Athletes advised to be more cautious during hot weather
Posted: February 28, 2015 Filed under: Dehydration, Heat Stroke, Player Safety, Youth Sports | Tags: Concussions, Heat Stroke, player safety, Safety Tag, Youth Sports Leave a comment »By KUALA LUMPUR
Athletes who play and practice in hot weather are exposed to the risk of heat stress and heat stroke.
The National Sports Institute (NSI) in a statement said the heat stress can result in a spectrum of disorders ranging from mild, such as heat rashes and heat cramps, worsening to more serious conditions of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Heat stroke, a severe form of heat-related illness, is one of the three leading causes of death in athletes, yet heat illness is largely preventable.
“When an athlete exercises, the body temperature is elevated and the body sweats to cool itself down. During this process, body fluids as well as critical electrolytes are lost.
“If the body isn’t replenished with fluids and electrolytes, dehydration may occur and increase the risk of a heat illness such as heat stroke,” it said.
The symptoms of heat illness include chills, dark colored urine, dizziness dry mouth, headaches, thirst and weakness.
If heat illness progresses, more serious symptoms such as difficulty in breathing, body temperature increasing to dangerous levels, muscle cramps, nausea, and tingling of the limbs - and even death - may occur.
Most affected are athletics athletes who need to undergo training on the heat-track.
National sprint coach K. Jayabalan said the hot weather did not disrupt the schedule and progress of athletes training for the upcoming SEA Games in Singapore on June.
“So far all athletes are in good condition, ISN has advised and monitor athletes to take care of their health, the athletes are also advised to reduce outdoor activities. I do not want this situation to affect the preparation for
SEA games,” he told to Bernama.
Meanwhile hockey coach Tai Beng Hai said although the players had to undergo training during current hot weather, they were in good condition.
The national hockey team will participate in several matches in Australia from March 3-17.
The Australian tour is part of the preparation by ‘The Malaysian Hockey Tigers’ for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2015 in Perak from April 5-12; the World Hockey League Third Round in Belgium (June) and 2016 Olympics qualifier.
Know your kids’ sports before you label them
Posted: February 28, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized, Youth Sports | Tags: parents, Safety Tag, Youth Sports Leave a comment »By RANDY KREBS
This is the time of year at youth-sports-centered Camp Krebs that drives me nuts. And it’s not because of March Madness, sweaty laundry or referees.
Rather, it’s because of two extreme-minded groups of adults who, rather than actually observe youth sports today, cluelessly label youth sports in one of two ways: “It’s the parents, not the kids, who are so competitive” or “Everybody gets a ribbon.”
Think about those schools of thought. They are as extreme as they are contradictory.
And after more than a decade of involvement in four sports covering first grade through middle school, I can tell you they also are wrong.
Sure, there always will be that one team, coach, parent or organization who confirms a stereotype. But any parent, player or supporter of kids who takes more than a cursory look at youth sports today, especially travel programs, will find more fiction than fact in “kids aren’t competitive” and “everybody gets a ribbon.”
Competitive kids
Let’s start with the mistaken belief kids don’t like to compete.
Nothing better debunks that myth than a youth soccer season I coached a half-dozen years ago. It was the first game of the year, and a major change — presumably done under the “kids don’t like to compete” fallacy — required no scores be kept. As a volunteer coach, I agreed to uphold that standard.
The league, though, also required us coaches to officiate. And I will never forget that in every game we played, virtually every child on the field always knew the score. How did I know? First, whenever players ran past their parents during the game they would say “Hey, Mom, we’re ahead 2-1!” And when games ended, one team always celebrated, one didn’t.
That showed me kids most any age love to compete, no matter what the adults want to believe.
And quite honestly, isn’t that a positive attribute? Don’t we want kids to learn from competing? What they need help with is learning how to compete fairly and then gracefully handling the outcome.
About those ribbons
Somewhat in that same spirit, this year it seems trendy to mockingly label youth sports as “everybody gets a ribbon.”
Technically, people who utter that phrase are correct. Many youth tournaments give participants some form of “a ribbon” no matter how they perform. What these adults don’t realize is what matters to the kids is the color of that ribbon.
Then again, that shouldn’t surprise me. In all my years of watching, coaching and helping in youth sports, I’ve always been impressed with how perceptive and capable kids are these days.
It’s too bad such traits either skip some generations or perhaps disappear with age, especially this time of year.
Source: Krebs, Randy. “Know Your Kids’ Sports before You Label Them.” St. Cloud Times. N.p., 28 Feb. 2015. Web. 28 Feb. 2015.
Concussion doctor Robert Cantu: NCAA, NFL settlements fall short
Posted: February 27, 2015 Filed under: Concussions, Football, Lawsuit, Player Safety | Tags: Concussions, lawsuit, player safety, Safety Tag Leave a comment »By JON SOLOMON
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The NCAA’s proposed concussion settlement has its positives, but it doesn’t go far enough because it fails to pay former college athletes if they are diagnosed with a brain injury. That according to prominent concussion expert Dr. Robert Cantu, who also opposes the soon-to-be-approved NFL deal.
If a federal judge eventually approves the NCAA settlement, Cantu will be one of five people on a committee that oversees a $70 million medical monitoring fund. The fund would cover diagnostic medical costs if a former athlete qualifies for testing based on a questionnaire, not the actual treatment.
“I think it’s very unfortunate,” Cantu said. “Unfortunately, where it’s left is these individuals are going to be able to be given the diagnosis and then they’ve got to sue either in a class or individually, and they either have to go after a given school, or if they want to include the NCAA they can. I think a lot of individual schools will get sued.”
A federal judge denied preliminary approval of the NCAA settlement in December and a status hearing is scheduled for April 17. The NFL went through a similar process and final approval of its settlement appears imminent.
Cantu, who served as an expert for the college players in the case, said he believes the NCAA ran into insurance issues that the NFL didn’t encounter in its $785 million settlement with former professional players.
“The (NFL) owners came up with $785 million bucks and they didn’t even go to an insurance company. We’re dealing with billionaires,” Cantu said. “The NCAA has to deal with insurance companies and probably that kind of money — although they came up with $70 million, which is pretty good — isn’t there for compensation.”
The NFL settlement compensates former players depending on their diagnosis but protects the league in exposure over chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated trauma to the head that has been found in 76 of the 79 brains of former NFL players examined after their death.
“The CTE exposure, nobody knows how big it is, but if 76 out of 79 symptomatic people had it, it’s probably big,” Cantu said. “But damn it, you can only be compensated (in the NFL settlement) if you were diagnosed with CTE or died by the time the settlement was approved by the judge. So all of these people going forward in the next 50 years, a great majority of which have CTE, are going to be absolutely screwed. Those (plaintiffs’) lawyers who just want to get paid, and that’s why they probably agreed to it, I just think that’s awful.”
Medical experts and economists that created the NCAA medical monitoring fund estimated 50 to 300 former college athletes who played from 1956 to 2008 will be diagnosed with CTE each year. The fund for testing is supposed to last for 50 years.
Cantu said the NCAA settlement is “good for what it is” by demanding colleges apply best practices for diagnosing and treating concussions as well as letting former players take a survey to see if they have post-concussion syndrome or CTE symptoms. The NCAA’s changes are positive after “turning a blind eye for so long,” Cantu said, but the policies must be enforced.
Last month, the five major conferences created a committee to annually review each school’s concussion protocol. However, enough NCAA members have so far been hesitant about creating rules and penalties on caring for concussions.
“What the NCAA has to do — and it’s easy for me to say and not easy to do — they have to police so the policies get done,” Cantu said. “They’re leaving it self-policed until there’s a whistle blown. And I realize it takes money to do that, but you’re dealing with a pretty serious issue. The NCAA came into being in 1906 to promote the health and well-being of the combatants. It wasn’t about policing all this lunch money (extra benefits) and other nonsense.
“At the (Division I) level, there’s no question there’s the money to police it. It can be argued there’s not the money at the (Division III) level. But I guess it can be argued if you can’t do something right, you shouldn’t do it at all if people can die as a result of mistakes.”
Cantu, a pioneer in the fight against sports-related brain damage, has drawn criticism for working on both sides of the concussion debate through the years.
He is senior advisor to the NFL Head, Neck and Spine Committee and has worked against the NFL. He has helped set helmet safety standards for the NCAA and got paid tens of thousands of dollars to testify for ex-players against the NCAA.
“I give the best information I have to organizations that seek out my opinion, and if they don’t want me to be affiliated with them, fine. If they do, fine,” Cantu said. “I’m not influenced by what the organization is. What I say is consistent and it’s based on the science that I know.”
Source: Solomon, Jon. “Concussion Doctor Robert Cantu: NCAA, NFL Settlements Fall Short.” CBSSports.com. N.p., 27 Feb. 2015. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.
Women athletes have more concussions than men, new study shows
Posted: February 27, 2015 Filed under: Concussions, Player Safety, Youth Sports | Tags: Concussions, player safety, Safety Tag, Youth Sports Leave a comment »By REUTERS MEDIA
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Olympic figure skating champion Sarah Hughes vividly recalls falling on her head in practice and suffering her first concussion.
“They carried me off the rink and then I threw up,” the 29-year-old Hughes, the 2002 Olympic champion said, her deep blues eyes widening. “We knew something was wrong. It was really, really scary. Incredibly frightening. I was just 11.”
While men’s contact sports like football and ice hockey are most associated with concussions, women actually have them much more often than men, said Dr. Robert Stevens, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who specializes in brain injury.
He also said new studies suggest the concussion symptoms in women are also more acute than those suffered by men.
“The incidence of concussions in sports is higher in women than in men, possibly two times higher,” he said, adding that concussions in women tend to be “more severe” and it takes women longer to recover than men.
Stevens cautioned, however, that results may be skewed by “reporting bias.” He said some researchers believe that the number of concussions in men is “vastly underreported” because they want to remain on the field, while women are generally more apt to report a concussion.
The National Football League is expected to pay out about $1 billion when a lawsuit by ex-players who suffered concussion-related brain damage is settled in court. But it’s not football that is producing the most concussions.
Percentage-wise, women’s soccer and basketball rank the highest in terms of concussion-inducing sports, followed by football and men’s soccer, said Stevens.
The rules in certain sports, like soccer, “need to be reviewed,” he said.
Two-time Olympic soccer champion Angela Hucles never suffered a concussion because, she believes, she learned from her father to go up for a header with her arms out to protect herself from banging heads with an opponent.
Hucles said headgear for soccer players has been around for years but never gained traction.
“There should be headgear out there on the market, especially for children, because it’s just another way for them to protect themselves,” said Hucles, a former eight-year member of the U.S. national team. “They need it.”
Stevens said doctors are researching if anatomy plays a role in concussions since women have smaller heads with thinner necks that have less muscle than men.
“It’s also very clear that a woman’s brain is not the same as a man’s brain in many, many respects, not just in terms of the way women think,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s different in terms of the actual anatomy.”
The news is not all bad for women when it comes to brain injuries sustained while playing sports.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive degenerative disease of the brain often found in athletes who suffered repetitive brain trauma, is “almost exclusively” found in men, said Stevens.
Democratic Representative Bill Pascrell Jr. of New Jersey is sponsoring a bill that would, in part, establish guidelines for states to treat concussions suffered by student athletes.
Pascrell recalls a women high school athlete in New Jersey that suffered 10 concussions playing basketball and is now sidelined with concentration issues and headaches.
“This is serious business,” he said. “You’re talking about people’s lives here. Every concussion is brain damage, whether it be little or great. We have to take this very seriously.”
Pascrell said despite the high cost, perhaps the best solution is to have doctors attend all games.
“Maybe the answer is not to put your kid in sports,” he said. “We’re not going to be a nation of wussies. But we’re not going to be stupid about it. And we have been.”
Source: Reuters Media. “Women Athletes Have More Concussions than Men, New Study Sho…” Grand Forks Herald. N.p., 27 Feb. 2015. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.
Study: Need for better concussion prevention in youth sports
Posted: February 26, 2015 Filed under: Concussions, Player Safety, Youth Sports | Tags: Concussions, player safety, Safety Tag, Youth Sports Leave a comment »By ROCHELLE LEFEBVRE
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – A new study suggests there is a need for better concussion prevention in youth sports.
Researchers at Hasbro Children’s Hospital found that more concussion related standards and protocols need to be written into law in order to raise compliance rates among youth sports groups.
“An estimated 7.7 million children and adolescents participate in organized sports each year and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that they sustain between 1.6 and 3.8 million sports-related concussions annually,” said Dina Morrissey, M.D., M.P.H., research associate for The Injury Prevention Center at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. “In response to this, the state of Rhode Island passed the School and Youth Programs Concussion Act (SYPCA) in July 2010. The law outlines both mandatory and recommended provisions in regard to managing student athletes with a suspected concussion. Our study assessed compliance with this law among Rhode Island high schools and community league organizations.”
According to Morrissey, only schools that belong to the Rhode Island Interscholastic League are mandated to follow the law. Non-member schools and community leagues are just recommended.
She says the 2-year study shows compliance in youth sports was high.
The study argues that more concussion standards and protocols should be written into law in order to make kids safer.
Morrissey says that research on concussions is constantly evolving. “There’s actually a new part of the law where now school nurses are required to do annual concussion training,” she said.
For parents or coaches who want to learn more, Morrissey says that education is the key and that everyone should always err on the side of caution.
Source: Lefebvre, Rochelle. “Study: Need for Better Concussion Prevention in Youth Sports.” Wpricom. N.p., 26 Feb. 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
Helmet add-ons may not lower concussion risk in athletes
Posted: February 25, 2015 Filed under: Concussions, Player Safety, Youth Sports | Tags: Concussions, player safety, Safety Tag, Youth Sports Leave a comment »By AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY
Football helmet add-ons such as outer soft-shell layers, spray treatments, helmet pads and fiber sheets may not significantly help lower the risk of concussions in athletes, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 67th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, April 18 to 25, 2015.
“Our study suggests that despite many products targeted at reducing concussions in players, there is no magic concussion prevention product on the market at this time,” said study author John Lloyd, PhD, of BRAINS, Inc. in San Antonio, Fla., and a member of the American Academy of Neurology.
Researchers modified the standard drop test system, approved by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment, by using a crash test dummy head and neck to more realistically simulate head impact. Sensors were placed in the dummy’s head to measure linear and angular rotational responses to helmet impacts at 10, 12 and 14 miles per hour.
Using this device, BRAINS researchers evaluated four football helmet add-ons: Guardian Cap, UnEqual Technologies’ Concussion Reduction Technology, Shockstrips and Helmet Glide. Riddell Revolution Speed and Xenith X1 football helmets were outfitted with each of these add-ons and impacted five times from drop heights of 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 meters. Linear acceleration, angular velocity and angular accelerations of the head were measured in response to impacts.
The study found that compared to helmets without the add-ons, those fitted with the Guardian Cap, Concussion Reduction Technology and Shockstrips reduced linear accelerations by about 11 percent, but only reduced angular accelerations by 2 percent, while Helmet Glide was shown to have no effect.
“These findings are important because angular accelerations are believed to be the major biomechanical forces involved in concussion,” said Lloyd. “Few add-on products have undergone even basic biomechanical evaluation. Hopefully, our research will lead to more rigorous testing of helmets and add-ons.”
Source: “Helmet Add-ons May Not Lower Concussion Risk in Athletes.” Helmet Add-ons May Not Lower Concussion Risk in Athletes. N.p., 25 Feb. 2015. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
Does women’s hockey produce more concussions than football?
Posted: February 24, 2015 Filed under: Concussions, Player Safety, Youth Sports | Tags: Concussions, player safety, Safety Tag, Womens Hockey, Youth Sports Leave a comment »By ANDREW BUCHOLTZ
Much of the recent media attention around concussions has centered on football, with the NFL and NCAA attempting to settle concussion lawsuits and the CFL currently facing litigation of its own. However, football’s far from the only sport dealing with concussion issues, and it may not even be the one with the most prevalent brain injuries. Roy MacGregor explored concussions in women’s (ice, although field hockey has its own concussion issues) hockey this week in The Globe and Mail, starting his piece by stating data suggests they may be even a bigger problem than football concussions:
Which sport is more dangerous when it comes to head injuries – full-contact male football or no-bodychecking female hockey? The answer will certainly surprise Canadians. According to the New York-based Women’s Sports Foundation, a survey of American studies of high-school and college athletes suggests that “girls and women suffer from concussions at higher rates than boys and men in similar sports – often significantly higher.” “Across all sports in the study,” the foundation reported, “the highest rate of concussion was reported not by male football players, but by female hockey players.”
That claim deserves a little more context. That specific language MacGregor quotes doesn’t appear to come from the Women’s Sports Foundation (an education-based non-profit Billie Jean King founded in 1974)’s own website, but rather from a Feb. 10 Washington Post op-ed from WSF senior director of research Marjorie Snyder. Snyder’s piece cites the specific survey referenced, which was published in the Journal of Athletic Training in 2007 and analyzed NCAA injury records from 1988 to 2004. Hence that particular survey isn’t exactly current. It’s difficult to imagine that concussions in women’s hockey have declined dramatically since then, but perhaps the numbers of reported concussions in football have risen given the increased focus on that sport.
That’s a key point here; the survey also only considers reported concussions (the lawsuit against the NCAA alleges that the organization “failed to establish comprehensive policies for the diagnosis and treatment of head injuries,” and there have been plenty of accusations of underreporting in football in particular). This is also on a per-practice and per-game basis. It would be interesting to see what the NCAA injury records for the past decade say, as concussions in football now are getting so much attention that it’s much more difficult not to report them.
Moreover, testimony from medical experts in the NCAA settlement asserts that NCAA football players are three times more likely than the general public to develop chronic traumatic encelopathy (CTE), while NCAA athletes in all other sports (including hockey) are only one-and-a-half times as likely to develop CTE. Those figures aren’t broken down by gender, though, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see concussions in women’s hockey occur more frequently than in men’s hockey (despite rules against bodychecking), as that’s been the case in more recentstudies about soccer and other sports. It’s just not conclusively proven that women’s hockey continues to create more concussions than football, especially in Canada.
That’s an interesting point to explore, too. The data MacGregor cites is not just from a different country (the U.S.), but from a specific level of competition (the NCAA). There’s no comparable data from Canada, and that’s an excellent point MacGregor goes on to make in his piece. So far, Hockey Canada hasn’t been supportive of the idea of creating its own national concussion database, and there certainly would be challenges with it. But if U.S. high schools can come up with a reporting system that works, the idea of implementing one in Canada has plenty of merit.
The key takeaway here isn’t that women’s hockey is safe. While that NCAA study only covered 1988-2004, its results are still amazing, and they illustrate just how many concussions even a sport that doesn’t include legal bodychecking (watch high-level women’s hockey, though, and you’ll see there’s still plenty of contact) can produce. Moreover, there’s lots of evidence to suggest that women’s sports in general can create more head injuries than men’s. Exactly why that is up for debate, with theories ranging from varying neck strengths to hormonal differences to even a greater willingness to report head injuries, but it’s reasonably well-established that in the same sport at a similar level, there will be more concussions reported by female athletes than male ones. Thus, MacGregor’s basic thesis on the dangers of women’s hockey isn’t wrong.
Hockey Canada also appears cognizant of the issue. As MacGregor writes, they’ve taken plenty of steps to try and reduce and properly address concussions, including mandatory education for coaches and even a concussion awareness app. Those are good steps.
However, hockey in general, and women’s hockey in particular, still doesn’t seem to receive the same amount of concussion attention that football does. That’s true regardless of how many concussions happen in the sport, and it speaks to a need for more research on just how many concussions do happen in women’s hockey, especially here at home. The takeaway here isn’t that women’s hockey is safe; it’s that we don’t really know just how dangerous it is.
Source: Bucholtz, Andrew. “Does Women’s Hockey Produce More Concussions than Football?” Yahoo Sports. N.p., 24 Feb. 2015. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
Unusual benefits of drinking more water
Posted: February 24, 2015 Filed under: Dehydration, Player Safety, Uncategorized | Tags: dehydration, Safety Tag Leave a comment »By LANA BANDOIM
Experts have been recommending that people drink more water for decades. Although most people are familiar with the usual benefits listed by doctors and nutritionists, there are unique advantages to adding more water to your daily routine. Hydration is essential for life, and your body requires water to function normally.
Did you know that water can help you fight a headache or help you restore your lost focus? You are probably familiar with water benefits like preventing dehydration and helping digestion. However, the water in your glass cup can do more than provide your cells with essential hydration.
A study from researchers at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London found that headaches can be caused by water deprivation. Drinking water gave patients relief, but researchers believe dehydration may also play a role in migraines. They noted that participants were not able to concentrate and suffered from irritability.
Many consumers share that it is difficult for them to drink the required amount of water every day because they do not like the taste or they forget to stay hydrated. There are simple solutions that can help you. You may want to consider adding flavor to your water by infusing it with fruit. You may also want to try installing a water ionizer in your kitchen to make it more alkaline, and there are simple instructions for water ionizers on YouTube you can follow.
Water can affect your brain function, and dehydrated individuals often report feeling confused and having issues with their memory. Even a simple workout can drain your body of fluids and lead to problems. A study from researchers at the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Connecticut found that even mild dehydration can affect mood. The scientists noted that the women in the study also felt that their required tasks were more difficult than originally expected. Dehydration appears to affect perception.
Many people have noticed the connection between drinking more water and healthier skin. Dietician Katie Lambert points out that the benefits are real and can lead to fewer breakouts and brighter skin by flushing out toxins. It also plays a role in calorie control because water can make you feel full. A study from researchers at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute in California found that overweight women who were on a diet lost more body weight by increasing their water consumption.
You have probably heard of drinking water after a hangover, but are you aware of the benefits of drinking water before alcohol? A study from researchers at the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University found that dehydration could be prevented. In addition, your glass of water is essential for proper kidney function.
Water may help some people find relief from joint pain. It is a crucial component of the body’s way to keep joints and cartilage healthy. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) mentions that it helps lubricate joints and affects other functions. Have you ever wondered how glucosamine is involved in battling joint pain? It helps cartilage absorb water, so your body works better.
One area that remains controversial is the idea that water can help fight colds. Although staying hydrated during an illness is essential, researchers have not found a clear link between water and the shorter duration of a cold or flu. Recipes that call for water such as salt-water for gargling or warm lemon water are in a different category, and scientists excluded them. Their focus was on discovering if drinking plain water, if you are already hydrated, can help you fight a cold. More studies are needed in this area.
Source: Bandoim, Lana. “Unusual Benefits of Drinking More Water.” - EmaxHealth. N.p., 24 Feb. 2015. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
Don’t drink so much water during exercise, new research says
Posted: February 24, 2015 Filed under: Dehydration, Player Safety, Uncategorized | Tags: dehydration, Safety Tag Leave a comment »By STUART CLARKE
Scientists have reportedly found that mild dehydration during exercise is less dangerous than first thought, with over-hydration possibly a bigger issue among athletes
Drinking a lot of water during exercise could be more dangerous than not drinking enough, according to a collection of research published in the Wall Street Journal.
It’s a commonly heard opinion that dehydration affects performance levels, but now experts are warning that ‘waterlogging’ the body is more harmful.
In 2007, sports scientist Kate Mori fell ill and became delirious during running the London Marathon after drinking a reported 3.5 litres of liquid in small amounts – significantly more than she required.
“I’d always been taught you had to ‘stay ahead’ of thirst and that being thirsty was a sign you were already dehydrated,” she told the Telegraph in 2012.
Now, researchers are saying that three per cent dehydration levels during competition, which was previously considered harmful, don’t hurt your performance at all.
In a study, to be published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 11 cyclists were dehydrated three per cent, and then asked to undertake a 20km time trial in a laboratory.
The cyclists reportedly showed no drop in performance, having been equipped with obscured intravenous lines so they didn’t know how hydrated they were.
In fact, a study of marathon runners in France in 2009 showed that athletes who lost a higher percentage of body weight through dehydration recorded better times than those whose weight remained the same.
Source: Clarke, Stuart. “Don’t Drink so Much Water during Exercise, New Research Says - Cycling Weekly.” Cycling Weekly. N.p., 24 Feb. 2015. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
Bill would expand concussion training for Indiana coaches
Posted: February 23, 2015 Filed under: Concussions, Player Safety, Youth Sports | Tags: Concussions, player safety, Safety Tag, Youth Sports Leave a comment »By SARA WAGNER
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – There are more than 160,000 high school athletes, and a similar number of middle school athletes in Indiana. Current state law already requires concussion training for all high school coaches, but what about younger grades? A new bill would expand that training for coaches of sports starting in fifth grade.
The training only takes about a half hour to complete. It’s something the bill’s author said is necessary to protect student athletes at a critical age.
“Their brains are still developing and they really need to be handled with a great deal of caution in these sports and so the training is a common sense thing,” State Senator Tim Lanane said.
Senate Bill 403 is better known as “Student Athletes and Head Injuries,” and it’s gaining momentum. It passed the Senate last week by a landslide vote of 45-4 and is now headed to the house for consideration. The bill would require the training for all coaches and assistant coaches in fifth through twelfth grade. It would include all the contact sports one would traditionally think of like football and basketball as well as intramurals.
The training is offered through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC’s website. Anyone can take it, including parents of athletes. The free course covers a wide variety of topics.
“It deals with all the rules for concussions, making sure they’re aware of the symptoms and everything to kind of know what to look for,” athletic director of Blackhawk Christian School Jamie Perlich said.
Perlich oversees both high school and middle school sports. He said his high school coaches appreciate the training, and he thinks his middle school coaches would also welcome it.
“I don’t think it would detract anybody. I think most of them would like to be able to have some of that training just to be more aware of concussions. You hear about concussions more and more these days, and so I think it’s a good thing to have as many people aware of what’s going on and what to look for,” Perlich said.
As to whether the course provides enough training, both Perlich and Senator Lanane said it’s a work in progress.
“I think it’s a start. I think it gives them an idea of what’s going on,” Perlich said.
“A lot of these contact sports really do sort of ramp up at that point so it was a little bit arbitrary, but I had to draw a line somewhere. Maybe as the bill progresses we’ll take a look at even younger ages,” Lanane said.
If the bill becomes law, it will go into effect July of 2016.
Source: Wagner, Sara. “Bill Would Expand Concussion Training for Indiana Coaches.”WANE. N.p., 23 Feb. 2015. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.
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