Donald Collins, J.D.

Does everybody on a school sport's team really have a properly executed preparticipation evaluation form on file?  Can you really be sure?  The only way to really know is to have your school's administration periodically audit the athletic department.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that cheerleading is a "contact sport."  What does this mean for you and your child?  Have the courts gone mad or are the courts correct?

It’s the biggest fear of anybody who runs an urban athletic program, and it just happened in Chicago. A group of gang-bangers with no affiliation with your school or program decide to bring their foolishness into your gym.

A listing of acts of poor sportsmanship in youth sports in the last three months of 2008 and a shout out to a state athletic association standing up for good sportsmanship.

A listing of acts of poor sportsmanship in youth sports and a few shining examples of good sportsmanship.

A listing of some of the worst displays of sportsmanship in youth sports.

The January to March, 2008 period saw a continuation of bad behavior (a/k/a "bad acts") in youth sports. Here are just six examples.

You may have read about a vote by the sportsmanship committee of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) to ban bare-chested spectators and fans who paint their chest at indoor high school sporting events. The proposal will be voted on soon by the WIAA's governing board. In my view, the WIAA is doing the right thing.

A sprain is a stretch and/or tear of a ligament, the fibrous band of tissue joining the end of one bone with another that stabilizes and supports the body's joints. As with burns, there are three "degrees" of sprains: mild (first-degree), moderate (second degree) and severe (third-degree). While the intensity varies, pain, bruising, and swelling (inflammation) are common to all three categories. All can be treated in a doctor's office. Whether an x-ray is required depends a fracture is suspected.