Sports Safe Kids
Today we are taking a break from all of the craftiness to talk about something that I feel pretty strongly about, keeping kids playing sports safe on the field. My daughter played Field Hockey for 5 years, and as you may know if you’ve ever seen a game, it’s pretty much a full contact sport. Rules are put in place to keep the players safe but accidents happen when you’ve got a bunch of girls running around a field carrying sticks.
One of the most common injuries I saw over the years were head injuries (if it was up to me they’d wear helmets, but I don’t think I’d get far with that one). In Field Hockey the ball is supposed to stay on the ground, but on occasion someone would hit a high ball making the possibility of an injury real. During one game I saw a girl get hit smack dab in the middle of her forehead with a high ball. She fell flat on the ground, it was terrifying for all involved, luckily she was fine but it gave everyone a good scare.
During my daughter’s 3rd year of playing Field Hockey, our school district started impact testing all players. Impact Testing involves checking check response times for a player on a normal day so that if they are ever injured they can perform a quick test if a head injury is suspected. It’s worth checking to see if your school district offers this and for more information, check out CDC’s FAQs on baseline tests.
Along with potential injuries, I’ve also seen girls say they were “fine” when they were not, for fear of being taken out of the game. That is not okay. They need to know it’s better to sit out than to risk their health. In my daughter’s 5 years playing, I got in the habit of making sure that she always had lots of water to take with her to practice. We live in the South and heat and humidity levels can get dangerous in the summertime. Before I let her play I made sure that she was able to speak up for herself to her coach if she didn’t feel well.
The NFL is also very concerned with keeping kids safe when they are playing sports. Especially in preventing and treating head injuries. The NFL has advocated for the passage of youth concussion laws in every state, aimed at protecting youth athletes and ensuring they get proper medical care. Nearly every state in the country now has a youth concussion law. Does yours?
The NFL works with parents to make sure they understand how to help their kids stay safe on the playing field. Through the NFL’s partnership with the CDC on their Heads Up curriculum, parents, coaches, clinicians and youth athletes can all access the resources they need to learn more about concussion signs and symptoms. To learn more, visit http://www.cdcheadsup.org. 
The CDC has provided this great info graphic to help you learn more about brain injuries in kids. It’s helpful not just for young athletes but for kids in general. With 5 years as a sports mom I created a “mental” checklist before they would head out the door. I took some of the items on my checklist and combined them with many of the suggestions from the NFL, you can click here to download the printable yourself.
