What Youth Sports Administrators Have in Common with Paterno, Spanier, Curley & McQuery

Do you realize how much YOU have in common with Joe Paterno, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley and Mike McQuery?  No, these men did not commit the physical crimes against children, as did Jerry Sandusky.  However, they are responsible and liable for their own actions when there is even a hint that someone is abusing a child.  This blog isn’t specifically about the Penn State case and who was (or wasn’t) fired, that will all pan out in court, but it is a REALITY check for all involved with youth that no one is invincible.

While the Penn State case is making national headlines because of its legendary coach and it’s football program, understand that this happens FREQUENTLY in youth sports.  Most of our readers are involved in teams/leagues/youth programs in one-way or the other. Are you a coach, athletic director, team mom or a parent on the side-lines?  Whatever your position, today is the day to step back and realize where exactly you fit into the lives of the kids participating in your youth sports organization.   You are there to protect them at all cost.

Some time ago, we did a blog on Protect Your Kids From Predators In Youth Sports.  This blog is a must read for anyone that has or is involved with children. It includes an article from Sports Illustrated from actual predators in youth programs saying “This is how we got away with it …this is how you protect your kids.” (Example from the article, Did you know, Studies have found that the average preferential molester victimizes about 120 children before he is caught? DISTURBING). It also contains useful Risk Management guidelines that can be implemented TODAY!

For more articles on preventing sexual abuse and molestation, visit our blog.

Shart this with others so that we all can make a difference.

Dangers Of Cheer And Lack Of Safety Standards

I recently came across a news release from the national media on cheer injuries.  In addition to the normal horror stories, it included the following points of interest: 

• 73 cases of “catastrophic” cheerleading injuries in the U.S. over the past 26 years have been traced by Frederick Mueller, director of the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research at UNC.  These included two deaths and fractured skulls or broken necks that led to permanent disabilities.
• According to national estimates by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, almost 30,000 cheerleaders are treated in emergency rooms each year.   
• Emergency room visits from cheerleaders have tripled since the mid-80’s when cheerleading became more “like gymnasts in little skirts.” Cheerleading popularity and participation also increased during  this time.  
• High risk stunts were also on the rise. Basket tosses, pyramids, and certain tumbling runs, top the list for injuries, which are frequently executed on gymnasium floors, grass, and dirt with nothing separating the cheerleader from the hard surfaces. 
• High school cheer is not considered an official sport in most states.  Therefore, cheer doesn’t necessitate the same limits on practice time, safety equipment, or training for coaches that are essential for other high school sports. 
• The American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA) require cheer coaches to be certified in thirteen states.  Certification often only requires an online test for coaches so there is no training in spotting techniques or gymnastics.  And only about a dozen states regulate cheer by the rules that are set by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). 
• In July, the NFHS will start offering an online cheer coach certification course comparable to the AACCA course.  Yet, each state will determine if the coach is required to take the certification course. 
• AACCA has just introduced its first set of rules, which ban double twisting dismounts and basket tosses.  And the rule only applies to the youngest cheerleaders who are on either the elementary, middle or junior high teams.  
• Susan Loomis, the NFHS rulebook editor for spirit teams comments that there is no one who acts as ‘cheer police’ at the high school level.  She does not know herself what the repercussions would be if someone did not follow or broke a rule.   

Source:  MSNBC 

Concussion Risks For Cheerleaders

“Much of the concern for young athletes at risk for concussion goes to the obvious heavy-hitters:  football, soccer, basketball.  But an expert who studies the injury in youth sports say one major activity is being overlooked: cheerleading.”

 “Female athletes may be at even higher risk for suffering a concussion than their male counterparts, Strickland said.  Girls’ neck muscles are generally weaker than boys’, making them more susceptible to dangers that come from rapid acceleration or deceleration, and whiplash.”

Source:  MSNBC

Head Injuries and Concussions in Youth Sports

All types of sports carry some type of inherit risk. But what are these risks? For contact sports, a very common occurrence is the concussion (defined by Websters as “a stunning, damaging, or shattering effect from a hard impact; a jarring injury of the brain resulting in disturbance of cerebral function.”) According to the CNN report below, there is increasing evidence that brain damage actually occurs during a concussion.

Participation Question: What are some ways that your local organization has been pro-active in preventing head injuries or putting measures into place to nurture the injury, or prevent further injury, once it has occurred?

Cheer Gym Insurance Vs. Competition Cheer Squad Insurance

Cheerleading, as we know it today is no longer just a group of girls on the sidelines of a ball game. Cheerleading has exploded in the past 10+ years with nationally televised cheer competitions and big screen movies specifically about cheerleading. This expansion has lead to competition cheer squads that go head to head just for recreation as well as cheer gyms that are actual businesses that teach cheerleading and build cheerleading groups for big competitions.

One of the biggest confusions that we have when reviewing cheer insurance applications, is whether or not it is simply a competition cheer squad or a cheer gym. It is vitally important that the correct insurance coverage is written for the organization and what exposures they actually have.

The six questions that we always have to ask are:

• How often are the membership dues paid (ex: monthly, once per season, etc.)?
• What type of facility does the organization use (own, long term lease, private, etc.)?
• Who is the organization cheering for (ex: one team, competition squad, etc)
• How are the coaches compensated?
• Is the organization a 501c3 Non-Profit?
• Does the organization have a Board of Directors that oversees and runs the organization?

While we understand that not all of the applicants are going to fall into a clear competition squad category or a clear cheer gym category, these questions, along with other sources, do allow us to make an educated assessment of the needs of the organization in order to make sure that we provide the correct cheer insurance coverages.

As a standard, a cheer squad will pay once per season, use school / local facilities, cheer just as a squad or for another sport at their games (football, basketball, etc.), and the cheer coaches are volunteers. A cheer gym usually pays dues monthly, owns or has a long-term lease for a facility, cheers strictly in competitions and the cheer gym coaches/assistant coaches are paid.

Although there is a difference in premium between the cheer squad insurance and the cheer gym insurance, it is for good reason. The worst thing next to being uninsured is being under-insured. Sometimes this is the most frustrating since you know you have paid premium and think that a claim should be paid. Therefore, it is vitally important that coverage is purchased for the exposure that you actually have and not just to have “something” in force.

The typical cheer squad will have the exposure of injury to participants. They also have the exposure of volunteers working in the capacity of cheer coach. Coverage is provided for the cheer squad itself as well as for the volunteers.

The cheer gym as a standard has a much greater risk of exposure than a cheer squad. The exposures do not just end with injury to a participant.

• The operation or long-term use of a facility creates a property exposure for anyone that comes onto the property and sustains a premises related injury (ex: slip and fall).
• Some of the cheer gyms provide extra services outside of just the cheerleading squad such as private lessons, birthday parties, after school programs and/or softplay areas.
• Because they are run as a business the coaches of cheer gyms are considered to be “experts” in the sport of cheerleading, therefore, increasing the standard of care that is owed to the participants and thus increasing the bodily injury liability exposure as a result.
• In addition, a professional liability exposure may result if the participant of a cheer gym sues over not being offered a college scholarship, etc. due to improper coaching instruction.

The owner/trainer can lose personal assets, lose future earnings and even lose their business in the event that a lawsuit does arise and the correct coverage are not in force.

The question is, should cheer gym owners take the risk of losing everything in the event of a devastating injury and resulting lawsuit in order to save a few dollars on premium.

Please visit our website for more information on Cheer School & Cheer Gym Insurance and Cheer Squad Insurance.