week until the parent had paid for, and participated in, an interactive online sports parenting course where they would learn how to best talk with their children on game day, develop a productive parent–coach relationship, and become effective and positive supporters in the stands.
This may sound extreme but, in fact, many sports programs around the country are requiring parents to attend such courses as a prerequisite to enrolling their child in the youth sport. Others programs are having parents sign pledges that they will not only support their children and coaches in a positive manner, but that they will also not cause problems on the sidelines. Even celebrities are getting involved. Hollywood actor Ray Winstone stars in a short, humrous online film that aims to improve parental behavior on the sidelines (click link to view).
http://www.thefa.com/respect
Chances are good, you are not the type of parent Winstone is targeting. Regardless, all parents could probably use a few reminders on how they might best support youth athletics. Here are a few suggestions:
1)Tell your child before the game that you are proud of him or her, regardless of whether the team loses or wins.
2)Fill your child's "emotional tank” with truthful and specific praise.
3)Refrain from coaching from the sidelines; let the coach correct player mistakes.
4)Cheer good plays by both teams.
5)Say nothing if an official makes a "bad" call against your team.
6)After the game, be sure to thank the officials and coaches.
7)After the game ask your child what he or she thought about the game and then LISTEN.
8)Whether your child’s team won or lost, reinforce again to your child that you are proud of him or her.
In a 3,000 participant survey conducted by Sports Illustrated for Kids , 74% of children responded that they had seen out-of-control adults at their youth sport games. As parents we spend much of our lives trying to ensure that our kids have the best possible childhood experience. Just imagine how much more pleasant youth sporting events could be for our children if they could claim that they never see out-of-control adults at their games.
So, grab a cup of steaming hot coffee this Saturday morning and join me in cheering on our kids running bases, scoring goals, bumping volleyballs and chasing flags with the sheer energy and joy only kids can exhibit.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)