Chapel Hill News Article – June 2008 – Keeping Summer Sports Safe for Kids
Keeping Summer Sports Safe for Kids
David Hansey
NASM Certified Performance Enhancement Specialist
NASM Certified Sports Fitness Specialist
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
As you read this, you will be seeing more and more kids in the neighborhood and maybe in your household because school is out for summer. And many of those kids will be playing sports. And whether these are organized sports such as baseball or pick up sports like playing in the neighborhood or swimming. Even if it does not seem like a sport, things like inline skating, trampoline or skateboarding are still sports. And these sports still require your kids to be in shape in order to be safe. Think it won’t happen to your kid? Well, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), more than 3.5 million children under age 14 get hurt annually playing sports.
Yes, 3.5 MILLION!!! And it is a sad fact that children die every year doing what they love. This should also be a huge wake up call for you as a parent to ensure you are doing everything that you can to prevent your child from having any kind of injury. There are lots of things you can do to help prevent your child from being a statistic. First, ensure your child has had a recent visit with the doctor and that you discussed the sports they play. And be sure to LISTEN to your doctor. If they talk about your child being overweight or out of shape, then don’t assume your child can just bounce off the couch without you putting some work into it.
So along with ensuring your children are in shape or helping them to get there, you also need to ensure you invest (your money or your time or both) to ensure their safety. Do they have all the safety equipment (does your trampoline have a net – I mention this one because 3 of them in my neighborhood do not!) Do your kids have the right footwear that fits them properly? Do your kids have helmets and gloves and wrist guards and elbow pads, etc?
A missing thing with a lot of kids is knowing the rules of the game (and the rules of the road) Many kids are injured because they don’t know how to do something properly (such as how to hit a ball in tennis or swing a bat) and they end up with injuries from the poor mechanics. And millions of kids are injured because they are unfamiliar with how to properly ride a bike. And by ride, I mean stop quickly as well as which side of the road to ride on and how to signal.
Many kids also do not know how to properly hydrate their bodies. They do not know when to drink water and how much and it is your responsibility as a parent to ensure they have water available and also to tell them how often to drink. Keep in mind that many children visit the emergency room every year for heat related conditions that are preventable. And many kids are dropped off at group sports activities without a bottle of water so be sure that your kid is not one of them.
While these suggestions are directed at children, remember, these guidelines also apply to you!! So do what you can to have a healthy, injury-free summer for the entire family!! For more information on Sports Specific Training and Personal Training, visit my website at www.4fitbodies.com.
