Archive for the ‘Cheerleading’ Category

2023 Insurance Program Released for American Youth Football

The gold standard that is the envy of the competition

The American Youth Football and American Youth Cheer endorsed insurance provider, Sadler Sports Insurance, has released the new 2023 insurance program for teams /associations /conferences on May 6, 2023. Online enrollment is now be available for June 30, 2023 renewals.

The 2023 program is, once again, the gold standard in youth football and cheer insurance with an unbeatable combination of low rates, broad custom coverages, and best-in-industry automation that allows instant online enrollment and issuance of proof of coverage documents and certificates for field owners. But that’s not all: the program also provides best-in-industry risk management resources to prevent injuries before they become claims and for compliance with various federal and state laws. In addition, 97% of our clients grade our customer service as “A”.  That’s important because at some point during the policy year, clients will have coverage questions, need to add additional teams, need assistance with risk management resources, or will need to issue a certificate with special wording.

Apply, pay, and print proof of coverage documents and certificates in as little as 10 minutes

Our advanced automation is so simple and fast that you can complete the entire insurance purchase transaction and print all your documents in as little as 10 minutes. Many competitors require the completion of forms and days of waiting just to get a quote. Then, once the quote is bound, it can take several days to get the proof of coverage documents and certificates for field owners. Or, they could charge $100 extra for next day rush delivery.

We have a new feature that allows the prior years information including the certificate holder list to be pre populated so that information does not need to be input again. This results in a huge time savings.

After the purchase, we provide our clients access to our website so that they can self-issue certificates for new field owners 24/7. It’s so easy and our clients love this benefit.

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Competitors withdraw from market or take major rate increases

Many of our competitors have taken major increases over the past several years due to sexual abuse/molestation and concussion litigation as well as other losses. However, our program remains stable with June 30, 2023 rates offered at an approximate 5% decrease. 

Child Abuse Risk Management Plan Required By Federal Law and Insurance Carrier

The federal Safe Sport Act applies to all sports organizations either directly or indirectly and requires mandatory reporting of a “suspicion” to law enforcement within 24 hours; written policies to make an incident less likely to occur; and mandatory education for both adult staff and minors on the different types or child abuse, how to prevent the sexual grooming process and how to report a suspicion.  Sadler provides a free child abuse risk management plan for your adoption that is Safe Sport Act compliant called Safe Sport Child Abuse And Other Misconduct Risk Management Plan.  

Furthermore, the $1M per occurrence Sex Abuse/Molestation coverage under the general liability policy will be voided unless organizations have implemented a system to run criminal background checks, have written policies and procedures to make an incident less likely to occur, and have a written requirement to notify law enforcement in the event of suspicion. Our free Safe Sport compliant risk management plan will satisfy written requirements. See our insurance plan description for additional information.

What is being done to combat the risk of concussion/brain injury and related litigation?

Sadler Sports Insurance provides a sample Football/Cheer Concussion Awareness Risk Management Program that is strongly recommended for all teams/associations/conferences. This free program can be found under the risk management section of our AYF Insurance page. This program consolidates accepted risk management practices for easy board adoption and implementation. We recommend coaches complete the AYF coaching education program. Certification is required of head football and cheer coaches participating in AYF national championships. We also encourage coaches, volunteers and players to complete the NFHS tackling course. It is important for all teams/associations/conferences to thicken their shields by adopting and fully implementing a comprehensive concussion/brain injury risk management program. The future of our sports depends on this action and it’s the right thing to do to protect the kids.

Check out our new risk management reports

We developed the following risk management reports to keep our clients up to date in critical areas:

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) Risk Management SCA is the leading cause of death for student athletes while exercising, administrators and coaches need to be prepared to take immediate life saving action.

New Sports Anti-Violence Risk Management Sports violence and related lawsuits against organizations is on the risks.Learn how to greatly reduce the risk with the use of zero tolerance policies, codes of conduct, and serious sanctions.

Guide To Preventing Heat Stroke Death In Youth Tackle Football This comprehensive awareness training article was produced as a result of a recent heat illness death.

New Safe Sport Act Applies To Most Amateur Sports Organizations This new federal act signed into law in February of 2018 increases the standard of care required to protect youth against child abuse, molestation, and other forms of misconduct.

Parade Float Risk Management For Sports Organizations Two of our largest claims have arisen out of parade float accidents where participants have fallen from floats and have been run over resulting in significant injuries. This article will help to reduce the risk of future parade float accidents.

Managing Charter Bus Risk For Sports Organizations This is a must read for any conference/association hiring a charter bus.

Sample AYF/AYC Risk Management Plan

Our recently updated Sample AYF/AYC Risk Management Plan pulls together all of our best risk management content just for youth football and cheer.  Be sure to adopt, implement, and distribute this critical plan or similar comprehensive plan.

Be a part of groundbreaking injury studies

If you purchase your insurance through the endorsed insurance program, all Accident claims automatically become part of the database where our custom software analyzes the information to produce meaningful injury reports. This has led to groundbreaking studies on the comparison of injuries in age only vs age/weight categories and the incidence of concussions within AYF/AYC.

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AYF/AYC Member Benefits: Check out the list of impressive AYF/AYC membership benefits.

 

Please visit our webpage at www.sadlersports.com/ayf or call us at 800-622-7370 if you have any questions.

 

American Youth Cheer Releases Study on Injury Trends 2005 – 2023

American Youth Cheer (AYC), the cheer division of American Youth Football (AYF), has released a study of injuries reported under its Accident insurance program through the endorsed insurance provider, Sadler Sports & Recreation Insurance.

The study consists of 259 injuries reported from 2005 to 2022 for cheerleaders ages 5 to 18 with the vast majority in the 5 to 15 age group. AYC includes both sideline cheer and competitive cheer.  The injury descriptions are collected on an injury report form that is completed by the authorized cheer coach prior to submitting an insurance claim. Page 3 of the AYC injury report includes 20 questions about the circumstances of each injury and the answers are entered into a database from which reports are generated.

Importance of the AYC study

Cheerleading has evolved from a primarily sideline activity into highly competitive sport with more complex stunts and gymnastics-like maneuvers. Even sideline cheer has adopted some of the same stunts and maneuvers. This has greatly increased the risk factors involved. As a result, injuries have risen dramatically, as reported by many sources.

Cheer injury studies are scarce due to the fragmented nature of the industry with so many sanctioning bodies and lack of injury data collection. An excellent article published in 2012 by the Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association entitled  “Cheerleading Injuries: A Narrative Review of The Literature” compiles the results from 23 unique articles on cheerleader injuries.  Another excellent study was published in 2016 by The American Academy of Pediatrics entitled “Cheerleading Injuries in United States High Schools.”  Perhaps the most recent study of note was published in 2021 by The Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine entitled “Progress In Cheerleading Safety: Update on the Epidemiology of Cheerleading Injuries Presenting to US Emergency Departments, 2010-2019.”

The ongoing AYC study which began in 2005 provides a consistent source of additional information on cheer injury trends. The injury results are shown for the periods 2005-2022 and 2015-2022 to illustrate the impact of any recent trends. 

Limitations of the AYC study

Since all injuries are reported from Accident insurance claims, the AYC study overstates the more serious injuries that require outside medical treatment and understates the minor injuries where medical treatment was not sought or where an on-site trainer provided treatment. In addition, the number of total claims in the database is surprisingly low taking into account the number of cheer participants at risk. However, the study does represent a reasonably accurate overview of the types of cheer injury trends that occur within AYC and youth cheer as a whole.

Cheer injuries are less frequent compared to other sports

According to the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study, 2009-2014, cheerleading was 18th out of 22 sports in terms of overall injury rate. Between 2005 and 2022, 259 cheer injuries were captured within AYC.  Over the same time period, 5,160 football injuries were reported within AYF. Cheer injuries only account for  5.0% of the injuries that occur in the combined AYF/AYC program. 

Catastrophic cheer injuries in AYC

According to the National Center For Catastrophic Sports Injury Research report, “Catastrophic Sports Injury Research: 1982-2014,” cheerleading has the highest catastrophic injury rate of all high school sports. Fortunately, the AYC Accident insurance program has never experienced a catastrophic injury claim. However, local cheer program administrators and staff must always be vigilant of the potential for catastrophic injuries in cheer, and as a result should implement the risk management suggestions that appear later in this article.

Absence from play after an injury

2005-2022 2015-2022
3+ weeks 29% 28%
1 – 3 weeks 25% 20%
Not answered/unknown 21% 31%
1-7 days 13% 9%
None 12% 12%
TOTAL 100% 100%

According to the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study 2009-2014, cheerleading had the second highest proportion of injuries resulting in 3+ weeks of absence.

When injury occurred

2005-2022 2015-2022
Practice 76% 78%
Before game/practice 7% 5%
Competitive cheer event 5% 3%
After game/practice 3% 4%
Other 6% 7%
Halftime 2% 2%
Sideline 1% 1%
TOTAL 100% 100%

Other studies have confirmed that the majority of cheer injuries occur during practice. Not only are more hours devoted to practice than play, but new tumbles and stunts are learned during practice. It makes sense that learning a new tumble or stunt entails a higher risk of injury.

Location of injury

 

2005-2022 2015 – 2022
Indoor practice area 50% 59%
Field 22% 21%
Other 7% 3%
Sidelines 5% 2%
Outdoor practice area 5% 6%
Indoor competition area 4% 3%
Warm up area 4% 3%
Practice field 3% 3%
TOTAL 100% 100%

Once again, these results confirm that most injuries occur during practice.

Surface type

2005-2022 2015 – 2022
Grass 34% 30%
Flat, non-spring 29% 36%
Mat 18% 15%
Spring 8% 7%
Concrete 5% 2%
Other 6% 10%
TOTAL 100% 100%

Body part injured

 

2005-2022 2015-2022
Head/temple 14% 19%
Ankle 9% 7%
Wrist 11% 12%
Forearm 9% 13%
Knee 8% 5%
Elbow 9% 9%
Other 10% 9%
Shoulder/collarbone 6% 3%
Mouth/teeth 6% 6%
Neck 4% 1%
Nose 3% 6%
Upper arm 3% 3%
Back 3% 4%
Finger/thumb 2% 1%
Hand 2% 2%
Foot 1% 0%
TOTAL 100% 100%

Note the 2015-2022 increase in injury to head/temple. This is consistent with a similar increase in concussion injuries being reported over the same time period.

Other studies that capture data from all injuries (not just Accident insurance claims) indicate that ankles are the most common body part injured during cheer. Cheerleaders are thought to be susceptible to ankle injuries due to landing mechanics in an erect position, the prevalence of hard surfaces with lack of shock absorption, and difficult maneuvers.  Knee injuries commonly occur due to not landing squarely on feet during tumbling passes or jumping down from a pyramid. 

Type of injury

2005-2022 2015-2022
Fracture 40% 50%
Joint sprain/strain 17% 9%
Concussion 13% 18%
Not answered/other 8% 4%
Dislocation 5% 3%
Bruise/contusion 6% 5%
Dental 5% 5%
Cut/scrape 4% 4%
Pulled muscle 2% 2%
TOTAL 100% 100%

Because the injuries in the AYC study are taken from Accident insurance claims where medical treatment has been sought, fractures tend to be overstated. Other studies on all cheer injuries (including incidents where medical treatment is not sought) indicate that the most common injury types are sprains/strains.

Note the significant increase in concussions reported for the time period 2015-2022. This could be due to either the increasing complexity of stunts coupled with greater athleticism or the greater awareness of concussions and increased utilization of medical services.

The American Academy of Pediatrics 2015 study “Cheerleading Injuries in United States High Schools” reported that concussions accounted for 31% of total injuries. Clearly, the percentage of concussions occurring in youth based non-scholastic cheer is much lower.

Position while injured

2005-2022 2015-2022
Flyer 34% 31%
Tumbler 17% 21%
Other 12% 9%
Right-side base 8% 10%
Back spotter 8% 8%
Not applicable 6% 5%
Left-side base 5% 3%
Standing in cheer line 4% 5%
Coach 3% 5%
Base, not specified 2% 2%
Front spotter 1% 1%
TOTAL 100% 100%

It’s not surprising that flyers are injured most frequently from falls as contact with ground and collisions with teammates are the leading physical causes of injury in the AYC study.

Type of tumble or stunt while injured

2005-2022 2015-2022
Other 31% 33%
Prep or extended elevator 19% 19%
Not answered 10% 8%
Prep or extended cradle 8% 7%
Round-off 3% 2%
Cartwheel 5% 6%
Full twist 3% 3%
Basket toss 3% 3%
Back walkover 4% 7%
Standing back handspring 3% 1%
Prep or extended full twist down cradle 3% 2%
Prep/extended awesome/cupie 2% 1%
Sideline cheer – no stunt or tumble 2% 1%
Dancing – not stunt or tumbling 2% 4%
Shoulder sit/stand 2% 3%
TOTAL 100% 100%

For the novice, an excellent description of the various stunts and tumbles can be found in Wikipedia.

Note the high number of injury report responses falling under “other” and “not answered.” This is an indication that there is not widespread agreement over the names of the types of stunt or the fact that some stunts have multiple names.  Starting in 2012, the percentages of injuries occurring during cartwheels and prep or extended elevator increased significantly.                

Physical cause of injury

2005-2022 2015-2022
Contact with ground 53% 55%
Collision with teammate 22% 25%
Non-contact 7% 6%
Catching 5% 2%
Supporting weight 6% 6%
Not answered 3% 4%
Other 2% 1%
Hit by other object 2% 1%
TOTAL 100% 100%

Activity while injured

2005-2022 2015-2022
Flying 31% 26%
Tumbling 17% 22%
Catching 13% 14%
Other 13% 18%
Supporting 6% 4%
Walking 3% 0%
Running 3% 1%
Lifting 3% 2%
Dismounting 3% 4%
Spotting 3% 3%
Sitting/standing/walking – not specified 3% 4%
Coaching 2% 2%
TOTAL 100% 100%

Starting in 2012, the percentage of tumbling injuries increased significantly.

Risk management recommendations

AYC has experienced many fewer injuries than its football counterpart, AYF. There have been no catastrophic injuries recorded in AYC since injury tracking began in 2005 or any prior to that period.

However, it is strongly recommended that all local cheer programs consider the following risk management practices:

Youth Sports Misconduct Extends To Social Media

And includes cyberbullying

The excitement of a new school year brings enthusiasm for the beginning of many youth sports seasons. As competitions get underway, coaches, activity directors and athletic staff also may become aware of instances of bullying and cyberbullying.

Children’s sports team coaches and athletic staff may be surprised to learn that the fundamentals of sportsmanship now extend to participants’ online behavior.

In the past, emphasis has been on exercising good sportsmanship on the playing field or court. Today, participants can endanger themselves or their organization with sports misconduct while online.

Examples of cyberbullying violations

It is a violation of Safe Sport risk management programs if a staff member knows or should have known of bullying behavior, but takes no action to intervene. Athletic staff need training to recognize, address and prevent such behavior.

Youth sports misconduct includes using electronic communication against someone to:

  • Harass
  • Frighten
  • Intimidate
  • Humiliate
  • Threaten
  • Socially isolate

Prohibited cyberbullying behavior also includes attempts to diminish or exclude another participant physically, emotionally or sexually.

According to StopBullying.gov the most common places where cyberbullying occurs are:

  • Social Media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Tik Tok
  • Text messaging and messaging apps on mobile or tablet devices
  • Instant messaging, direct messaging, and online chatting over the internet
  • Online forums, chat rooms, and message boards, such as Reddit
  • Email
  • Online gaming communities

State laws address cyberbullying

While there is no Federal law that specifically applies to cyberbullying, individual states have laws to protect people from bullying. Click here to see your state’s laws.

Often, it is not the staff, but other participants – such as parents or guardians – who perpetrate bullying. School sports and activity programs need to be aware that good sportsmanship applies, whether in the sport or activity itself, or online.

It is important to note that bullying does not include group or team behaviors to encourage a culture of team unity and/or harder training effort. To learn more about what constitutes bullying, see the Sadler Child Abuse Protection Program.

A participant or parent/guardian who participates in any act of bullying should be subject to appropriate disciplinary action including but not limited to suspension, permanent ban, and referral to law enforcement authorities.

League organizers, sports complex managers, board members, coaches, athletes, umpires and performers involved in youth sports face unique risks.

Types of cyberbullying lawsuits

As the ease of digital communication evolves, an environment conducive to cyberbullying flourishes. A single inappropriate post or action can put you and your organization at risk. At any moment, an accusation of negligence, abuse, neglect or misconduct can be alleged, along with a lawsuit alleging bodily injury, emotional distress, personal injury, or failure to follow your own rules and bylaws if you don’t take action to address a prohibited activity.

Protect Yourself

The best way to protect yourself is to formally adopt and implement a Child Abuse Protection Plan such as the one that we have customized for our clients. In addition, you should protect yourself and your organization with the purchase of both General Liability and Directors & Officers Liability insurance. Call Sadler Sports & Recreation Insurance at (800) 622-7370 to learn more or click on “get quote” in the top navigation bar above to find the custom program which best fits your needs.

 

Latest on Youth Concussions from American Academy of Pediatrics

The American Academy of Pediatrics just released an update on Sport-Related Concussions in Children and Adolescents. This 24-page report highlights the major developments in new concussion knowledge and treatment since the first report, which was published in 2010.

To follow are the points that I find to be of particular interest. Some the conclusions and actionable recommendations may be contrary to what is being disseminated by various bloggers and vendors of products related to concussions. But always remember that true science can be a very slow process and future studies may ultimately prove contrary results. If these topics are of interest, you should read the entire article for more information.

Concussions: Mechanical vs Chemical/Cellular Injury

There is no universally-accepted definition of a concussion and there are a wide range of symptoms which require individual management.

After a biomechanical injury to the brain due to either direct impact or whiplash effect, a cascade of chemical changes occur resulting in injury on a cellular level. Some of the medical terms for these are potassium efflux from neurons, increase in extracellular glutamate, upregulation of sodium-potassium ion pumps, depletion of intracellular injury reserves, and increased use of adenosine triphosphate and hyperglycolysis. All of these biochemical reactions result in decreased blood flow and increased energy demand which leads to an energy crisis.

In other words, concussions are a lot more complicated than just a bump to the head, making future research and studies necessary.

Rest After Concussions

After a concussion, an immediate reduction in physical and mental activity can be beneficial to recovery. However, prolonged restrictions of physical activities and delayed return to school can have negative effects on recovery and symptoms. A graduated return-to-play protocol should be followed under the supervision of a healthcare professional.

Reporting of Concussions Over the Past Decade

Studies indicate that the reporting of youth concussions has increased dramatically over the last decade with increases ranging from 57% to 200%. This is likely caused by the increased overall awareness of coaches, participants, and parents due to media exposure and education initiatives.

Concussions in Girls vs Boys

Female athletes are more likely to report symptoms to an authority figure than male athletes, despite Concussions in Girls soccerboth having the same knowledge.

Studies indicate that concussion rates from highest to lowest for boys are as follows: American tackle football, lacrosse, ice hockey, and wrestling. For girls: soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, and basketball.

Girls have higher concussion rates than boys in soccer and basketball.

The reasons that girls seem to be more susceptible are not entirely clear, but it has been suggested that it is due to weaker neck musculature and estrogen.

In school sports, for boys and girls combined, the following have the highest concussion rates: middle school tackle football, girls soccer, cheerleading, and girls basketball.

A study of youth tackle football for ages 8 to 12 indicates that the concussion rates are higher than in high school athletes and that 11 to 12 year olds have a nearly 2.5 increased risk as compared to 8 to 10 year olds.

Concussion incidence is higher in competition than in practice for males and females across nearly all sports.

Most Frequent Signs and Symptoms

Headache 86% to 96%
Dizziness 65% to 75%
Difficulty Concentrating 48% to 61%
Confusion 40% to 46%

Problems to Watch Out For in Post-concussion Diagnostic Tests

The most frequent sideline test used by athletic trainers is the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) and is available in following forms: Child SCAT 5 (ages 5 to 12) and SCAT 5 (ages 13+). These tests, which only take about 10 minutes to perform, are being constantly updated. They consist of observable signs of concussion, symptoms assessment, memory questions, neurological assessment, and balance assessment.

Symptoms can mimic pre-existing problems such as migraine, headache disorders, learning disorders, ADHD, mental health conditions, and sleep disorders. As a result, the examiner should be informed of any such condition.

Some sideline diagnostic assessment tools and checklists are not appropriate for children ages 5 to 12. Younger athletes perform worse on questions such as naming months or numbers in reverse. Concussions in youth sportsVariations are available for younger children such as the Child SCAT 5..

Tests that measure visual deficits, such as the King-Devick Test, show promise but not enough evidence from studies yet to recommend their inclusion in the SCAT.

While healthcare professionals find sideline assessment tests to be helpful, they are not to be used in isolation in diagnosing a concussion. Not enough studies exist at this time to recommend widespread use in children. Also, the value of sideline tests is minimized without a baseline test for comparison. See HitCheck for an example of an affordable sideline assessment app.

Are CAT Scans and MRIs Necessary? Which One Is Superior?

CAT scans and MRIs are critical when a severe intracranial injury or structural lesion (skull fracture or hemorrhage) is suspected, but they are not effective in diagnosing a concussion. Despite this, the use of neuroimaging increased 36% between 2006 and 2011.

Recent literature indicates that it is highly unlikely that significant intracranial hemorrhaging occurs after six hours without a deterioration in the level of consciousness. As a result, prescribing a CT without any deterioration of consciousness after six hours is unlikely to be helpful.

When neuroimaging is necessary, CT’s are more cost effective and can usually be arranged more quickly. However, children’s exposure to radiation may increase the risk of certain cancers over the long term. After the emergency period is over, MRIs are superior to CTs in detection of cerebral contusion, petechial hemorrhage, and white-matter injury.

Baseline Neurocognitive Testing

Studies conducted independently by developers of paper and online testing platforms have questioned the reliability of baseline tests from year to year. It is important for the reviewer who compares baseline to post- injury tests to understand modifiers that could alter results, such as depression, lack of sleep, failure to take ADHD medication, and athletes with musculoskeletal injuries.

The best environment for baseline and post-injury testing is a quiet, distraction-free environment, which can be very difficult to achieve for most schools and organizations.

Concerns about athlete “sandbagging” and intentionally under-performing on baseline tests are exaggerated as this can be detected.

Neurocognitive tests should not be used as the sole determining factor in return-to-play decisions.

Retirement After Multiple Concussions

The decision to retire an athlete after multiple concussions should not be tied to any specific number of concussions.

An athlete who has suffered multiple concussions should be referred to a specialist with expertise in this area for guidance.

Prevention of Concussions: What Can Be Proven By Studies

  • Mouth guards: After an initial 1954 study suggesting a connection between mouth guards and reduction of concussions, several larger studies refuted this assertion. Evidence of an advantage of custom mouth guards over non-custom remains inconclusive.
  • Helmets: Helmets were designed to reduce severe injuries such as skull fractures, subdural Football helmets and concussionshematomas, and brainstem contusion or hemorrhage. The goal of reduction of concussions has not proven to be productive. Several studies show no difference between several brands and models of helmets, both new and refurbished, in terms of severity of symptoms, frequency, and recovery time. Helmet improvements are not likely to ever be the solution to the concussion problem.
  • Aftermarket Helmet Attachments: No study has ever shown that aftermarket helmet attachments such as pads, shock absorbers, and sensors prevent or reduce the severity of concussions. The use of sensors to clinically diagnose or assess concussions cannot be supported at this time and do not have a role in decision making. See our article “Add-on Helmet Products.”
  • Other Headgear: Soccer headgear has not proven beneficial in the reduction of head-to-head or head-to-ball impact. Such headgear may actually increase the incidence of injury by encouraging more aggressive play.
  • Education: Education and awareness of concussions has proven effective in diagnosing, treating, and making return-to-play decisions. This finding is consistent with Sadler Sports Insurance injury data on concussion rates in youth baseball and football prior to 2012 and after 2012.
  • Biomarkers: Biomarkers have been investigated in playing a role in concussion evaluation. These include predisposition factors, delayed recovery, and increased catastrophic risk. These investigations are preliminary and none have advanced to use in a clinical setting.
  • Supplements: Numerous supplements have been investigated as to playing a role in preventing or in speeding up the recovery time from concussions. There are currently no studies in humans to support a benefit from supplements.
  • Neck Strengthening: Strengthening the cervical muscles and activating those muscles prior to impact has been found to reduce forces from head impact. Poor neck strength has been shown to correlate with the incidence of concussions. One study showed that each additional pound of neck strength resulted in a 5% reduction in concussions.
  • Rule Changes: Rule changes and enforcement of rules by officials may help to reduce the likelihood of concussions. Recent initiatives in youth sports look promising. These include elimination of checking in ice hockey and heading soccer in younger age groups, and reducing contact in football practice.

I hope you enjoyed my summary of this very informative article. At Sadler Sport Insurance, we have an excellent risk management library on the topic of concussion and brain injury risk management that you should check out.

 

7 Simple Steps to Reduce Serious Risks in Youth Tackle Football/Cheer

And 3 important reasons to prevent / reduce insurance claims

Purchasing high-limit, high-quality, insurance such as that offered through the endorsed American Youth Football / American Youth Cheer (AYF/AYC) insurance program is just a starting point in protecting your youth and volunteers against injuries and lawsuits. And almost any league can qualify for membership in AYF/AYC to gain access to the endorsed insurance program. Although insurance pays for losses, the goal is to prevent or reduce the injury to a spectator or player so that it never results in an insurance claim.

Here are three important reasons to prevent / reduce insurance claims:

  1. People suffer when they are injured and miss time away from playing the game, school, or work.
  2. In the event of a serious injury, your program can suffer negative media coverage, which can have an impact on the success of your program.
  3. The loss record of the AYF/AYC insurance program must be protected against serious losses which will result in future rate increases.

Below are the seven most important risk management programs that should be formally adopted, distributed to staff, and implemented in order to protect against the most serious types of injuries:

1.  Sample AYF/AYC Risk Management Plan

Implement this comprehensive risk management program or similar to reduce the litigation risk at your locations and in all areas of your operations, including facilities, equipment, supervision, instruction, rules, injury response, sex abuse & molestation, and use of autos. It includes best practices and contractual transfer of risk through participant registration forms such as waiver/release and emergency information/medical consent. Also included are the use of insurance requirements and hold harmless/indemnification provisions in agreements with vendors and visiting teams.

2.  Sample Football/Cheer Brain Injury/Concussion Awareness Risk Management Program

Implement this program or similar to reduce your risk of litigation. Includes coach, parent, and player training on concussion recognition, removal from play, medical treatment, and return to play protocol. Also includes training on removing the head from the tackle through Hawks Tackling resources and practice restrictions.

3. Safe Sport Child Abuse and Other Misconduct Risk Management Plan

Implement this program or similar to reduce your risk of an incident. This program has been updated to address the new requirements of the recently-passed federal Safe Sport Act, which requires mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse to law enforcement within 48 hours, specific training on preventing the sexual grooming process, use of the “buddy system,” and a no-retaliation policy for the reporting of a suspicion.  Also see related Minor Training Ages 4-12 and Minor Training Ages 13-17. 

4.  Guide to Preventing Heat Stroke Death in Youth Tackle Football  

Heat stroke death in youth tackle football is preventable if risk management best Heat illnesspractices are followed. These include but are not limited to use of wet bulb globe temperature meter (WBGT) to assist with cancellation or postponement decisions and cold water immersion. WBGT meter prices are falling and a meter can be obtained for as little as $114. However, the Weather FX app can be purchased for as little as $2 and creates a mathematical approximation of WBGT. Heat index is no longer the recommended decision making standard for sports postponement or cancellation decisions as it is inferior to WBGT.

5.  Lightning Safety and 30/30 Rule

This is perhaps the most overlooked safety rule in all of youth sports. Staff must be ready to step up and make the unpopular postponement/cancellation decision when conditions warrant.

6.  Use of 12- and 15-Passenger Vans

The use of 15-passenger vans to transport youth remains a popular but deadly practice in youth sports. Youth sports organizations must follow the lead of schools that have banned this practice and must opt for safer alternatives.

7.  Parade Float Risk Management for Sports Organizations

It’s hard to believe, but two of the largest claims suffered by our youth tackle football and cheer clients have been falls off parade floats. If you must have a parade float, follow these risk management precautions.

Running a youth tackle football and cheer association involves addressing serious risk. Ask yourself if are you taking these important steps to protect your youth and volunteers. Tap into our risk management resources to gain access to our free tools.

Cheerleader Forced into Painful Splits Example of Physical Abuse

Recognizing the signs and putting a plan in place

Regular readers of my blog and certainly all my clients know that I take a strong stand against child abuse. Any form of child abuse/molestation is reprehensible and goes against the spirit of healthy sports participation. To help combat the problem, we offer free abuse/molestation risk management programs and training.

Sexual abuse in youth sports has dominated the headlines in recent years. But it’s important to remember that abuse can take many forms.

We recently became aware of an investigation into astonishing allegations of abuse by two Denver cheerleading coaches. A video of a first-year cheerleader being forced into the splits despite her pleas to stop is currently circulating in the media. Several other girls on the East High School squad allegedly suffered injuries from the same treatment. Particularly appalling are reports of the girls’ teammates being told to hold their arms to brace them in the splits position.

These alleged incidents occurred at the school’s cheer camp in June. Parents of the girl in the video sent the video to East High’s athletic director that month. However no action was taken. Eventually, an anonymous tipster contacted Denver police. The coaches, two school administrators and a district deputy counsel are on administrative leave during the investigation.

What is abuse?

It’ll be difficult to refute what’s on the video. There’s no doubt that forcing such stretches constitutes abuse. I contacted Tammy Gagne, American Youth Football’s National Cheer Commissioner. Here’s what she had to say:

“Proper stretching starts with a warm-up that includes some type of movement that will increase body temperature to improve muscle elasticity. Once the body temperature is raised, athletes do a number or stretches where they are in control of their own bodies, holding a stretch for 30 to 60 seconds, never bouncing or over stretching.

There are a number of stretches where athletes are paired with another athlete and they help each other stretch, these stretches are never done to a level where there is pain, and they are done slowly to ensure the athlete is comfortable with the stretch. Communication is key between the two athletes stretching each other.”

Of course, child Abuse presents in different ways. Ridicule and put downs are verbal abuse  Any touching that hurts is physical abuse, including any touching or excessive exercise used as punishment. Emotional abuse often consists of isolation, humiliation, intimidation, and threats to perform unreasonable tasks. Sexual abuse is unwanted sexual activity without consent and by use of force or verbal threat.

Combatting physical abuse

It’s important to be aware of red flags that may signal physical abuse. Other than obvious examples of a coach hitting, throwing equipment or shaking a player, be aware of these coaching methods:

  • Behaviors that seem violent versus disciplinary
  • Illegal moves (often associated with injuries) are encouraged
  • Training practices that become abusive
  • Fighting that is encouraged or ignored
  • Allowing athlete(s) to become physically or verbally abusive
  • Teaching improper techniques or encouraging conduct that violates safety rules
  • Behaviors resulting in injuries to athlete(s)

Gagne is quite succinct in her perspective on abuse: “A coach’s first responsibility is to keep the athlete safe.”

We believe that too. Consequently, we provide information on preventing child abuse in youth sports and a free customizable Abuse Risk Management Program on our risk management page. If you have questions or concerns, please call us at (800) 622-7370.

UPDATE:

A Denver Police Department investigation  resulted in a decision not to press criminal charges in the story referred to above. Personnel fallout from the scandal:

  • Coach Ozell Williams was fired two after the news story aired.
  • Principal Andy Mendelsberg retired in the wake of the report citing multiple failures to act following complaints made by the parents of multiple cheerleaders.
  • Assistant Principal Lisa Porter serving as athletic director, resigned.
  • Five assistant principals were disciplined, though no details are known. All five saw portions of the video in question.
  • Denver Public School Attorney Michael Hickman was reinstated disciplined for failing to follow up on the limited information Mendelsberg provided.
  • Mariah Cladis, a volunteer assistant cheer coach, was cleared of wrongdoing.

This shouldn’t have happened

Journalists uncovered the fact that Williams was terminated in 2016 from his position as a cheerleading consultant at Boulder High School upon being observed by another coach forcing splits on cheerleaders as did at East High.

Williams did not disclose that fact in his application for the job at East High. He listed in the “employment history” section of his application only two previous jobs: that of “professional dunker” at Denver Nuggets games and the business he owns,  Mile High Tumblers.

The investigation revealed that Porter never contacted anyone at Boulder High to check Williams’ references, which were listed on his resume.

Sources:

Refuting Reports of Increased Concussion Rates in Youth Sports

Looking at the facts

Reckless reporting and alarmist headlines about rising concussion rates in youth sports are a pet peeve of mine. Parents, athletes, coaches and league administrators deserve to have the facts presented responsibly on such a serious topic.

The headline on a recent article by a doctor screamed “Concussion rates are rising among U.S. youth.” What the doctor didn’t say in the article is that concussion rates are NOT rising; concussion reporting is rising.

Our internal Accident insurance claim statistics reveal the following increases in the reporting of concussion claims as a percentage of total claims reported:

Sport

Youth baseball

Youth football

Concussion rates prior to 2012

2.96%

7.89%

Concussion rates 2012-16

8.01%

15.88%

The significant increases in concussion claims reported over these time periods have nothing to do with change in the risk factors in these two sports over this time period. These increases have everything to do with educational awareness.

We have concussion education efforts and concussion laws on the books in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to thank for that. These efforts have brought about a heightened awareness of concussion recognition, initial diagnosis and treatment, and return to play monitoring. The increase in the number of reported concussions only reflects how many youth athletes were walking around with undiagnosed concussions in the past.

Promoting educational awareness and risk management

Over a year ago, I wrote about the need for increased efforts in concussion education, stating, “Fear of concussion among many parents is affecting their decision to permit their children to participate in contact sports.” And nearly two years ago, I said in an article addressing the media’s concussion hype,  “The best outcome is the awareness being brought to the general puConcussion risk managementblic about diagnosis, second-impact syndrome, removal, and return-to-play policies.“

I’m pleased to see that all this awareness resulting in more athletes getting the medical care necessary, which enables them to return to playing after treatment and full recovery. The Center for Disease Control’s HEADS UP offers many resources to help parents, coaches, administrators, and healthcare providers recognize, respond to, and minimize the risk of concussions or other serious brain injuries.

We’re proud to continually provide up-to-date and credible information on sports concussions and a variety of sports injury and risk management-related topics on our blog.

Source: Brad C. Gollinger. “Concussion rates are rising among U.S. youth.” www.recordonline.com. 07 Mar., 2017.

Risks of Sports Specialization Among Youth Athletes

Focus on a single sport can lead to overuse injuries

Kids are starting to participate in recreational sports leagues and camps at increasingly younger ages in recent years. T-ball teams, soccer leagues, swim clubs, skating rinks, cheer squads, tumbling schools and even dance studios are filled with little people, some as young 3 and 4 years of age.  And many are choosing to participate in a single activity year round from an early age.

Sports specialization (focusing on a single sport) in youth sports can, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), result in early burnout, emotional stress and overuse injuries. However, the risks can be mitigated by following recommendations by AAP.

Weighing the decision to specialize

Research shows that the physical development of children is better among those who play a variety of sports prior to puberty. Encouraging kids to experience a overuse injuries in youth sportswide range of sports activities also means they’ll be much less likely to lose interest or quit altogether. Studies show that children who specialized in a single sport from a young age tend to have more short-lived athletic careers.  The AAP recommends that children put off specializing in a sport until about age 15 or 16.

It’s important to determine why you or your child thinks he or she should specialize. More often than not, college scholarships are a motivator.  Be realistic about such opportunities: on average, 8% percent of high school athletes succeed in making a college team, but only 1% of those make it on an athletic scholarship.

Specialization and overuse injuries

Specialization can lead to overuse injuries, which can be muscle, bone, tendon or ligament damage resulting from repetitive stress and lack of healing time. One of the most common overuse injuries among athletes is shin splints.

Alarmingly, overuse accounts for half of all sports medicine injuries among children and teens. Children and teens are more susceptible to overuse injuries than adults because their still underdeveloped bones don’t recover as well from stress.

Preventing overuse injuries

So, if the decision has been made to specialize, there are steps that can be taken to lower the risk of overuse injuries.

Be Prepared:  It’s critical that all athletes maintain their fitness level both in and off season. General and sport-specific conditioning during the preseason are also extremely important. An evaluation by a physician prior to participation is the most essential step in determining whether a child can safely play his or her chosen sport. This should be done four to six weeks prior to practice and play to allow for time to address any potential obstacles to participation.

Train Smart: Weekly training times, distances, and repetitions should only be increased by 10% each week. For example, a 15-mile per week run should only be increased to 16.5 miles the following week, 18 miles the week after that and so on. Sport-specific trainingOveruse injuries in youth sports should vary. For instance, runners incorporate a diversity of running surfaces by running on the road, on a treadmill, on grass and in a pool. Likewise, training should include a variety of workouts, such as treadmills/ellipticals, weight lifting, and swimming.

Rest Smart: Training every day is a sure path to emotional and physical stress. Athletes should allow time for recovery by taking at least one day off every week from training, practice and  play. It’s just as important to take four to eight weeks off during the year from a specific sport.  A good rule of thumb is one month off for every six months of training and play.

Avoid Burnout: Overtraining can alter an athlete’s physical, hormonal and mental performance. Remember that a child should enjoy participating and the training should be age appropriate. They shouldn’t look at it as a job or a test. Be aware of changes in the athlete’s eating and sleeping habits. In particular, be alert for changes in or cessation of a girl’s menstrual period. Don’t hesitate to consult a physician if such changes are observed.

Sources:
  • Trisha Korioth, “Too much, too soon: Overtraining can lead to injury, burnout.” aappublications.org. 29 Aug, 2016.
  • “Preventing Overuse Injuries.” healthychildren.org. 21 Nov. 2015.

Youth Athletes and Concussion Recovery

Too many parents following outdated medical advice

Starve a cold, feed a fever. Swimming within 30 minutes of eating causes cramps. Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis. Tilt the head back to stop a nosebleed. All outdated but once heavily relied upon advice from the medical community. Sadly, these and similarly unsubstantiated notions continue to circulate. And apparently so are incorrect ideas about concussion recovery.

Despite ongoing media attention and education efforts surrounding concussions, research shows that many parents still rely on outdated advice when monitoring their concussed children. Where once the impact of concussions was downplayed, apparently now parents are going to the opposite extreme and impeding recovery.

A national survey conducted by UCLA Health asked 569 parents how they would care for a child with concussion symptoms that persisted a week following the head injury. More than 75% said they would wake their child to check on them throughout the night and 84% said they would not permit the child to participate in any physical activity. About 65% said they prohibit use of electronic devices.

Making a healthy recovery

Frequent disruption or lack of sleep can affect memory, moods and energy levels, which are exactly what doctors use to measure concussion recovery. Once the child has been examined by a medical professional and determined to be at no further risk, sleep will help the brain recover more quickly, according to Christopher Giza, a UCLA paediatric neurologist.

And while contact sports are to be avoided until the child is fully recovered and cleared by a medical professional, mild exercise and aerobic activities such as walking and bike riding promote the healing process and overall good health.

As for electronic devices, it’s a good idea to keep kids off them during the early days of the injury. But easing them into their normal social, intellectual and physical activity is what’s best.

Most concussion patients make a full recovery, though dizziness and headaches can persist for weeks. Parents should always heed the advice of the physician monitoring the child and remember that rest and pain relievers for headaches are the best treatments in most cases.

Source: “Parents following outdated concussion tips,” www.sbs.com.au. 08 Sept. 2016.

Top 5 Sports Risks Resulting in Insurance Claims

You need to know them to try to prevent them, but sports insurance still a must

Accidents can happen any time, to anyone, on and off the sports field. Many aren’t even related to playing the sport itself, and many result in serious injuries. Many can be prevented with a little attention to hot spots and putting into place proven risk management policies. However, others are just part of the game.

We take pride in offering our clients risk management advice in an effort to prevent claims.

We hope you’ll be able to avoid making the top 5 list:

  1. Wayward balls cause more claims for damages and injuries than anything else in sports. Baseballs in particular are high-speed missiles that slam into players, dugouts, spectators, cars, windows, and anything else in their path. Wild pitches, overthrown lacrosse balls and basketballs, and baseballs hit out of the park are only some of ways balls cause injuries. A real horror story to a client occurred when an assistant coach was struck in the face by a pitched baseball while warming up the pitcher. He later lapsed into a coma and died of  injuries, which resulted in total claims of $1,001,000.
  2. Falls by players, coaches, spectators, groundskeepers and officials are by far the most common sports injury. Holes in the field, slippery or wet surfaces, obstacles in or around the field, bases, field markers, and equipment cause people to fall. Falls from bleachers, benches, ladders, playground equipment, backstops, and goals are also common. Broken, sprained or twisted limbs can result in expensive medical bills and even time off work. Falls can even result result in death.  One of our baseball leagues had a claim that settled for $41,781 when a spectator fractured both ankles after stepping in a washed out grassy area of a ballpark.
  3. Vehicles of all sorts are involved in numerous sports-related claims. Many can be avoided if parking and traffic signage is displayed properly. Delivery trucks backing into concession stands, golf carts and riding mowers overturning, tents and awnings collapsing on vehicles, tractors hitting parked cars, vandalism, and balls flying through windshields are common incidents at the ballpark. One of our baseball leagues experienced a claim when a person was injured by being pinned between a scoreboard table and golf cart with a resulting settlement of $50,000.
  4. Roughhousing and unsupervised children often cause all sorts of mayhem. Playing or climbing on goals, vehicles, bleachers, gates and fences frequently ends in injuries. This includes unattended children in play areas, near water, or in wooded areas of the park. It’s also not unusual for players to swing bats or toss/kick balls in areas where others can be hurt, such as concession areas, parking lots and near bleachers. And in heated competitions, it’s not unusual for fights to break out among spectators or between players on the field. An example of this type of claim was when one of our local league clients was sued as a result of children climbing on a statue at an awards banquet, which caused $4,789 in damage to Sports insurance claimsa water fountain.
  5. Player collisions with other players, spectators and equipment occur frequently. Baseball, soccer, football, and basketball players also collide with one another on the field, often resulting in concussions, fractured limbs, and other injuries. Basketball and football players often crash into spectators on the sidelines. And it’s not unusual that players collide with teammates and coaches on the bench, down markers, goals, and bleachers. One of our clients had a situation where a youth football player was driven into a 1st down marker and fractured his arm. The insurance settlement was $75,000.

Always expect the unexpected

These are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to accidents that can happen in and around sports. The examples listed on this page are expected to occur with some frequency. However, it’s often the unexpected types of claims that result in some of the largest payouts. You just never know what can happen and that’s why you must have quality sports insurance. We have a whole list of horror stories about what can go wrong on our risk management page, which also includes lots of free risk management material.

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