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How Safe is Your Child's Athletic Program
The
National Association of Athletic Trainers
recommends that parents look for the following 10 things in evaluating the
safety aspects of a high school athletic program:
1. A comprehensive
emergency
plan.
2. A full-time, on-site,
qualified health provider available to student athletes at the school on a
daily basis who has received training in the prevention, immediate care,
treatment and rehabilitation of athletic injuries.
3. Preseason medical
screening/physical for all athletes annually, with documentation reviewed by
the school-based athletic health care provider to bring to the attention of
the coaching staff any student athlete participating with a medical alert,
such as asthma, diabetes, etc..
4. Inclement weather
guidelines established well in advance of the season, such as lightning and
extreme heat.
5. A team
physician/consulting physician well versed in sports medicine, with whom the
athletic health care provider can consult.
6. Coaches who are
required to participate in ongoing education and training in coaching
techniques,
CPR and first-aid.
7. Guidelines for the return
of athletes to participation following an injury.
8. Field/facility maintenance
plan to ensure the facilities and fields are properly cared for and
inspected on a regular schedule and repaired if required.
9. Safe, properly fitted
equipment, in good repair and inspected on a regular basis, with
inspections, repairs, and reconditioning documented and damaged equipment
discarded and/or rendered harmless.
See
Xenith for stat-of-the-art safety equipment.
10. Supervised pre-season,
in-season and out-season conditioning programs available to all student
athletes designed to utilize up-to-date, scientifically sound advice by a
person who is educated in the conditioning of the adolescent athlete.
