Kelly Rider (Athletic Trainer): Enjoys Following Athlete From Injury To Return To Play

Submitted by National Youth Sports Safety Month on Sun, 04/01/2012 - 20:13. | comments

In 2012, in recognition of April as National Youth Sports Safety Month, MomsTeam asked 30 experts to write a blog answering two questions: first, how or why did they get into their field, and second, how have they made a difference in the life of a youth athlete in the past year. The blog project was a huge success. This April we are reprising some of the blogs from two years ago and asking some of our new Twitter friends to join the party.

One of those we heard from two years ago was Kelly Rider, M.Ed., ATC, LAT, CSCS, an athetic trainer at the Dexter-Southfield School in Brookline, Massachusetts and head coach of a girl's ice hockey team at a Boston area high school.

By Kelly Rider, M.Ed., ATC, LAT, CSCS

An athletic trainer and high school hockey coach says she realized she wanted to be an athletic trainer after an errant puck hit her glove during a hockey practice freshman year in high school.

Hal Tearse

Jabs #13: Making Youth Hockey Safer In Wake of Jablonski Tragedy

Submitted by Hal Tearse on Fri, 01/13/2012 - 01:27. | comments

While Jablonski's injury was, of course, his parent's worst nightmare, and will change his life forever, such injuries are fortunately quite rare in ice hockey but the publicity, in this instance, has prompted calls for the leaders of youth and high school hockey in Minnesota to demand stricter rule enforcement, better coaching, and more severe penalties for dangerous and illegal "hits" that lead to hockey being a sport with one of the highest rates of concussion.

Longtime Minnesota ice hockey coach Hal Tearse talks about how the catastrophic injury suffered by high school hockey player Jack "Jabs" Jablonski and suggests ways to make the sport safer.

Brooke de Lench

Prayers for Jack Jablonski

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 15:05. | comments

Everything I do today will be overshadowed by concern for a young raising star hockey player, Jack Jablonski, and the struggle he is going through days after suffering partial paralysis from a severed spinal cord when he slammed head first into the boards when he was illegally checked from behind by two opposing players during a holiday tournament in Minnesota.

Eating Foods Rich in Omega 3's: Heart Healthy And May Protect Against Concussion

Eating foods rich in Omega 3's (DHA or fish oil), such as tunafish or salmon, twice a week, is good because they heart-healthy and may protect the brain against concussion, says sports nutritionist Nancy Clark.

2011-2012 Ice Hockey Rules Revisions Focus on Concussion Prevention and Flow of Game

No contact with an opposing player's head or neck area will be allowed at any time in high school ice hockey, effective with the 2011-12 school year, under a rule approved by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Ice Hockey Rules Committee and the NFHS Board of Directors. Any contact of that kind could result in a stand-alone minor or major penalty, or even a disqualification.

Concussions In Hockey: Playing It Safe In Youth, High School And College Games

The National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN) and National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) have created a 12-minute educational video titled "Concussions in Hockey: Signs, Symptoms and Playing Safe" which is available for free download online.

Increase in Ice Hockey Injuries Outpaces Participation Growth

According to new research, the doubling of the number of ice hockey players in the United States between 1990 and 2006 has come at a cost: a dramatic increase in the number of injuries serious enough to require a visit to a hospital emergency room, with the number of injuries outpacing participation growth.

ice hockey