High School Impact Testing?

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Unless you are going to come to one of my practices, stop critiquing my coaching skills. I've never had a serious injury, and am very safety conscious. There is a difference in taking a hit and getting injured. If every football player went to see the trainer after every tackle, there wouldn't be a game. A hard catch is the same thing, as long as the head and neck is not involved.

I couldn't possibly be critiquing your coaching abilities, I've never been to your school. Please go back and re-read my post, this time taking care to read and comprehend what I wrote. I'll point out a key part that will let you know that I'm not speaking specifically about you or your abilities: What I am seeing, in schools everywhere-in all sports, is coaches who think they are qualified to make medical decisions for children.
See? I wasn't talking about you. I was just pointing out what I've seen happening ALL ACROSS AMERICA, in ALL SPORTS. I'm not saying this is a cheer only problem, and I'm not saying that this is the case in your practices. What I am saying, is that this is happening ALL TOO OFTEN in sports.

I don't know what's going on with my fonts etc....sorry about that.
 
I couldn't possibly be critiquing your coaching abilities, I've never been to your school. Please go back and re-read my post, this time taking care to read and comprehend what I wrote. I'll point out a key part that will let you know that I'm not speaking specifically about you or your abilities: What I am seeing, in schools everywhere-in all sports, is coaches who think they are qualified to make medical decisions for children.
See? I wasn't talking about you. I was just pointing out what I've seen happening ALL ACROSS AMERICA, in ALL SPORTS. I'm not saying this is a cheer only problem, and I'm not saying that this is the case in your practices. What I am saying, is that this is happening ALL TOO OFTEN in sports.

I don't know what's going on with my fonts etc....sorry about that.
Since you quoted my post, I assumed you were talking TO ME.
 
Unless you are going to come to one of my practices, stop critiquing my coaching skills. I've never had a serious injury, and am very safety conscious. There is a difference in taking a hit and getting injured. If every football player went to see the trainer after every tackle, there wouldn't be a game. A hard catch is the same thing, as long as the head and neck is not involved.

As I understand it, an athlete can be injured without being "hit". If a cheerleader does take a hit, it should never be assumed that they did not get injured. Often, symptoms does not show up until after the practice or become more serious days later. There is a big difference between a football player and a cheerleader doing complex and gravity defying skills. The football players are suited up, wearing protective gear, wearing helmets, and are taught specific techniques to diminish the risk of serious injury. These cheerleaders have nothing but their bodies to take the "hits", landing on the ground from 10-20 feet up, kicks from flyers, and in general depending on solid and cautious decision making for immediate medical care when symptoms arise; or, when an accident happens. The problem is not that of all the great coaches who take the necessary steps for the athletes to get them the medical care. The problem lies in the coaches who brush off the athletes who are injured, and not taken seriously and only medically trained personnel is able to spot a true medical problem. Personally, I think each gym should have a trained nurse - not only would it take the pressure off the coaches, but a lot of unnecessary consequences [long term injuries from lack of immediate care] can be avoided.
 
There is a big difference between a football player and a cheerleader doing complex and gravity defying skills. The football players are suited up, wearing protective gear, wearing helmets, and are taught specific techniques to diminish the risk of serious injury.

My dad's been trying to get me to wear my bike helmet to cheer ever since I started ;) He nearly grounded me when he saw my first comp.
 
I hope we never have to do this. I'd be so pissed off. I got a concussion right before a competition once. There was no way I was going to sit out. I just didnt tell my coach. It was stupid and I wont ever do it again but i'm fine. But about the test I just dont think it's fair to say that because someone didnt pass a test, they have a concussion. I just dont see it being very accurate.
 
Some of the kids posting here terrify me. If you have a concussion, you NEED to sit out. Seriously that shouldn't even need to be said..

You might think that this weekend's regional is SO SO SO SO SO SOOO important and Suzie can't do her full-up without you...but I promise that one stunt going straight up is not NEARLY as catastrophic as doing permanent damage to your brain is. You only have one brain. You can't get it replaced, you can't get a prosthetic one, heck you can't even have a transplant.

Your first job as an athlete is to take care of your body to keep it in working order for the near and far future....that includes your head.
 
Some of the kids posting here terrify me. If you have a concussion, you NEED to sit out. Seriously that shouldn't even need to be said..

You might think that this weekend's regional is SO SO SO SO SO SOOO important and Suzie can't do her full-up without you...but I promise that one stunt going straight up is not NEARLY as catastrophic as doing permanent damage to your brain is. You only have one brain. You can't get it replaced, you can't get a prosthetic one, heck you can't even have a transplant.

Your first job as an athlete is to take care of your body to keep it in working order for the near and far future....that includes your head.

I promise, I am not following you :) But, I noticed the same, and I am wondering: Are some of the athletes driven on their own [truly] to make certain decisions that create danger for them, or is there a message by coaches that "Hey, you are fine and unless you are stumbling around, or you have a bone sticking out of your body you are needed and must be ready to go"?

What do you think?
 
I promise, I am not following you :) But, I noticed the same, and I am wondering: Are some of the athletes driven on their own [truly] to make certain decisions that create danger for them, or is there a message by coaches that "Hey, you are fine and unless you are stumbling around, or you have a bone sticking out of your body you are needed and must be ready to go"?

What do you think?

Haha! Don't worry, I always feel like I'm following someone...

Maybe kids are stuck in the "suck it up" mentality when it comes to injuries and often fail to consider that a head injury should not be treated the same as an ankle, knee, blah blah injury. Going on that assumption, kids probably aren't taught how to properly handle a head injury and thus cannot act safely when dealing with one on their own.

I don't think I've ever seen a coach take a head injury lightly, so I'm not sure that's the problem...perhaps they're just not exposing their athletes to information regarding head injuries that they need to? Only thing I can imagine....

Sorry if that didn't make sense, I'm studying for my Physics final and Fierce Boarding at the same time! Heh multi-tasking..
 
I promise, I am not following you :) But, I noticed the same, and I am wondering: Are some of the athletes driven on their own [truly] to make certain decisions that create danger for them, or is there a message by coaches that "Hey, you are fine and unless you are stumbling around, or you have a bone sticking out of your body you are needed and must be ready to go"?

What do you think?

I think the answer to this question is both: the kids are driven on their own, AND influenced by their coach...more importantly their teammates.

I'm a pretty tough coach...and I can tell when my girls are faking it to be lazy, or actually injured. So...when they see me push them through cramps, sore muscles, and make them do push ups after falls - then eventually they'll expect the same out of themselves and their teammates. I must say though, I STRESS the importance of safety, ESPECIALLY head injuries. Our school also has impact testing, and the state law that kids can't return to play w/out being medically cleared after a head injury. So regardless of how they hit their head (stunt, tumbling, kick to the face, etc...) they must sit out 24hrs, and be medically cleared before they can return to play.

Funny story here.....

One of my girls actually came to me with a note from her mom saying she fell in the shower, but slept it off and she thinks she's okay. RED FLAG RED FLAG RED FLAG!!! Even if your athlete didn't injury themselves at practice YOU STILL MUST STICK TO THE RULE ---- BE MEDICALLY CLEARED BEFORE RETURNING! We laugh about it now (the fact that she can't even stand up straight w/out injuring herself), but she ended up being out for a week, because it was more serious than we all thought...
 
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