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New Concussion Study Highlights Need For More Education, Stricter Return To Play Guidelines

A new study in the journal Pediatrics contains some good news and bad news.

A new study in the journal Pediatrics contains some good news and bad news about sports concussion safety.

Winter Can Be A Wonderland, But Safety Comes First

Winter wonderland from the officeI think I may be doing a lot of writing this winter from my home office, by the looks of it. It seems like just yesterday that I was listening to the hummingbirds three feet away from my desk. Today the snow falls deep, giving me an opportunity to take it slow,  and have fun snow shoeing in the winter wonderland.

Competitive Sports: Never Too Late To Achieve Success

Two thought provoking sports stories crossed my desk this week.

Grace Under Fire

When my sons were eleven their youth baseball team had reached the championship game. There were two outs in the bottom of the sixth.  Our team was down by a run, but the bases were loaded.  Taylor, the first born of my triplet sons, was at the plate. It was a pressure-packed situation, but Taylor was the team’s leader in runs batted in and had come through in the clutch all season long. A walk would tie the game. A hit might bring in two runs and win the game.

Ball one.  Ball two. Ball three!  One ball away from a bases-on-balls which would knot the game. Taylor swung and missed at the next two pitches.  Full count.

Three Strikes, You're Out!

Stories of embezzlement of funds from youth sports organizations appear in the media on a regular basis, but the latest story really takes the cake.  What is remarkable about it isn't that the person accused of embezzlement was the former president of a youth baseball or how much money he allegedly took ($16,000), but

Sports Team Tryouts: The Controversy Over Cutting

Thirteen years ago, on their first day of their first year of middle school, my triplet sons each received a thick green booklet packed with school rules and policies, and survival tips for incoming sixth graders .  Parents were provided with a copy of the same booklet.

Let It Out: The Movie

I arrived at work today before 7:00 a.m. After being out of the office for a few days I wanted to beat the imminent (and, these days, unceasing), torrential rains and morning traffic. Returning to the office after days away is always a little like breaking a piñata. I never know what will land my desk.

Youth Sports Liability Waivers: Protecting Towns At The Expense of Our Children’s Safety?

Before every sports season, parents all across the countries are asked to sign forms holding the sports program in which their child will be participating harmless and releasing the program from liability should he be injured. No ifs ands or buts.  The parent or guardian of a child using a program or town’s facilities must sign a waiver.  Such forms are typical for all camp programs; sports clinics and sporting events organized by independent groups, such as the baseball, soccer and football organizations using town fields.

Steroid Testing Program Ends a Long Debate

I read with interest a recent ( June 3, 2008) article in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Steroid testing ends to mixed reviews- "Florida's decision last summer to implement a steroid testing program for high school athletes made national headlines.
But now that most state-sanctioned sporting events have ended, so has the one-year pilot program.
The result?


Of approximately 600 athletes, only one tested positive, said FHSAA spokeswoman Cristina Alvarez."

 

How Can We Reduce The Number of Knee Injuries In Female Athletes?

The New York Times recently ran a thought provoking story by Michael Sokolove called The Uneven Playing Field . The long and short of the article was that the bodies of female athletes, especially their knees, are taking a beating playing sports.

The New York Times recently ran a thought provoking story by Michael Sokolove called The Uneven Playing Field
. The long and short of the article was that the bodies of female
athletes, especially their knees, are taking a beating playing sports.

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