Sports

A year after requiring soccer shinguards to meet National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) standards, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Soccer Rules Committee will now require the front of the shinguard to be permanently marked with the NOCSAE seal and height range, effective in fall 2012.

Grabbing the inside back or side collar of a runner's shoulder pads or jersey and pulling the runner to the ground (a so-called horse-collar tackle) will result in a 15 yard penalty in high school football beginning with the 2010 season.  The ban was one of 10 rules changes approved by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) in February 2009.

Four spirit rule changes for the 2009-10 season approved by the NFHS are designed to minimize safety risk of certain stunts.

The best way to avoid common snowboarding and skiing injuries such as skier's thumb and wrist fractures to make sure that you¹ve learned to fall correctly and to stick to slopes that are appropriate for your skill level.

One of several new rules changes adopted by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Volleyball Rules Committee will permit head coaches to stand during play. The changes, which were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors, will take effect with the 2009-10 season.

Carabiners, small metal ovals with opening gates, are used extensively in rock climbing and mountaineering as a connection between the rope/climber and the protection attached to the rock wall/ice sheet. Engineering advances in the last twenty years have enabled carabiners to become far lighter, an advantage when weight is an issue and each additional ounce is counted.  With this new technology, however, comes the question, how safe are these carabiners for climbing?

To paraphrase Lord Tennyson, in the spring, a young person’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of…baseball. For generations, baseball has been an American tradition, and also a great way for kids to get some exercise along with their first taste of competitive sports. However, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) urges safety on the field to keep ballplayers injury-free.

Beginning with the 2008 high school track and field season, it will no longer be considered a foul if a pole vaulter leaves the ground without breaking the plane.