Promoting Safe Sports: Is Your Child's Sports Program Prepared To Keep Them Safe?
For a lot of parents, starting your children out in sports can be a stressful time, no matter what age they are. Most of us love to see them getting started on an active lifestyle because it is a lifestyle with so many rewards, but at the same time, we know of the risks involved in team sports. This should never stop you. Anything worth doing in this life comes with risks.
But there are some questions you can ask to make sure the program they are enrolled in is as safe as possible.
1. Do They Have an Emergency Plan?
One question that is always good to ask is whether or not the coach, school, or team has an emergency preparedness plan. Emergencies are thankfully rare enough to be a shock when they do occur, and this is why it's vital for those in charge to plan things out well beforehand.
Planning should include what to do about an injury, having a medical professional on site, and knowing how severely injured players will be transported. Emergency plans should also include supplies, like first aid kits.
2. Do They Require Physicals?
Any serious sports program should require prospective players to get a physical before the season begins. Many injuries occur because the player is not physically prepared for the challenges they are giving their body, and these days, as many students spend their early childhood largely sedentary, it is becoming even more of a problem. A physical can assure your child is ready, identify any possible challenges, and show you where they need to work.
3. Are Kids Grouped By Size?
Another common cause of unexpected injuries that occur, especially in the younger age brackets, is when the program does not properly separate students of different sizes. Some parents that have bigger children may even complain if their child is placed in with older, stronger children their size.
While their concerns are also understandable to a point, it certainly makes no sense to put a 125 pound child in a game with other children who weight 80 pounds