Don’t let safety precautions take a back seat when it comes to kids in sports.
90% of sports injuries to youth players are preventable. Therefore, any steps taken
to improve the safety of your athletes can have a positive impact. Coaches can’t
take care of everyone on the team at all times; so parents should step in as much
as possible to coach your own child to be safe on and off the field.
Heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Medical exam: Have a pre-season physical to confirm that your child is physically
ready to compete.
Safety equipment: Make certain your child always wears the appropriate equipment,
properly fitted, when playing sports.
Conditioning and warm-ups: Strengthening muscles and warming up prior to activities
is vital to help mitigate and prevent strains, sprains and costly knee injuries.
Heat exhaustion: This can be fatal, but is 100% preventable. Make sure your athletes
– especially those who wear helmets – know how to stay cool and hydrated in hot
weather.
Lightning kills. Don’t be afraid to be the parent who says, “Stop the game – a lightning
storm is approaching.” Know what to do to stay safe when faced with an approaching
storm – and enforce the procedures. Take special care with metal equipment like
golf clubs, lacrosse sticks and metal bats. (Go to www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov
for guidelines.)
Sexual abuse: Do not provide opportunity to those with malicious intent to have
access to your child. Limit trips or overnights with the team unless you can be
there. Teach your child to protect him or herself from abuse and inappropriate relationships
with coaches. Be watchful for “special attention” from a coach.
Hazing: Tell your kids to say no to hazing. Despite media attention on the dangers
of hazing, players continue to engage in harmful initiations and rituals, often
involving alcohol and sexual or physical abuse. Some coaches compound the problem
by turning a blind eye, or worse – by condoning this behavior.
Soccer goal posts: No kids should play on, hang from or help move goal posts – make
sure your child and others on the field are aware of the dangers of falling goal
posts. There have been at least 29 reported deaths from falling goal posts in recent
years and each of them could have been prevented.
Steroids and Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED’s): What you and your child should
know about this escalating problem: PED usage can have lifelong negative effects
– and even be fatal. Parents should be vigilant in watching their children and children’s
friends for signs of steroid/PED use. Note that the fastest growing users of these
readily available drugs are teenage girls; steroid use peaks just before spring
break, when students are getting ready for the beach; and a new UK study lists steroid
users as the main clients at needle exchanges.
Team travel can be dangerous, even fatal. 15-passenger vans (now banned by schools
and colleges for their horrific safety record) should NEVER be used by teams. While
traveling, make sure players are adequately chaperoned at all times and spell out
the rules regarding curfew, alcohol and other guidelines for behavior (for players
and adults) before you leave.
